Brattleboro, VT & Hinsdale, NH share a unique resource --- the island and twin bridges.

Will you help support the essential clarity of island ownership and sustain FOIP's continued efforts?

We can do a lot with organized volunteerism, but even volunteer cleanups include costs for permits, promotion, and supplies. Your donation now will help pay for recent legal work to determine the island's ownership history and current status.

Unlike most islands in the Connecticut River's 410 miles, the Brattleboro-Hinsdale Island is accessible from both sides, connecting two states in a unique confluence of community and natural-area benefits.

Other than as a transportation right of way, the island has been neglected and largely abandoned for over a century. The Vernon Dam started operations in 1909, and higher water then flooding in the first three decades of the 1900s reduced the once 22-acre island to a spit of land carrying NH Rte. 119. The former NH Fish and Game boat launch on the downstream side more recently fell into disrepair, with the State of NH abandoning care for the free public river access and pull-off area.

As we approach the 100-year anniversary of the removal of the Island Park Pavilion (1927) and the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the island offers a timely opportunity to reclaim river connections and outdoor recreation access to SW NH and SE Vermont.

For Brattleboro and Hinsdale, there's no better way to celebrate the rich history of the river and island as integral to our towns, the region's settlement, and the nation's founding.

By contributing to the "Island Park Fundraiser," you will support immediate and ongoing advocacy, stewardship, and restoration of this special resource shared by our two states and two communities.

Thank you for making a generous donation!