Woodstock Village Conservancy
Enhancing and maintaining Woodstock Village public spaces and connectors
About
Outdoor public spaces are economic drivers for community engagement and tourism. The condition of parks, sidewalks, and public squares communicates civic competency, commitment, and values. Woodstock Village Conservancy imagines intentionally designed, sustainable, and well-kept public spaces, connected by safe and accessible pathways, that residents will use, appreciate, and support, and that visitors will explore and enjoy.
It will accomplish this through
- collaboration with the municipality, local businesses, non-profits, and individual volunteers,
- funding from private and public sources, and
- implemention and transparent reporting of activities.
September 2026 Update
We are fundraising for “Branch Out Woodstock”, an initiative to plant up to four trees in abandoned tree wells along Central Street in April 2027. We have already raised enough for two trees. If you wish to support this initiative, visit the Donate page, click the Woodstock Village Conservancy button to be redirected to our donation form where you can input your details and note in the Comments box that you want the gift directed to Branch Out Woodstock. Read the Vermont Standard's 7/16/26 article to learn more.
The boards also voted to allow us to begin planning the bicentennial celebration of The Green, slated for sometime around 2027-28. If you like party and event planning contact Laura Dyess at
Did you miss our first public feedback session on August 6 at Town Hall? We reviewed the history and condition of The Green, discussed the design and functional elements that have emerged from hundreds of conversations over these past two years, and gathered additional feedback and ideas for potential improvements. Review the presentation and read the report to learn more.
Regarding maintenance, we are working out the volunteer work sessions for The Conservancy Corps. Get outside, make friends, get some exercise, appreciate the land, and help care for the spaces that bring us together. We will be posting Calls to Action for volunteers, but if you want to be a standing member of the Corps, let us know at
Click on one of the tiles below for more information about these initiatives. If you'd like to be kept in the loop, email
The Challenge
The 2023 Woodstock Town Plan seeks to be a steward of the land. Yet, with aging and failing infrastructure, care of public spaces is a low priority municipal operating expense. Our current decentralized municipal and non-profit management results in underserviced areas, public spaces that lack intentionality, inconsistent or insufficient maintenance, discontinuity between areas, and limited expertise and resources for big or complicated projects.
The Solution
Woodstock Village Conservancy will focus on the intentional design, environmental sustainability, accessibility, and maintenance of public spaces within the Village of Woodstock. Untethered to a specific place Woodstock Village Conservancy will focus on complex projects that touch all parks and pathways using the Green Streets framework.
The Impact
Woodstock Village Conservancy recognizes that our plans are ambitious and will require patience, communication, and collaboration. We anticipate the impact to take several years to manifest but relish the community-oriented process that will get us there. Ultimately, Woodstock Village Conservancy hopes to enhance currently under-resourced areas and maintain all public spaces to become destinations; create safe, sustainable, and accessible streets and pathways for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians; and provide consistent and visible visitor and resident experiences.
Project Plans and Support
Woodstock Village Conservancy will adapt to the needs and desires of stakeholders to enhance and maintain public spaces that serve and inspire our community and its visitors by creating and implementing, with partner entities, a roadmap to leverage and manage community resources and stimulate philanthropy to fund major projects and maintenance.
Get Involved
We are looking for volunteers to join our initiative working groups. If you are interested in contributing to our mission of enhancing and maintaining the parks and connectors within Woodstock's iconic village,
Project Team Members
- Joe DiNatale
- Laura Dyess
- Roger Logan
- Stuart Mathews
- Bettyanne McGuire
- Jack Rossi
- Scott Smith
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Many Thanks to Our Partners!