SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Since 1965, the Meeting Waters YMCA Lewis Day Camp, on Route 5 in Springfield, Vt., provides healthy outdoor adventures for children ages 5-13, including canoeing on the Black River. However, the camp had a problem: Its wooden staircase leading down to the river was aging, the footpath was steep and bare, and heavy rain would wash fine soils down the slope and into the river.
Early in 2026, after being contacted by the camp director the previous November, the Black River Action Team (BRAT) applied for a Vermont Enhancement Development, Design, and Implementation Block Grant (EDDIBG) through the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission. Through this funding, BRAT was able to contract with the NorthWoods Stewardship Center, which designed a set of infiltration steps that would replace the existing narrow and steep staircase.
Infiltration steps are open-bottomed steps that are dug into the slope, lined with erosion-control fabric, and backfilled with stone. This allows rainfall and snowmelt to permeate through the stones and into the hillside behind, rather than racing down the slope.
The project was completed by the NorthWoods crew in early September over the course of just four days, with assistance from the Black River Action Team. Each step is larger than the wooden slats on the old staircase, providing greater safety and stability for campers. A wooden handrail was added, and a gentler footpath was cleared of vegetation to further protect the river from any eroding sediment. The old footpath was covered with a layer of leaf ‘duff’ and branches to capture and slow rainfall, and to provide an opportunity for nearby ferns to colonize the area naturally.
Next year’s campers will enjoy improved access to the river for safer adventures and more confident footing, and the Black River’s banks will be less susceptible to erosion during storms.