Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
HYDE PARK — It’s quiet on the Green River Reservoir in Hyde Park, and it has been for years. But it’s especially serene now that the 653-acre state park and campsite, accessible only by boat, received an electric canoe.
Previously, the park faced a dilemma. In order to carry all the supplies to ensure that park users could have a safe and clean experience, park staff used an aluminum boat powered by an onboard gas motor — the only one allowed on the state park’s water.
“That never sat well with any of us,” said Nick Caputo, the regional manager for Northeast Vermont State Parks. Park users complained of the noise from the motor and accused the rangers of being lazy. Park workers felt hypocritical for using a motor when others weren’t allowed to. Something needed to change.
So three years ago, park staff approached Friends of the Green River Reservoir, a nonprofit that works to preserve and protect the state park, and challenged the group to find them an electric canoe.
The group started researching boats with electric onboard motors, but it took time before they found the right alternative: a 17-foot-long cargo canoe made of a green vinyl that muffles the sound when it hits the water. The boat came from Esquif, a Canadian company, and instead of a gas-powered motor, the canoe has an electric motor from the German company Torqeedo.
Caputo said because the nonprofit were purchasing foreign products, leaders wanted to buy before federal tariffs impacted the cost.
The boat “really fits the wilderness-like character of the lake,” said Eric Nuse, a retired game warden who was recruited by the Friends in 2010. “They’re fairly expensive, but it just seemed like a perfect fit.”
Between the canoe, motor and other assorted parts, the total cost to create the boat was just under $10,000.
Along with the motor, the group purchased three lithium batteries, each weighing about 25 pounds. There’s always at least one battery on a charger and two on the boat.
Rangers can easily get up to four hours at half speed, allowing them to motor up the length of the reservoir and back, said Milford Cushman, another member of Friends and founder of the Cushman Design Group in Stowe, which has provided most of the park’s architecture including their contact station and garage.
“We feel proud,” Cushman said. “We think an electric motor on a cargo canoe is something that rangers can talk about when they’re out with visitors and can help improve visitors’ understanding of why it’s important to protect wilderness-like areas.”
On the water, the electric motor makes a soft hum, which blends in with the sound of the reservoir — people laughing as they paddle to their campsite, trees swaying against each other from the wind and common loons sitting on the lake diving for meals, all undisturbed by the minimized noise.
On the old boat, park rangers had to wear headphones, said Ryan Angevine, who has been a park attendee for five years. “Otherwise you’d be deaf by the end of the trip,” he said.
The park keeps the old gas boat around in case of emergencies but has not used it since the recent donation.
“The Friends are proud and pleased we were able to use some of our funds in order to support the mission of the GRR and the experience that we are wanting visitors to have,” said Cushman.
Right now, purchasing more of these canoes isn’t necessarily in the queue, said Caputo, but as the park moves toward electrification in a variety of their products, he hopes to see more of these boats in the future.
“It really goes to show what you can accomplish working with a group of dedicated people when you all share the same goal of stewarding such a wonderful piece of property,” Caputo said.
Caputo, along with park workers, showed lots of appreciation for the work that the Friends did to make this donation happen.
“They are the best friends a park could have,” Caputo said.
