Two years ago this summer, people began to get together to talk about protecting and improving the lakes and ponds, rivers and streams in our county. But we weren’t going to simply talk: we had it in our heads to devise a plan. And it would cover all the surface waters that flow to the Hudson River, a watershed the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) calls “Basin 1.” It comprises the fields, forests, villages and towns drained by the Batten Kill and its tributaries, the Hoosic and its tributaries, and the Walloomsac and its feeder streams.
DEC sought public input at meetings held all over the basin, from Pownal to Rupert. Planning commissions and select boards had their say. A bunch of hard-core water quality geeks emerged to form a basin “council” and began to meet regularly. Together we tackled core concepts such as stormwater, habitat restoration, headwaters, forestry, agriculture, municipal water source protection issues, and much more – seventeen central issues in all.
Two years later, the plan is nearly complete. Now you can help us run one of the last plays of the game.
As is typical of planning documents, for each core issue we’ve created goals, objectives, and recommendations – each of them based on suggestions made by participants over the years. But they need sorting. (We’ve come up with more than one hundred recommendations!) Some problems are worse than others. Some actions will have more significant effects than others.
Here’s where you can help. You can review our recommendations, and choose those you believe are the more important ones. Some issues might be outside your interests, or outside your ken. Ignore them. We want your opinions on issues you care about and are familiar with.
Once the recommendations are compiled and ranked, we’ll polish up the plan’s text, and produce the necessary maps and graphs. Then, with DEC’s blessing, we’ll help them present the plan in its entirety to the public. DEC will make some final changes, and, maybe, will adopt it. Council members hope it can guide our actions over the next five or so years.
One hundred recommendations may seem too many to manage. They aren’t. You’ve heard of the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People? One of the habits is “Begin with the end in mind,” and this is exactly what our basin plan does. It lays out a vision for our watersheds that you can refer to, a vision that helps everything else in the plan make sense. It might also inspire you, as it has inspired the rest of us who’ve been part of this project. Here it is:
We hope for an ecosystem whose foundation is clean water in quantities sufficient to sustain flourishing native plant and animal communities and vibrant town and rural economies. We envision both wild and working landscapes of extraordinary beauty and productivity, and recreational, cultural, and economic resources understood, enjoyed, and valued highly by all residents. We understand it is our responsibility and that of all those who live in or love this watershed to realize these visions, and we welcome that responsibility.
To receive a copy of the Basin 1 plan recommendations for review or simple reading pleasure, contact the Bennington County Conservation District at 802 442-2275 or bccd@sover.net. The list will also be placed on the BCCD website soon, at www.bccdvt.org. [08.14.2009 -- The Basin 1 plan recommendations are now available online, click here to download a copy.]
Shelly Stiles is the district manager of the Bennington County Conservation District, whose mission is promoting rural livelihoods and protecting natural resources in southwestern Vermont.
This column appeared in the Bennington Banner in August 2009, as one of the BCCD's Conservation Currents pieces, a bi-weekly feature written by BCCD board and staff members since August 2006.