REGION – The Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) is excited to announce a Clean Water Restoration Roadshow, planned in partnership with Marie Caduto from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC), aimed at highlighting natural resource restoration projects in the Black and Ottauquechee watersheds. Our goal is to increase awareness and transparency around environmental restoration work being done in the state of Vermont. Specifically, the multi-town tour will showcase six projects, from Springfield up to Woodstock, that were funded in part by Vermont’s Clean Water Fund.
The event will be held on May 6, beginning at the Springfield Food Coop at 9:30 a.m., with an opportunity to arrive 30 minutes early for coffee and baked goods. From there, we will stop at several sites on the way to Woodstock, ending the day at the Sustainable Woodstock Community Garden. Participants are encouraged to join for one stop, come along for the whole ride, or hop on or off anywhere in between. Find more information or register at www.ctriver.org/event/clean-water-restoration-road-show.
About the Clean Water Fund
With revenue from the Meals and Room Tax Allocation, Property Tax Surcharge, and unclaimed bottle deposits, the Clean Water Fund supports various natural resource restoration projects which aim specifically to improve water quality, as well as provide many other co-benefits such as improvements to wildlife habitat, increased flood resilience, and improvements for recreational access.
“Bringing up taxes in April is a little cruel, I’ll admit,” says Alden Dumas, an ECO AmeriCorps member serving with the Connecticut River Conservancy, “but it’s a key component of understanding how these projects are funded. I think sometimes people can feel disconnected from abstract issues like water quality, or how their tax dollars are being spent, and we planned this event to make people more connected, show them that these projects are happening in their neighborhood, and give them a chance to meet the people behind these projects.”
Although working toward clean water is the unifying principle behind these restoration projects, there are many avenues taken to achieve such ends. This tour will help to illustrate the myriad ways that clean water funding can be used to address stormwater runoff, plant trees, remove unused dams, and protect our wetlands and natural resources. “Clean water funding from the state of Vermont is invaluable in implementing these projects that help to protect and restore our rivers and streams in the Connecticut River watershed,” states Kathy Urffer, River Steward for the Connecticut River Conservancy in Vermont.
Collaboration among many partner organizations has been crucial to identifying and implementing these restoration projects. Marie Caduto, Vermont DEC Watershed Planner says, “I view the partner organizations as the real bridge between the goals of our clean water funding, and meeting the needs of local communities. We’re enthused to have members of the local community join us, learn more about these types of projects, and let their voice be heard as well.”