As summer makes way for autumn, we’re excited to announce the release of our fall Vermont Environmental Report. In this edition we cover the many faces of VNRC’s advocacy – from Town Hall to the State House. So kick back with a hot cup of mulled cider, wrapped in your favorite flannel, and learn more about why VNRC’s multi-faceted approach to protecting and enhancing our natural resources and communities is uniquely effective year after year.  Members will receive a hard copy in the mail soon. If you’d like to receive a copy, please sign up foran annual membership – you can support our work andreceive an annual subscription.

This past session, the Vermont Legislature passed Act 171, which includes many initiatives to maintain the health and integrity of Vermont’s forests. The legislation was a key priority for VNRC and many partner organizations. VNRC’s Forest and Wildlife Program Director, Jamey Fidel, is currently serving on several groups tasked with making recommendations to benefit Vermont’s forests.

As a member of the Workgroup on the Intergenerational Transfer of Forestland, Fidel will help craft recommendations to improve technical assistance to landowners to help them plan for the long-term ownership of their forests. “This is vitally important since the majority of forest landowners are over the age of 55, and 15 percent of Vermont’s forestland is owned by owners over the age of 75,” said Fidel. He will also serve on the Act 171 Forest Integrity Study Committee, and will help craft potential revisions to Act 250 and Vermont’s land use laws related to zoning bylaws to protect contiguous areas of forestland from fragmentation and promote habitat connectivity.  VNRC’s work on addressing forest fragmentation and research on subdivision trends in Vermont will likely inform the committee’s work.

You can track the progress of this working group at https://fpr.vermont.gov/forest/act-171-study-committee

Katie Emerson will join VNRC and VECAN as the AmeriCorps Community Energy and Climate Action Coordinator. Previously, Emerson served on the Hinesburg Energy Committee and, most recently, interned with the Conservation Law Foundation. She holds a Masters of Environmental Law from Vermont Law School and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College.

Emerson will take over for Ben Civiletti, who served two terms as VECAN coordinator. “We will miss Ben dearly but are grateful for his two years of service helping communities make progress on clean energy and energy efficiency,” said Johanna Miller, VNRC energy and climate action program director, “and while he leaves big shoes to fill, we are happy to have found someone as qualified as Katie to continue this important work.” Civiletti is currently pursuing his JD at Vermont Law School.

This position is made possible through the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board AmeriCorps Program.

Elisabeth Kulas, the executive director of the Housing Trust of Rutland County, was recognized with the Arthur Gibb Award for Individual Leadership for her work promoting smart growth, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and strong communities through the development of affordable housing. “Elisabeth believes in Community with a capital “C”: communities which are inclusive and provide opportunity,” wrote Connie Snow, executive director of the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust in nominating Kulas, “While that may be the driver, she understands the bigger pictures: that the safe, attractive and sustainable neighborhoods she is working to create – and the economic engine of her construction activity – are integral pieces to overall community health and well-being,” noted Snow. Read more here (link to PR on web)

VNRC was lucky to host Mollie Beattie Intern Kaitlin Hayes and Legal Intern Elizabeth Humpal this summer. Hayes spent the summer researching the role Act 250 plays in maintaining healthy forests and researching how other states assess natural resource damages to compensate for loss of ecological services. Hayes, who was also the 2016 Legislative Intern, is currently interviewing for environmental positions in Vermont and Washington State.

Legal Intern Elizabeth Humpal researched community solar ownership models, adding to VNRC’s Community Solar Toolbox publication, and examined local solutions and policy options to support a clean energy transition for working farms, alternatives to single occupancy vehicle travel in Vermont, and more. She returns to VLS this fall for her final year working toward her JD.

Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) this fall will release its 2016 Environmental Scorecard. The Scorecard presents legislators’ voting records on key environmental bills, and can be found at: vermontconservationvoters.org.

VCV tracked and scored legislative votes from the 2015-2016 legislative biennium on bills related to clean water, toxic chemicals, renewable energy, forest integrity, and protecting endangered species. You can see how your lawmakers voted on these conservation priorities in the Scorecard.

Three years ago VCV and VNRC entered into a strategic partnership that has benefited both organizations. VCV is housed at VNRC, and while the organizations share some resources, they remain separate, stand-alone entities with complementary missions.

Recently, the Randolph Main St. Dam was removed, opening up nearly 100 miles of upstream habitat. The dam, located on the Third Branch of the White River, has been documented as barrier to native trout species attempting to migrate upstream. While there are hundreds of dams in the Connecticut River watershed that serve no useful purpose, the Randolph dam was identified as a high priority for removal because it restores such a significant stretch of the White River and its tributaries. For more news about the removal, click here.

For information on dam removal and the organizations working to accelerate the removal of dams that no longer serve a useful purpose in Vermont, check out freevtrivers.org

It’s been a busy month for VNRC’s water program, responding to a suite of initiatives proposed by the Agency of Natural Resources that address the protection of Vermont’s waters.  VNRC, working with partners,  engaged in the following priority issues: 1) We support the proposed changes to Vermont Water Quality Standards (VWQS) that could result in the designation of more high quality waters in Vermont.  However, we raised concerns that some of the proposed amendments could weaken Vermont’s long time policy against allowing high quality waters to be diminished – known as the anti-degradation policy.   VNRC’s position is that any changes to VWQS must strengthen protections for Vermont’s waters.  2) We commented on the proposed plan to implement the newly revised Lake Champlain cleanup plan – known as the TMDL.  In our comments, we recognized the progress the State has made over the previous TMDL implementation plan.  However, we identified areas where the plan is still not strong enough to meet the serious challenge of cleaning up the lake. We submitted comments with specific recommendations for improving the plan; and 3) We strongly support ANR establishing a safe drinking water standard for PFOA.  However, we submitted comments that recommend a more stringent standard than ANR recommends based on recent scientific studies that have come to light.  You can see VNRC’s full comments on these issues by clicking here.

More Americans may be willing to pay for a carbon pollution tax policy than originally expected, according to a recent poll by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago and the Associated Press – ORC Center for Public Affairs Researched. While these results speak to national trends, the results of a public opinion poll of 600 likely Vermont voters released earlier this summer by Energy Independent Vermont (EIV) – a coalition that VNRC actively participates in – offer local insights. Vermonters, according to the poll, overwhelmingly believe global warming is happening, understand that it is human caused, and support action to address it – including putting a price on carbon pollution in Vermont. For more information on the EIV poll results, check out energyindependentvt.org

The redevelopment of the Burlington Town Center Mall site, an underutilized mall on Burlington’s Church Street, continued making progress last week when the City Council considered changes to zoning in the area. VNRC supports the project from a smart growth perspective because of its potential to bring vitality, housing, transportation, and jobs to downtown Burlington. At the same time, we see opportunities for improvement – to design, parking, and energy efficiency – that should be seized. Read our comments, and learn more about the project here.

Since the early 1990s, humans have destroyed about 1.27 million square miles of wilderness – an area twice the size of Alaska – a new study finds. The Wildlife Conservation Society unveiled its findings recently at the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources annual summit. For more on the story, click here.

Join us for food, fun, and festivities at our Annual Meeting,Thursday, September 29th, at American Flatbread, Waitsfield. Enjoy free flatbread and a cash bar. Come talk with legislators and neighbors alike about Vermont’s environmental issues!

VNRC will award the 2016 Arthur Gibb Award to Elisabeth Kulas, head of Housing Trust of Rutland County. We will also vote in and annouce our new board members.