Natural Resources Policies

Forest Resources

1. Maintain a mixed aged forested landscape in the region composed of a variety of forest blocks that support ecological and economic functions.
   1. Encourage the use of conservation subdivision models, conservation easements, and purchase and ownership of lands for conservation purposes by conservation organizations, land trusts, and state and local government.
   2. Continue to support the Vermont Use Value Appraisal (Current Use) Program—a program critical to the forest resource in the region—on a fully funded basis.
2. Encourage public, private and business landowners to maintain and enhance forests on their lands to support both ecological and human use functions.
   1. Encourage the development of local markets for all forest products.
      1. Encourage the local manufacture and marketing of value-added forest products.
      2. Promote the purchase of locally produced forest products.
3. Support early detection, rapid response and long-term management of invasive species in the region.
   1. Require the mitigation of invasive species as a condition on permits for development where the introduction or spread of invasive species is likely.
4. Support the establishment and protection of public access to forested lands.
   1. Encourage preservation of historic access points.
   2. Promote public access connections in development proposals.
5. Facilitate the understanding and appreciation of the environmental, economic, and recreational benefits offered by the region’s forests.
   1. Support organizations and educational programs that teach or demonstrate sustainable forestry and Acceptable Management Practices.
6. Forestlands should be managed so as to maintain and improve forest blocks and habitat connectors.
   1. Direct development to locations that will avoid the fragmentation of identified important natural areas, wildlife habitat and large forest blocks.
   2. Encourage the sale or gift of land rights to land trusts or private conservation groups to maximize forest land and contiguous forest tracts.

Surface Waters

7. Maintain and restore the chemical, biological, and physical quality of the region’s surface water and, at a minimum, meet the objectives stated in State and Federal water regulations.
   1. Encourage towns and community organizations to identify critical surface waters and support efforts to protect these exceptional natural resources.
   2. Encourage municipalities and other regional organizations to purchase easements on land bordering streams to establish woody vegetation for the purpose of mitigation of erosion during flash flood events and provide wild animal cover for movement between forest blocks.
8. Support the reduction of Nitrogen entering our rivers and ending up in the Connecticut River.
9. Maintain and/or restore woody buffers of vegetation along watercourses, lakes, ponds, wetlands, and vernal pools consistent with State regulations and the highest precedent established by the District Environmental Commission and State Environmental Court.
   1. Protect shorelines, provide shading to prevent undue increase in stream temperatures, minimize effects of erosion, sedimentation and other sources of pollution, and to maintain scenic, recreational, and habitat values.
   2. Bioengineered bank stabilization is the preferred method of streambank restoration. When rock armament of streambanks is necessary, efforts should be made to revegetate on top of the rock to reduce water temperature.
10. Restore floodplain access along rivers.
11. Evaluate the licensing or re?licensing of hydroelectric power generating facilities in a manner that supports all other provisions of this plan.
    1. When considering either licensing of new dams, or relicensing of existing dams, the WRC will ensure that all of these issues are addressed and given balanced consideration.
12. Maintain any designated Class I wetlands in their natural condition and restore wetlands when possible.
    1. Ensure that any permitted alterations to Class II and Class III wetlands do not significantly diminish their functional, ecological, or aesthetic values.
    2. All projects of regional importance shall provide evidence that onsite wetlands have been field checked and verified by an environmental official or State agency representative.
13. Evaluate inter?basin transfers of water and require project proposals to demonstrate that the water quality in both the sending and receiving basins will not be significantly lowered, that the water table and stream flow in the sending basin will not be detrimentally lowered, and that peak flows in the receiving basin will not be detrimentally increased. For purposes of this policy, a basin is the drainage area of a watercourse that is at least 1,000 acres in area.
14. Support surface water classification and management strategies which are consistent with the municipal and regional land use planning objectives for the affected watershed, and which will effectively maintain or improve existing water quality.
15. Maintain water flows in streams at levels that support a full range of in?stream uses and values.
    1. Follow state regulations in relation to water withdrawals.
    2. The WRC will give due consideration to the economic, safety, and environmental factors involved in the construction of surface water impoundments and withdrawals for any development activities.
16. Support flood hazard policies.
    1. The WRC shall continue to assist in the study of the region’s waterways, and discourage development in river and stream corridors, floodways, floodplains, and fluvial erosion hazard zones unless appropriate and proven mitigation measures are taken.
17. Continue to support State regulations and programs to protect surface waters from run-off and sedimentation caused by agriculture, forestry, recreation, and development activities.
    1. Support the use of tools and programs such as: Acceptable Agricultural Practices (AAP’s), Acceptable Management Practices (AMP’s) for forestry, Better Roads, and Best Management Practices (BMP’s) for erosion control.
18. Continue to support municipalities in employing road maintenance techniques to prevent soil erosion and road surface deterioration.
19. New or replacement bridges and culverts must be adequately designed and constructed to handle stormwater, provide sediment transport, and accommodate fish and wildlife passage.

Groundwater

20. Maintain or Improve Class I groundwater. These are high-quality resource areas mapped by the Agency of Natural Resources and so classified by the Secretary as currently being used or suitable for a public water supply source.
    1. In undertaking the above, regional land use policy and decision making should limit human activities in these areas.
21. To ensure that groundwater in the region is not contaminated.
    1. Avoid contamination of wells and groundwater by encouraging the use of proper drilling technology and appropriate well placement.
    2. Require testing for large amounts of material deposited on soil surfaces to ensure that no elements or chemicals are present that could contaminate ground water.
    3. Require generators of hazardous waste to have storage and disposal plans demonstrating that water contamination risks have been minimized.
    4. Support efforts to make appropriate disposal of small-quantities of hazardous waste convenient and effective in the region.
22. Groundwater aquifers are important communal resources and need to be sustainably allocated and used.
    1. Support the Department of Environmental Conservation Water Supply Division in regulating and monitoring water withdrawal from underground sources to ensure that aquifers and surface waters are not significantly depleted, and that water is properly allocated. Promulgation of specific laws and regulations to control water withdrawal and to ensure minimum flows is encouraged.
    2. Evaluate new development plans through the lens of groundwater usage. New development should not deplete water resources currently being used by existing developments.

Soils and Topography

23. Protect the region’s soils.
    1. Require developers to take special precautions on slopes to avoid environmental damage, including negative consequences associated with erosion and landslides.
    2. Minimize areas of earth disturbance, grading, and vegetation clearing on slopes over 15 percent;
    3. Design development on slopes over 15 percent such that it minimizes the potential impacts of slides and earthquakes; and
    4. Avoid development (other than appropriately designed recreational trails and ski lifts) in areas with slopes exceeding 25 percent or above 2,500 feet in elevation.
24. Recommend detailed site studies to determine suitability for development where steep slopes occur with shallow soils. Ensure that all development proposals on such soils provide and conform to a site drainage plan and an erosion control plan for construction phases of the development.
25. Avoid development on wet soils, mucks, clays, silts, and other unstable soils that offer poor support for foundations or footings or that are subject to slippage.
26. Ensure that any ground disturbance (including gravel extraction and construction) does not have negative impact on groundwater, surface waters, recreation sites, scenic areas, and special community resources.  Future access to gravel resources should be considered in development proposals.
    1. When ground disturbance occurs, best practices are to be used to minimize dust, noise, and other degradation of air quality.
    2. Ensure that effective site rehabilitation plans are provided and implemented for new development projects.

Natural Areas, Fragile Areas and Wildlife Resources

27. Support the designation and protection of State or regionally significant natural areas, fragile areas, and rare, threatened or endangered species.
    1. Support local, regional, state and federal programs and incentives that encourage private and public landowners to restore or enhance fish and wildlife habitats and ecosystems.
28. Protect Natural and Fragile Areas from development.
    1. When development is proposed near a natural or fragile area a buffer strip, designed in consultation with the appropriate state agency, must be designated and maintained between the development and any natural or fragile area.
    2. Vernal pools and their surrounding terrestrial amphibian habitat should be identified and protected from development.
29. Development should be designed and sited in a manner to preserve contiguous areas of active or potential wildlife habitat. Corridors connecting habitat areas for large mammals must be incorporated in plans for management and conservation of forested areas. Fragmentation of critical wildlife habitat should not be approved.
    1. Development should utilize existing roads and field edges to avoid additional forest fragmentation.
    2. Developers must demonstrate that they have taken reasonable steps during development planning to minimize impacts on critical habitats, including, but not limited, to the following:
       1. Habitat connectors.
       2. Grassland regions.
       3. Cliff areas identified as potential or active nesting places for peregrine falcons.
       4. Areas over 2,500 feet in elevation. Large tracts of contiguous forest land identified as priority or high priority forest blocks.

AIR QUALITY

30. Require that development activities meet state and federal standards for air quality.
    1. Proposed developments must be reviewed for their direct and indirect impact upon air quality and acceptability by local and regional airshed users.
    2. Air pollution impact reviews should include visual quality in addition to contaminant concentrations over time and distance.
31. Any emissions of hazardous or toxic air pollutants by commercial operations shall monitored for public health and safety so that concentrations of hazardous or toxic air contaminants in local and regional airsheds are below those listed for human health protection by federal and state regulations.

LIGHT POLLUTION

32. Minimize visual impacts of existing and new high-elevation or ridgeline structures through co-location, design, siting, and color choice.
33. Require illumination of structures and exterior areas only at levels necessary to ensure safety and security of persons and property. Require arrangement of all exterior lighting so that the light source (lamp) is not directly visible from public roads, adjacent residences or distant vantage points. Require shielding of exterior lighting so that the light does not project above the lamp.  Discourage exterior area illumination of regionally prominent physical features and landscapes.

Scenic Resources

34. Encourage towns to identify their scenic resources and support efforts for their enhancement and maintenance.
    1. Encourage towns to accept suggestions and input on scenic resources from neighboring towns and WRC.
    2. Encourage donation of scenic easements to public agencies or to private conservation organizations.
35. Require that the scale, siting, design, and management of new development maintains or enhances the landscape and protects high quality scenic landscapes and scenic corridors as identified by town plans.
36. Plan new or improve existing roads so that they maintain or enhance scenic resources.
37. Screen new development from I-91 and state highways and other identified scenic roads and rivers, as identified by town plans, to the greatest extent practicable using vernacular perimeter plantings of hedges, hedgerows, and trees.