The Vernon Select Board has given the nod to proceed with an attempt to reestablish a Conservation Commission in town. In 2018, the VT Fish and Wildlife Department published Why Have A Conversation Commission? which not only lays out the purpose for such work; but also identifies the process for establishing a commission and a source of funding for such an endeavor.
Vernon already has a highly effective Farmland Conservation Commission and an engaged Planning Commission. Some of the cited responsibilities of a Conservation Commission are already being undertaken by these entities. For example, with regards to developing the Town Plan, which is an undertaking of the Planning Commission, the VTFW positions Conservation Commissions as "advisory." Why some might ask, are we then attempting to add another step to an already successful process? In short because a Conservation Commission's lens is focused squarely on identifying, enhancing an understanding of and conserving our environmental assets.
When environmental professionals (as they did in the 2013 Vernon Town Plan) recommend that the impact from soil compression and runoff due to hiking in the Black Gum Swamps be addressed by: the Vernon Municipal Forest Committee coordinating with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation "to develop a master plan for the protection of the Black Gum Swamp"(pp 27 Fragile Areas Recommendations) Vernon's Conservation Commission could then pick up the ball and pursue that recommendation. I use this as an example, because having a question about the above recommendation, I was directed to the Vernon Rec. Trails Committee by a former select board member as the Forest Committee was nonexistent at the time. It was then relayed to me that what I was asking about was deemed outside of Rec Board's purview. A Conservation Commission could fill in such gaps.
Another task of a Conservation Commission could be to reduce the confusion as to where exactly the 50 foot state mandated protective buffer is located at Lily pond and to seek funding to post educational signs alerting the public to the protective buffer. With Lily Pond now being identified as Vermont's only example of an Outwash Plain Pondshore, such a commission could advise on ways to educate the public on this unique community which includes numerous rare plants and animals and perhaps develop a information site for Vermont, similar to the one I linked here for Maine.
After many inquires with different aspects of town government, I have finally learned that it is the town that owns the islands within Lily Pond and the town is responsible for the islands as well as the access road and the parking area. An advisory commission could help guide the town on how best to manage these assets in a way that both preserves their recreational use and the wildlife and plant communities there.
Finally, I would like to point out that the state /VTFW/ Roaring Brook Wildlife Management Area has been acquiring land in Vernon in recent years and are in the process of acquisitioning more. Martin recently suggested and I echo him here, "Better to have local oversight by local people than "the state telling us what we can't do." Giving Vernon residents an advisory seat at the table on matters of conservation and land use within our town makes good sense.
To those residents who would like to participate in such an endeavor, I encourage you to email Nature Finds at eaglestailvt@gmail.com with your contact information. If there is enough interest, I will set up a time to meet with our town select board-Norma Manning
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