Blog Archives

November Expert Series: Floodplains Workshop

11/18/2023

Saturday, November 18th
10 am - 12 noon
Lareau Park, Waitsfield

Are you curious about what a floodplain is and why you hear that term in almost every discussion on flooding and climate resilience?

Then, join Friends of the Mad River and Ned Swanberg of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC) to learn about what floodplains are, why they are so important to health and safety, and how the river and precipitation shapes the valley that we call home. Ned is a regional floodplain manager for Vermont Central, and manages https://floodready.vermont.gov.

The workshop will be held at the Austin parcel, which is also the location of an ongoing floodplain forest restoration project. We'll learn about riverside soils, plants, and other signs to discern the health and vitality of the river and how it affects our lives. We'll also learn from our local experts on the history of the land and see the progress of the ongoing restoration work.

Please come dressed appropriately to be outdoors for 1-2 hours.
Distance: 0.5 - 1 mile
Terrain: Trail is mostly flat and consists of dirt trails covered in leaf litter or grass.

Register below and email [email protected] with questions or if you need any accommodation.

November Book Discussion: Braiding Sweetgrass

11/13/2023

Monday, November 13th
6 pm
Warren Public Library
Register: bit.ly/mrvbookclub

🌿We're excited to announce our partnership with the Mad River Valley Libraries on a monthly environmental themed book club 🌿

Each month, we'll read a different book about the natural world and/or climate change and discuss its implications for our community and our planet. We'll cover a wide array of genres ranging from fiction to non-fiction and everything else in-between.

In honor of Native American Heritage month, our November selection is "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer. In this book, the author celebrates the notion that there is a reciprocal relationship between humans and the rest of the living world and invites us to think deeply about the positive role that humans can play in the survival of all species.

Copies are available for checkout at your local MRV library and for purchase at Tempest Book Store in Waitsfield for 20% off. Just mention that you're part of the book club!

This discussion is co-hosted by the Warren Public Library and snacks will be provided.

Ridge to River Fall Recap

11/9/2023

Over the past decade, the Ridge to River Coalition was developed in order to address flood resilience and stormwater management across the five towns in the Mad River watershed. By creating opportunities for collaboration and sharing, as well as identifying best practices that could be adopted from one end of our community to the other, the coalition was successful in creating programming, securing grant funding, and setting the foundation for successful collaboration between our towns.

In the past few months, the Ridge to River Coalition has reconvened, this time with a broader focus on climate and community resilience. In response to the Vermont Climate Assessment and Vermont Climate Action Plan, the group decided to expand its scope to take a more inclusive look at how our community can become more resilient in the face of climate change. With projects spanning the whole gamut of community development, from green spaces to transportation, and from energy efficiency to wastewater, our group has been having conversations around community priorities for climate action.

Our first meeting, held back in September, focused on becoming familiar with the Vermont Climate Action Plan, and brainstorming some of the ways that the towns in our watershed might be able to take action within that framework. At our most recent meeting at the end of October, our group decided to focus on three main areas of climate resilience - Smart Growth, Healthy Spaces and Beings, and Community Education and Workforce Development.

Our next meetings will be held within these Working Groups, and will take place by the end of this calendar year. Our first priority will be to define each of the Working Group titles, we will work collaboratively to create a vision for what success would look like, and then we’ll begin creating priorities for action within the Working Groups.

It has been wonderful to join forces with so many motivated, intelligent, and creative people from across the watershed. With a strong contingency of folks returning from the original Ridge to River Coalition, as well as some wonderful new members of our team joining the effort, it is very exciting to consider the potential for how our community can work together to address climate change and the many ways it will impact the Mad River watershed.

Luke Foley
Climate and Engagement Manager

The Water Column

November Expert Series: Floodplains Workshop

Saturday, November 18th
10 am - 12 noon
Lareau Park, Waitsfield

RSVP

November Book Discussion: Braiding Sweetgrass

Monday, November 13th
6 pm
Warren Public Library
Register: bit.ly/mrvbookclub

Ridge to River Fall Recap

Friends

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The Water Column

November Expert Series: Floodplains Workshop

Saturday, November 18th10 am - 12 noonLareau Park, Waitsfield

RSVP

November Book Discussion: Braiding Sweetgrass

Monday, November 13th6 pmWarren Public LibraryRegister: bit.ly/mrvbookclub

Ridge to River Fall Recap

Friends

Archives

Categories

Saturday, November 18th
10 am - 12 noon
Lareau Park, Waitsfield

Monday, November 13th
6 pm
Warren Public Library
Register: bit.ly/mrvbookclub