It’s winter in Vermont, and that means it’s road salting season. On January 14th, ~15 Ridge to River Taskforce member gathered on Zoom to follow up on conversations initiated through past Taskforce and Road Roundtable meetings and learn more about the topic of road salt. Kris Stepenuck, Extension Assistant Professor at UVM, shared a brief presentation that summarized the environmental, economic, and social challenges and the many perspectives associated with using salt to keep our roads, parking lots, driveways and sidewalks safe during winter months. She also described some best management practices that can be used to minimize the use of salt. The group discussed the challenges local road crews and budget decision makers face and the pros and cons of a few of the possible best management practices. Watch the recording here, and download Kris' slides here.

Friends of the Mad River recently sponsored a two-part workshop, “A Happy and Healthy Valley,” to encourage cooperation, enhance communication and integrate community actions toward achieving long-term goals for the Mad River Valley. Working with Regenesis Group, between 50 and 75 people participated online. Thanks to everyone who dug in together!

To follow up, Friends of the Mad River offers a deeper dive with roughly eight two-hour workshops facilitated by Regenesis that will help a smaller group “build muscle” for public involvement and achievement of shared goals for The Valley. There are many different planning and program activities sponsored by our regional and local groups and agencies. How can we, the public, be more effectively and cooperatively involved in these important public processes?

As in nature, of course, everything is connected.  Can our public create a sustainable balance that is good for our people and communities and for the natural systems that we live within? Can we avoid unnecessary conflict by sharing goals and priorities? Certainly, we can. Some intensive, facilitated practicing can bring us together in cooperative relationships with the foundational skills to do so for the long term.
The workshops are expected to start in the first quarter of 2021 with a frequency shaped by the group. There’s no cost to participants because we would like to attract a wide diversity of people interested in major issues of concern in The Valley, from the economy and the environment to housing, agriculture, health care and recreation.

If you are interested in participating in the eight-session program with Regenesis learn, you can watch recordings of the first two meetings online at https://www.friendsofthemadriver.org/happyandhealthyvalley.html. When signing up to participate share the issues and challenges that most motivate you. We hope to accommodate everyone who expresses interest, but we also want to ensure a diversity of viewpoints and areas of concern.

We need to hear from you by December 21.

Thanks for caring about The Valley’s present and future, and we look forward to hearing from you.
​
Ned Farquhar, board president
Friends of the Mad River

Originally Published in the Valley Reporter (December 10th, 2020)