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 In 1989 the recently formed Hinesburg
Land Trust (HLT) applied for a grant from the Vermont Housing and
Conservation Board (VHCB) to acquire the Baldwin Land along Lewis
Creek in Hinesburg. The money was granted with the stipulation that
the idea of a greenway corridor be pursued.
In
response, HLT member Andrea Morgante contacted people that she knew
and invited them to meet and talk about the potential of a greenway
for Lewis Creek. Although not a watershed resident herself, Andrea
connected with the creek because her favorite swimming hole was
there.
On
January 11, 1990 about 50 people showed up to discuss the project.
It was good timing for Charlotte participation because they had just
finished a scenic road project and people were thinking about
conservation issues. For Andrea, one guiding principle was the fact
that natural resources planning was not receiving the attention that
it needed to in the regional planning process taking place in
Vermont. She was able to suggest the perspective that we begin to
look at the landscape from a watershed point of view. This appeared
to be a new regional way on thinking in Vermont.
A core
group of people attended monthly meetings after that first one. The
group spent most of the first year developing their goals and
objectives, and releasing them in a brochure. The name they took was
the Lewis Creek Conservation Committee (LCCC). They hoped to have
strong representation from the five towns, through which the creek
flows (Ferrisburgh, Monkton and Starksboro in Addison County, and
Charlotte and Hinesburg in Chittenden County) by having one members
from each town's conservation commission and at least one "member at
large" from each town.
To get
started, the group knew that funding would be important to meet
their initial needs of creating a base map of the watershed and
hiring someone to keep the organization running day-to-day. The LCCC
secured two grants - one from the Vermont Community Foundation and
the other from the Fund for Vermont's Third Century to accomplish
these tasks.
By
late summer of 1990, UVM graduate student Linda Henzel had heard
about the Lewis Creek group and met with them regarding the project.
She was in the process of creating a stream bank inventory procedure
for citizens. She hoped for two outcomes: to use Lewis Creek as a
study area, and that watershed residents would be interested in
helping to develop her methodology. After attending a few meetings,
the group asked Linda to work with them on a more regular, but
part-time basis, with many tasks they needed help with, and she
agreed.
One of
the first tasks of the LCCC was to write to riparian (stream-side)
landowners throughout the watershed. LCCC members hoped to build a
base of volunteers and financial support by letting watershed
residents know the group existed and giving them a copy of the
brochure containing the organization's goals and objectives. About
$500 of individual contributions were received the first year.
The
LCCC chose to focus on data gathering and education, including
information dissemination (press releases and a semi-annual
newsletter), map making, workshops and school programs. Some of the
topics covered were stream bank restoration, wetlands, land
conservation methods, sustainable forestry practices, monitoring the
water for bacteria, benthic macroinvertabrates and chemistry,
wildlife tracking, beaver damage, and stream corridor analyses.
The
group's purposes was to involve people in their own communities to
bring lay people and professionals together for
"cross-fertilization". We have also tried to foster a sense of
community by supporting the efforts of local neighborhood groups and
holding an annual community gathering where people come together to
have fun and celebrate the watershed.
At
some point, the group decided to approach each town for $500 per
year towards their work. Not every town has given $500 each year,
but there has been more has been more consistency in town giving in
the past few years. Other methods of funding have been canoe raffles
and calendar of the creek. Each of these has netted approximately
$1,500.
In
1994, LCCC members decided to simplify the organization's name to
the Lewis Creek Association. When trying to incorporate in Vermont
in 1996, that name was not available. So, the group is now called
the Lewis Creek Watershed Association dba the Lewis Creek
Association.
The
LCA sees itself as a group of people who are not politically
motivated. We sincerely believe in the Lewis Creek watershed concept
and are willing to learn about it and share our knowledge with
others, especially our watershed neighbors. We are more of an ad hoc
group that doesn't really represent each town, but most people, we
believe, are glad to know we're here.
Our
functions have been primarily information acquiring and
disseminating, and these suggest our role as the caretakers of the
resource. We created a computerized base map and subsequent data
layers to help make the jobs of our town representatives on the
conservation commissions a little easier. We also hoped that,
through exposure to the maps, they would become more knowledgeable
about the creek.
Structurally, many LCA board members have take responsibility for
certain projects and have focused there attentions in those areas.
Perhaps our most key activity is the citizen's wildlife tracking
project. It has involved more than 100 residents in learning about
what's happening in the landscape where they live.
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