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Lewis Creek Association Programs
Each year Lewis Creek Association (LCA)
sponsors events and coordinates volunteer opportunities for citizens,
civic groups, conservation organizations, school clubs, and town
governments in Ferrisburgh, Charlotte, Monkton, Hinesburg, Starksboro,
and Bristol. LCA also helps state groups/agencies and watershed towns
to conserve and restore important farms, forestland and key watershed
ecosystems. Valued financial
contributions from each watershed town leverages additional support from
private donors and state/federal sources. With coordination between
local and state governments, LCA and volunteers are ideally staged to
participate in restoring and protecting our treasured natural landscape.
Project Categories
Education
1.
School Outreach
2.
Outreach to neighboring organizations, towns and groups
3.
LCA website/Newsletter/Publicity/Tracking Cards
4.
Field outings, Events
Data Collection
1.
Aquatic - Geomorphic assessments
2. Aquatic - Water quality sampling
3. Land – Natural areas, habitat
4. Community infrastructure that affects natural resources – road
right of ways, impervious surfaces
5. Cultural resources such as historic and archeological
Restoration
1. Stream
channel and river corridor
2. Wildlife habitat, Natural areas
Conservation
1.
Acquisition
2. Land management plans, Open space agreements, Stewardship plans
Watershed Planning
1. Town
Planning
2. Regional Planning
3. State Planning
and State basin planning
LCA Goals, Objectives, Policies
1. Goal: Protect and
Restore water quality, stream stability, and associated natural systems
Objectives:
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Facilitate the
long-term protection of lands that naturally support clean water supply,
aquatic ecosystem health and biodiversity on a watershed scale.
-
Prioritize actions
through up to date knowledge, landowner willingness and community
interest.
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Facilitate the
restoration of important natural systems and areas by community
residents including students and scouts.
Policy:
The long-term vitality
of our communities is dependent upon fully functioning natural systems,
local stewardship, and shared intertown responsibility of natural
resource management and protection; therefore these qualities shall be
the foundation of community planning.
2. Goal:
Protect and restore valuable natural areas and wildlife habitat
Objectives:
-
Facilitate the
long-term protection and stewardship of lands that naturally
support healthy wildlife populations and habitat, and biodiversity on a watershed
scale.
-
Prioritize actions
through up to date knowledge, landowner willingness and community
interest
-
Facilitate the
restoration of important natural systems and areas by community
residents including students and scouts.
Policy:
Biodiversity on a
regional and statewide level is important to the sustained quality of
life for Vermonters and deserves long-term protection and stewardship.
The traditional land ethic for sustainable hunting, fishing harvesting
of Vermont’s wildlife is also valued and should be promoted.
3. Goal: Conserve
productive and scenic lands that contribute to rural character and
economy
Objectives:
-
Facilitate the
long-term protection and stewardship of lands that support clean water supply, farm
and forest economies, and biodiversity on a watershed scale.
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Prioritize actions
through up to date knowledge, landowner willingness and community interest.
Policy:
Healthy rural
farm/forest economies and the local stewardship that sustains this land
base guarantee desired rural character and should be protected.
Similarly, scenic views that typify Vermont’s rural character and
encourage desired compact village areas should have long-term
protection.
4. Goal:
Support growth compatible with important natural systems, working
landscapes and our cultural heritage
Objective:
Policy:
Local standards,
community practices and policy that recognize inter town aquatic and
land ecosystem values and the region’s cultural heritage help to assure
our well-being and the long-term vitality of our region. Therefore we
should cooperatively avoid development in known floodplain areas, assure
clean waters, minimize unnatural erosion and sedimentation of stream
channels and water recharge areas, protect productive soils, and value
our cultural heritage lands and architecture.
5. Goal: Strengthen
and support local conservation initiatives and opportunities
Objective:
Policy:
LCA believes that a
heightened awareness of the natural world is essential to the long-term
viability of healthy and vital communities and the best way to foster
this awareness is through an informed citizenry and the creation and
sustained support of local initiatives and opportunities.
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