South Hero Community Values Mapping (In-Person)

What places do you love in South Hero? Do you have a favorite place to go for a walk, pick up fresh vegetables, get a creemee, watch the sun set over the lake, track a deer through the woods, or take your bike for a ride? What places are important for other community needs, like commerce, education, transportation, or housing?

South Hero Land Trust is excited to be working together with the South Hero Conservation Commission on a project to map the places that matter to you! If you are a South Hero resident or landowner (of any age), join us for a Community Values Mapping Exercise. Snacks will be provided!

What’s the Purpose?

The purpose of the Community Values Mapping project is to offer South Hero residents and landowners an opportunity to engage in a discussion of a wide variety of issues affecting the town. This is an effort to learn about and understand a broad array of community values and priorities through community discussions. Possible values discussed include Recreation, Scenic Views, Wildlife, Hunting & Fishing, Community Places, Natural Areas, Commercial, and more. One of the key goals of the project is to clarify the positive aspects of South Hero, which can inform a number of decisions, including conservation priorities and town planning.

How Does It Work?

At each event, we will start a mapping exercise that asks participants to share what they love about South Hero. For the live session, the attendees will be broken into groups, each with a facilitator who will encourage participants to share the values that are most important to them. Attendees will draw circles on large maps showing the locations reflecting the values and add additional comments. A similar process will take place during the online event.

The information gathered at these sessions will be compiled into a report with summary maps prepared by Fish & Wildlife staff and shared with the town.

Snacks will be provided for the in-person event!

Do I need to attend both events?

Nope! We are hosting an in-person and virtual version of this event on 2 different evenings so that the most people possible can attend. Please choose the one that works best for you.

Do I need to Register?

Please do, so that we know how many folks are coming. You can register by clicking HERE>>.

This project is developed in partnership with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

FAQs

Am I invited?

South Hero residents and landowners of all ages are welcome! This includes both year-round and seasonal folks, adults and children, homeowners and renters... if you have any questions, please email Bridget Kerr at bkerrvt@gmail.com or Emily Alger at emily@shlt.org.

Can I bring my kids?

We would love to have children old enough to share their ideas join us. Children who want to hang out quietly with a book or game are welcome too. That said, childcare is not currently being provided. If this is a barrier, please email emily@shlt.org, and we will see if we can arrange care.

Do I need to be an expert?

No! The only qualification needed is to live (for any part of the year) or own property in South Hero.