Fall 2023 Newsletter

In September, Jenna sat down with Molly Varner, District Manager for Grand Isle County Natural Resources Conservation District, to talk water, action planning, and block parties.

Jenna: For people who aren’t familiar with Natural Resources Conservation Districts, can you give a quick introduction to what they are and what they do?

Molly: Vermont’s Natural Resources Conservation Districts (NRCD) were created in 1939. Our mandate is to preserve the lands, water, forests, and wildlife of the state.

We’re really community-led. Each NRCD has a Board of Supervisors, who are all local landowners. We collaborate a lot with people and communities to encourage voluntary actions to keep our air, water, and soil healthy. We do everything from monitoring and assessing to education and outreach. I want to deliver and bring to people the knowledge and resources they need.

Jenna: How did Grand Isle County NRCD connect with South Hero Land Trust? Can you describe this partnership?

Molly: A lot of the work of the land trust and conservation district complements each other, and when we were brainstorming the idea for the Keeler Bay Action Plan in 2020, teaming up with the Land Trust felt like a no brainer. Your connections and insights have been a huge part of this plan's success. I really believe the Keeler Bay Action Plan wouldn’t have been as successful if we didn’t have this partnership.

Jenna: Let’s talk about that Keeler Bay Action Plan. What are the long-term goals, and what do you want to see in the next year?

Molly: Our long-term goals are simple, yet ambitious – we want to improve water quality.

It’s ambitious because this is not going to happen overnight. We’ve identified over 25 projects that will reduce runoff. But that’s just the first step. We are currently drafting designs for 6 of the projects we identified. Next steps will be to apply for funding but it could be 1-2 years before we “break ground.”

If folks want to learn more, vacd.org/KeelerBayActionPlan is a great resource.

Jenna: I know the Keeler Bay Action Plan is about to wrap up, but as you said, it’s the “first step” of this project. If folks want to get involved, what can they do?

Molly: Simply because this project is about to conclude doesn’t mean our work in Keeler Bay will end. We’ll always be looking for projects that further our goal of cleaning up the Bay. I hope the plan and the types of projects identified will inspire others to look differently at their land, what they’re doing well, and what could be enhanced. We had a ton of community involvement, including residents who attended our education events to learn about water quality or invited us onto their properties to identify projects. South Hero is made up of many private parcels and, if our work inspires even a fraction of them to make positive changes on their land, that’s a success in my book.

And we want to hear about it! I’d love to see this model take hold in other towns! In this small, 7-square mile watershed, we found 25 projects. There’s a lot of potential for expansion to other areas in the islands.

Jenna: There are a lot of other ways folks can protect water quality, right?

Molly: We have a wide scale of opportunities – from giant water quality projects that are really complex, to things as simple as planting a few trees in your yard or installing a rain barrel. That’s what we’ve been trying to communicate through the “Block Parties” that we’ve been working on with SHLT – fun community gatherings that will help us go “to the source” – the people in different communities – and we can deliver the resources solutions, stories, experiences, etc., that are unique to them.

This summer, we’ve had two Block Parties. Our first was in North Hero, and focused on strategies to enhance water quality through shoreline practices. In early September, we had a Block Party in Grand Isle, focused on identifying potential water quality issues on private roads and cost-effective solutions.

Jenna: And we’ll be holding a Block Party in South Hero next year, right?

Molly: Yes! Next spring or summer.

Jenna: If people have ideas for Block Parties in South Hero or have questions, how can they get in touch with you?

Molly: Please reach out! My email is molly.gicnrcd@gmail.com. I’m also happy to chat by phone at (845) 323-2153.

Local Matters: A Conversation on Protecting Lake Champlain