Vermont Business Magazine As part of the South Lake Champlain Partnership, the Poultney Mettowee Conservation District and the Rutland Regional Planning Commission have teamed up to facilitate flood resiliency education, planning and project implementation in the Flower Brook Watershed shared by Tinmouth, Danby, and Pawlet. The watershed approach used in our project, titled Weathering the Storm: Community-Based Planning for Flood Resiliency in Flower Brook , is an important component of flood protection in vulnerable villages and towns, because the effects felt in one town are the accumulation of impacts from upstream.
In addition to this information sharing and feedback gathered in the three project towns, the Partnership will offer workshops in July and August leading up to a three-town gathering on August 28, 2016 (the 5th anniversary of TS Irene) from 11-2 at Edie’s Green in Pawlet Village. All events are open to the public.
July/August Flood Preparedness Workshops:
July 30: Lets Talk Runoff: Keep Your Driveway Out of the Stream
Many driveways cross Flower Brook and contribute to the water, gravel, and sediment in the stream during storms, increasing the damage downstream. Learn stormwater management tools to minimize impacts to Flower Brook with Southern Vermont Stream Alterations Engineer Josh Carvajal, Danby Road Foreman Charlie Bush, Pawlet Road Commissioner Keith Mason, and Trout Unlimited’s Erin Rodgers leading the discussion at 844 Little Village Road, Danby from 8-10 am.
Aug. 3: Green Stormwater: What You Can Do At Home
A presentation with UVM Sea Grant’s Becky Tharp at the Tinmouth Old Firehouse at 7 pm. Find out what you can do to be more flood resilient using rain gardens and other stormwater retention methods on your own property.
Aug. 13: Flower Brook Hike: Explore Your Watershed
Led by Conservation District Manager, Hilary Solomon, this hike along Flower Brook from Danby to Pawlet will explore the results of weather and land use changes on a sensitive landscape. Please wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for a several mile hike along an abandoned road. Some off-trail walking will be included. Meet at Lilly Hill Road and the Pawlet Danby Road at 9:00 AM for this informational hike.
Flower Brook Community Event on August 28
Join the three towns of Tinmouth, Danby, and Pawlet for a Flower Brook Community Event on August 28 from 11 am – 2 pm at Edie’s Green in Pawlet. This event is free and open to the public.
Share your stories of resiliency as we learn what Pawlet, Danby, and Tinmouth have done and will continue to do to protect their towns from future flood events. Presenters include Ned Swanberg, VT DEC Rivers Program; Ethan Swift, VT DEC Watershed Coordinator; and Hilary Soloman, PMNRCD Director. There will also be Tropical Storm Irene Photo and Story Displays.
There is great fun for the kids as well: Wonderfeet Museum and the Rutland Area Food and Farm Link (RAFFL) will have hands-on activities, and there will be a Watershed Model and Flume Table: an interactive display with sand and running water that helps users visualize how dynamic streams interact with the landscape.
Of course, no great community gathering is without food and music! We’ll have Pizza, BBQ, Pies and Ice Cream for sale and rousing music by Spruce Knob Uprising.
For those who would like to explore the stream and to better understand its dynamic potential, there will be a hike along the Flower Brook from 2-4 pm starting from Edie’s Green.
Weathering the Storm is funded by a grant from the High Meadows Funds as part of a series of watershed alliance projects throughout the state.