Conservation Commission

Conservation Commissions play a role described in Vermont statute under Title 24, Chapter 118, which includes taking inventory of the natural resources of a community, community education on conservation topics, stewardship of some municipal lands, an advisory role in development and planning, and more. Members of the Conservation Commission are appointed by the Selectboard.

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Commission Members:

  • Ann Johnston Miller (Co-Chair)
  • Sue Stasny (Co-Chair)
  • Debra Sprague (Treasurer)
  • Jaime Schulte
  • Janet Schwarz
  • (Open Position)
  • (Open Position)

Current Projects

  • Morse Park & Monkton Central School
    • The Conservation Commission is collaborating with the Recreation Committee to develop a Management Plan for Morse Park, which is a conserved municipal-owned property.
    • Wild Parsnip – the Conservation Commission is continuing a multi-year collaboration with Selectboard member John McNerney and other residents to remove wild “poison” parsnip from the park and at Monkton Central School. Substantial progress has been made since this work began in 2018!
    • Buckthorn – the Conservation Commission has been hosting a series of buckthorn removal sessions in the woods behind Monkton Central School since 2022, using Uprooter tools obtained through a Tiny Grant from the Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions. Over half an acre of dense buckthorn adjacent to the playground has been cleared to-date.
      • The Commission has a few Uprooter tools for invasive shrubs available for loan to residents, along with a few Wild Parsnip shovels. Interested residents should contact conservationcommission@monktonvt.com to borrow a shovel or Uprooter.

Recent Projects and Presentations

  • Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) Mapping Project
    • In 2022 the Conservation Commission, in collaboration with the Planning Commission and Selectboard, contracted with Arrowwood Environmental to do a natural resource inventory (NRI) mapping of Monkton. This comprehensive assessment identified areas that are described by Vermont’s Act 171 and much more, providing up-to-date fine scale mapping of the town. The assessment included all property within Monkton’s town limits and a surrounding additional one kilometer, to show forest and habitat blocks and wildlife corridors that connect to surrounding towns, and involved the use of remote mapping technology, on the ground mapping and in-person visits. The results have been presented in digital format in an online map. The project kicked off in December 2022 and is being wrapped up in fall 2023. On 28th September, 2023, Arrowwood gave a community presentation of their work at Town Hall and via Zoom (recording), which was attended by some 30 residents and nearby Vermonters.
    • Recording: Monkton NRI Community Presentation – 28th September 2023
    • Slides: Monkton NRI Community Presentation Slides
    • Online Map: Monkton NRI Map
    • Report: Monkton NRI Report
    • Questions? Email: conservationcommission@monktonvt.com
  • Ecology of North & Western Monkton – Chris Ajello – May 4th, 2022
    • Recording of the Presentation (1 hour 6 minutes)
    • Final Report
    • Description: UVM Field Naturalist graduate student Chris Ajello tromped around large parts of northern and western Monkton last summer to inventory natural communities and their associations with the landscape. Chris’s work was supervised and co-sponsored by the Monkton Conservation Commission, Monkton’s Agricultural and Natural Areas Committee, the Town of Monkton, the University of Vermont, and Vermont Gas.
  • Significant Reptiles & Amphibians of Monkton – Jim Andrews – April 27th, 2022
    • Recording of the Presentation (1 hour 37 minutes)
    • Description: Monkton and its neighboring towns have a high diversity of unusual frogs, salamanders, snakes and turtles. It is on the northern edge of the range of some rare snakes and salamanders, on the southern edge of the range of an unusual frog, and in the center of the range for some unusual turtles. Of course, Monkton is also famous among herpetologists for its underpasses that were designed for amphibians and other wildlife species. Jim Andrews will share slides and information on a selection of these species and the underpasses and answer any questions people may have.
    • About the Presenter: Jim Andrews has been working full time as a herpetologist/wildlife biologist in Vermont since 1990. He has worked closely with state, federal, and private agencies; and individuals on herptile conservation throughout Vermont. Jim is a founding member of the Salisbury Conservation Commission and has been compiler and organizer of the Middlebury Christmas Bird Count since it’s inception. In addition, Jim has been working with the Vermont Agency of Transportation to help minimize the impacts of transportation infrastructure and traffic on wildlife. Conservation of Vermont’s wildlife and wildlife habitat through education, field experience, and science is a common theme running through all his activities.
  • Wetlands On My Land – Presentation by Zapata Courage – March 10th, 2022
    • Recording of the Presentation (1 hour 6 minutes)
    • About the presenter: Zapata Courage is a District Wetlands Ecologist with the State of Vermont’s Wetlands Program in the Agency of Natural Resources.
    • Description: Protect yourself! If you have land that you want to develop further, a garage, barn, expand the house, or build a pond on. Or, you want to sell your undeveloped lot or subdivide off of what you own. Or you are thinking about buying land to build a house or convert into farmland. Come and learn how to find out if wetlands might be occurring on a property in question and whether they might dictate your options. Tips on how to set up for a successful sale of land with wetlands. Learn how to avoid a potential violation or buying land you can’t do what you want, some lots are undevelopable. Why are wetlands protected anyway and hear some fun facts and review a couple of wetlands in Monkton.
  • Monkton’s Ecological Landscape – Presentation by Eric Sorensen – July 2021
    • Recording of the Presentation
    • Slides from the Presentation
    • About the presenter: Eric Sorenson is the Community Ecologist at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department where he is responsible for describing and classifying Vermont’s natural communities. He is a co-author of Wetland, Woodland, Wildland – a richly illustrated book describing Vermont’s ecological settings including geology, soils, climate, plants, and animals. In recent years, with others, he has focused on how to conserve the incredible biological diversity of our state through the Vermont Conservation Design. Join us for a presentation about Monkton natural communities and find out why this community ecologist finds our town so unique and special.
  • Saving our Watershed – Presentation by Kate Kelly of the Lewis Creek Association – March 15th 2021. Passcode: +064VXjm

Pollinator Plant info: Mid-Champlain Valley RCP

Resource Documents

 Conservation Commission Meeting Agendas

Conservation Commission Resources

 

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