WRC Releases Region-wide maps of Undeveloped Waters
- Details
The Windham Regional Commission has released a set of maps showing the status of undeveloped streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds across the entire Windham Region. These maps are culmination of work over the past five years, and bring together the results of three separate projects to identify undeveloped waters in the Region and classify them as to their conservation status and town plan land use district.
Besides these maps, products of this effort also include a detailed report and maps for just the southwestern two-thirds of the Windham Region (the Deerfield, North, Green, lower Connecticut, and lower West River watersheds), and a report for the northeastern third of the Region (Saxtons, Williams, upper Connecticut, and upper West River watersheds).
The WRC recognizes the value of these undeveloped waters in providing a variety of important environmental and societal benefits and the need for their protection. Given the important values of undeveloped buffers and the dwindling extent of them, it is important for stakeholders to work to protect those that remain. This information is useful to municipalities, landowners, and conservation groups to inform planning for the protection of these resources, and development and implementation of effective regulatory protective measures.
The maps and reports are available on WRC’s publications page, www.windhamregional.org/publications. Larger scale maps, and maps of individual towns, are available upon request. Funding for this work was provided through Section 604(b) of the Federal Clean Water Act, administered by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
The WRC recognizes the value of these undeveloped waters in providing a variety of important environmental and societal benefits and the need for their protection. Given the important values of undeveloped buffers and the dwindling extent of them, it is important for stakeholders to work to protect those that remain. The information is useful to municipalities, landowners, and conservation groups to inform planning for the protection of these resources, and development and implementation of effective regulatory protective measures.
