Saxtons River Watershed Collaborative Looks Forward to Future Projects
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The Saxtons River Watershed Collaborative, comprised of members from groups, schools, town officials, and organizations within the watershed, along with the Windham Regional Commission, met at the beginning of September to update the team of project developments. The group has been funded by the High Meadows Fund to create and foster a watershed identity throughout the towns and communities along the river. The collaborative has worked on several flood resiliency projects including planting 1,360 trees, pursuing 6 conservation easements on river corridor properties, and setting up an educational center. Since the group last met, the educational center has found a home in the Retreat Farms in Brattleboro.
In a recent meeting with the Collaborative, the group unanimously decided to move forward as a cohesive organization beyond the end of the first round of High Meadows Fund support, pursuing its original vision. The Collaborative is looking forward to organizing more buffer plantings with the schools and community partners, expanding upon the educational center by offering workshops, working more on watershed identity within communities upstream and downstream, and exploring how to quantify flood resiliency. These are just a few project goals among many others including culvert replacement and stream reclassification.
The Collaborative is a group that has created cohesion, communication, and understanding throughout the watershed. We look forward to seeing more groups of this kind develop in the many watersheds throughout the region.