Selected 1998 Program Highlights

Helping Communities Protect Watersheds
The Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Program (NREC) is piloting an approach to community-based watershed protection in the Mill River watershed, a sub-basin of the Connecticut River watershed. The Mill River Watershed Project is an effort to identify and address environmental issues within the five communities that make up the watershed (Hatfield, Whately, Deerfield, Conway, and portions of Northampton). Our staff met with municipal boards in the watershed, initiated -- along with cooperating partners -- a variety of watershed assessments, and convened a watershed council to facilitate public participation in the project. This project is funded in part by the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

Connecting with Planet Earth
For the third year the Earth Connection served as a rich resource for high school students and educators interested in community-based environmental education. At the heart of the program is the annual Earth Connection conference, a two-day gathering that brought 37 teams of students and teachers from around the state to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to learn and gain insights from each other and a variety of educators and scientists. High school teachers earned a total of 675 Professional Development Points, which are required for maintaining certification. A year-round electronic network and a Web site provide support for students engaged in community projects which protect and improve the environment. The Earth Connection is cosponsored with Extension's 4-H Youth and Family Development Program and supported by a gift from International Paper.

What Did We Accomplish?
Selected 1998 Program Impacts

NREC faculty and professional staff conducted 110 workshops, presentations, and field trips on natural resource topics, reaching over 3,400 natural resource professionals, municipal officials, citizen conservationists, individuals associated with natural resource-based businesses, teachers, and youth educators, for a grand total of 6,106 contact hours.

470 members of planning boards and zoning boards of appeal attended 19 Citizen Planner Training Collaborative (CPTC) workshops. Training materials and sample bylaws are now available on the CPTC Web site.

Over 680 conservation commissioners, conservation agents, agency personnel, and environmental consultants attended 15 workshops on topics including wetlands functions and values, vernal pool protection, wetlands wildlife and habitat evaluation, wetlands delineation, plant identification, protection of riparian buffers, and wetlands regulations.

25 people took part in a 3-1/2 day Coverts Program workshop on forest stewardship, receiving information about forest management, wildlife habitat, biodiversity and endangered species, timber harvesting, community outreach, and communication skills aimed at enabling them to be advocates for forest stewardship in their communities.

26 people involved in watershed planning and management projects attended a 3-1/2 day residential workshop on watershed protection, focusing on principles of watershed management, natural resource protection, environmental problems and issues, watershed assessment, human dimensions, and public involvement in watershed protection.

A computerized land acquisition model using geographic information systems (GIS) technology for the Ware River watershed was developed in cooperation with the Metropolitan District Commission.

NREC continues to work with communities in two Massachusetts watersheds that drain into Narragansett Bay. Watershed protection workshops were offered both in the Taunton and Blackstone River watersheds, with 60 people attending. Twelve people attended a septic system management workshop for realtors.

NREC staff worked with towns on Martha's Vineyard to initiate zoning changes and other protective measures based on information gained from the environmental monitoring and analyses of Vineyard water bodies, including Sengekontacket Pond, Chilmark Great Pond, Menemsha Pond, and Crystal Lake.

As part of the Cape Cod Household Hazardous Waste program working with 14 towns to develop and promote hazardous waste collection and recycling, more than 2,400 people brought in 13,500 cans of paint and stain, diverting them from the solid waste stream for reuse or recycling. More than 750 gallons of unwanted gasoline were collected, with roughly half of it able to be reconditioned and reused.

Nine two-day workshops on topics such as watersheds and non-point source pollution were attended by a total of 408 teachers and environmental educators in Massachusetts Bay communities, earning them a total of 697 Professional Development Points.

NREC staff developed and implemented a recycling education program for Cape Cod that included an activity kit for grades 4-6, a puppet show for grades K-3, an educator guide for grades K-6, and a series of workshops and classroom programs. Training workshops reached 85 teachers, youth group volunteers, and librarians. Classroom programs involved over 1,200 students from 11 schools.

NREC coordinated the Massachusetts Calling Amphibian Survey, part of the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program which aims to collect systematic population data on amphibians, whose numbers are declining globally. Eighteen volunteers covered 12 monitoring routes during spring 1998.

About the Program

The NREC Program provides educational programs and materials to help individuals, businesses, towns, and communities make informed decisions and take action to preserve or enhance the quality, productivity, and sustainability of natural resources and systems. NREC faculty and staff design and deliver research-based programs focused on several specific issues: watershed planning and management, wetlands and water resources protection, wildlife habitat protection, forest stewardship, marine aquaculture, and environmental education. These issues are addressed by three teams.

The Community Land Use Management and Planning Team--emphasizes training and capacity building for local land use officials. Collaborations with statewide associations focus on the responsibilities of planning boards, conservation commissions, and boards of health, along with the role of citizens in community decision making. This team also works with local organizations and community opinion leaders toward more effective local management of natural resources.

The Natural Resource Management Team--provides technical assistance and training to a range of natural resource professionals, agencies, and organizations involved with the use, conservation, and protection of natural resources. Extensive statewide and regional collaborations are maintained.

The Environmental Education Team--provides information and training in instructional methodologies to K-12 teachers and environmental educators throughout the Commonwealth.

Program Management

Program staff serve either statewide or regional needs. Staff are currently located at:

Amherst

Barnstable

Hanson

Martha's Vineyard

Worcester