I am one of the residents of this area. There are many of us that are
very concerned about the impact and change of character that this
development will have on this mostly undeveloped basin area up against
the spine of the Green Mountains.
I am hoping that folks will be able to look at the information regarding
impact and concerns separately from the well-known and respected people
involved and the mission of the school.
I wonder how many readers remember the fight to save the Phen Basin area
a number of years ago. The Lathrop parcel abuts Phen Basin which is
owned by the state and has been established as a significant wildlife
habitat area. The Lathrop parcel provides a vital wildlife corridor
along the spine of the Green’s and between Phen Basin and Big Basin and
on to Camel’s Hump. Constant human occupation would be detrimental to
the wildlife of the area.
The school is asking for permits to construct 12 high-elevation camps
(approximately 1,400 to 1,800 feet) each containing a 24-foot-diameter
yurt, a 12-foot-diameter yurt and separate building for composting
toilets, to be occupied year round by approximately 60 people, with the
population changing every 8 to 12 weeks. These camps circumnavigate the
basin and will be used most heavily in winter, heated by wood; in summer
there will be further student camping in makeshift shelters. This area
contains the headwaters for Shepard Brook that feeds the Mad River.
In the land swap that the state did with the Lathrops in 2007, a public
access easement was attached to the Lathrop property in perpetuity. This
means that the public has a right to use this land forever. This has
not been well known. This development does not just affect the residents
of our part of Fayston but the general public as well.
I feel strongly about protecting the few remaining wildlife areas we have left.
There is a Fayston DRB meeting scheduled on June 14 with a site visit at
4 p.m. and a meeting at 6 p.m. Please take the time to attend, learn
more about the project and ask questions. Now is our opportunity to have
a voice.
Wendy Bridgewater
Fayston
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