As Vermonters take careful steps to rejoin larger communities, Friends of the Mad River (FMR) has too – FMRs’ Storm Smart site visits began in June. The program works with homeowners to trace water’s path across their properties and find opportunities to sink it where it lands so that homes and yards are more balanced with the natural systems in the watershed. “When rain and snowmelt sink into the ground, we suffer fewer erosion and runoff challenges,” said Ira Shadis, FMR stewardship coordinator. “Landowners benefit on their own properties and send fewer flooding and pollution problems to their neighbors downstream.”
FMR postponed its in-person work throughout the spring as a result of the coronavirus. “As much as we wanted to get outside and into the community, it was clear that distancing was important for everyone’s health,” said Shadis. Now, with a flattened curve, safety protocols in place and an entirely outdoor program, Storm Smart is up and running. Starting with the stormwater assessment – where staff members meet with homeowners or property managers and take a close look at their yard and infrastructure – FMR staff can maintain a safe distance outdoors and all of the follow-up can happen with email, phone, video chats or outdoors. “Our priority is to keep this community healthy and safe,” explained Corrie Miller, FMR executive director.
RESILIENCE AND BALANCE
Since debuting in 2018 as an outcome of the communitywide Ridge to River initiative, the Storm Smart program has offered free assessments on more than 70 properties and worked one on one with over 100 people in the Mad River Valley. Shadis notes that Storm Smart assessments have led to projects like rain gardens, native tree and shrub plantings, low mow zones and permeable driveways. “The Storm Smart program is designed to find opportunities suited to the needs of each site,” said Miller. “Then, together, the small actions of each household build a more resilient community.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects the 2020 hurricane season to be more active than normal. Changes in the intensity and distribution of storms can have severe impacts for communities like The Valley, a sobering lesson learned from Tropical Storm Irene. “The greener, ‘spongier’ approach that the Storm Smart program takes to managing runoff mimics natural processes,” said Miller. “They absorb the impact of storms by holding onto water before it can rush downhill to increase flooding and cause erosion.”
“Friends of the Mad River has long focused on the idea that small, individual actions play a vital role in supporting the common good,” said Shadis. “We can take a lesson from our shared experience with the coronavirus about the real power we, as individuals and as a community, have to make a difference." The Storm Smart program offers assistance to people to take steps on their own land to make The Valley more resilient to flooding, keep swimming holes and groundwater clean and better adapt to a changing environment.
To schedule an assessment or learn more, reach out to Ira Shadis at
