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Friends of the Worcester Range
 Friends of the Worcester Range - Mission, Vision, and Issues (Draft) - 1 page, 25 Kb
Friends of the Worcester Range (DRAFT)
Background
Over the last fifteen years, there have been a number of conservation efforts that have taken place concerning the Worcester Range. Such efforts have stemmed from either private or nonprofit interests. As a result, such efforts never won the support of the “towns of the range”. Today, a new effort is underway, driven by the interests of the six towns that share the range; Waterbury, Stowe, Morristown, Elmore, Worcester and Middlesex.
Sample Mission Statement
The Friends of the Worcester Range (FWR) is a multi-town coalition and interested parties that serve to protect the natural resources of the Worcester Range and their supporting systems through the acquisition of lands or development rights, through the management and maintenance of the existing trail network, through the education of landowners and the public, and through active consultation with the State regarding the management of the Putnam State Forest.
Sample Vision Statement
When the FWR’s mission has been fulfilled, the Worcester Range will be a healthy example of a biologically diverse and intact mountain forest bio-region. The towns and the State that share the range will have all taken proactive steps to protect the health and integrity of this bio-region.
Issues / concerns / threats that have been identified to date and that have come out of previous year’s celebrations that may want to be explored by the Friends
•Loss of working landscape
•Over-exploitation of resources
•Trail access, creation, management and maintenance
•Inappropriate advertising and marketing of the area
•Habitat fragmentation
•Lack of education / understanding / appreciation
Potential Objectives
•To identify and protect significant resources / lands
•To better coordinate the management and maintenance of the existing trail network
•To educate landowners and the public about the Range’s resources and their importance
•To better understand current impacts and key concerns
•To help guide the State’s management of the Putnam State Forest
•To develop a list of prioritized tasks for the Friends to undertake in a coordinated fashion in order to fulfill the mission of FWR
Potential Tasks
•Develop and maintain database of interested parties (Bill and Matteo need to cross check their databases to create the master)
•Hold regular meetings two to three times per year, plus the annual celebration to be rotated around the Range
•Establish conservation commissions in all six towns
•Establish conservation funds in all six towns
•Develop natural resource inventories
•Establish a system to detect concerns for and impactors of significant resources (i.e. such as Keeping Track)
• (Forest) Land Evaluation Site Assessment Surveys
•Update zoning ordinances and other growth control tools
•Acquire land / development rights
•Participate in the update of the Putnam State Forest Management Plan
•Provide educational opportunities (i.e. speaker series, presentations, workshops, events, etc.)
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