This commentary is by Brenda Gail Bergman, director of science and freshwater for the Nature Conservancy in Vermont.
This morning I walked down the river, which is beautiful and swollen after all this much-needed rain. In awe of the sheer power of its movement, I take this moment to give gratitude to the freshwaters of our state — to the life, ecosystems and economic well-being they support.
We are so fortunate to call Vermont our home, with her genuine people, Green Mountains, and stunning river valleys.
These special places and their plants and animals have been pleading with us to speak for them. Now is the time to hear their calls. We face drastic declines in the very biodiversity that we rely on for oxygen, medicine, clean air, clean water, food, raw materials, safety, functioning economies, physical and mental health.
Today I hear the call in the croak of the spring peeper and the song of the hermit thrush and am inspired to respond with committed action.
I am proud that our lawmakers have done just that, through the passage of the Biodiversity Protection & Community Resilience Bill (H.126). Vermont law now unequivocally acknowledges the precarious position of our state’s biodiversity and requires a comprehensive plan to protect the places — both our lands and waters — critical to supporting species’ health and habitat, which in turn support our health and vibrancy.
In the shadows of our green peaks, running alongside our vast network of rivers, sit our homes, our schools — our communities. The beauty of H.126 is its clear recognition that our collective health and our ability to adapt to a changing climate is directly connected to the health of our ecosystems.
The degradation of forests and the disconnection of rivers from their floodplains increase our community vulnerability to worsening and more frequent natural disasters, threaten our food supply, and degrade the air we breathe and the water we drink. To thrive, each relies on the other, through a series of complex, beautiful and timeless relationships. It is a gift to live in a state that values this interconnection and takes it seriously enough to enshrine its protection in law.
It will take collaboration and funding to reach our goal to protect 30 percent of the lands and waters of Vermont by 2030. I look forward to working with many partners and communities across the state, including the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and state government, as we recognize the protection of biodiversity as a top priority when determining where to focus our conservation efforts.
Watching the post-rain mist rise from the river, I am grateful for the commitment Vermonters are making to protect these ecological havens. I am eager to continue this work of transforming our commitment into a shared reality. Let’s keep working, together.
