The Connecticut River Joint Commissions (CRJC) is pleased to announce that it has received a $30,733 grant through the State of Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Department of Environmental Conservation. This one–year grant provides funding to implement CRJC’s July 2021 to June 2022 work program. Additional funding is provided by New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
These funds will allow the CRJC to continue its emphasis on the grassroots, locally focused work of its five local river subcommittees and the broader implementation of its river management plan. The CRJC focuses on the key issues facing the Connecticut River watershed of Vermont and New Hampshire and plays the vital bi–state role of convening, catalyzing, and leading dialogue on these regional issues.
Current focus areas for the CRJC include:
• Participating as a stakeholder in the federal relicensing of hydroelectric facilities at Wilder Dam, Bellows Falls Dam, and Vernon Dam in Vermont and New Hampshire.
• Providing a forum for open discussion and comment on a wide range of projects affecting the Connecticut River and its watershed. Topics include permits, such as those for new development or invasive species management in proximity to the River and thus with potential impacts, as well as plans, such as Vermont’s Tactical Basin Plans that help to inform an inventory of natural resources in the watershed, and also to manage and protect its’ valuable land and water resources.
• Leading watershed management efforts highlighted in the CRJC watershed management plan; in particular working to improve water quality monitoring along the mainstem of the Connecticut River as well as convening bi–state partners to address the issue of climate migration.
New Hampshire’s Connecticut River Valley Resource Commission and Vermont’s Connecticut River Watershed Advisory Commission, created by their respective legislatures in1987 and 1988, were directed to cooperate with each other to preserve and protect the resources of the Connecticut River Valley, and to guide its growth and development. They have met together as the Joint Commissions since 1989. Both Commissions advocate for and engage the public in decisions which affect their river and their valley. The Commissions are advisory and have no regulatory powers.
Studies show that residents of and visitors to Vermont and New Hampshire love the streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands of the Connecticut River watershed – these natural areas help define our bi–state landscape and character. This funding from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation enables CRJC to continue our work to protect these cherished resources. For more information about CRJC, please visit the CRJC website or contact CRJC staff, Olivia Uyizeye.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 4, 2022
Contact: Steve Lembke, President (802) 254–4813
