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Important Points |
| - | Rice Woods is a precious example of an intact, functioning ecosystem. Not all wooded areas are equal. In many cases, even though trees grow back after logging, the original understory is completely destroyed and cannot regenerate. This is especially true where plowing and grazing take place after initial logging. |
| - | Rice Woods is an important part of the natural heritage of Shelburne, the Champlain Valley and Vermont. The natural community types represented at Rice Woods, and many of the species they contain, are rare or uncommon outside of the Champlain Valley of Vermont. It is the only location for the uncommon Yellow Oak species in Shelburne. Rice Woods is one of only 8 natural areas in Shelburne that are recognized by the Vermont Nongame and Natural Heritage Program as "significant" natural areas. |
| - | We need to set aside natural areas for recreation, study and enjoyment - for ourselves and for future generations. If all are destroyed, what will future generations know about the natural history of Vermont? |
| - | One reason why this site hasn't been developed is that it is extremely rocky, with many exposed ledges and very thin soils. It's not suitable for a development. It's not clear how much soil can be recovered from the bedrock after blasting and leveling. If there is an insufficient amount of soil for foundations and landscaping, where will the additional soil come from? It has been estimated that the construction will need to import enormous amounts of fill, which in some places will be as deep as ten feet. |
| - | If soil is imported from elsewhere, what will its composition be? What will the pH of the imported soil be? If it is not alkaline, it will gradually change the pH of the soil in the woods adjacent to the development, affecting the health of the lime-loving species that remain. Moreover, soil imported from elsewhere will contain weeds foreign to the adjacent woods, thus introducing harmful competition. |
| - | There will be 62 new families in the 33-acre parcel! With human habitation so close to the remaining, adjacent wooded remnants, there will be additional pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and disturbance from pets, thus further imperiling the fragile ecosystem that remains. The mossy layer on the outcrops is extremely fragile and vulnerable to abrasion. Many plants in those woods are dependent on the mossy layer. |