Tinmouth wetland gets top level of protection

The Rutland Herald
December 12, 2001

By DAMIAN PAGANO Herald Staff

TINMOUTH -- The Tinmouth Channel wetland has been granted the state's highest level of protection, and is the third wetland in the state to achieve that mark.

The state Water Resources Board granted a petition Tuesday to classify the wetland a "class one" area, which will protect 1,450 acres wetland along the Otter Creek from any future development

"Wetlands are important for the well-being of the environment. They filter impurities that might otherwise end up in lakes and they help stabilize soil," said Kelly Lowry, general counsel for the Vermont Natural Resources Council, which filed the petition. "They're like the kidneys of our ecosystem."

The Tinmouth Channel wetland was tapped by the VNRC for protection because of its size and biological complexity, Lowry said.

The VNRC referred to it in its petition as "exceptional and irreplaceable to Vermont's natural heritage." It is home to a variety or plant and animal life, Lowry said, and is "a beautiful area that serves a variety of functions."

The petition to upgrade the wetland's protection was filed in late August. A public hearing was held in Tinmouth shortly after, to answer any questions from town residents.

Lowry said there wasn't any opposition to the petition, just a few questions.

"The residents of Tinmouth were very supportive of the process," he said. The petition to the Water Resources Board was not opposed and its vote to change the wetland's classification was unanimous.

Most of the wetland property is owned by the state, but some of it is privately owned. The state-owned portion, about 1,200 acres to the north, is still open to the public for recreational use. Hunting, fishing, canoeing and hiking are allowed there, Lowry said.

But all development on any wetland property is forbidden, as is constructing waste drainage systems.

The town already had zoning ordinances in place to protect the wetland from development, so the petition's success didn't surprise many residents.

"We have pretty strict zoning here concerning that area," said Cathy Reynolds, chairwoman of the Select Board. "It's a designated conservation zone. But I think this is a nice acknowledgement from the state of what we have here."

Town Clerk Gail Fallar said the wetland was a unique area that needed protection and was pleased to hear the Water Resources Board granted the petition.

"We all think it's great," she said.

There are two other class one wetlands in Vermont, Dorset Marsh in Dorset and the North Shore wetland in Burlington. The VNRC is systematically trying to add others to the list.