RamaSchneider/test huggingface dataset:
In the late 1700's, when settlers first came to Vermont, they saw thick forests of both hardwood and softwood, filled with wildlife. The topsoil was organic and soft. Settlers soon began clearing the forests to make pastures for sheep to graze in and so their crops could grow. After cultivation of the land, the topsoil was stony and thin (frost heaving caused bedrock to lift to the surface). By the early 1800's, residents deforested 75% percent of the land and exterminated much of the wildlife. Clearing the trees caused a variety of problems. Topsoil eroded into the streams polluting them and killing many fish as a result. Wetlands and ponds dried. Food became scarce and crops refused to grow.
Families were unable to heat their homes. Unable to survive in this harsh environment, many people left Vermont for the west with the promise of a new life. Only the hearty stayed behind.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries turkey, deer, beaver, moose, fish, and other eradicated wildlife species were reintroduced to Vermont. The deer population quickly multiplied; and by 1896 the state was able to establish a hunting season. White pine trees began to grow back in the open land and by the late 1900's the trees had grown large enough to harvest. Eventually the logging industry recovered. Today, 78% of Vemont, (and a similar percentage of Williamstown), is forested, providing habitat for wildlife and other benefits for the community. Although we have no old growth forests left, our forested landscape affords us an abundance of outdoor activities, beautiful landscapes, and a great quality of life.
C. Productive Resources
In Williamstown, citizens are never out of sight of the forests. Forests shelter us against wind, rain, sun, and heat, provide us with food sources, protect our watershed, produce oxygen, and are important for timber and heating our homes. Hunters, maple syrup sugar makers, outdoor enthusiasts, and leaf peepers enjoy our forests. At the heart our forests, are the complex relationships between plants, animals and microbes that enable the ecosystem to function almost like a living organism.
Williamstown's forests are a mix of hardwoods and softwoods. Tree species include maple, beech, birch, cherry, basswood, aspen, spruce, balsam fir, hemlock, ash, elm, and many others. This mix of tree species is valuable for wildlife and helps to reduce the impact of species specific diseases or insects.
Currently, Williamstown's forests are healthy and sustainable, but there are concerns for the future, including forest fragmentation and conversion to other uses. Williamstown currently has about 20,000 acres of forested land, nearly a thousand acres of which is protected within the boundaries of Ainsworth State Park.
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Another 9,355 acres receive some protection from development and enforced management through Vermont's Use Value appraisal Program.
Well managed multiple use lands play a major role in conserving and enhancing biological diversity maintaining options for future generations. (Please refer to Appendix II, Map 2 Wetlands, Wildlife Habitat and Natural resources.)
As small in numbers as our hardworking farmers are, Williamstown residents still care deeply about them. Without them, we realize that much of our rural character would be lost. Our farms are also very important for other more practical reasons - they are an important part of our economy providing food and sustenance.
There are 1,840 acres of important farmland soils in Williamstown, 27 acres categorized as "prime" and 1,647 considered to be of "Statewide significance" (see Appendix II, Map 4 Earth and Mineral Resources). Ironically, the best agricultural soils are often the easiest to develop as they are generally flat, well drained and stable. It is important to understand that local sources of food could become critical given the uncertainties of our nation's energy/transportation future. The town's agricultural potential could be significantly diminished if farmlands are excessively built upon, paved, or divided into small, unworkable parcels. For the moment, however, Williamstown's agricultural base is relatively healthy, stable and diverse. There are a handful of full time farms, approximately 20 "working" farms, and a number of "hobby" or part time farms. The increasing tax burden on large landowners is often cited as a reason for the sale of farmland and its subsequent conversion to other uses. Landowners can reduce their tax burden by applying for the Vermont Current Use Value Appraisal Program.
The program helps owners of productive forest or agricultural land by lowering their taxes to reflect their actual use opposed to most profitable use. Current Williamstown landowners have approximately 9,355 acres of land enrolled in this program.
Land trusts can also help landowners who wish to continue to work their land to remain solvent. These organizations will work with willing landowners to purchase the development rights to important parcels. The owner will usually retain title and will often use the sale price as reinvestment capital to keep operations modern and productive. In 1997, Williamstown had 255 acres protected by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. In 2003, the Agency negotiated a farm conservation project with another Williamstown family and now holds the easement on another 343 acres of land.
D. Earth Resources
1. Topography/ Slope
Geological upheavals and glacial weathering, which took place millions of years ago, sculptured the land of Williamstown into mountains, hills, wetlands, rivers, and lakes. Currently, elevations in Williamstown range from under 800 feet along Steven's Branch to the highest at 2,060 feet at Mount Pleasant in the northeast corner of town. Elevations of land in combination with soil factors are important factors in land use planning.
Improper development in areas with excessive erosion and instability can cause nutrient loading, steam siltation and groundwater contamination. Development in areas with excessively steep slopes may also have hidden financial burdens for the town. New roads on unsuitable slopes may be costly to construct and maintain. In addition, access by fire, emergency medical, law enforcement and service vehicles is more difficult in these areas. Slopes over 25% are considered unsuitable for most development and septic systems.
2. Geology
Most of the rock deposits in the Williamstown area are a mixture of limestone, schist, and granite. Williamstown residents once quarried granite on a grand scale. Pike Industries established in 2004, is a 30 acre quarry operation (on a 90 acre farm) in Williamstown.
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This operation removed approximately 100,000 tons of material per year. Rock of Ages owns about 170 acres used as a granite quarry near Foxville and a large quarry is located near the border of Williamstown and Berlin on Route 63. The town also has a few sandpits and gravel deposits that supply commercial extraction operations, including:
Two large sand pits located in Williamstown on Jay Lane off Route 14.
A gravel and sand pit owned by the town situated on a 23 acre site located at the Barre town line on Vermont Route 14 north of the village.
A 23 acre gravel pit in Williamstown owned by the town of Barre. (This pit has been in operation for nearly 30 years.
Gravel reserves above the groundwater table in the original 10 acre section of the gravel pit are nearly exhausted. Barre plans to close down this gravel pit in the near future, thus it should be closely monitored. In 1990, Barre purchased a little over 13 acres nearby). Several borrow pits and small private gravel/sand pits.
Operation of the town gravel pit has saved the town a great deal of money. This site provides winter sand and is a source of crushed gravel for the town and its 69 miles of gravel roads. Approximately 8,500 cubic yards of winter sand is stored annually. Sand, gravel, and quarry operations supply much needed materials for road maintenance and construction; but if not properly developed and managed, they can result in unstable slopes and slides. Furthermore, they have the potential to adversely affect surface and groundwater quality and quantity, increase noise, dust, traffic levels and accidents on local roads, and affect the lives of people and animals that live nearby. It is vital that town officials pay close attention to the potential location and operation of future mining and extraction operations to avoid land use conflicts, environmental damage and habitat damage.
Additionally, the town should avoid areas that will cause unreasonable congestion or unsafe conditions with respect to the use of highways, intersections, and access roads. (Refer to Appendix II, Map 4 Earth and Mineral Resources for more detailed information).
3. Soils
Soil provides fertility, stores water, holds rain and runoff for later release, cleans and filters pathogens and toxins, buffers acidity, and decomposes waste and some litter. Soils are the most important environmental factor that governs the use of land in rural areas. Soil scientists classify soils based on structure, form, composition, and suitability for various types of development. Four characteristics are of primary concern for planning: the bearing capacity, erodibility, drainage, and resource value of soils. Some soils are suitable for structures and highways, while other soils are well suited for growing plants and vegetables.
Other soil conditions constrain development and/or the placement of onsite septic systems. Most of Williamstown is comprised of a layer of glacial till over bedrock. This till is usually thin (less than 20 feet)particularly in the higher elevations, and is composed of materials from clay to boulders.
The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service has completed a soil survey of Orange County, Vermont. The survey contains useful information in managing farms, woodlands, site locations for roads, ponds, recreation, and buildings. This survey describes Williamstown's soil primarily having a higher percentage of poorly drained soils than other associations of soils.
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E. Protective Resources
Surface waters are abundant in Williamstown. The town is dotted with many ponds, interconnected systems of streams and rivers, and many acres of wetlands. These surface waters offer scenic beauty and recreational opportunities. They draw fishermen, canoeists and boaters to our town, and provide a livelihood to the residents of our town. Furthermore, these bodies of water are literally wellsprings and reservoirs of life for the insects, fish, microorganisms, birds, and wildlife that share our town.
Staples, Cutter, and Rood ponds are located along the Steven's Branch and the Second Branch of the White River in the Southern part of Williamstown. Limehurst Pond, a 500 yard long, narrow shaped body of water is rimmed on the west by gentle hillsides. Other ponds include Rouleau, Whitcomb, and Lotus Lake. Ainsworth State Park has a small one acre shallow pond. There are also a number of smaller private ponds and brooks scattered throughout the town (Martin Brook, Cold Spring Brook, among several others). Rivers and streams are interconnected systems, at a broad, watershed scale the Stevens Branch of the Winooski River flows northward to the Winooski River and ends up in Lake Champlain. Meanwhile, the Second Branch flows southward to the White River system.
Wetlands are numerous in Williamstown (see Map 2). They include areas commonly known as marshes, swamps, bogs, fens, shrub swamps and wooded swamps, or wet meadows. The water may be visible standing water or unseen ground water. Many of our wetland areas tend to be small because of the hilly topography and are located at the margins of larger upland water systems like lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. Wetland areas are important because they store floodwater, reduce the impact of downstream flooding and erosion, provide habitat for wildlife, support erosion control, and improve water quality by filtering out impurities.
Currently, 90% of Williamstown's wetland areas are on private land. In the Northwestern corner section of Williamstown (at the corners of Bador and Hebert Road) is a very private, secluded swamp, located deep in a forest that has over 20 acres of surface water. Known locally as Beaver Meadow Swamp, this area is rich in wildlife and, not surprisingly, has an especially large habitat of beavers.
Wetland protection programs and regulating laws exist at the federal, state, and local levels of Vermont. Community members must contact officials for any work activity that influences water levels in the wetland area that involves draining, dredging, filling, or grading. Upon request, the Department of Environmental Conservation may determine wetland boundaries through field investigation. Citizens may contact the Wetlands Office at (802) 241-3770 for more information on state wetland rules and Conditional Use Determinations (CUD).
http://anr.vermont.gov/
Vermont Wetland Rules classify all wetlands into one of three classes:  Class One wetland areas are those that are exceptional or irreplaceable in contribution so they merit the highest level of protection. Class Two wetland areas are those wetlands which are found to be significant enough so they merit some protection (50 foot buffer zones). Class Three wetland areas are those wetlands that have not been determined to be sufficiently significant enough to merit any protection. However, these wetlands may be protected by other federal, state, or local regulations. For example, they may be mapped as a significant habitat area.
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Throughout Williamstown, there are many peat lands (areas with partially decayed, moisture absorbing plant matter), including bogs and fens. In these peat lands there are a number of sites of ecological importance because they host protected communities of rare and uncommon native plants, mosses, shrubs, and grasses. These plants are unique because they have very particular habitat requirements. Others are at the edges of their ranges, are vulnerable to disturbance or collection, or have difficulty reproducing for unknown reasons.
The state protects these rare plants with a status of "threatened" or "endangered" under the Vermont Endangered Species Law. The Federal Endangered Species Act also protects these sites of ecological importance.
In 1995, a study was done by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to explore fen (wetland, deep peat sites) and riverside seep (groundwater seepage) communities in Williamstown that host protected communities. This study concluded that there are two sites that met criteria for "threatened" status, including a fen area on Birch Lane and another marshy area located on Pleasant Street. These wetland areas have rare plants and qualities that are threatened, or endangered and are protected by the Federal Government. Several other sites were explored by researchers and identified as "highly ranked as fen and seep sites", including locations on South Stone Road, Birch Lane Road, Middle Stone Road, and North Stone Road.
Other significant areas with rare ecological communities are located on Berlin Pond Road, and Mill Hill Road. The state listed a marsh on Pleasant Street as having a rare plant that is "threatened". These significant habitats are depicted in Appendixll on Map 2.
In Williamstown, wildlife is always close by and residents have learned to respect them. Many residents look forward to leaving a hard day of work and going home to see deer grazing in their backfield or a red fox crossing the street. Luckily, moose, white-tailed deer, bobcat, and beaver populations continue to expand in the Williamstown area. This increase has resulted in increased viewing and hunting opportunities. See Appendix II, Map 2 for locations of deer wintering areas.
Many birds have adapted quite well to our village habitat. They eat at our bird feeders, nest in our barns, hop around on our lawns, and eat berries off our ornamental trees. The wild turkey, ruffed grouse, and woodcock continue to expand. Many people report seeing large flocks of up to fifty wild turkeys in their backyards. Other birds prefer areas anywhere near humans like the Blue Heron who frequent our wetland areas and Canada Geese who enjoy the cornfields.
Other creatures of the forest and wetlands are plentiful and equally important contributing to our web of life in their own special way. Significant among these are reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects many of which pollinate our fruit trees and crops.
Williamstown's scenic beauty is defined by a landscape of soft hills and valleys, wetlands, open pastures, stonewalls, thick forestland, and dirt roads lined with maple trees. Many of our back roads still offer beautiful open pastures filled with horses, sheep, and cows. As the town moves forward with its planning activities, the Planning Commission encourages conducting a landscape assessment to determine what areas are most critical to community's visual character.
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F. Environmental Hazards in Williamstown
Natural and manmade disasters can strike a community with little or no warning. Communities across the country are struggling to prepare for these possible events.
The Williamstown select board adopted a customized Hazard Inventory/Vulnerability Assessment in June 2004, and as a result, a Pre Disaster Mitigation Plan was developed. In 2011, the Selectboard adopted a Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan. A Hazard/Crisis team has been organized and participates in trainings and practice sessions essential for the continued success of the Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan. Community leaders and teachers have ready access to the plan so they can understand its components and act on them to be prepared for a potential crisis.
2. Soil/ Water/ Air Pollution
Contaminants in our soil, water and air can find their way into our bodies by contact, ingestion or respiration, causing both long term and short term health impacts. Williamstown has witnessed the dangers of pollution firsthand. State officials have found contamination within the proximity of the school. From 1973 through 1983, the (Interstate Industrial Uniform Laundry aka -UniFirst) UniFirst facility operated a laundry and dry cleaning business located on Hebert Road. The facility borders a residential neighborhood to the east, public schools to the north and south, and residences and agricultural land to the west. In 1983, the State discovered soil and water contamination coming from the uniform cleaning facility just above the elementary school. Soil contamination flows downward along the slope and seeps deep into cracks in the bedrock. Thus in 1984, to avoid and protect public health concerns, the town hooked up the nearby homes to the town's water supply. The state installed a network of collection drains and expanded them in 1985 and 1990. Monitoring is ongoing. In 2014 the building was demolished and the property was capped and seeded.
The old town landfill site on VT Route 14 closed down as a Williamstown landfill as ordered in a consent decree (official legal agreement) from the State of Vermont during the UniFirst contamination problems. The old landfill section has been covered and sealed, but one portion of the site is still contaminated and is restricted. Additional site monitoring and investigation will continue by the Department of Environmental Conservation (VDEC). There are three monitoring wells that continue to be tested every other year. Removal and transport of gravel contaminated by hazardous waste is in violation of federal RCRA regulations as well as a violation of the Williamstown Consent Decree. Another adjacent section of the town landfill is also contaminated. The solid waste rule on landfills enacted by the Vermont Department of Natural Resources requires that landfills closed after 1989 must sample their monitoring wells. The Williamstown Landfill closed around 1992. Another 2 acre wetland section of the town landfill was used as a CVSWD trash depository transfer station until 2003 and was closed because of potential water contamination. All restrictions on this land have been removed as of 2009. This land can potentially be used for recreational use.
There are many private junkyards (any property with 3 or more unregistered vehicles) and dumpsites in Williamstown. Samples at some of these sites found concentrations of methyl tertiary butyl ether, trimethylbenzene, benzene, toluene, and other gasoline range
Williamstown has some potential ground water quality problems. The contaminated UniFirst facility site is located on the Rouleau Brook Watershed. Rouleau Brook is a tributary to the Stevens Branch, which flows into the Winooski River. The Town amended its water policy ensuring public safety requiring all buildings in this area be connected to the town's municipal water system. To protect the future public health, on March 8th, 2004, the Agency of Natural Resources' proposed reclassifying the site groundwater (about 85 acres) from a Class III (drinkable water) to Class IV (not suitable for potable water).
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After numerous meetings, between ANR (Agency of Natural Resources) and a small group of concerned (and some effected) town citizens, ANR agreed to consider withdrawal of the reclassification order if the town would expand the water service area to include all the effected properties and adopt an ordinance which prohibited well drilling in the area.
The citizens brought this option to the Select Board. The board then moved forward and negotiated with the ANR. The ordnance became effective January 3rd, 2009 and ANR withdrew its position to reclassify April 17th, 2009.
Other potential sources of ground water quality problems originate from developed land, agricultural, atmospheric deposition, lawn/dump run-off, parking lots, construction sites, disturbed areas, road salt, and failed septic systems. Based on the Environmental Protection Agency's current data, 17% of surface waters in Orange County are impaired or threatened. Some are impaired by pathogens (bacteria and viruses), metals (mercury, copper, and lead), and by sediments. Others are impaired by high acidity levels.
According to Environmental Protection Agency sources, Williamstown's general air quality meets national standards. Air quality is currently not monitored in Williamstown. In the future we must continue to strive to protect our citizens from both the incidence of, and exposure to, environmental toxins. In recent years the federal government has been investing in the analysis and remediation of so called "brownfield" sites. Brownfields are defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) as "real property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant." Typical prior uses that may fall into this category in Central Vermont include old town dumps, photo developing sites, mill complexes, factories, dry cleaners, auto repair shops, gas stations and even some agricultural sites. Sites in Williamstown include, but are not restricted to, our two old town dumps and the UniFirst property. There is concern that there may be other properties in Williamstown that have not been designated as brownfield sites.
Brownfield sites often remain vacant and underutilized due to concerns over liability and unknown environmental assessment and clean-up costs; yet many sites can be rehabilitated. Redevelopment or re-use of potentially contaminated sites has many benefits, including:
Elimination of eyesore properties
Promotes/ supports historic use patterns
Protect human and environmental health
Strengthens the local economy
Since brownfield sites are often in already developed areas, their reuse can help to promote compact land use and in-fill development. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's web site "for every acre of brownfields redeveloped, it is estimated that an average of 4.5 acres of green fields are saved."