"We will," Mel says, "be planning a series of educational efforts to start a discussion about the role of conservation for the future of Walpole. Your Conservation Commission has already done a Wetlands Survey, a Natural Resource Inventory, a long-term conservation plan and a study and map of the entire town showing the natural resource land values of every parcel in town. It is time to reach out to the townspeople to have them learn about these tools and to participate in what they feel might be important to protect for the future."
The initiative will include a work group to develop the initial efforts with a series of educational efforts and perhaps hold a public forum in the fall.
After several task force meetings it was decided that public education was the first priority. For this we will be having a series of educational hikes to show examples of protected and conservation land to townspeople. These will be held during this summer and fall.
We need to find ways to reach out to as many people in town as possible. If you want more information you can contact Mel Schupack (603-756-9389 or melschupack@aya.yale.edu) and also contact Peter Throop at the Monadnock Conservancy 603-357-0600 or Pete@monadnockconservancy.org.