SSI Team Works to Balance Growth and Conservation
Like many towns in 海角社区, Topsham is contending with a common dilemma: how to grow in ways that don鈥檛 diminish the very things that people cherish about their community, like open space, wildlife and special landscapes.
鈥淭here is the constant tug between conservation and economic development,鈥 says Rich Roedner, Topsham planning director. 鈥淗ow do you preserve or protect resources while still providing for local growth opportunities?鈥
That question is at the center of an SSI research project led by U海角社区 wetlands ecologist Aram Calhoun. Her team is using local vernal pool conservation as a model to examine how towns can plan future development in ways that benefit people and wildlife alike. (read more…)