Jeff Hullstrung, Green Mountain Audubon Society President
Header image: Eastern Bluebirds, photo by Danny Brown
As we move into autumn, I find myself reflecting on our very wet summer. Extreme weather events in Vermont and elsewhere inflicted large costs in terms of life, livelihoods, and property. Unfortunately, these events do not appear to be what we previously called “100-year events.” We need to prepare for them to be part of the annual rhythm of our lives.
I drove through the city of Montpelier after the recent flooding on my way to visit friends in the northern part of the city. Their neighborhood higher up on a hill was largely unaffected. However, the low-lying downtown area was a scene of devastation. Each property had a huge pile of black plastic garbage bags and ruined furniture stretching the length of its lot, four feet high and many feet deep. Each pile represented lost dreams and disrupted lives.
Shortly after the river flooding, flash flooding affected many areas of Vermont. My wife and I were caught out on a Sunday night with a flat tire and no means of getting to our home due to closed roads. We spent the night at a friend’s house, which was in the process of being filled with water and mud from the flash flooding. It was our only option. Our lesson was that we need to be prepared for flooding to come from below as well as above.
These events damage natural communities, as well as human communities. Ground-nesting animals within a flooded area do not have an emergency shelter available. Their food sources may be washed away, and no food shelf is stocked for them. Climate change is stressing natural communities with long-term challenges as well as short-term shocks. We need to be the voice for those without voices of their own.
The wet summer highlighted some positive aspects of our communities. Volunteers flocked to places affected by flooding to lend their help. People opened their hearts and homes to neighbors in an effort to ease the burden of loss. Let us include thinking about the resilience of natural communities as we develop plans to improve the resilience of our human communities. Our feathered and furry friends need our help as our climate system continues to deliver surprises.