Survey Results from the April 26, 2003, Board Meeting
The yard and hillside south of the house. Photo Credit: Maggie Hess
Introduction
As a member of the "next generation", I grew up playing in Wortroot's creek and woods while my mother gardened. I never stopped to consider who owned the land nor why it was available for our use. But when I returned to the area after college and was asked to conduct an inventory of the flora and fauna of the property, I decided it was time to figure out what Wortroot was all about.
Having conducted two previous inventories, one for a board-run tract of land, I knew that it was essential that I understand what the owners want out of the property. I was pleasantly surprised to find, after passing out a land use survey at the April 26, 2003, board meeting, that the board members of Wortroot share a common vision for the land. I have summarized the survey results below.
Multiple Choice Questions
The multiple choice questions asked people to rate various land use activities on a scale of 1 to 5. A rating of 1 meant that they did not want to see this land use occur at Wortroot while a rating of 5 meant that they definitely wanted to use Wortroot in this fashion.
Of the fifteen people who filled out the survey, most answered the multiple choice questions, though not everyone answered every question. The results are summarized in the table below.
| 1 - No! |
2 - Rather not |
3 - I don't
care |
4 - Maybe |
5 - Yes! |
|
| ATVs |
100% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
| Mountain
Biking |
15% |
38% |
31% |
15% |
0% |
| Horseback
Riding |
7% |
21% |
43% |
29% |
0% |
| Walking/Hiking/Camping |
0% |
0% |
0% |
7% |
93% |
| Practicing
Survival Skills |
0% |
0% |
21% |
64% |
14% |
| Caving/Rock-climbing |
0% |
0% |
21% |
50% |
29% |
| Meditating/Thinking/Praying |
0% |
0% |
0% |
7% |
93% |
| Researching
the Property's History |
0% |
0% |
0% |
7% |
93% |
| Enjoying the
Property's Beauty |
0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
100% |
| Studying
Nature |
0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
100% |
| Photographing
Nature |
0% |
0% |
0% |
20% |
80% |
| Wildlife
Watching |
0% |
0% |
0% |
7% |
93% |
| Protecting
the Forest in its Natural State |
0% |
0% |
0% |
7% |
93% |
| Using the
Property as a Residence |
0% |
0% |
0% |
33% |
67% |
| Collecting
Firewood |
0% |
7% |
21% |
57% |
14% |
| Gathering
Wild Foods |
0% |
0% |
14% |
50% |
36% |
| Hunting |
36% |
43% |
7% |
14% |
0% |
| Gardening/Landscaping |
0% |
0% |
0% |
21% |
79% |
| Logging |
86% |
0% |
0% |
7% |
7% |
| Herb
Gathering
(Ginseng, etc.) |
0% |
43% |
21% |
21% |
14% |
| A Maze or
Other Roadside Attraction |
17% |
8% |
67% |
8% |
0% |
| Woodland
Cemetery |
0% |
8% |
25% |
50% |
17% |
| Sustainable
Agriculture |
0% |
0% |
9% |
55% |
36% |
| Buddhist
Meditation Center |
7% |
7% |
36% |
29% |
21% |
The board was in full agreement that Wortroot should be available for the use of board members and selected community members for the following uses: walking, hiking, camping, meditating, thinking, praying, researching the property's history, enjoying the property's beauty, studying nature, photographing nature, wildlife watching, protecting the forest in its natural state, using the property as a residence, gardening, and landscaping.
Most board members were in favor of Wortroot being used for practicing survival skills, caving, rock-climbing, collecting firewood, gathering wild foods, and for creating a woodland cemetery or sustainable agriculture business. Others showed some reservations about these practices, wanting to ensure that they were only done on a limited basis, within reason, and without harming the Wortroot property. Many wanted these land uses to be available to only a limited number of people, such as residents or for educational purposes.
Board members were a little more wary of mountain biking, horseback riding, hunting, herb gathering, creating a maze or other roadside attraction, or creating a Buddhist meditation center at Wortroot. Very few were in favor of logging (and then only when it is environmentally sound, selective, and sustainable) and none wanted to allow ATV use on the property. (A couple of people noted that an ATV might be necessary to carry someone down the hill at some point.)
Essay Questions
Fewer people answered the essay questions than answered the multiple choice questions. Still, many board members had opinions about neighbor involvement and about goals and concerns for Wortroot.
In the first essay question, I asked how Wortroot should relate to its neighbors. Most people wanted Wortroot to have some relationship with its neighbors, but noted that use of the property by these neighbors should be limited and monitored. Specific people should be invited onto the property for specific events. One respondent wrote "Wortroot shouldn't be excluded from the community, but it also shouldn't be exploited. Seeking community involvement could possibly help maintain Wortroot in the future." Another respondent wanted us to educate our neighbors about Wortroot's goals and history.
Next, I asked people to list their top three goals for Wortroot. Most people touched on three broad categories - creating a community, protecting the land, and providing a place for retreat. Specific goals included:
- continuing as a trust and maintaining the intent of
the trust
- providing a retreat for members
- providing sustenance for members
- providing a community for residents
- connecting with/attracting other local people
- creating opportunities for individuals and groups to use the land appropriately
- involving the new generation in visioning and
governance
- repaying the founders
- protecting the forest and improving water quality
- removing old property boundary fences
- getting a conservation easement to save tax dollars
and ensure the preservation of the land
- creating a woodland cemetery
Finally, I asked people for their concerns. These included:
- That exploitive activities such as logging, strip mining, oil
drilling, ATV riding, and landfill making could occur here
- Encroaching development
- Adequacy of the existing corporate structure and by-laws to
protect Wortroot
- Not keeping up to date on our legal obligations, such as filing
the correct forms and paying the taxes
- Invasive plants
- Lack of streamside buffers
- Outhouse leaching into the stream
- The house and other structures falling down
- Lack of networking with the neighbors
- Needing the involvement of new people
- Too much exposure
- Too much footdragging by oldsters
- Continued relevance
Mission Statements
Several Wortroot members have written up their own mission statements for Wortroot. I have included a sampling of them below.
My vision for the farm has evolved over
the nearly 20 years since I first walked into the valley, from the
proverbial "hippie commune" to that of a "wildlife preserve."
I knew when I initially bought the first 96 1/2 acres that I did not want to be the sole owner/possessor of that property. I asked a number of people to join with me, and our goal was that of a self-sufficient community. Many persons did spend months at a time at the farm; a few of us stayed on for years. Yet the times changed and energies were redirected. With the onset of the Reagan era, there seemed little enthusiasm for the communal lifestyle.
Today, the farmhouse and other structures once occupied see little activity. Paths, which 10 years ago were tended and traveled, are covered by bramble and honeysuckle. As the forests mature, the density of wildlife increases. Compared to neighboring stream valleys, the watershed of Raccoon Branch is quite extensively forested. The diversity of plant and animal is consequently increasing. A part of our goal, I believe, should be to encourage this diversity. I, therefore, wholeheartedly support John Hart's suggestion, passed at our last meeting, that we each plan to plant a native American tree or shrub at the farm next spring.
With regard to our long-term goals, I hope that a marked and mapped network of trails can be established and maintained, open to use by organized groups - from the scouts to schools - which will enable a broader segment of the community to study and enjoy the core habitat. I think it would be desirable to involve interested neighbors in this endeavor. With the encroachment of urbanization and subdivision of farm and woodland, fewer opportunities for establishing extensive footpaths will exist. By use of the conservation easement approach, our land trust should seek to broaden its holdings, first with the recently purchased Baumgartner property, and perhaps later with adjacent neighbors. We shall need to serve as a model before we can expect a neighbor to consider sale or donation of an easement.
In conclusion, it is my goal to live again in the Raccoon Branch watershed. The establishment and maintenance of footpaths is an activity which I greatly enjoy. I believe we have moved in the right direction by involving a core of interested individuals from this metropolitan area in corporate board activities. Membership in a number of organizations should be continued: The Nature Conservancy, Audubon and Sierra Clubs, and the Land Trust Exchange.
I knew when I initially bought the first 96 1/2 acres that I did not want to be the sole owner/possessor of that property. I asked a number of people to join with me, and our goal was that of a self-sufficient community. Many persons did spend months at a time at the farm; a few of us stayed on for years. Yet the times changed and energies were redirected. With the onset of the Reagan era, there seemed little enthusiasm for the communal lifestyle.
Today, the farmhouse and other structures once occupied see little activity. Paths, which 10 years ago were tended and traveled, are covered by bramble and honeysuckle. As the forests mature, the density of wildlife increases. Compared to neighboring stream valleys, the watershed of Raccoon Branch is quite extensively forested. The diversity of plant and animal is consequently increasing. A part of our goal, I believe, should be to encourage this diversity. I, therefore, wholeheartedly support John Hart's suggestion, passed at our last meeting, that we each plan to plant a native American tree or shrub at the farm next spring.
With regard to our long-term goals, I hope that a marked and mapped network of trails can be established and maintained, open to use by organized groups - from the scouts to schools - which will enable a broader segment of the community to study and enjoy the core habitat. I think it would be desirable to involve interested neighbors in this endeavor. With the encroachment of urbanization and subdivision of farm and woodland, fewer opportunities for establishing extensive footpaths will exist. By use of the conservation easement approach, our land trust should seek to broaden its holdings, first with the recently purchased Baumgartner property, and perhaps later with adjacent neighbors. We shall need to serve as a model before we can expect a neighbor to consider sale or donation of an easement.
In conclusion, it is my goal to live again in the Raccoon Branch watershed. The establishment and maintenance of footpaths is an activity which I greatly enjoy. I believe we have moved in the right direction by involving a core of interested individuals from this metropolitan area in corporate board activities. Membership in a number of organizations should be continued: The Nature Conservancy, Audubon and Sierra Clubs, and the Land Trust Exchange.
-Ken
Marion
To be an outpost and mustering location for the Natural Guard.
To be a preserve for educational, experiential, and experimental projects.
To be a medium for understanding and instigating harmonious human interaction with the natural world.
To be a receptive locale for retreat and renewal.
To be an outpost and mustering location for the Natural Guard.
To be a preserve for educational, experiential, and experimental projects.
To be a medium for understanding and instigating harmonious human interaction with the natural world.
To be a receptive locale for retreat and renewal.
-David Winship
11/16/89
Alvarado, VA
11/16/89
Alvarado, VA
Preserve the natural environment (including trees, plants, wildlife, water, etc.)
Provide a retreat for people in a limited area.
-Doris
To provide a place where one may
celebrate the outdoors and in so doing learn what it takes to have a
healthy relationship between nature and people.
To provide a place where people come home themselves by experiencing the endangered species, natural wildlife, the outdoors in general and friends and family.
This can all be expressed for people based on their needs:
-Kate
To provide a place where people come home themselves by experiencing the endangered species, natural wildlife, the outdoors in general and friends and family.
This can all be expressed for people based on their needs:
-- as a getaway
-- as an experiential learning site
-- as a home/community
-- as an experiential learning site
-- as a home/community
-Carol
