Raindrops on roses may be one of our favorite things but when lots of raindrops flow together they can become a powerful force that washes out driveways, rips apart stream banks, and carries trash and pollution into our rivers and lakes. A combination of heavier storms which drop more rain over a shorter time period, as well as more developed lands, roofs, and compressed lawns that shed water more quickly has made Vermont’s raindrops a dubious challenge for water quality.

Storm Smart homes use “green stormwater infrastructure” solutions like rain gardens, rain barrels, and water bars to slow down, spread out, and sink in rainfall. Keeping rain water onsite can help keep our rivers clean and clear, and replenish groundwater that we all depend on. Solutions like tree plantings and raising the mower blade can also help grow wildlife habitat and capture carbon. And it can help you be a good neighbor too – water that stays on your property is water that is not washing away town roads or blowing out culverts in big storms. If we all make tiny improvements, together we can grow a healthy and resilient Winooski Watershed. Storm Smart is a FREE program that provides education and technical assistance to homes to promote green stormwater infrastructure and other stormwater solutions for our watershed and wildlife.

WNRCD’s Consevation Specialist Adelaide Dumm will present on the Storm Smart program and today’s solutions for community and household watershed management.

Join us in person in the Yestermorrow main studio or remotely via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88690412727
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Adelaide Dumm joined the Winooski NRCD conservation team in May 2022 as our Conservation Specialist. Adelaide’s passion for conservation is unparalleled and is deeply rooted in her upbringing on her family farm in Central Pennsylvania.

Adelaide has worked various jobs in the environmental conservation field including interning at the local water authority and Conservation Districts in PA where she developed an interest in water quality. Adelaide attended the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) and graduated with a Bachelors in Natural Resources Management and a minor in Aquatic Resources management. In 2017, she moved westward to work seasonally in the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska as a fisheries biological technician with the United States Forest Service. Inspired to continue to develop her understanding of wildlife habitat conservation and participate in the scientific community, Adelaide earned a Masters Degree in Natural Resources Conservation from Paul Smiths College in 2022.

Adelaide relocated with her fiancé and dog from Alaska in 2018 and has been working with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation as a state park manager for the past three years. Adelaide has dedicated time to volunteering as a cyanobacteria monitor with the Lake Champlain Committee and educating the public on water quality and watershed conservation.

Adelaide looks forward to this next chapter with the WNRCD leading programs including Rethink Runoff Stream Team, Trees for Streams, and Storm Smart. Adelaide enjoys spending time in nature as a fly fisher, kayaker, hiker, skier, gardener, and overall avid outdoor enthusiast. As a new mother she looks forward to embracing the opportunity to raise her son with her Fiancé in the Green Mountain State.