Mission Statement 

                Habitat loss is a pressing issue that is almost entirely anthropogenic, both directly (development, etc) or indirectly (accelerated climate change). Biodiversity and ecodiversity are essential keystones in maintaining the stability of natural systems. These are things generally taken for granted and undervalued. Some of the threats currently going unchecked are invasive species, habitat isolation, suburban development, and changes in climate. If the vibrant ecosystems of Vermont are to be preserved, now is the time to slow, stop, and even reverse the harm already done.  

Erasing these factors will not be a simple or quick fix because they are in some way tied to social issues. Many invasive plant species are planted unintentionally for decoration or are hard to regulate as they cross borders on/in vehicles. Keeping cities congested incubates countless social problems, but spreading suburbia out into undeveloped areas both destroys and isolated habitats. Climate change has countless non-point sources that require radical cultural and lifestyle changes to reduce. In Vermont, residents ultimately suffer from this vandalism on the natural landscape. A final subtopic contains a thread that ties these issue together: lack of environmental education. Most people do not understand or see the damage being done in their own communities. 

            In this group project, we are addressing the social contexts of habitat loss and alteration through several lenses. We have developed sub-groups to address the areas of agriculture, invasive species and climate change, recreation, human development and population management, and energy. We plan to speak with people who are at the forefront of addressing these issues, and working to mediate human and biotic needs. We will take these perspectives to position human influence upon habitat within Vermont, and to further extrapolate how these influences come back around to impact residents.

Some questions we plan to address are: Which of these threats is prominent in VT and/or the Burlington region? How are these issues related? How might they be eventually solved? Who is suffering the most from habitat loss? Which endangered species are threatened here? Is there a certain type of habitat more commonly at risk of damage? How much do people of this area worry about/think about/value balanced & healthy ecosystems? What is being done, and by whom?