Dan Hemenway is a retired permaculture teacher and consultant. He has a
background in science writing, food security activism, and horticultural therapy
programs for teenagers and prison inmates. Currently his focus is on measures
to mitigate climate change and protect Vermont’s natural resources, especially
farmland and forests. He joined the District in 2024 after writing a commentary in the
Montpelier Bridge newspaper proposing adopting a jurisdiction that is essentially
the Winooski River watershed, as the most rational scale for addressing flood
mitigation. To his surprise and pleasure, the Winooski Natural Resources
Conservation District already exists. Dan is especially interested in reintroducing
beaver high in the watershed for flood moderation and other ecological benefits.