Keeping a Close Watch on Large-Scale Development

James Robert Boyd
District Coordinator, Vermont Environmental Board

Jim Boyd graduated from the Department of Resource Development with a BS (1982), and an MS (1990). In graduate school, he developed a keen interest in water pollution microbiology and soil science. Jim's hobbies include road cycling, skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking in Vermont. He still has a passion for saltwater fish fresh from the grill. 

As a District Coordinator for the Vermont Environmental Board, I administer the Act 250 land-use regulation program in Chittenden County, Vermont, which includes Burlington and 18 surrounding municipalities. Act 250 regulates the growth of large-scale residential, commercial, and industrial development throughout Vermont in order to protect precious natural resources and preserve the small-town cultural heritage so typical of Vermont. My duties include reviewing permit applications and site plans, conducting site inspections, initiating enforcement actions, and providing legal, technical, and administrative assistance to the District Environmental Commission. The Environmental Board, in turn, establishes regulations and policy for the nine districts in the state.
     In the winter of 1982, while finishing my bachelor's degree in Resource Development, I bought a small skiff and began bullraking for quahogs in Narragansett Bay. Working outside while harvesting shellfish in the waters of the Bay was very appealing to me. However, after six years of working full time on the Bay, I realized that I wanted to work in the environmental field, but I needed more practical experience and education. Also, the once-abundant fisheries resources in Rhode Island's coastal waters were threatened by pollution and harvesting pressure.
     In 1988, I began a graduate program in the Department of Natural Resources Science (NRS). There, I gained the training, education, and technical skills necessary to work in the environmental field. The courses available at URI were diverse: watershed management, soil science, and geographic information systems science. The relationship between my department and the Coastal Resources Center (CRC) at the Bay Campus, provided me with opportunities to further explore marine science and coastal zone management issues. CRC has been working on coastal ecosystem dynamics and nutrient enrichment of coastal ponds, and NRS has been working on similar watershed management initiatives and non-point source pollution. Their goals were similar.
     After completing my master's degree, I worked for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management under a short-term federal contract as a water quality specialist. After the contract expired, I worked with the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council as an environmental scientist. I was able to use the tools and training I gained as a graduate student and my practical experience as a commercial fisherman to work on important coastal zone management issues in Rhode Island, such as non-point source pollution, watershed management, and aquaculture.
     My experiences at URI have provided me with important resource management tools with which to promote environmental stewardship. Students interested in resource management, environmental science, or coastal zone issues should take advantage of the academic opportunities at URI.