ARE PROTECTION PRACTICES BUT THEY ARE INTRUSIONS INTO THE FOREST TO EXTRACT PRODUCTS, TOO.

( birds chirping ) ( dog barking ) Narrator: CRAFTSBURY COMMON, VERMONT.

SILVICULTURE ORGANIZES THE HARVEST AND DETERMINES WHAT WILL BE HARVESTED FROM THE FOREST AND HOW IT WILL BE HARVESTED.

Narrator: ROSS MORGAN IS A FORESTER.

HE'S TEACHING A COURSE ON FOREST MANAGEMENT TO PRIVATE WOODLOT OWNERS.

HE EMPHASIZES THE WORKING LANDSCAPE.

I CONTAINERIZED SILVICULTURE PUT IT INTO A LITTLE CUBE AND DIVORCED IT FROM OTHER COMPONENTS BUT A GOAL OF SILVICULTURE IS TO INTEGRATE WITH OTHER FUNCTIONS THAT HUMANS DEMAND OF THE FOREST.

SILVICULTURE MUST ADDRESS WILDLIFE HABITAT; SILVICULTURE MUST ADDRESS RECREATIONAL NEEDS; IT CERTAINLY MUST ADDRESS AESTHETIC NEEDS THAT PEOPLE HAVE.

SO, IN BRINGING THIS ALL TOGETHER HERE WE'LL JUST MENTION THESE LAST TWO THINGS UP HERE... I WOULD SAY THESE ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF SILVICULTURE AND THESE MAY CHANGE OVER TIME BUT THIS IS THE WAY I SEE IT RIGHT NOW.

Morgan: WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY IS THAT HUMAN BEINGS, IN ORDER TO LIVE HAVE SOME RIGHTS TO WHAT WE LABEL IN TOTAL AS RESOURCES.

SO IF WE GO INTO THE FOREST AND WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO TAKE EVERYTHING YOU CAN SEE RIGHT HERE AND USE IT-- YOU CAN USE IT FOR FIREWOOD, YOU CAN USE IT FOR SAWLOGS-- YOU CAN GO FOR 10,000 ACRES RIGHT HERE.

YOU CAN USE IT.

DO WE HAVE A RIGHT TO DO THAT?

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT BEING A CONSERVATIONIST... MORE REALISTIC TO BE A PRESERVATIONIST.

HERE AGAIN, HERE'S ANOTHER FOOLISH DICHOTOMY.

ARE YOU A DEMOCRAT OR ARE YOU A REPUBLICAN?

ARE YOU A THIS OR A THAT?

WHO SETS THE RULES FOR THE DICHOTOMY?

"YOU'RE A PRESERVATIONIST OR A CONSERVATIONIST.

YOU CAN'T BE BOTH."

WHY CAN'T YOU?

YOU CAN.

THE IDEA THAT I SEE GOING ON RIGHT NOW IS "LET'S PROTECT IT "AND I'LL PROTECT IT BY KEEPING IT IN THE 1811 IDEA "OF THE PERFECT NATURAL FOREST "BEING SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE IT."

I THINK THAT PROTECTION IDEA IS VERY IMPORTANT BUT LOCKING UP ALL LAND SO THAT WE DON'T CUT THEM, OR... PUTS A FRIGHTENING AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON THOSE LANDS THAT ARE NOT LOCKED UP.

NICE CROP OF APPLES, HUH?

( approving murmurs ) Morgan: IN VERMONT, THERE ARE 77,000 WOODLOT OWNERS AND ONE PERSON CAN SAY "WELL, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO DEDICATE MY LAND "TO INCREASING THE NUMBER OF WARBLERS HERE.

HOW CAN I DO THAT?"

ANOTHER PERSON WANTS TO PRODUCE TIMBER SOMEBODY ELSE MAY WANT TO DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

SO IT IS IN A CHECKERBOARD OF LOTS OF DIFFERENT IDEAS THAT WE FIND STABILITY.

ONE OF THE ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES IS THAT IN DIVERSITY THERE IS STABILITY.

WE HAVE A DIVERSITY OF SPECIES OVER AN AREA YOU HAVE A STABILITY OF THAT VEGETATIONAL PATTERN.

Man: WHY WOULD SOMEBODY THAT BUYS A PIECE OF LAND CHANGE, UH, NOT DO ANYTHING WITH IT?

WHY WOULDN'T THEY KEEP THE SAME FORESTER?

BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE FORESTER HAS A PLAN FOR THE LAND AND IT BECOMES ABANDONED IF THEY CHANGE AND DO NOTHING.

WHAT HAPPENS IS SOMEBODY BUYS A PIECE OF LAND SOMEBODY KNOCKS ON THEIR DOOR AND SAYS "I'LL GIVE YOU $25,000 FOR ALL THE STUMPAGE ON IT."

AND THEY SELL IT, AND THERE GOES THE FOREST MANAGEMENT IDEA THAT MAY HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE.

LAST YEAR I HAD 19 DIFFERENT JOBS WHERE I SOLD TIMBER FOR PEOPLE-- TIMBER SALES-- AND IN JUST ABOUT EVERY CASE, ON WHATEVER I CHARGED THEM I MADE BACK MANY MORE TIMES BY HELPING WITH INCOME TAX, BY HELPING WITH MARKETING BY SELECTING TREES THAT SHOULD BE HARVESTED AND GROWING OTHER TREES THAT WILL BE HARVESTED AT LATER DATES JUST SETTING UP A KIND OF A POSITIONING OF THOSE DIFFERENT, UM, AGES OF TREES.

THIS WAS ALL OPEN FIELD WITH HEIFERS IN IT.

Narrator: THE VERMONT LANDSCAPE HAS ALWAYS SUPPORTED BOTH FORESTERS AND FARMERS.

HE FENCED IT OFF FROM THE HEIFERS.

THIS HAS GROWN UP A LITTLE MORE OF THE GOLDENROD.

Narrator: 150 YEARS AGO, 75% OF VERMONT WAS PASTURE.

TODAY, 75% IS FORESTED.

Man: I OWN 160 ACRES IN CHARLESTON, VERMONT.

I OWN 27 ACRES IN RUTLAND COUNTY RIGHT BEHIND OKEMO MOUNTAIN.

I OWN TWO PIECES, ONE IN MENDON AND ONE IN SHREWSBURY.

I HAVE ABOUT 80 ACRES-- 40 OF WHICH IS WOODLAND.

I'VE OWNED IT FOR ABOUT 12 YEARS.

I DON'T OWN ANY PROPERTY IN VERMONT.

ACTUALLY, I'M A C.P.A.

IN HANOVER, MASSACHUSETTS AND I COME UP HERE TO LEARN SO I CAN SERVE MY CLIENTS BETTER.

UH, I FEEL THAT OWNING THIS LAND-- I HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITY.

ALSO, I'D WANT TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT I CAN AFFORD TO HOLD ONTO IT.

I WOULD JUST WANT TO LEARN HOW CAN I BE PART OF IMPROVING MY LITTLE SECTION.

I'D SAY OVER THE LONG HAUL, BOTH FOR INCOME TO THE LANDOWNER AND I THINK FOR THOSE SOCIETAL VALUES THAT WE DON'T PUT A LOT OF MONEY ON IT PAYS FOR ITSELF, CERTAINLY.

THAT'S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE PRETTY UNIFORMLY.

WE HAVE LOOKED AT SORT OF MICROCOSMS OF... OF EVEN- AGE MANAGEMENT: THINNINGS, SHELTERWOOD CUTTINGS SOME POTENTIAL WEEDINGS AND CLEANINGS-- AND YET IF YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE HILLSIDE THIS IS AN UNEVEN-AGE FOREST.

WE'VE GOT THREE AGE CLASSES GROWING IN THERE.

WE'VE GOT THE BIG ONES WE'VE GOT THE MEDIUM-SIZE ONES AND WE'VE GOT THE LITTLE ONES.

AND WE WILL TRY TO ALWAYS HAVE THREE AGE CLASSES GROWING IN HERE SO, IN TOTAL, 50 ACRES... I THINK WE HAVE 50 ACRES OF PINE STAND.

I THINK WE HAVE SORT OF CAPTURED THE LANDOWNER'S DESIRES HERE TO ALWAYS HAVE A WOODS, ALWAYS HAVE WOOD AVAILABLE ALWAYS HAVE IT BE BEAUTIFUL, KEEP THE REAL ESTATE VALUES UP AND YET HARVEST WOOD OUT OF IT.

WHO KNOWS?

SOME OF THE WOOD OFF OF THIS WOODLOT MAY BE IN THE WINDOWS OF YOUR HOUSES.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT IS HERE.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT IS TO PROTECT THE FOREST FROM... FROM SORT OF THE GREEDS OF PEOPLE AND YET YOU'RE WORKING WITH PEOPLE AND YOU CAN'T PUT YOURSELF ABOVE SOMEBODY TO DO THAT AND YOU'RE WORKING WITH PEOPLE AND IT'S VERY HUMBLING, IT'S... WITHOUT THAT, THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL... WORKING IN THE FOREST COULD BE MECHANICAL TO SOME PEOPLE BUT I NEVER SEE FORESTERS OR PEOPLE THAT WORK THAT WAY.

THERE'S SOMETHING HERE THAT'S VERY ATTRACTIVE SOMETHING THAT'S... I DON'T KNOW-- VERY POWERFUL AND VERY QUIET.

THAT'S THE REASON TO BE HERE, I GUESS.

( birds twittering and crickets chirping ) Man: WE'RE IN THIS BUSINESS FOR A LONG TERM.

IT'S NOT SHORT TERM IN AND OUT-- RAPE, PLUNDER, PILLAGE-- BECAUSE IF WE DON'T TAKE CARE OF OUR ANIMALS OR OUR LAND OR... THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THERE'S GOING TO BE NOTHING HERE IN SEVERAL YEARS.

Man: PEOPLE NEED TO EAT, AND PEOPLE NEED TO RELATE TO THE LAND ON WHICH THEY LIVE, AND NATURE AND FARMING IS THE WAY 99.999% OF THAT IS DONE.

THAT'S THE INTERACTION-- THE MAIN INTERACTION BETWEEN HUMANS AND THE NATURAL WORLD.

Man: UNLESS WE START TO LOOK AT AGRICULTURE AS A BUSINESS THAT WORKS IN A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL FRAMEWORK IT'S GOING TO BE VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO THINK WHEN WE GET INTO THE 21st CENTURY THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF FARMERS AROUND.

( bird trilling ) Narrator: WESTMINSTER WEST, VERMONT.

THIS IS THE FAMILY FARM OF DAVID AND CINDY MAJOR.

WAY!

WAY!

GOOD DOG!

WAY.

Narrator: THE MAJORS SELL CHEESE, LAMB, WOOL AND HAY.

FARMERS IN VERMONT NEED TO PUT-- AS WELL AS ELSEWHERE, I THINK-- NEED TO PUT WHAT ELSE THEY'RE DOING-- THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORK THAT THEY MIGHT BE DOING, OR THE... OR THE... KEEPING ALIVE FAMILY FARMING OR WHATEVER-- THEY NEED TO PUT THAT INTO WHAT THEY'RE MARKETING AND, UH, IF THEY DON'T THEN THEY'RE JUST COMPETING WITH EVERYONE ELSE IN MUCH LARGER, UM, FLATTER, EASIER-TO-FARM AREAS AND IT'S JUST, "HELP US."

DOWN!

DOWN!

GOOD DOG, WAY.

DOWN.

GOOD DOG.

Major: WE ARE, UM... ATTEMPTING TO, UH, SHOW PEOPLE... UM, BRING CLOSER TO PEOPLE... AND, UH, MARKET TO PEOPLE THE... A RELATIONSHIP TO THE LAND.

Narrator: TO FOSTER THIS UNDERSTANDING MAJOR GRAZES A FLOCK OF SHEEP AT A LOCAL SKI AREA.

HE ENVISIONS SHEEP DOTTING EVERY SKI RESORT IN VERMONT.

MOST FARMERS, PARTICULARLY FARMERS THAT I KNOW AROUND HERE AREN'T FARMING BECAUSE THEY WANT TO MAKE BIG BUCKS PRODUCING CHEAP FOOD.

THEY'RE FARMING BECAUSE THEY WANT TO, BECAUSE THEY LIKE IT AND THEY WANT TO RELATE TO NATURE.

Bob Foster: THERE'S A MYSTIQUE ABOUT THE FAMILY FARM AND IT'S AN EVOLVING SITUATION WHERE IT WAS A FAMILY FARM 50 OR 100 YEARS AGO.

IT WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IT IS TODAY.

I CONSIDER THIS TO BE A FAMILY FARM EVEN THOUGH THERE'S MORE THAN ONE FAMILY INVOLVED WITH IT AND NOW WE'RE SPINNING OFF SOME SEPARATE BUSINESSES BUT THOSE ARE STILL FAMILY BUSINESSES.

Narrator: MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT.

THE FOSTER BROTHERS' FARM.

THE FOSTERS GENERATE ELECTRICITY FOR THEIR FARM FROM COW MANURE.

BASICALLY, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS TAKING VERY BASIC TECHNOLOGY JUST AS WE DO WITH THE PRODUCTION AND THE ANIMALS AND FINE-TUNING THAT AND MAKING IT APPLICABLE TO OUR PARTICULAR ENVIRONMENT.

NEITHER SOLVING SOME ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS BUT ALSO CREATING A BUNCH OF OPPORTUNITIES.

Narrator: THE FOSTERS BUILT AN ANAEROBIC DIGESTER WHICH EXTRACTS METHANE FROM THE MANURE.

THIS GAS FUELS A GENERATOR.

ORIGINALLY, WE WERE SET UP AS A PEAKING PLANT FOR THE UTILITY.

WE SOLD ALL OUR POWER AND IT SEEMED TO BE THE BEST WAY OF DOING THINGS AND THAT REVENUE STREAM OFFSET THE COSTS OF INTEREST ON THE INVESTMENT.

Narrator: THE BYPRODUCT OF THIS PROCESS IS AN IDEAL FERTILIZER.

Foster: ONE OF THE PAYBACKS OF THE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION IS THE EASE IN WHICH YOU CAN APPLY IT TO A GROWING CROP SO YOU DON'T LOSE THE NUTRIENTS THAT ARE CONCENTRATED IN THE DIGESTION PROCESS.

AND THAT'S DONE WITH IRRIGATION ONCE THE CROP IS GROWING.

SO YOUR ROOT SYSTEM IS ALL IN PLACE THERE'S A LOT OF PLANT ACTIVITY, AND ESSENTIALLY IT SUCKS IT UP AND PUTS IT INTO THE FOREST DROP WHICH IS A CONCEPT THE DIGESTER'S BUILT AROUND.

Narrator: THE DIGESTER HAS OPENED MANY OPPORTUNITIES.

THE FOSTERS HAVE RECENTLY LAUNCHED A POTTING SOIL BUSINESS.

DAIRY FARMING FOR THE FOSTERS MEANS MORE THAN JUST COWS.

Foster: AND I'VE BEEN ASKED "WHY ARE YOU DOING THE ELECTRICAL GENERATION?

THAT'S NOT AGRICULTURE."

WELL, OF COURSE IT'S AGRICULTURE.

WE'RE CONVERTING SOLAR ENERGY INTO SOMETHING THAT'S USABLE FOR MANKIND AND THAT'S MY DEFINITION OF AGRICULTURE.

UM, IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN CREATING MILK OR MEAT OR FIBER, OR ANYTHING ELSE.

IT'S... IT'S LIKE GROWING SILVICULTURE.

GROWING TREES FOR THE... UM, WE'RE BASICALLY A SOLAR COLLECTOR.

Narrator: THE SUCCESS OF THE FOSTERS' FARM LIES IN THEIR OPENNESS TO NEW IDEAS AND THE INGENUITY TO MAKE THEM WORK.

Foster: IT SOLVES AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM; IT SOLVES PUBLIC RELATIONS AS FAR AS THE FARM GOES; IT'S DOING THE RIGHT THING.

IT REALLY IS-- IT'S MANAGING A WASTE STREAM AND THAT'S WHAT WE ALL SHOULD BE DOING.

WE SHOULD HAVE DONE IT A LONG TIME AGO.

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUILT INTO OUR ECONOMIC MODELS.

IT HASN'T BEEN, THOUGH.

AND NOW WE'RE TRYING TO LEGISLATE IT IN AND IT'S REALLY BEEN ROUGH SAILING.

( sheep bleating ) Narrator: PUTNEY, VERMONT.

JOHN NOPPER USED TO MANAGE A DAIRY FARM.

HE NOW OWNS ONE OF THE LARGEST SHEEP FARMS IN VERMONT.

Nopper: WHAT'S THE HUMAN FOOTSTEP IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT?

IT OUGHT TO BE GENTLE AND IT OUGHT TO BE MINIMAL BUT I STILL THINK THERE WILL BE A HUMAN FOOTSTEP AND IT CAN BE DONE IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO DISRUPT OR EXPLOIT.

AND THERE'S WAYS OF HARVESTING AND USING NATURAL RESOURCES THAT NOT ONLY DO NOT DISRUPT BUT ALSO POTENTIALLY CAN ENHANCE THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

SO I DON'T-- I DON'T FOR A MOMENT BEGIN TO THINK THAT RAISING SHEEP OR HARVESTING LUMBER OR ANY OF THESE THINGS ARE NECESSARILY EXPLOITIVE.

( man whistling ) Narrator: IF SOCIETY DOESN'T SUPPORT SMALL FARMS THE FARMS WILL DISAPPEAR.

YOU'RE HAVING FEWER AND FEWER EQUIPMENT DEALERS YOU HAVE FEWER AND FEWER VETERINARIANS YOU HAVE FEWER AND FEWER FEED DEALERS.

I DON'T THINK THAT THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT WERE THE HEART OF RURAL COMMUNITIES-- IT'S JUST GETTING A LOT TOUGHER FOR THEM TO HANG TOGETHER IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THINGS LIKE SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND TRADITION AND ALL THESE KINDS OF THINGS?

I THINK IT MEANS A LOT.

Narrator: NOPPER'S RESPONSE TO THIS CRISIS IS TO TAKE ACTION.

HE ATTENDS MEETINGS TO LOBBY IN SUPPORT OF FARMERS.

THIS IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MEETING FOR THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY.

THE BIG PROBLEM WE HAVE HERE IS FIGURING OUT HOW TO CONNECT THE PRODUCER-- OR THE PERSON WHO WANTS TO GROW A CROP-- WITH THE CONSUMER.

HOW WILL WE LINK THEM UP?

Man: BUT WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN IS THAT THE COMMUNITY OF THE UPPER VALLEY-- AND BY THAT I MEAN THE TOTAL POPULATION LIVING UP HERE-- HAS TO DECIDE WHETHER IT WANTS A VIABLE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY AS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF ITS WHOLE BEING.

WE TALKED ABOUT A B.M.W.

PLANT COMING IN, POSSIBLY OR WE'VE HEARD ALLUDED TO A WALMART'S COMING IN IN DIFFERENT PARTS.

AND THESE ARE JOBS, AND IT'S JOB CREATION AND IT'S INCOME FOR THE COMMUNITIES.

THEY DO CREATE JOBS AND HOPEFULLY THEY MAKE A PROFIT.

ON SOME OF THESE PLACES, I'D LIKE YOU TO ASK "WHERE DO THOSE PROFITS GO?"

I BELIEVE THEY LEAVE THIS REGION.

THEY PROVIDE JOBS BUT THE PROFITS FOR WALMART'S GO BACK TO ARKANSAS AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY GO FROM B.M.W.

I'M NOT REAL SURE RIGHT AT THE MOMENT.

LET'S SAY WE GROW A LAMB IN THIS REGION AND WE SELL THAT LAMB DOWN IN HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

THE PROFIT COMES BACK INTO THIS REGION.

THEN WHAT HAPPENS?

IT HOPEFULLY IS GOING TO PAY THE FEED DEALER AND THEN PAY THE VETERINARIAN AND HOPEFULLY YOU'LL GO DOWN TO THE SERVICE STATION; YOU'RE GOING TO GO TO THE GROCERY STORE.

SO I THINK IT'S BRINGING A KIND OF PRIMARY INCOME BACK INTO THE STATE.

AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO EDUCATE PEOPLE TO SAY, "I WANT THESE FARMS TO SUCCEED.

I WANT FOR ALL THE BENEFITS THAT THEY BRING TO THE AREA."

AND RIGHT NOW THEY'RE THE ONE THING-- THAT AND SILVICULTURE-- THAT MAKES THIS AREA ATTRACTIVE TO TOURISTS, TO NEW RESIDENTS TO NEW INCOME AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

THIS HAS BEEN TALKED AND TALKED AND TALKED ABOUT... Narrator: NOPPER IS CONCERNED THAT TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

IT'S INCOMPREHENSIBLE, ALMOST THE NUMBER OF MEETINGS ON THESE SUBJECTS.

VERY LITTLE HAPPENS.

Narrator: NEVERTHELESS, HE'S ON HIS WAY TO ANOTHER MEETING.

NOPPER IS PRESIDENT OF THE YANKEE SHEPHERDS' COOPERATIVE.

CURRENTLY, THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH LAMBS TO MEET MARKET DEMAND.

WELL... WE'VE GOT TO... TO STEER A DIFFICULT COURSE HERE.

ARE WE GOING TO GO INTO THE FALL WITH TOO MANY LAMBS, TOO FEW LAMBS?

WE CAN'T BE IN THE MARKETPLACE AND NOT HAVE THE LAMBS AVAILABLE.

WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO BE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IS WE GOT THESE COMPONENTS: THERE'S MARKETS, NATURAL RESOURCES HUMAN RESOURCES, PROCESSING AND TRANSPORTATION.

WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW A LOT OF THOSE THINGS CAN BE PUT TOGETHER TO CREATE STRONGER AGRICULTURAL BUSINESSES.

I THINK THE ISSUE IS HOW MANY NEW FARMS CAN WE START?

HOW MANY NEW BUSINESSES THAT ARE LAND-BASED AND AGRICULTURE-RELATED CAN BEGIN AND TURN THE TREND AROUND?

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT SOMEDAY TO SAY, "WE REACHED A LOW POINT."

YOU SHOW THE GRAPH AND YOU REACHED A LOW POINT RIGHT HERE IN FARMS AND NOW WE'VE TURNED THAT THING AROUND AND WE GOT MORE FARMS IN THE YEAR 2001 THAN WE DID IN 1995.

I THINK THAT SHOULD BE ONE OF OUR GOALS.

Man: YOU CAN CONSERVE ALL YOU WANT BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO HAVE A SOURCE OF POWER AND VERMONT HAS TRADITIONALLY RELIED ON HYDROPOWER.

Narrator: WINOOSKI, VERMONT.

THIS IS THE WINOOSKI RIVER'S LAST CASCADE BEFORE IT FLOWS INTO LAKE CHAMPLAIN.

IN THE LATE 1700s IRA ALLEN RECOGNIZED THE POWER BEHIND THESE FALLS.

HE AND HIS BROTHER ETHAN BUILT THE FIRST DAM ON THE RIVER.

A FLOURISHING MANUFACTURING ECONOMY GREW UP AROUND THIS SITE.

NOW, 200 YEARS LATER THE RIVER'S POWER IS BEING HARNESSED ONCE AGAIN.

WINOOSKI'S BEEN A HYDRO SITE AS LONG AS WHITE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HERE-- UH, 205 YEARS-- THAT'S WHY ALL THE BUILDINGS ARE HERE THAT'S WHY THE CITY'S HERE WAS BECAUSE OF HYDROPOWER.

UM, IN ANOTHER SITUATION I PROBABLY WOULD FIND IT DISTASTEFUL BUT NOT HERE, NOT NOW.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OTHER CHOICES THAT YOU HAVE: NUCLEAR WASTE, BURNING COAL... UH... I THINK THIS IS IN THE RIGHT LOCATION.

THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO GO.

I DON'T EVEN THINK IT'S COMPARABLE.

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF SITES LIKE THIS AND THIS IS ONE OF THE LAST GOOD SITES.

Narrator: IT'S TAKEN SEVEN YEARS TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION ON THIS SITE.

ONE OF THE MANY DETAILS THAT NEEDED TO BE WORKED OUT WAS THE PROTECTION OF AN ENDANGERED ANEMONE WHICH IN VERMONT GROWS ONLY ON THESE ROCKS.

Man: UM, UP HERE, OF COURSE, THERE WASN'T... THERE WASN'T ANY BLASTING UP HERE SO THIS TERRACE ISN'T BLASTED.

WE'RE AT 100%, SO THAT EVEN WITH FOUR FEET OF WATER... Narrator: GERRY JENKINS IS A BOTANIST HIRED TO MONITOR AND PROTECT THESE PLANTS.

Warshow: WE HAD ABOUT EVERY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE YOU COULD THINK OF.

WE HAD WATER QUALITY ISSUES-- THIS IS THE LOWER WINOOSKI AND IT HAS A FAIRLY LOW OXYGEN CONTENT DURING CERTAIN TIMES OF THE YEAR WHICH FOR WATER QUALITY IN FISHERIES IS A PROBLEM; WE HAD THE RARE PLANTS; THE DAM IS ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES-- IT'S A 120-YEAR-OLD TIMBER-CRIB DAM; THE MILL BUILDING IS ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES; WE HAVE A TRAP-AND-TRUCK FISHWAY AS PART OF THE PROJECT BECAUSE MIGRATORY FISH HAVEN'T GOTTEN PAST THE DAMS HERE FOR 205 YEARS.

THE CITY OF WINOOSKI WANTED A PARK; WE HAD THE ISSUE OF PUBLIC ACCESS FOR FISHING AND GENERAL RECREATION; WE HAD THE AESTHETICS OF WHAT THE POWERHOUSE WOULD LOOK LIKE IN THIS LOCATION AND WE DESIGNED THE POWERHOUSE TO BE LARGELY UNDERGROUND FOR THAT REASON; SO WE HAD PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING YOU COULD THINK OF ENCOUNTERING.

DID YOU GET THE UPPER BENCH?

YEAH, I'VE DONE EVERYTHING THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER.

AND WE'LL PROBABLY GET A START OVER ON THAT BENCH THIS AFTERNOON AND THEN DO THE ISLAND TOMORROW.

WE ENDED UP WITH ABOUT 18 TO 20 PERMITS WITH OVER 200 PERMIT CONDITIONS AND WHEN WE STARTED THE CONSTRUCTION THAT WAS VERY CHALLENGING TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE WE HAD TO COMPLY WITH SORT OF ALL OF THEM SIMULTANEOUSLY.

Narrator: CONSTRUCTION OF THE DAM WILL TAKE A YEAR AND A HALF.

WHEN IT'S COMPLETED, THIS MINI HYDRO SITE WILL GENERATE A LITTLE LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF VERMONT'S POWER NEEDS.

IT WILL GENERATE THIS POWER BY HARNESSING THE FORCE OF FALLING WATER.

THE SIMPLICITY OF THIS CONCEPT DREW WARSHOW INTO THE HYDROELECTRIC BUSINESS.

ORIGINALLY, I BECAME INTERESTED IN ENERGY ISSUES.

I WAS AN ANTI-NUCLEAR ACTIVIST IN THE LATE '70s-- VERY OPPOSED TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SEABROOK NUCLEAR PLANT-- AND EVERYBODY SAID, "WHAT'S THE ALTERNATIVE?

WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO?"

AND THERE WAS ALL THESE ABANDONED DAMS I SAW IN VERMONT AND CONGRESS HAD PASSED A LAW WHICH REQUIRED THE UTILITIES TO BUY POWER FROM INDEPENDENT PRODUCERS LIKE MYSELF I THE POWER CAME FROM RENEWABLE RESOURCES AND THAT HAPPENED IN 1978 AT BASICALLY THE SAME TIME.

AND I HAPPENED TO HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA AT THE RIGHT TIME AND AN INTEREST AND THAT'S HOW WE GOT INTO THE HYDROELECTRIC BUSINESS.

Man: MOVE, MOVE, MOVE.

YEAH.

Warshow: I JUST THINK I REALLY HAD A TREMENDOUS DESIRE TO SHOW THAT THIS COULD WORK.

I HAD SEEN A LOT OF THESE 80- AND 90-YEAR-OLD HYDRO SITES IN VERMONT THAT WERE STILL RUNNING, AND I WAS SO IMPRESSED THAT HERE WAS SOMETHING THAT COULD RUN FOR ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS AND MAKE POWER AND NOT AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT.

BECOMING INVOLVED IN BUSINESS YOU DEFINITELY SEE THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND YOU REALIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, IN THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN YOU CAN'T DO EVERYTHING PERFECTLY AND YOU CAN'T PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT 110%.

AND... THERE ARE TRADE-OFFS AND YOU HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT THE BENEFIT AND THE COST IS.

Captioned by The Caption Center WGBH Educational Foundation