BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM -- Local environmental and river advocates are applauding the town board’s passage of a new law which recognizes rights for the Raquette River and its watershed to be pollution free, although the law lacks enforcement options.

The board approved the law at its Nov. 9 meeting after years of advocacy and lobbying  by local supporters with backing from the Talking Rivers organization. 

The town board had previously agreed to take up consideration of the law after their attorney had reviewed the legislation to ensure the town would be insulated from any downstream lawsuit effects.

Under the new law, among the first of its kind in the nation and which advocates and town officials called historical, the rights of the Raquette River and its 1,900-square-mile watershed to remain free of pollution and maintain healthy ecosystems are recognized by the town of Potsdam. The resolution passed by the board also seeks to establish a community committee to monitor the river and recommend measures to protect its long-term health.

The law says the Raquette River and its watershed have a right to exist, regenerate, flourish, evolve, adapt and thrive.

However, the law unanimously approved by town board members does not set up any type of enforcement framework to police potential environmental offenses the river may suffer. 

However, a key provision of the law establishes a Raquette River and Watershed Protection Committee consisting of at least five members appointed by the Town Board to two-year terms. Members must live in the town or watershed, and the board intends to include representatives from a variety of backgrounds, including Indigenous communities, farmers, business owners, anglers, environmental researchers and other residents.

The committee will advise the board, monitor watershed conditions, recommend environmental practices and publish an annual report identifying threats and recommending changes to town policies and regulations. It must meet at least four times annually in publicly advertised sessions.

Recommendations and proposed expenditures by the committee remain subject to Town Board approval. 

The law also directs the town to begin a comprehensive review of its existing laws, regulations and procedures within six months to bring them into compliance with the new provisions.

Caveats aside, the town board room was filled with local residents and advocates who spoke in favor of the town’s passage of the law and praised the action. The town board received a standing ovation at the close of the meeting, a rare site at town hall in recent history with vigorous criticism leveled at the board over the town-wide tax revaluation and the Route 56 water and sewer district project. 

Former town board member Lynn Hall, long an advocate for the law, spoke at the meeting in support and explained the need for local level legislation.

“While state and federal laws are stringent, they are not always enforced,” Hall said.

Others expressed similar views.

“We need to be very deliberate about protecting this water, this river upon which we all depend,” said Eileen Donohue. 

“It’s a natural resource that can easily be taken for granted,” said Rose Revezzi. “I really like the simplicity of the law and I don’t really see a downside.” 

“I think about slimy politicians… also slimy business people who put profits before people,” said Rometha Poi. “We are seeing more of it. And I think when I talk to my friends who live in cities, I think as I sit here and I go to many of these meetings.”

She said that the North Country is seeing more pressure on the environment from outside money-making interests.

“We’re coming together to protect a valuable resource. Thank you,” Poi said. 

Kimberly Bouchard said people she knows have been contacting her from all over the world to talk about the law the town was considering. 

“It’s hard to express how monumental this is,” Bouchard said. “We become that leadership.”

Town Supervisor Marty Miller said he didn’t know if the town would get to the point where they could pass the law, but the town attorney was able to suggest changes to protect Potsdam from potential legal issues. 

“We presented the changes that we felt the town needed to see in this presentation to make sure that the town was protected legally,” Miller said. 

“This is a momentous day and the beginning of a new era of environmental awareness and responsibility for the Town of Potsdam. Its elected officials and residents should be commended for taking this groundbreaking step in recognizing Raquette River has rights that need to be respected and making it clear that it will take additional steps to do so,” said Lee Willbanks, president of Talking Rivers, in a press release. 

“The watershed protection committee is an important mechanism to raise awareness of the issues facing the Raquette River, its watershed and all of the creatures who inhabit it. It is a terrific example to any communities wanting to enact similar legislation,” Willbanks said.