The movement toward self-sustainable living is growing worldwide. But, if you live in Warren County, you could find attempts at reducing your carbon footprint comes with snags.

At least that’s what Rachel Stowe, 22, of Russell, discovered at a session of the Warren County Zoning and Hearing board after learning that a chicken coop on her property is in violation of a county ordinance.

The ordinance, as it stands, according to Chairman Paul Pascuzzi, is the result of well over a year of back-and-forth deliberation in order to whittle down from 150 feet from all property lines to 40 feet in residential neighborhoods.

“You would have to have (had) acres to be able to meet that,” Michael Lyon, Warren County zoning officer, said. “A citizen approached the board,” which resulted in Public Works hearings that went on for a year-and-a-half to two years.

Photo submitted to Times Observer US literature encouraging people to raise their own chickens. Rachel Stowe’s main drive to live in Warren County is to participate in the rich traditions she grew up with.

He said that takes into consideration all of the different neighborhoods in all of the county’s zoned municipalities to create the ordinance as it is.

While 150 feet down to 40 feet may sound like quite a compromise, in the case of Stowe’s 48-foot-wide lot in downtown Russell, you are out of luck without filing for a variance at a $300 fee.

“I understand the process of a variance,” Stowe said.

But she’s more interested in seeing the ordinance changed altogether.

“May I ask why you are against going for a variance?” Vice Chairman Jeff Zariczny asked.

“I feel like the issue is not simply my property,” Stowe explained. “I feel very passionately about (wanting) to see more people who are my age” who want to stay here.

“I bought a house in Russell because I want to stay there,” she said. “We’re interested in looking at where our food comes from and participating in the farming community that we grew up in,” apparently even without the space to have a farm.

“I think having a restriction on “backyard chickens” that makes it impossible to keep them in a backyard is a little bit… odd.” Stowe said.”

“I think this site is an atypical site,” Zariczny said. “It’s a hardship.”

He suggested a variance.

“Thank you for coming back” to live here, he said. “But, quite frankly, no one at this table is interested in fighting another one-year battle” over backyard chickens.

Stowe continued her impassioned plea even after it was clear that the board wasn’t going to budge.

“Everything you just said in your argument” is exactly why we changed the ordinance in the first place, said Gary Olson.

Many cite economic hardship as the reason more and more people are looking to raise there own food. The argument can be made that waves of eco-conscious young people concerned with the future of their planet might have better luck in a more urban setting.

Stowe cites Manalpan Township, N.J., Fort Collins, Colo., and New Haven, Con., as examples of loosened restrictions anywhere from 10 feet down to zero.

The chickens in many of these municipalities are treated much like pets, with noise and odor concerns rarely rising above that of a typical outdoor dog. Roosters are not allowed across the board and many put local animal control agencies in charge of problems that arise.

“There are people raising chickens on rooftops in New York City,” Stowe’s mother, Carol, added.

With the support of neighbors present, two of which are her parents, it was clear Stowe wasn’t willing to back down. She was determined to learn how to go about changing the ordinance county-wide, which would come at a price tag.

The Zoning and Hearing board would then make its recommendation to the county commissioners, who could say yes or no. Failing that, Stowe would need to file an appeal.

The board encouraged her to read through all of the board’s minutes from the past meetings concerning the issue in order to understand how they came to the current decision before making a proposed amendment.

“I’m a good reader,” Stowe said.