The Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions (AVCC) is pleased to announce nine recipients of its 2020 Tiny Grants. This annual AVCC initiative provides seed money or matching funds to conservation commissions for specific land conservation, education and outreach, stewardship and management, and planning activities. Conservation commissions are non-regulatory bodies designed to advise planning commissions and select boards on natural resources issues.
AVCC awarded 2020 tiny grants to conservation commissions in the following towns: Brattleboro, Cornwall, Enosburg, Fayston, Georgia, Greensboro, Hartford, Putney, and Salisbury. These groups will receive between $250 and $600 to improve signage and repair trails on conserved lands, document wildlife activity with trail cameras, eradicate invasive plants, and pursue mapping and assessment projects.
“Our grants may be ‘tiny’, but their impact is not – these grants help support important projects in local communities,” said Nancy Everhart, AVCC Board Chair. “With the COVID-19 pandemic giving us an even greater appreciation for outdoor spaces, it feels more important than ever to support conservation commissions in their work to protect and steward our natural resources.”
Grant details:
Brattleboro – The Brattleboro Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to design and install 20 interpretive signs along a trail loop at Riverstone Preserve.
Cornwall – The Cornwall Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to document wildlife movement and corridors with trail cameras, and to hire a consultant to analyze results.
Enosburg – The Enosburg Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to continue documenting wildlife activity with trail cameras in its conserved lands.
Fayston –The Fayston Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant for an ecological assessment of a newly conserved town forest.
Georgia – The Georgia Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to purchase and install trail marker signs, tree identity signs, and other signage on conserved land.
Greensboro – The Greensboro Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to repair bridges along Porter Brook and add signage, and connect the Porter Brook Trail from Caspian Lake to the Barr Hill Nature Preserve trail system.
Hartford – The Hartford Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to eradicate invasive species and promote the growth of rare plant species on town-owned conserved lands.
Putney – The Putney Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to map the occurrence of Emerald Ash Borer along town roads.
Salisbury – The Salisbury Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to build a kiosk and split rail fence at the trailhead for the conserved Salisbury Town Forest.
AVCC also proudly supports the work of conservation commissions by hosting an annual summit for community volunteers engaged in planning and caring for Vermont’s natural resources. Due to COVID-19, AVCC will be offering an online summit instead of an in-person event, the details of which will be announced in the coming weeks.
Learn more about AVCC at http://vtconserv.powershift.info/. To stay in the loop about conservation initiatives happening near you, or to share your events with other conservation commissions, subscribe to our listserv by emailing vtconservation+subscribe@googlegroups.com.
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