Category Archives: Tiny Grant Award Announcements

AVCC Awards 2024 Tiny Grants

The Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions (AVCC) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2024 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.

The AVCC received applications from commissions across the state for a wide variety of conservation-related projects, including work to improve signage and repair trails on municipal lands, document wildlife activity with trail cameras, eradicate invasive plants and insects, and complete natural resource mapping, inventories and assessments. In May, the AVCC announced its decision to fund projects from the Greensboro Conservation Commission, Middletown Springs Conservation Commission, South Hero Conservation Commission and Thetford Conservation Commission.

Here are some more details about these projects:

Greensboro – Following the identification and documentation of 63 unique invasive infestations, the Greensboro Conservation Commission requested AVCC funding to support their ongoing invasive species education and management efforts. Tiny Grant funds will spur the creation of a Town Tool Library, including silage tarps, a sharpshooter shovel, and a weed wrench, which will be made available to the commission, community volunteers and other interested parties.

Middletown Springs – Funds will allow the commission to construct a bridge to make the Sullivan Educational Woods Loop Trail safer and more user-friendly for hikers, birders and mushroom foragers, while also protecting the stream zone and wetland areas from further disturbance. The Sullivan Educational Woods was donated to the Town of Middletown Springs for the purpose of supporting public education about forest resources (including wildlife habitat, timber and recreation) and inspiring and promoting a stewardship and conservation ethic.

South Hero – Tiny Grant funding will help the commission host a community event featuring live American Kestrels and educators from the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS), and to purchase building materials to construct nesting boxes in the fall. Habitat loss, pesticides, West Nile virus, and a lack of suitable nesting areas have all contributed to declining populations of these birds, the smallest falcon species in North America. The educational outreach event will take place at 1:30 pm on August 4, 2024 at the Worthen Library in South Hero.

Thetford – Funds will be used to purchase tools (weed wrench, loppers, work gloves, paint brushes & paint, and safety vests) to enable volunteer land management crews to paint boundary lines, manage invasive species, monitor wildlife and more in the Town Forest, Hughes Forest, Post Mills Natural Area, and Taylor Floodplain Preserve. The commission hopes to use these funds to execute its new Town Lands Management Plan, which was unanimously approved by the Selectboard on May 20, 2024, and replaces the previous plan from 2008.

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. Details regarding the 2024 AVCC Annual Meeting and Conservation Summit will be announced in the coming weeks.

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. You may reach out directly to the AVCC Board by emailing vtconservation@gmail.com.

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AVCC’s 2021 Tiny Grants Fund Conservation Projects Across Vermont

June 14, 2021 — The Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions (AVCC) is pleased to award 2021 Tiny Grants to conservation commissions in the following towns: Bradford, Dummerston, Hartford, Hinesburg, Huntington, Johnson, and Shrewsbury.

Tiny Grants is an AVCC initiative that provides seed money or matching funds to conservation commissions for 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.

Grantees will receive between $300 and $600 to improve trails on conserved lands, document wildlife activity with trail cameras, eradicate invasive plants, encourage plant and wildlife biodiversity, and educate communities.

“Our grants may be ‘tiny’, but their impact is not,” said Mark Nelson, AVCC Board Chair. “These funds help conservation commissions accomplish on-the-ground projects to protect natural resources, while engaging their communities in this vital work.”

2021 Tiny Grants details:

Bradford – The Bradford Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to purchase materials for trailside benches in the Bradford Town Forest.

Dummerston – The Dummerston Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to attract Monarch Butterflies by planting swamp milkweed & educating the public about how to care for this species.

Hartford – The Hartford Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant on training and data analysis around an amphibian road crossing project.

Hinesburg – The Hinesburg Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to purchase seeds and plants, and rent equipment, to create a pollinator garden.

Huntington – The Huntington Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to mitigate Japanese knotweed at strategic sites.

Johnson – The Johnson Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to update educational videos about the Emerald Ash Borer.

Shrewsbury – The Shrewsbury Conservation Commission will use its Tiny Grant to purchase game cameras to survey roadside wildlife crossings.

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. AVCC will be offering its 2021 summit online. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.

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AVCC Awards 2020 Tiny Grants to Nine Conservation Commissions

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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AVCC Awards 2015 Tiny Grants to Five Conservation Commissions

A hiking trail connecting neighborhoods, workshops with conservation experts, natural area guided walks, new trail signs, and a trail map and guide, all will receive financial support thanks to grants from the Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions.

Grants were awarded to conservation commissions for these projects in the following towns: Brattleboro, Cambridge, Cornwall, Guildford and Northfield. Groups will receive between $400 and $500 depending on the project, from the AVCC Tiny Grant program.

“We are proud to be able to help advance, in a small way, conservation projects identified and carried out by local conservation commissions,” said Jake Brown, chair of AVCC. “Supporting this sort of work is what AVCC is all about.”

AVCC has offered the Tiny Grant program for several years and plans to continue to do so in the coming years. Conservation commissions (or groups working to become conservation commissions) who are members of AVCC are eligible.

For nearly two decades, the non-profit AVCC has supported the growth and success of local conservation commissions, acting as a clearinghouse for information for local conservation commissions, publishing a newsletter, maintaining an on-line listerve, and holding an annual meeting.

Conservation Commissions are non-regulatory bodies designed to advise planning commissions and select boards on natural resources issues. Often these commissions get involved in natural resource inventories and land management of town-owned lands as well as many other types of projects.

Grant Details

Brattleboro: The Conservation Commission will use the grant to assure the proper construction of a steep section of a new foot trail connecting neighborhoods in West Brattleboro. Contact: Sue Fillion, 802-251-8112

Cambridge: The Commission will use the money to help support their “Experts in the Field” series that runs this summer and fall. Talks, which will take place in various locations around town, will cover topics like mushrooms and fungi, pollinators, fly tying and fly fishing, wetlands, and permaculture, to name a few. Contact: Justin Marsh, 802-730-2383.

Cornwall: The grant will go to sponsor a series of walks during which experts will discuss sites in town identified in a recent natural resources inventory. Contact: Mary Dodge, 802-462-2899

Guildford: Funds will enable the creation of an interpretive guide and trail markers keyed to the guide for a trail system in a 175-acre forest near the town center. Contact: Linda Lembke, 802-254-4813.

Northfield: The funds will support the creation and installation of trail and interpretive signs in the 385-acre Northfield town forest. Contact: Ruth Ruttenberg, 802-485-4554.

AVCC Awards Funds for Local Conservation Projects

Trail work, a publication highlighting local hikes, support for a town-wide natural resource inventory and a natural resources training program for a local community all are expected to go forward thanks to recent grants awarded to local groups by AVCC.

Grants were awarded to conservation commissions in the following towns: Bradford, Dummerston, Milton and New Haven. Each group will receive $600 from the AVCC Tiny Grant program.

AVCC has offered this grant program for several years and plans to continue to do so in the coming years. Conservation commissions (or groups working to become conservation commissions) who are members of AVCC are eligible.

Grant Details

Bradford: The Bradford Conservation Commission will use money to publicize and present the findings of a new natural resources inventory to the public in a large community gathering. The result of this will guide land use decisions in the town with ah clear understanding by the citizenry of which lands hold sensitive areas and critical habitat, and are worthy of protecting. Contact: Ed Wendell, 802-222-4657.

Dummerston: The Dummerston Conservation Commission received help to pay for the creation of a brochure with trail descriptions and maps of trails in the town. The brochure, Walks and Hikes in Dummerston, will also note places in town that sell local food. Contact: Mary Ellen Copeland, 802-257-5843.

Milton: Funding will go for a technical assessment, design solutions, and construction to help improve a critical trail that is plagued three seasons a year with water drainage problems. The trail is at the entry to the municipal forest in Milton. Contact: Jacob Hemmerlick, 802-891-8016.

New Haven: the New Haven Conservation Commission will receive money to work with the Shelburne Farms PLACE (Place-based Landscape Analysis and Community Education) program to increase awareness in New Haven of the local, natural landscape. The grant will also fund analysis of the data and production of documentation and mapping that can be used by other boards in town. Contact: Dean Percival, 802-388-0504.