The Vermont Conservation Plan (VCP) Regional Listening Sessions were the first round of public engagement following the release of the Phase 1 Inventory Report, an inventory of conserved land and conservation policies around the state. These sessions consisted of an overview of the VCP guiding legislation, timeline, goals, and work to date, as well as updates from the Agency of Natural Resources and the American Farmland Trust. In order to gather as much public input as possible, these sessions were hosted at four locations across the state – Ludlow (7/23), South Burlington (7/24), East Burke (7/29), and Brandon (7/30) – with a virtual session held on August 5th for those that couldn’t attend in person. Learn more below or at the VCP website, https://lab2.future-iq.com/vcp/.
Wednesday, July 23rd – Ludlow
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Jackson Gore Inn at Okemo Mountain Resort (111 Jackson Gore Rd, Ludlow, VT 05149)
Thursday, July 24th – South Burlington
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Delta Hotel (1117 Williston Rd, South Burlington, VT 05403)
Tuesday, July 29th – East Burke
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Burke Mountain Hotel & Conference Center (2559 Mountain Rd, East Burke, VT 05832)
Wednesday, July 30 – Brandon
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Brandon Town Hall (1 Conant Square, Brandon, VT 05733)
Tuesday, August 5th – Virtual
9:00 am to 10:30 am
The draft objectives and pathways that create the proposed framework for the Vermont Conservation Plan are listed below. These materials, as well as a number of conservation project success stories, can be found at https://lab2.future-iq.com/vcp/summer25-rls-materials/.
Objective One: Support Conservation in Communities
Objective Two: Center Vermont Conservation Design
Objective Three: Strengthen Conservation Capacity
The Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act, also known as Act 59 or the “30×30” bill, was passed in June 2023. To catch up on all the work completed to date, check out the Phase 1 Inventory Report. Additional information can be found in the Annexes (analyses, notes, and recommendations from the community) and Working Group Reports (deeper reviews of focal topics, including the management of state lands, aquatic systems, agricultural lands, and conservation categories).