Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions

Based on our recently conducted Natural Resource Inventory, and with the help of concerned local citizens, the Guilford Conservation Commission identified a stretch of Guilford Center Road that was particularly susceptible to collisions between motor vehicles and wildlife attempting to cross the road. The road divided two forest blocks that included a power line and a wetland. A Conservation Commissioner worked with the town's Road Commissioner to research what kinds of signage were available.. Read More

The Jericho Conservation Commission is always looking for ways to expand our existing public Pollinator Gardens. The first component of our AVCC Tiny-grant project is a new garden located near the sidewalk in front of our Town Hall. During Phase 1 (2022) after several diseased Red Maples were removed by the Town we replaced them with four new Serviceberry Trees purchased from the Native Plant Trust. During Phase 2 (funded by the AVCC grant) we added a section of pollinator plants to the beds.. Read More

The Preston Pond Conservation Area (PPCA), our much loved and visited Bolton Town Forest, was acquired and conserved by the Town in 2003 with help from the Vermont Land Trust. Changing circumstances along the main Notch Rd. trailhead into the area created an obstacle, a stewardship issue, which led us to this management project.

As you leave the Notch Rd. parking access point on the trail into the PPCA, the land slopes down to a point where the packed path on solid ground crosses betwe.. Read More

Thanks to the novel AVCC Tiny Grant support in the 2021 season, the Hartford Salamander Team (HST) was able to formally join the North Branch Nature Center’s ARC project. This new partnership secured vital professional training and data services to guide and ensure the safety of Salamander Team volunteers, as well as to bolster the scientific value of team efforts. 

The virtual training hosted by North Branch Nature Center’s ARC staff attracted over 60 Salamander Team volunteers a.. Read More

The purpose of this project by the Shrewsbury Conservation Commission (SCC) is to identify important wildlife road crossings in our town, and educate townspeople about the number and variety of animals whose travel corridors intersect our roadways. This will be with an eye towards convincing landowners to conserve/protect these areas and understand the importance of conserving forested land on each side of the roadway. The ultimate goal is to increase safety for the wildlife that must venture.. Read More

Our GCC applied to the Greensboro Selectboard to allocate $2,000 from the Greensboro Conservation Fund to complement other sources that were funding a conservation easement at the Green Mountain Monastery. The Selectboard agreed.

Updated research to help communities address the arrival in Vermont of the emerald ash borer was gathered to revise public service announcements developed in 2015-16 when EAB surrounded Vermont but had not been detected. The need to plan ahead and work together to address a problem is a message that can be helpful to all conservation goals.

The Monarch Butterfly project provided funding for a second year of what was first funded privately. Judy Fink, Dummerston resident and then Dummerston Conservation Commissioner, invited community members to become involved in a local conservation effort to increase biodiversity for pollinators in their gardens, starting with Monarchs. The Dummerston Conservation Commission project partnered with a local farmer who raised swamp milkweed seedlings, distributed to participants free of charge, t.. Read More

In December 2019, the Town of Fayston accepted a 93-acre gift of land in North Fayston, permanently conserving the parcel with a Vermont Land Trust (VLT) easement and officially creating the Boyce Hill Town Forest. The Fayston Conservation Commission, in partnership with the Select Board and the Vermont Land Trust, drafted an Interim Management Plan that defines temporary permitted uses and restrictions for the land.
In the Spring of 2020, we formed a Steering Committee to engage the co.. Read More

GCC completed an ash tree inventory of all town roads and properties, partially funded by a grant from Urban & Community Forests, and actively participated in Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week. They expanded their focus on trees by successfully applying for an Arbor Day grant from UCF to plant trees on town property in collaboration with students from Guilford Central School. Then they received UCF's 2021 Tree Steward of the Year award for their service to local trees. All this met our goal of.. Read More