Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions

Since 1985 the Friends of the Mad River's Mad River Watch program has been monitoring water quality in parts ofacross the Mad River Watershed. Every summer from June to August volunteers have dedicated their time by collecting various water quality samples. Currently, volunteers from the Friends of Mad River, FMR, go to several locations on the river about every other Monday for six Mondays through the summer to collect water temperature, pH and E.coli at 36 sites. These sites locations va.. Read More

Since Tropical Storm Irene, replacing undersized and outdated culverts have been a reoccurring conversation. The Friends of the Mad River along with federal, state, private, and municipal partners have recently installed two new culverts in central Vermont. Both these projects were highly collaborative, spanning multiple years. With planning, designing, permitting, and constructing, these projects took hundreds of hours of time and resources. Each culvert, one in Fayston, VT and one in New.. Read More

The Friends of the Winooski River began in 1998 when members of the Winooski Watershed Association wanted to focus their efforts on projects that would directly affect water quality issues. These members formed the Friends of the Winooski River, FWR, with the goals 'to reduce pollution, improve habitat, increase river stability and encourage passive and sustainable enjoyment of the river'. FWR is a non-profit volunteer group that works out of Montpelier, Vermont.

From the beginning.. Read More

Branch Out Burlington! (BOB!) was formed in 1996 with a mission to 'promote a vision of city grace by a variety of beautiful and healthy trees, and a citizenry actively involved with the preservation of their urban forest'. BOB! is a volunteer group with various outreach programs including education forums, an Awesome Tree Contest, tree walks, a Tree Keeper program, and the Burlington Community Tree Nursery. Branch Out Burlington! encourages citizens to take care of and appreciate Burlington.. Read More

Missisquoi River Basin Association (MRBA) maintains a volunteer program to test the river water quality. The volunteers started in 2005 sampling phosphorous, turbidity, and nitrogen levels along the length of the Missisquoi River. Since 2005, the volunteers have collected over 7,000 samples. The sites stretch over 90 miles long and include both sides of the Green Mountain chain. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation sponsors the water quality testing and has the samples anal.. Read More

The Missisquoi River Basin Association (MRBA), got its start in 1994 with the determination and dedication to restore the Missisquoi River watershed. The MRBA is a group comprised of teachers, farmers, business owners, environmental experts and concerned citizens. Since the formation, the non-profit has planted more than 22,000 trees to create streambank buffers and provide habitat alongside the Missisquoi River.
The MRBA has sought grant money, volunteers, and willing landowners to he.. Read More

Zack Woods is a unique 393 acre area containing 9 undeveloped shoreline ponds, including Zack Woods Pond, Perch Pond, and a third of the shoreline of Mud Pond. Zack Woods Pond is one of the top 9 lakes in Vermont, ranked the highest for wilderness-like character. Zack Woods Pond has been a nesting location for the Common Loon since 1996, due to its unique natural island. The land is a popular destination for hiking, running, skiing, and snowshoeing. The ponds are a destination for swimmin.. Read More

In Lowell, VT, a student at the Lowell Graded School named AJ Sicotte had a growing interest in building a walking trail through the woods behind his school that would be open to the entire town. After beginning clearing the trail himself, AJ gained help from the community when Bob Hawk, the linkage coordinator for the Staying Connected Initiative (SCI) met with the Lowell School principal, Scott Boskind, and two teachers from the school's science department, Judy Ide and Michael Brooks.

.. Read More

Since the establishment of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) in 1987, the organization has funded the conservation of over 5,000 acres of land in Caledonia County, Vermont. This land involved the investment of more than $10.5 million by the VHCB and over $32 million in federal funds. This funding allowed many of the towns within Caledonia County to perform conservation work.

For example, over a 25-year period, the Vermont Land Trust and Upper Valley Land Trust were able.. Read More

The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) was established in 1987, via legislation, as a funding mechanism for conservation land deals. The VHCB originally operated using money from VHCB trust funds matched with federal funds. However, the current funding for the VHCB comes from the Vermont state property transfer tax. This group funds land deals for recreation, farmland preservation, water quality protection, and many other conservation related uses.

In order for a conservati.. Read More