Vermont Conservation Plan: Register for 3/9 Outdoor Recreation Listening Session

Register for the virtual Outdoor Recreation Listening Session hosted by VOBA, Vermont Trails and Greenways Council and the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association on Monday, March 9 from 12:00 - 1:30 pm.

VERMONT CONSERVATION PLAN & OUTDOOR RECREATION

Vermont has a legal mandate to conserve 30% of the state by 2030, a requirement set in place in 2023 as part of Act 59, otherwise known as the Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act (CRBPA). Act 59 also set a more ambitious long-term goal of conserving 50% of the landscape by 2050, and tasked the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) to work with the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) in the preparation of a statewide conservation plan. If you’re new to the Plan, or keen for a bit of a refresher, we’ve included a summary of it’s goals, how outdoor recreation groups are involved, and a bit of the history below.

VHCB recently released the first full draft of the “Expanded Framework” for the plan, which includes a set of three objectives, supporting pathways, and the underlying activities and sub-activities that would be pursued by both VHCP and designated stakeholders in pursuit of Act 59’s goals.  The project team is hosting a series of Listening Sessions on Mondays in February and early March, which are designed to provide an overview of the Expanded Framework  and gather initial feedback and questions. We encourage you to attend one of these sessions to learn about what is, and is not, in the Plan and begin to form your perspective.

The Outdoor Recreation Listening session co-hosted by VOBA, VTGC, and VRPA on March 9th aims to gather the specific ideas from our collective community, which we will then use to provide clear, consolidated, and specific feedback  to the VCP team as to what we like, what is unclear, and what changes or additions to the plan we wish to see. In addition to attending a Regional Listening session and/or reviewing the Plan, we encourage you to reflect upon your experiences with conserved land and the effort to protect them. We want the VCP to support the ways in which conservation supports recreation and vice-versa, which is often best informed by our lived experiences.

In the current draft of the Plan, Promote Outdoor Recreation is a dedicated Pathway underneath Objective 2 - Conservation For Communities. While it is great to see this explicit spotlight on Outdoor Recreation, the only underlying Action identified is to Support Implication of Move Forward Together Vermont, the state's comprehensive outdoor recreation plan. We believe this misses out on two critical ways outdoor recreation should be woven into the VCP: 1) as a driver of conservation, epitomized by programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and 2) as a critical method for providing equitable access to protected lands. Neither of these aspects is currently included in the Draft Framework, and we would love to gather input from you, the outdoor rec community, about other elements that might be missing or could be revised. 

We hope you’ll join us on March 9th!

BACKGROUND

What is the Vermont Conservation Plan?

Vermont Conservation Plan, or VCP, is due to be delivered to the legislature in the summer of 2026 and will guide how Vermont conserves land — including natural areas, working forests and farms, watersheds, and recreational lands — over the coming years and decades. Development of the VCP involves two phases, the first of which being a statewide inventory of currently conserved lands - “where are we now” - and the second being the approach for reaching the 30% and 50% goals. Phase 1 was completed in late 2024 and indicated that 27% of Vermont was currently permanently protected from development, leaving over 270 square miles of additional land to be conserved by 2030. You can find the full Phase 1 report here. 

What are the goals of the plan?

As captured in the title, the CRBPA has two overarching goals: community resilience and biodiversity protection. The biodiversity side of things is guided by Vermont Conservation Design, a statewide spatial plan established by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department that identifies the habitats, forests, waters, and landscape features most important to support native plants and animals, maintain landscape connectivity, protect ecological processes, and help nature and communities adapt to climate change. 

The community resilience side of the Act is focussed on not only sustaining biodiversity, but also  supporting Vermont’s working farms and forests, improving equitable access to conserved lands, and upholding Vermont’s historic pattern of compact villages surrounded by rural lands and natural areas while responsibly guiding growth and economic development. 

How has outdoor recreation been involved?

Act 59 explicitly recognizes outdoor recreation groups and businesses as important stakeholders in the development of the plan. It also explicitly calls for the plan to Provide recreational access and opportunities for people to enjoy Vermont’s natural landscapes, and to include recommendations to improve equitable access to conserved lands (including public access, recreation, sustainable land-based enterprises, etc.).

While led by VHCB in cooperation with ANR, the development of the plan is guided by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of representatives from stakeholder groups identified in the plan. Outdoor recreation holds two seats on this committee, one for dispersed recreation filled by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and one for trail-based recreation held by the Vermont Trails & Greenways council. Outdoor recreation is also represented by ANR through the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation.

We encourage you to stay up-to-date through VOBA, VTGC, and VRPA channels as the plan takes shape, and to read the latest version of the framework. Ultimately, the CRBPA presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance the ecological sustainability of our state while also enhancing the quality, quantity, and accessibility of trail-based recreation.