House committee hears how Vermont Conservation Design maps priorities for species and landscape connectivity

On April 3 the Vermont House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee heard a presentation from the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife on Vermont Conservation Design, a scientific framework the department developed to identify lands and waters most important for maintaining ecological function into the future. Andrea Short Sleep, interim commissioner, and Robert Zaino, natural community ecologist, described how the design layers landscape features, natural communities and habitat targets to guide conservation planning and project review.

The committee was told the design is a planning tool, not a regulatory prescription, and that it has been used to inform reviews under Act 250 and Section 248 and to guide town planning and state land conservation work. “Vermont Conservation Design…is a scientific framework for conserving Vermont’s ecological function into the future,” Andrea Short Sleep said.

Department staff framed the design around three simple goals: keep landscapes intact, connected and diverse. Robert Zaino said conserving larger landscape elements—such as intact forest blocks and riparian corridors—creates efficient proxies that protect many…