Vermont Fish and Wildlife seeks $2.13 million in capital funds; lawmakers press department on unspent dollars, dam funding and hatchery future

Commissioner Andrea Schwartzley, of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, appeared before the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions on Feb. 20 to present the department’s FY2026–27 capital request and answer questions about unspent funds, dam work managed through the Department of Environmental Conservation and the future of the Salisbury fish hatchery.

Schwartzley said the department’s biennial capital ask is $2,130,000 and described a portfolio of small-to-medium projects across five fish culture stations, 96 access areas, 105 wildlife management areas and three Green Mountain Conservation Camp campuses. “Our mission is the conservation of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the people of Vermont,” Commissioner Andrea Schwartzley said, summarizing the department’s remit and why the capital work matters.

Committee members pressed department staff on multiple financing and project-delivery details. Several legislators expressed concerns that funds shown as “unencumbered” in the committee packet were in fact obligated, and asked who controls specific pools of money — in particular roughly $3.115 million shown in the DEC column for dam-related work. Elizabeth Stratton, director of the administration division, said many recent obligations are not visible in the committee’s report because purchase orders were closed ahead of the state’s procurement system transition and have not yet been re-entered: “We do have contracts for a lot of that money already,” Stratton said.

The committee requested a more detailed project list and a narrative showing what has been spent, what is under contract and what remains available. Schwartzley said she will provide a spreadsheet detailing the 26 fish-culture projects planned across the five hatcheries, and other line-item detail the committee requested.

Boats and equipment drew specific scrutiny. The department requested capital to buy two boats: one for warden service search-and-rescue and patrol work on Lake Champlain and one for electrofishing and hatchery operations. Committee members described concern about financing long-lived equipment with bonded dollars and asked for detail on age of the existing fleet, storage and whether federal Coast Guard grant funds (passed through the Vermont Department of Public Safety) are committed. Schwartzley said the warden vessel budgeted at approximately $100,000 will be partially funded with a federal subgrant through the Department of Public Safety and that she will provide details about storage and whether the federal money is on hand.

The Salisbury hatchery’s future was raised repeatedly. The governor had proposed closing Salisbury last year; lawmakers then funded work to keep it operating while a study is completed. Committee member Troy asked for documentation behind a previously cited $39 million annual return figure and for details on planned operational and capital measures to reduce phosphorus discharges. Schwartzley and staff said a deeper, department-wide financial assessment is under way to determine the capital investments needed across hatcheries and to evaluate the longer-term business model for the agency.

Schwartzley described the department’s revenue mix: roughly one-third federal excise funding from the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson programs (she cited about $10 million a year), roughly one-third general fund support and about one-third license-fee revenue, which is declining because of demographic shifts and growth in lifetime/permanent licenses. She said matching state capital with those federal funds yields an approximate 3:1 federal match for eligible projects, making timely state capital appropriations an important enabler of larger federal draws.

Committee members also asked whether dam-related work shown under DEC would instead be managed or paid for by Fish and Wildlife. Schwartzley said DEC is taking lead on significant dam upgrades related to new dam-safety rules taking effect in July and that DEC appears to be administering contracts on those larger projects, while Fish and Wildlife will address its own backlog of maintenance on department-owned dams. The committee asked four members (named in committee discussion) to clarify cash flows between agencies and report back.

No formal votes were taken at the hearing. Lawmakers asked for additional written material: a spending narrative of recent appropriations, the detailed project list (including schedule and bid/timing expectations), information about the status of federal subgrants for boat purchases, and the Salisbury-hatchery technical and financial analyses referenced by the department.

The session included routine questions about specific projects: roof and boiler work at regional offices, drilling a second well at Roxbury fish culture station, resurfacing indoor raceway areas at Ed Weed station and epoxy work at Roxbury to protect tank floors. Schwartzley said some previously listed unencumbered balances have been reduced to zero after invoices were received and contracts obligated for work such as rebuilding a maintenance shop at Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area.

Committee members flagged two items for follow-up: (1) detailed, itemized documentation of obligations that appear as “unencumbered” in the committee packet and (2) the Salisbury hatchery report and any recommendations that would help Appropriations, Environment and Institutions committees evaluate the long-term options and costs.

Ending

Schwartzley told the committee she will provide the requested spreadsheet and supporting memos. The committee paused the hearing for a brief break after confirming follow-up items and materials that the department will supply.