Vermont conservation districts ask House committee for $3 million in base funding to stabilize operations and expand staff

Representatives of Vermontconservation districts asked the House Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry committee on the record to include $3,000,000 in base state funding to cover ongoing operational costs, support staff and meet statutory obligations.

The request, presented by Emily Finnegan, district manager for the Caledonia County Natural Resources Conservation District, and other district leaders, seeks stable, recurring funding to ensure consistent district services across Vermontand to increase the districtscapacity to manage competitive federal and state grants.

Conservation districts are local, democratically elected entities established under the Soil Conservation Act of 1939 that act as the stateconservation delivery system, speakers said. They provide technical assistance to towns, landowners and farmers, help producers apply for and manage competitive grant programs, and deliver on-the-ground projects such as stream restoration, dam removal and farm best-management practices tied to Clean Water Act goals and the Lake Champlain phosphorus TMDL.

"We are often the project manager for a lot of these projects," Lauren Watson, manager of the Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District, said in testimony describing how districts write grant applications, secure landowner agreements and oversee construction and deliverables for clean-water projects. Watson and other presenters said that funding for staff, office space, training and outreach cannot…