Vermont conservation districts seek $3 million in state funding to stabilize staffing

Claire Ireland, director of operations for the Vermont Association of Conservation Districts, told the Natural Resources & Energy committee that the state's 14 conservation districts are seeking $3,000,000 in state funding to steady operations and expand services.

"We do have a budget request for this year for $3,000,000," Ireland said. She told the committee the funding would be distributed across the 14 districts and to a central state agency that provides oversight.

The districts were created under the Soil Conservation Act of 1939 as local, county-level entities with five elected supervisors and a mission of working directly with landowners to address soil and water concerns. Ireland said the districts now cover a broader set of natural-resource issues, including invasive species, flood mitigation and emerging…