FPR highlights VORAC grants, community projects and demand for continued investment
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Summary
Forest, Parks & Recreation officials described the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative grants, recent award rounds that funded projects statewide, and urged continued base and one‑time funding to sustain momentum and support grant‑readiness.
Forest, Parks & Recreation (FPR) officials told the Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development that outdoor recreation grants have funded projects across all 14 counties and remain in high demand.
"We are a farce. We keep our green mountains green, intact, healthy, and sustainably managed," Danielle Fitsko, commissioner of FPR, said in remarks that emphasized the agency’s stewardship role and its partnership with Serve, Learn, Earn. Fitsko described funding for FY26 that includes a maintained base allocation for SLE administered through FPR and a prior one‑time grant round that awarded additional funds.
Claire Pulpis, recreation program manager at FPR, walked the committee through examples of VORAC (Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative) projects funded in recent rounds: a recreation hub and trail enhancements in Waitsfield, accessibility and reuse work at a historic train station in Danville, catalytic planning in Newport that unlocked federal EPA funding, and trail redevelopment in Wilmington. Pulpis said the large grant round disbursed roughly $6.3 million and left more than $13 million in unmet requests across dozens of proposals.
Pulpis described program design features intended to improve grant readiness and equity, including a planning track, an outdoor equity track and a flood recovery track for projects not covered by FEMA. She also described a ten‑year statewide vision, "Move Forward Together Vermont," developed from public input to guide strategic investments in stewardship, resilience and outdoor equity.
Committee members questioned how one‑time funding versus sustained base funding affects community planning. FPR officials acknowledged that base funding enables multi‑year planning and that one‑time rounds, while impactful, make long‑range local planning more difficult. Pulpis said the agency provides follow‑up guidance to unsuccessful applicants to improve readiness for future rounds.
No formal appropriation or vote occurred during the hearing; FPR officials said they would remain available to answer follow‑up budget questions from the committee.
