This pathway is focused on increasing conservation across all nine biophysical regions, and places additional focus on the six under-represented biophysical regions, ensuring that these places and their biodiversity will be conserved.
Vision: This pathway will advance most if not all of the elements of the Act 59 vision to promote: an ecologically functional landscape, biodiversity, landscape connectivity, watershed health, climate resilience, working farms and forests and opportunities for recreation and appreciation of the natural world.
Goals: This pathway will advance the 2030 and 2050 goals of Act 59 by conserving a mix of ERAs, BCAs and NRMAs as guided by VCD.
Equity Considerations: Conserving land in underrepresented biophysical regions will increase access to conserved lands for residents in regions with less access to such lands for recreation and appreciation of the natural world.
Work under this pathway supports and is supported by the Forest Future Roadmap, Forest Action Plan, Wildlife Action Plan, Move Forward Together Vermont, Climate Action Plan, Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need.
Pathway 1 Action 1: Increase Conservation Across All Biophysical Regions. Permanently conserve more land in the Champlain Valley, Champlain Hills, Taconic Mountains, Vermont Valley, Northern Piedmont, and Southern Piedmont biophysical regions.
Pathway 1 Action 2: Increase and Optimize Funding Through VHCB for Projects in Underrepresented Biophysical Regions. VHCB will provide funding and support that are commensurate with the land values and project costs in these fragmented, parcelized, and highly-developed regions.
Pathway 1 Action 3: Continue to Protect Strategic Parcels to Expand Connected Networks. Prioritize strategic, focused conservation investments in the Northern Green Mountains, Southern Green Mountains, and Northeastern Highlands biophysical regions.
Private owners of forestlands and agricultural lands, land trusts, conservation organizations, environmental organizations, working lands enterprises, outdoor recreation groups and businesses, Indigenous groups and representatives from historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities, watershed groups, municipalities, regional planning commissions, conservation commissions, and relevant State and federal agencies.
This pathway identifies ways to protect landscape-scale corridors within Vermont’s regional connectivity network that are conservation priorities, promote overall forest health and function, and keep corridors connected. This pathway identifies a subset of places most in need for permanent land conservation, but the entire connectivity network is needed for ecological function.
Vision: This pathway will advance the elements of the Act 59 vision to promote: an ecologically functional landscape, biodiversity, landscape connectivity, watershed health, climate resilience, working farms and forests and opportunities for recreation and appreciation of the natural world.
Goals: This pathway will advance the 2030 and 2050 goals through the conservation of a mix of ERAs, BCAs and NRMAs guided by VCD.
Equity Considerations: Protecting landscape-scale ecological connectivity helps ensure robust and healthy populations of plants and animals throughout the state, to the benefit of all the people of Vermont.
Work under this pathway supports and is supported by the Forest Future Roadmap, Forest Action Plan, Wildlife Action Plan, Move Forward Together Vermont, Climate Action Plan, Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need.
Pathway 2 Action 1: Conserve more land within the ten Connectivity Focus Areas that are part of Vermont’s regional connectivity network. These ten focus areas are identified in the report, Implementing Vermont Conservation Design: Priorities for Using Permanent Land Protection to Maintain an Ecologically Functional Landscape (March 2025).
Pathway 2 Action 2: Manage and upgrade roads and other transportation infrastructure (bridges, culverts, etc.) to allow for wildlife passage, especially in areas that complement permanent land conservation.
Pathway 2 Action 3: Encourage municipal and regional land use planning that supports ecological connectivity to help ensure the larger landscape benefits wildlife and strengthens regional land conservation efforts.
The Staying Connected Initiative’s Vermont Chapter is the key umbrella for coordinating connectivity conservation. The chapter includes land trusts, conservation organizations, environmental organizations, regional planning commissions, and state and federal agencies. The collaborative is open and inclusive to all groups interested in promoting and contributing to ecological connectivity. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and The Nature Conservancy play a key role in convening and facilitating this group’s work. On the ground conservation of connectivity corridors also includes individual landowners, watershed groups, municipalities, and conservation commissions.
This pathway addresses the current underrepresentation of certain biophysical regions and associated forest types in Ecological Reserve Areas. It also aims to identify strategic locations for establishing Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resource Management Areas. Actions taken under this pathway will improve representation of both old and young forests as well as the complexity and diversity of forest structure across the landscape.
Vision: This pathway will advance the elements of the Act 59 vision to promote: an ecologically functional landscape, biodiversity, landscape connectivity, watershed health, climate resilience, working farms and forests and opportunities for recreation and appreciation of the natural world.
Goals: This pathway will move Vermont towards the goal of 30×30 and 50×50 through a mix of ERAs, BCAs and NRMAs guided by VCD.
Equity Consideration: Conserving land in underrepresented biophysical regions will increase proximity and access to conserved lands for residents of those regions.
Work under this pathway supports and is supported by the Forest Future Roadmap, Forest Action Plan, Wildlife Action Plan, Move Forward Together Vermont, Climate Action Plan, Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need.
Pathway 3 Action 1: Improve representation of future old forests by strategically establishing Ecological Reserve Areas in biophysical regions outside the Northern and Southern Green Mountains.
Pathway 3 Action 2: Manage for a balance of forest structure, including young and old forests, in Biodiversity Conservation Areas and Natural Resource Management Areas.
Private owners of forestlands and agricultural lands, land trusts, conservation organizations, environmental organizations, working lands enterprises, outdoor recreation groups and businesses, Indigenous groups and representatives from historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities, watershed groups, municipalities, regional planning commissions, conservation commissions, and relevant State and federal agencies.
This pathway identifies the actions needed to steward, manage, and restore riparian areas and aquatic systems on both new and existing conserved lands.
Vision: This pathway will advance the elements of the Act 59 vision to promote: an ecologically functional landscape, biodiversity, landscape connectivity, watershed health, climate resilience, working farms and forests and opportunities for recreation and appreciation of the natural world.
Goals: This pathway will advance the goals of Act 59 by moving Vermont towards the goal of 30×30 and 50×50 through a mix of ERAs, BCAs and NRMAs guided by VCD and enhance the State of Vermont’s current investments and commitments to the broad conservation mission implemented by the Secretary and VHCB, including conservation of agricultural lands, working forests, historic properties, recreational lands, and surface waters.
Equity Considerations: Equity in aquatic systems work means prioritizing protection and restoration in communities facing the greatest risks from flooding and drought, drinking-water vulnerabilities, and lack of safe access to rivers and lakes for cooling and recreation. Use environmental justice and health/vulnerability mapping to target high-need places and fund projects with clear outcomes (flood mitigation, source-water protection, water quality, and public access), paired with community support so impacted communities help set priorities; where floodplain buyouts occur, pair them with relocation/housing supports and permanently protect vacated lands for durable river-corridor and floodplain function.
Work under this pathway supports and is supported by the Forest Future Roadmap, Forest Action Plan, Wildlife Action Plan, Move Forward Together Vermont, Climate Action Plan, Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need, Act 76 programs, Tactical Basin Planning, and TMDL Implementation.
Pathway 4 Action 1: Enhance the protection, stewardship, and restoration of riparian areas and aquatic systems on both new and existing conserved lands.
Pathway 4 Action 2: Expand funding available for the stewardship, management, and restoration of riparian areas and aquatic systems, both for new and existing conserved lands.
The actions included in this pathway will involve collaboration with the key stakeholders named in the law which includes private owners of forestlands and agricultural lands, land trusts, conservation organizations, environmental organizations, working lands enterprises, outdoor recreation groups and businesses, Indigenous groups and representatives from historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities, watershed groups, municipalities, regional planning commissions, conservation commissions, and relevant State and federal agencies.
This pathway highlights the need to enhance and increase the protection of rare and uncommon species, significant natural communities, and the important habitats of Vermont Conservation Design.
Vision: This pathway will advance the elements of the Act 59 vision to promote: an ecologically functional landscape, biodiversity, landscape connectivity, watershed health, climate resilience, working farms and forests and opportunities for recreation and appreciation of the natural world.
Goals: This pathway will advance the goals of Act 59 by moving Vermont towards the goal of 30×30 and 50×50 through a mix of ERAs, BCAs and NRMAs guided by VCD.
Work under this pathway supports and is supported by the Wildlife Action Plan, and Vermont’s Threatened and Endangered Species statute.
Pathway 5 Action 1: Make inventory and protection of rare species, significant natural communities, and important habitats a standard part of the conservation process.
Pathway 5 Action 2: Use flexible funding strategies to conserve rare species, significant natural communities, and important habitats.
The actions included in this pathways will involve collaboration with the key stakeholders named in the law which includes private owners of forestlands and agricultural lands, land trusts, conservation organizations, environmental organizations, working lands enterprises, outdoor recreation groups and businesses, Indigenous groups and representatives from historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities, watershed groups, municipalities, regional planning commissions, conservation commissions, and relevant State and federal agencies.