WUV News
Watersheds United Vermont to Continue Capacity Funding as FPA (Funding Program Administrator). The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has selected WUV to be the FPA for the most recent Clean Water Workforce Capacity Development (CWWCD) Initiative Block Grant. WUV is excited to announce that grant opportunities will be available for eligible entities to engage in capacity development efforts in 2026 and 2027. Watersheds United Vermont will release a request for subgrantee applications in late July, due in late September. Stay tuned for more information about this funding opportunity.
Grant Opportunities
June 20, 2025 Deadline to Apply. Otter Creek Basin Clean Water Service Provider seeks Clean Water Projects. The Otter Creek Basin Clean Water Service Provider seeks proposals for projects that improve water quality in the Otter Creek, Lewis Creek, and Little Otter Creek watersheds. Eligible Applicants: Funding can be provided to non-profit watershed organizations, natural resource conservation districts, other non-profit organizations, and municipalities. Projects not sponsored by these groups may still be eligible for funding via contracted services. Types of Projects Sought: Projects must reduce the level of phosphorus entering waterways and depositing into Lake Champlain and will be primarily scored based on their cost efficiency in achieving this. Other benefits, including environmental justice concerns, addressing other pollutants, ecosystem services and climate resilience, recreation and community enhancement, education opportunities, and economic growth opportunities, will still play a role in the scoring of a project. Project sponsors should also have the capacity to take on this work. There are separate phases for development, preliminary design, final design, and implementation, and separate applications will be required for each phase if a project plans on using grant money through the whole process. Project types vary, but some examples of eligible options are sub-jurisdictional practices related to developed lands, restoration and protection of river corridors, floodplains, wetlands, riparian and lakeshore corridors, forestry projects related to water quality beyond state requirements, and agricultural projects if farm is not subject to Required Agricultural Practices. For more information, Click here.
June 26, 2025 Deadline to Apply. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund (NFRF). NFWF is soliciting proposals for the Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund to restore and sustain healthy rivers, forests and grasslands that provide habitat for diverse fish and wildlife populations. The program will advance this goal by investing in projects that: Restore the quality and connectivity of stream and riparian habitats with a focus on improving habitat for river herring, Atlantic salmon, brook trout and wood turtles; Improve management of forest blocks to enhance age and structural diversity, resulting in improved forest conditions for native wildlife, with a focus on improving habitat for golden-winged warbler and New England cottontail; and, Promote hayfield management that allows for successful grassland bird breeding, with a specific focus on habitat for bobolink. Funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Zoetis Foundation and Sylvamo. Grant requests must range from $75,000 to $300,000. Requests above or below that range will not be considered for funding. For more information, Click here.
July 10, 2025 Deadline to Apply. Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission Clean Water Projects – Call for Proposals. The Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission, in its role as the Clean Water Service Provider for the Winooski Basin is accepting proposals requesting funding to fund non-regulatory, phosphorus reduction projects in the Winooski River Basin. Projects must be located in the Winooski River Basin and align with the vision set forth by Act 76, the Clean Water Service Delivery Act, and policies and guidance set forth by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation to implement the Act. There is approximately $2,000,000 available to fund water quality improvement projects. The Clean Water Service Provider is authorized to provide funding to non-profit watershed organizations, natural resource conservation districts, regional planning commissions, other non-profit organizations, and municipalities. Projects not sponsored by one of these entities may still be eligible for funding via contracted services. If such projects are selected, the determination of how such services are contracted will be made by the Clean Water Service Provider. For more information, Click here.
Training and Events
June 10 2025 5:00pm – 6:30pm. DEC Vermont Wetland Maps Update and Public Comment Meetings. The Vermont Wetland Maps are getting an update. Using new technology and high-quality aerial images, DEC will update maps for the entire state to better identify wetlands and thus protect, restore, and reduce impacts to wetlands. The updates are required by the Flood Safety Act, Act 121, passed in 2024 and are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. Right now draft mapping for 107 towns in Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Rutland, and Washington counties are on public notice for comment. View the changes to the Vermont Significant Wetlands Inventory Map on the online interactive map. To learn more or comment, check out the Environmental Notice Bulletin materials or attend one of the public meetings:
June 10, 2025, 5:00pm – 6:30pm. In-person: Dewey Building 1 National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT – Virtual access: Register in advance for this meeting.
DEC Clean Water Conversation Series. This spring, the Clean Water Initiative Program at the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is launching the second half of the 2025 Clean Water Conversation Series. These monthly webinars are free and open to the public. The series spotlights a variety of groups working on projects in your community to improve water quality in our rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands. Come learn about clean water successes making a difference across Vermont.
DEC will host four talks this spring and summer. Register or find more information on the following scheduled Clean Water Conversation Series webinars:
July 31, 2025 12:00pm – 1:00 pm. Collaboration for Clean Water in the Northeast Kingdom
August 7, 2025 12:00pm – 1:00 pm. Clean Water Board and Budget
June 17, 2025 1:00pm – 5:00pm. Resilient Sites: Managing Stormwater Runoff and Improving Water Quality workshop. Stormwater runoff – triggered by rain and snowmelt flowing over streets, parking lots, and rooftops—pollutes waterways, causes flooding, and damages infrastructure. The good news? Simple, actionable techniques can reduce runoff and boost storm and flood resilience! Join Yestermorrow, the Winooski NRCD, Lake Champlain Sea Grant, and LCBP, NOAA, and NEIWPCC for this free workshop and gain the tools to make landscapes and waterways safer, cleaner, and more resilient. The workshop will involve a hands-on installation demo of properly installing a culvert and drainage practices for a washed-out small gravel road. The ideal target audience for the training is earth moving contractors, though others that would benefit from this technical training are welcome. Attendees will learn about considerations for installing a culvert to protect the roadway infrastructure and reduce downstream impacts. For more information, Click here.
July 15, 2025 10:00am – 1:00pm. Innovative Riparian Buffer Event at Riverberry Fam and Boissoneault Properties. Join staff from Franklin County NRCD, US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife, Vermont Agency of Agriculture (CREP program), and more to learn about innovative planting and maintenance techniques, compare different site treatments and conditions, and control invasive species. Visit two flood-prone sites in Fairfax, VT, along the Lamoille River to specifically look at site preparation, flooding impacts, adaptive species selection, and reed canary grass control. Participants will visit the River Berry Farm and Boissoneault properties to learn more from the folks who helped plan, plant, and maintain these two sites. For more information, Click here.
October, 2025. Vermont Rivers and Roads Training Program, Tier 1 and 2 modules for 2025. These training events, sponsored by VT Rivers Program, VT Fish & Wildlife Program, and VT Transportation Agency. Tier 2 is a two-day training and is both indoors and outdoors. Bring, or wear, appropriate field clothes and waterproof boots or old sneakers, you can get wet! Each day will be indoors for slide shows and class exercises and river flume table demonstrations and outdoors on rivers and streams to observe in the field what we’ve seen and discussed indoors. A certificate for Continuing Education Credits is provided for all classes. Open to all municipal staff, statestaff, construction contractors, engineers, consultants, regional planning commission staff, conservation districts, and others working with communities on river and road related issues. The tier 1 Module is an online training that can be completed by following the link Here. For more information about these training opportunities and to register, please Click here.
October 29th & 30th, 2025 8:30am – 4:00pm. – Mendon. 84 US Rte. 4 Mendon, Vermont
Call for Collaboration
The Vermont Clean Water Initiative Program & Lake Champlain Sea Grant seek co-hosts for field verification trainings this summer. Project types of interest include: Stormwater Projects, Riparian Buffer Plantings, and Lake Shoreland Projects. Co-hosting a field verification training involves: providing connection to the landowner and acquiring permission to access the site, providing information about the project and partners involved with implementing the project, and on the day of the training hosts will give an overview/tour of the project at the start of the training. Clean Water Project Verification is the use of visual and measured indicators to assess clean water project condition and need for maintenance. Verification findings are documented on standardized checklists for each project type which are accessed digitally via ESRI Survey123. If you are interested in co-hosting and/or have a suggested site that would be suitable for a training with 20-30 attendees, please complete the form linked below. These trainings provide a great opportunity to bring clean water partners together to discuss lessons learned, workshop ideas, and network! CWIP is pursuing a way to support the co-hosting organizations. If your organization is interested but limited in capacity, please indicate that in the form and we can discuss options when we connect. Complete the following online form and you will be contacted to discuss details: Co-Host Verification Training Summer 2025.
Resources
Wetland Restoration Guide Now Available. The Vermont Wetlands Program recently published a Wetland Restoration Manual, a how-to manual for designing and implementing voluntary wetland restoration projects in Vermont. The manual was written, illustrated, and designed by Arrowwood Environmental with funding from the U.S. EPA. The manual is available on the restoration website and copies of the guide may be picked up at the Vermont Wetlands Program Montpelier office (please contact ahead to arrange pick-up laura.lapierre@vermont.gov ).
The DEC Clean Water Projects Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Manual Released. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Clean Water Projects Operation and Maintenance (O&M) manual provides clear and consistent standards for regular inspection and maintenance of clean water projects in Vermont, including timelines and tasks by project type. This information can be used to inform O&M plans, scheduling, and budgeting. The manual is available on the DEC Verification and O&M webpage. The manual contains: introduction to O&M, overview of the project sectors and practice types, inspection and maintenance considerations, list of common equipment and materials, suggested routine maintenance schedules, and more! This manual is intended for various user groups involved in clean water work across Vermont and is not associated with specific funding programs or regulatory requirements. User groups include, but are not limited to, project managers, designers, agency staff, landowners, funders, and responsible parties. The recommendations outlined in the manual are based on general knowledge of O&M best practices but do not supersede or replace any other requirements specific to a funding program or regulatory program. This is the first version of the DEC O&M Manual that we hope will be improved over time as more people use it. Please provide feedback and suggestions for improvements using the feedback form available on the DEC Verification and O&M webpage.
Planting Guidelines for Agency of Natural Resources Lands. This guide contains information including: recommendations for successful planting projects, resources for matching site conditions & species, plant lists for erosion & stabilization, restoration, and climate adaptation projects, a native plant nurseries list, rare native plants to avoid in planting projects (to protect local populations). Note, if you attended the Watershed Forestry Partnership Meeting last month, this is the guideline document Danielle Owczarski spoke about. To view the document, Click here.
Job Opportunities
June 24, 2025 Deadline to Apply. Essex County Natural Resources Conservation District seeks a Watershed Restoration, Forestry, and Outreach Specialist. Essex County NRCD seeks a Watershed, Forestry, and Outreach Specialist to be based out of our office in Brunswick, Vermont who is self-motivated, organized, creative, and excited to build community with land stewards and conservation organizations in Essex County. The position will focus on carrying out Essex County NRCD’s forestry and watershed restoration programming and conducting community outreach in-person and online. The ideal candidate will be motivated to take on the strategic and financial planning of these District programs over time, with support and training from the District Manager and other District staff. For more information, Click here.
