The Winooski NRCD has worked in partnership with the USDA-NRCS for the past year to advance the Locally Led Conservation Delivery process in our region. Information gleaned from our citizen engagement helped guide our application proposal to NRCS and we thank all who made contributions.  Based on feedback recieved, the Winooski NRCD developed a Locally Led Conservation Delivery proposal to implement grazing management and the associated supporting practices within our service area which will improve water quality, forage quality, and reduce pest pressure while also improving soil health. 

Winooski NRCD is excited to announce that our Locally Led Conservation Delivery proposal was selected by the Vermont USDA-NRCS, and applications are currently being accepted. While NRCS accepts applications year-round, interested agricultural producers in Vermont should apply by September 25 to be considered for fiscal year 2027 funding. Funding will be available for the 2027 federal fiscal year through USDA’s NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

The primary conservation practices available in this proposal include:

• Grazing Management (528)
• Pasture and Hay Planting (512),
• Brush Management (314)
• Tree/Shrub Establishment (612)
• Soil Health Testing (CEMA 216).

There are also several supporting conservation practices included:

• Fence (382)
• Access Road (560)
• Trails and Walkways (575)
• Livestock Pipeline (516)
• Watering Facility (614)
• Pumping Plant (533)
• Heavy Use Area Protection (561)
• Soil Carbon Amendment (336)
• Amending Soil Properties with Lime (802)

If these conservation goals align with your operation and you live in Chittenden County, Washington County, or the towns of Orange, Williamstown and Washington, please consider submitting an application. 

Applicants must register their land with the Farm Service Agency to participate. Projects will be selected based on a ranking process that considers project priorities. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 

The Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District has been allocated $200,000 by the USDA to conduct stream or riverside tree plantings in our service area. These funds will pay for all aspects of the plantings, from site preparation to the plantings themselves. Applications are due on August 22nd, 2025, for plantings in the summer of 2026. 

The application period for this funding has closed. 

The Winooski River basin covers approximately 1080 square miles, and accounts for 11.5 percent of Vermont’s land area. The main stem of the Winooski River flows 94 miles from Cabot to Colchester and enters Lake Champlain at an elevation 1,200 feet lower than where it originates. The Basin occupies major parts of Washington and Chittenden Counties and lesser parts of Lamoille, Orange, Caledonia, and Addison Counties. The entire watershed includes fifty towns and is roughly 73% forest, 9% agriculture, 9% surface waters and wetland, 6% field and shrubland, and 3% developed area including roads. This Tactical Basin Plan (TBP) provides a detailed description of current watershed conditions and identifies water quality focused strategies to protect and restore the Basin’s surface waters. Tactical Basin Plan, The Winooski River Basin (Basin 8) Plan

During the basin planning process, stakeholders expressed that unified clean water messaging, technical support and training on how to protect and maintain surface waters, and continued financial and technical support, are all critical to meet water quality goals. There was also a strong sentiment that all waters in the Winooski River Basin should be protected regardless of their current status. Tactical Basin Plan, The Winooski River Basin (Basin 8) Plan

The proposed practices on the proposed reach of the Winooski River will help meet the Winooski River Basin 8 plan in three of it’s targeted land use areas: Agriculture, Rivers and Forest. They will help with meeting the TP reduction goals contributing to meeting the TDL of TP entering Lake Champlain. This local funding pool would concentrate on eroding streambanks of the Winooski River.

In the Winooski basin, loss of river equilibrium is the major contributor of TP loading to Lake Champlain (33.8% of the total load, see Chapter 3). Therefore, the plurality of the TMDL reduction goal for this basin (38.7%) is expected to be met through river regulatory reductions and voluntary projects. Tactical Basin Plan, The Winooski River Basin (Basin 8) Plan

River corridor plans, planting projects, strategic wood additions, Aquatic Organism Passage restoration, and community efforts to regulate floodplain and river corridor development, are examples of some of the tools used to increase river connectivity. Tactical Basin Plan, The Winooski River Basin (Basin 8) Plan

Installation of proposed practices, (see practice list) by farmers/landowner long the project reach will reduce sedimentation of the Winooski River; contributing to lowering the TP, reduce other nutrient transport, improve water quality, and improving fish habitat, by securing up the streambanks.

The Winooski NRCD was awarded funds from the USDA to stabilize river banks in roughly between Waterbury and Richmond.

The application period for this funding has closed.