Conservation Planning

Guided by the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife's manual, Conserving Vermont's Natural Heritage, A Guide to Community-based Planning for the Conservation of Vermont's Fish, Wildlife, and Biological Diversity, BEEC has partnered with the Dummerston Conservation Commission to develop a biodiversity conservation plan.

In 2007, BEEC received a Watershed Grant from the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife to conduct a natural resource inventory in Dummerston. This grant provided partial funding for gathering field data that will be used to help the Dummerston Conservation Commission develop a biodiversity conservation plan.

During the surveys, BEEC staff and volunteers mapped natural communities, vernal pools, and mast stands, focusing on the largest tracts of unfragmented habitat. We also looked for rare species and communities, unusual landscape features, and evaluated habitat connectivity. To see some of the maps and reports generated, visit the Dummerston Conservation Commission website: www.dummerstonconservation.com/

The next phase of this project will involve development of the conservation plan, and beginning the process anew in one of Dummerston's neighboring towns.