Vermont Conservation Plan (Act 59) Regional Stakeholder Listening Session – Southwestern Vermont

The Bennington County Conservation District invites community members to participate in a stakeholder-led listening session focused on the Draft Expanded Framework of the Vermont Conservation Plan, developed under Act 59: The Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act.

Act 59 establishes a statewide vision to maintain an ecologically functional and connected landscape that supports biodiversity, watershed health, climate resilience, working lands, and thriving communities. The legislation sets goals to conserve 30% of Vermont’s land by 2030 and 50% by 2050.

Phase I confirmed that approximately 27% of Vermont’s land is currently conserved. The Draft Expanded Framework (Phase II) outlines objectives, pathways, and actions to meet the Act’s goals while addressing challenges in funding, capacity, equity, and implementation.

This listening session will:

Provide an overview of Act 59 and the Draft Framework
Discuss how Vermont Conservation Design guides prioritization
Gather regional feedback on investment priorities
Identify capacity and resource gaps
Collect input for submission to the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board

Municipal officials, landowners, farmers, foresters, planners, recreation advocates, nonprofit partners, and interested residents and community members are welcome to attend.