Give TODAY with 3X Match AND enter to win the Ultimate Stowe Ski Getaway
Donate to Win
Donate to Win
« All News
Water Wins: Spring/Summer 2025
As much as we love celebrating newly completed conservation easements – hard work that rightly deserves a round of high fives – we know it’s just the beginning of the conservation journey, not the end. We don’t just check the boxes and move on, we commit to doing our best by that land forever. Nature does a great job restoring itself on its own, but sometimes it needs a little kickstart.
1,574 trees and shrubs
In April we planted more than 1,000 trees, each a little sprig of hope for our rivers. Their roots will hold riverbanks in place, and their trunks will slow floodwaters. Plus, they’ll help connect wildlife habitat. When we visited some of these spots this winter, we saw wildlife prints pacing back and forth at the edge of nearby forests, seemingly mustering the courage to brave the treeless gaps. Now, seamless forest cover will help wildlife access the water’s edge. A huge thanks to the dozens of school kids, college students, and volunteers who got their hands dirty planting trees rain or shine. Our rivers are healthier thanks to your hard work!
Read how it went!
Rooted in Change: Northern Vermont Tree Plantings for Future Flood Resilience
More than 800 trees were planted in Northern Vermont thanks to so many amazing volunteers! We enhanced or planted a riparian buffer at six different sites. Our approach to conservation gives rivers space to flow freely on undeveloped land, giving nature the freedom of time and space to bring back healthy rivers. Over time, protected rivers rediscover lost bends and curves, and the waters slow so that land can hold more water during times of droughts and floods.
Check out the planting stories!
A Million Seeds
We hosted Northwoods Stewardship Center and Intervale Center for a campout – not for the sake of s’mores and ghost stories, but for scoping out Southern eco-type trees for seed collection. Across Vermont, a lot of native plants are sourced from only a handful of nurseries. Anyone who’s sat through Bio 101 knows diversity is key, which is why we’ll be helping start-up nurseries collect a range of seeds from our conservation lands – so that offspring from the big old silver maples we protected years ago can help add to the seedling gene pool.
Seed collecting!
One Day, Two Places Protected
Read the story about how we conserved two places in one day! From North Troy to Sheffield and back again, we finalized 2 easements in 1 day – a new record for us, and testament to our team literally going the extra mile to get things done. These newly established River Corridor Easements will ensure that vital floodplain, wetland, and riparian ecosystems remain intact, allowing natural processes to unfold while offering long-term benefits for wildlife, water quality, and downstream communities.
Check out what we protected!Stay in Touch
Subscribe and get the latest on VRC’s initiatives and events.