On June 12, legislation passed by the Vermont General Assembly setting targets for the conservation of Vermont’s landscape of green mountains, golden fields, and silver waters became law. See this article for more on the history of this bill numbered H.126. This new law, the Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act, was passed in response to the growing recognition that Vermont, like the rest of the globe, is facing a “catastrophic loss of biodiversity.” Similar to the national-level America the Beautiful Initiative, the Vermont General Assembly set ambitious goals to conserve “30 percent of Vermont’s total land . . . by 2030, and 50 percent . . . by 2050.”

To achieve these goals, the General Assembly tasked the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (Agency) with collaborating with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (Board) to develop an inventory of the land types needing conservation. The law also recognizes the critical inter-relationship among water and land conservation. Most important, the law requires the Agency and Board to produce a set of recommendations in the form of a plan for consideration by the legislature.

While this effort may sound simple on the surface, legislators had to grapple with creating a process that would be up to the task of navigating the myriad of different land types, land uses, and land ownership patterns across Vermont. To ensure that the many different perspectives representing these patterns are considered, the law directs the Agency and Board to engage in a broad dialogue with Vermonters across the state. The many organizations and individuals that testified in support of this legislation helped legislators understand the wide variety of uses and goals Vermonters have for the land. These uses and goals include not just reversing the decline of biodiversity, responding to climate, and improving environmental integrity, but also making a living off of or recreating on the land, and reducing the risks communities face from floods and droughts.

Audubon Vermont supported this bill in hopes that the process of study, analysis, and dialogue established by the new law will lead to greater protections for the vital bird habitat that our forests, fields, and waters provide. We also advocated strongly for the inclusion of strategies and incentives to ensure the active participation of private landowners in stewarding the land. More than three-quarters of the land in Vermont is privately owned, so supporting and encouraging forest landowners, farmers, and other land stewards in the management of their land for the many ecological and economic benefits they provide are a critical component of any effective bird habitat conservation strategy. 

Audubon Vermont’s team of conservation biologists and advocates will play an important role as this new law is implemented. We will work to ensure the needs of the birds most threatened by habitat loss and climate change continue to have safe places in Vermont to nest and survive. Species like the Eastern Meadowlark, Bobolink, and Golden-winged Warbler, which are rapidly declining and depend on grasslands or young forests. We will also be a voice for forest birds like the Black-throated Blue Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Wood Thrush, and species that are found in wetlands and floodplains such as the Rusty Blackbird and Black Tern. By promoting the protection and stewardship of Vermont’s forests, fields, and waters for a diverse mix of birds, we will also advance important benefits for people in the form of healthy soils, economically and ecologically productive forests, clean water, diverse ecosystems, and communities resilient to flooding and drought.

This legislation would not have advanced but for the incredible work by Audubon Vermont’s partners in the Forest Partnership group including Vermont Natural Resources Council, Vermont Conservation Voters, Trust for Public Land, Vermont Land Trust, and The Nature Conservancy. You can read a press release by the Partnership here. Many other organizations and individuals also contributed, which made the process of getting the bill passed challenging, but that was critical for a bill of this scale and ambition. We are also grateful for the help of Audubon Vermont Policy Intern, Daniel Lee, for his terrific work on this legislation. Most importantly, please join me in thanking your local Representative or Senator for their support of this bill. You can find their contact information here.