Habitat conservation is a key component of Vermont’s rich wildlife diversity. Whether it supports rare and endangered species, game species or the birds that come to your feeders, protection and active management of Vermont’s public and private lands is the cornerstone to all things wildlife.

For the past two years the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has offered the Vermont Habitat Stamp. Similar to the Duck Stamp, which has supported wetlands conservation for generations, the Habitat Stamp is a great way for all those who love Vermont’s wildlife to contribute to ongoing habitat conservation projects in the state. You can buy a Habitat Stamp for as little as $15 (more dollars are always welcome) and show your contribution to Vermont’s wildlife diversity.

For the Birding Community the Habitat Stamp is especially important. Some of Vermont’s best birding areas are the state’s Wildlife Management Areas (WMA's). Birders can see Snow Geese and Short-eared Owls at Dead Creek WMA, Gray Jays and Black-backed Woodpeckers at Victory WMA, and Bobolinks and Savannah Sparrows at the newly-created Windsor Grasslands WMA. The Habitat Stamp also supports numerous projects on private lands. Funds from the Vermont Habitat Stamp help purchase these lands for permanent conservation and for public access, in addition to funding habitat improvements on these lands for birds and other wildlife.  With help from dedicated Vermont Fish and Wildlife staff, landowners learn techniques to promote wildlife diversity, ensuring a variety of species can be seen close to home.

This is a crucial time for habitat conservation in Vermont. Increasingly, funding for this work is shifting from the traditional fees contributed by hunters and anglers to the entire conservation community. By purchasing a Habitat Stamp, you ensure the places you love to visit to find the rare, unusual, and common are protected and managed in a way that a wide diversity of species can co-exist.

The Habitat Stamp is a great way to make your dollars count. In fact, the roughly $210,000 raised through the Habitat Stamp Program over the past two years was matched by three times that amount in federal dollars.

For information on purchasing a Habitat Stamp and projects these funds support, visit the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department webpage https://vtfishandwildlife.com/get-involved/donate/vermont-habitat-stamp .

Join Audubon Vermont’s Mark LaBarr and Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologist Dave Adams as they discuss Vermont’s Habitat Stamp Program. Learn about the Habitat Stamp Program and how you can help support Vermont’s Wildlife.