Grant Opportunity for the Municipalities of Richford, Berkshire, Enosburgh, Enosburg Falls & Montgomery

The Upper Missisquoi and Trout River Wild & Scenic Committee has announced the opportunity to apply for 2023 Town Infrastructure Grants. Grant awards of up to $10,000 will be made to municipalities for roadway and infrastructure improvements that will benefit our rivers as well as the communities they flow through. Successful projects will address the protection and enhancement of the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Wild and Scenic Rivers and their outstanding resources, with a specific emphasis on water quality. Grant applications are due November 1.​ Visit this website for more information.

Private Road Water Quality Project Completed at Lake Carmi

The NRPC completed a high priority project identified through a private and park road erosion inventory in the Lake Carmi watershed funded by the Lake Champlain Basin Program. The project is at the intersection of Sandy Bay and Black Woods Roads in the town of Franklin, VT. Sandy Bay Road slopes steeply down towards the lake and intersects with Black Woods Road at a sharp curve. The road didn’t have a ditch to carry stormwater so during rain events, stormwater was flowing down the surface and edge of the road, causing erosion and carrying sediment towards the lake.

Increasing Food Access & Food Quality at NOTCH Clinics

Through funding from an EDA Disaster Resilience grant, Healthy Roots, a program under the umbrella of NRPC has been working with the NOTCH Richford Health Center in order to purchase mini-fridges for multiple NOTCH locations throughout Franklin County. The Healthy Roots gleaning program makes regular deliveries of fresh produce from local farms to the NOTCH clinics. These mini-fridges are providing a great storage option for these regular deliveries and easy access for community members looking for fresh, local produce. Miranda Henry, the NOTCH Healthy Choices Coordinator, shared “Having the mini-fridges as part of the gleaning program displays at NOTCH is supporting expanded access to the free produce to community members, as well as preserving the quality of the wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables that come from Healthy Roots and donors.” These mini-fridges can be found at these NOTCH locations: Swanton Health Center, St. Albans Health Center, NOTCH Primary Care, Richford Dental Clinic, Richford Health Center, Georgia Health Center, Enosburgh Health Center and Fairfax Health Center. This was made possible by a grant to NRPC from the US Economic Development Administration.



Vermont Racial Justice Housing Jam

Four-Part Series is Free and Open to the Public

The goal of the initiative is to examine how racial inequities impact Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Vermonters and identify actions, on both policy and programmatic levels, which expand access to affordable housing for all Vermonters.

A statewide speaker series on racial justice and equity issues relative to housing in Vermont is free and open to the public and starts in November. The series features a mix of national and regional leaders in racial equity and housing. For more information and to register go here. 



Free October 26th Zoom Workshop Shares How Homeowners Can Create New Homes with Accessory Dwelling Units

Do you have extra space in your home’s basement or above a garage? You may be able to create an apartment that could generate extra income or house a family member. These apartments are called Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) - smaller, independent dwelling units that are located on the same lot as, or within, an existing single-family home.

On October 26th, 7:00 - 8:15 p.m. Housing For All, the Working Communities Challenge will host a free Zoom workshop that will share the basics, including:

• An overview of ADUs
• Local regulations
• Financing options
• Perspective of a local homeowner who has created two apartments

Register here for this free workshop. NRPC serves as the host and managing organization for Housing For All. 

Success Story

In partnership with the Town of St. Albans and the Friends of Northern Lake Champlain, the NRPC hosted one last stream cleanup of the season on September 19. Eight volunteers turned out and spent the morning cleaning a portion of Rugg Brook that had a lot of litter and debris in it. We came out with 13 bags of trash!” 

Lake Lessons

NRPC staff are proud to be a part of Lake Lessons, the Saint Albans Museum's annual program for fourth graders. Lake Lessons helps support environmental curricula at local schools while advancing the Museum’s mission to share local history and educate the public. Special appreciation goes out to NRPC's ECOAmeriCorps service member Dea Devlin, who leads the 'Lake Trout and Smelt' activity during Lake Lessons 2022.

NRPC Seeks Partners

for Clean Water Projects

NRPC recently issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for partners who will sponsor and complete voluntary projects that will improve water quality. Funding for the projects—which does not require a local match—is being provided to NRPC by Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). NRPC will be seeking project proposals at a later date.  

Project sponsors will work in the following areas:

• natural resource restoration projects;

• easements (river corridor, wetland buffer, etc.);

• floodplain and stream restoration/reconnection projects;

• wetlands restoration;

• forestland and forest road best management practices (BMPs);

• riparian buffer restoration;

• habitat restoration; and

• traditional stormwater treatment and road project BMPs.

As a result of state rule, future projects may be implemented more quickly when the organization proposing them are “Prequalified.” Thus, NRPC is hoping to “prequalify” a wide range of organizations, including interested municipalities, to reduce the time it takes to complete the projects. 

To learn more about Prequalification and the recently-issued RFQ, use the link above or contact: Dean Pierce at dpierce@nrpcvt.com. The deadline for submitting qualification materials is 4:00 pm on October 24, 2022.