Upcoming Events

Space Available - Winooski Basin Forest Road & Trail Inventory Workshop

The Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission, Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District, and Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation have partnered to offer a Winooski Basin Forest Road and Trail Erosion Inventory workshop. Join us in the Berlin Town Forest for a hands-on field training, Friday 22 August 2025 from 9:00AM - 2:00PM.

The Forest Road and Trail Erosion Inventory is required for projects receiving Department of Environmental Conservation Clean Water Initiative Program funding to support standardized assessment, tracking, accounting, and reporting. This field training will cover identification and assessment of forest truck roads and skid trails, determining hydrologic connectivity, mapping of road or trail segments, and applying Vermont’s Acceptable Management Practices to protect water quality. Funding opportunities will be presented by the Winooski River Basin Clean Water Service Provider. Agenda to follow. 

 Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/UKEVSc8JyD

VLCT Town Fair - Early Registration ends 8/31

Register now to get the Early Bird rate for Town Fair in South Burlington on Wednesday October 8. The theme is NextGen Vermont: Navigating 21st Century Governance. The keynote speech on embracing dignity in discourse, trainings in five career tracks, and the awards lunch will all be bookended by the breakfast roundtables and the grand raffle. Register here!

Community News

Announcing FY26 Municipal Planning Grants

Municipal Planning Grants offer funding support for Vermont’s cities, towns, and villages to adapt to change and lead their future.  This flexible State funding for planning and resilience can pay for a variety of eligible projects, such as:

• A new or updated municipal plan;
• New or updated bylaws that that implement Act 47 of 2023 (HOME Act) and Act 181 of 2024 (Resilience, Biodiversity & Land Use Act), including zoning & subdivision bylaws;
• Climate resilience and flood recovery projects;
• Projects related to housing development;
• New or updated capital programs and budgets for infrastructure maintenance and improvements;
• Physical improvement plans, historic preservation bylaws, or other planning for a State Designation in coordination with Department of Housing & Community Development program staff; and
• Projects that support communities for all ages that align with Age Strong Vermont: A Roadmap for an Age-friendly State.

Individual towns may apply for up to $30,000, and multi-town applications (a consortium) may apply for up to $45,000. A local cash match of 10% of the total project costs is required, except for zoning/subdivision bylaw projects in municipalities without zoning/subdivision bylaws.

I encourage you to reach out to stakeholders to discuss local needs, opportunities, and priorities for this competitive funding.

Please review the Program Description for eligibility requirements and the Application Guide for application questions. A wide variety of municipalities access this funding, including the Vermont’s smallest towns.

Application Schedule for FY2026 Grants: 

• October 31, 2025: Deadline for RPC confirmation of municipal planning process
• September 1, 2025: Online application opens
• November 3, 2025: Application deadline, 6 p.m.
• Early December 2025: Award decisions
• Project completion: December 31, 2027 (2-year/24-month grant term to complete a project)

Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) Catalyst Program - Funding Opportunity

Don’t miss your chance to learn more about these great funding opportunities and to better understand the important pre-application process to the Catalyst, Forest Economy, or Timber for Transit programs. 

If you'd like to submit an pre-application, but not sure where to start, this is for you:

The NBRC's Pre-Application Support page can help. Whether you're determining which of the core NBRC programs is the best fit for your project or you're looking for clarity on application eligibility and funding policies, you'll find program overview materials and a seven-part webinar series to help clear up common questions.

All NBRC programs can fund projects connected to outdoor economy. In particular, if you are considering a construction project that requires timber for a building such as a gazebo or pavilion or you are using timber to build a bridge or boardwalk, please consider looking into the Timber for Transit program.

Cross Vermont Trail News

The Times Argus recently reported that Cross Vermont Trail Association (CVTA) is working on several miles of trail near U-32 Middle and High School and along the Winooski River. Work is expected to be completed by September. Photo credit to @jebphoto for the shot of Greg Western, Executive Director of CVTA working on the skid steer. Get out and enjoy the trails this summer - more CVTA info available on their website at: https://crossvermont.org/