Event: FY 2025 Tri-District EQIP Local Fund Pool Open House

Location: The Arlington Common, Arlington, VT

Date & Time: August 1, 2024, from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Join Us at the Open House!

We’re excited to invite you to the FY 2025 Tri-District EQIP Local Fund Pool Open House at The Arlington Common. This event is your chance to learn more about the Local Fund Pool and the Locally Led Process initiative.

What is the Tri-District EQIP Local Fund Pool?

The 2025 Tri-District EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) Local Fund Pool was created through a multi-year collaborative effort between the Bennington County Conservation District, the Poultney-Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District, the Rutland Natural Resource Conservation District, the Vermont Natural Resource Conservation Service, and a wide array of local partners.

This program aims to address the critical community concerns we heard about through our two-year public engagement process by setting aside $750,000 in available NRCS funding for Bennington and Rutland counties to pursue activities that can help address those concerns and that can provide real long-term benefits for the land stewards who embrace these practices.

By participating in the Local Fund Pool, you'll be providing a tangible service for your community while enhancing the viability of your farm, sugarbush, forest, or homestead. You'll be a part of the community resilience solution by implementing these conservation practices. Practices that can rebuild our soils, improve the resilience of our working lands infrastructure, accelerate the development of climate-adapted perennial food systems, and by capturing and storing stormwater where it falls.

Why Attend the Open House?

Learn About the Program: Get detailed information about the FY 2025 Tri-District EQIP Local Fund Pool and how it can benefit your land and the community.

Meet with NRCD Staff to determine the eligibility and viability of your project and get paired with the right practices that meet your land goals and our community's need to cultivate a climate-adapted landscape.

Discuss Your Project: Share your ideas and potential projects with our team to see how they align with the program’s goals and practices. If the Local Fund Pool isn't right for you, we will work to pair you with alternative programs.

Get Personalized Assistance: Schedule a site visit with our team to get one-on-one planning, design, and implementation support for your project.

Give your input for next year's Fund Pool. Do you Think we missed something? Tell us about it! The Locally Led Process is ongoing and driven by input from our community. If a practice that we missed in our community survey is needed and we receive enough requests, we'll add it to next year's approved practice list.

Who Should Attend?

Farmers, foresters, and conservation-minded private land stewards in Bennington and Rutland Counties, including landowners and lessees, are interested in pursuing funding to implement conservation practices on their land that enhance soil health, install resilient climate-adapted infrastructure, accelerate the creation of regenerative perennial food systems, and catch, sink, and store stormwater where it lands.

How to Prepare:

Review: Check out the ‘EQIP Right for Me’ and Approved Practices List on our website to familiarize yourself with the program’s offerings: https://www.bccdvt.org/tri-district-local-fund-pool...

Bring Questions: Come prepared with any questions or ideas you have about potential conservation projects on your land.

Be Ready to Engage: This is an excellent opportunity to network with other community members and conservation professionals.

Join us at Arlington Common on August 1 to take the first step towards positively impacting your land and our community!