On Monday, October 7, 2024, the AVCC hosted a panel discussion around the promise and potential of regional collaboration between conservation commissions at Sowing Seeds: Conservation Connections for a Resilient Future, the first statewide conservation conference in Vermont in over a decade. The theme for the session was “Local Conservation for Regional Outcomes”, and we sought to explore how commissions have come together to address some of the biggest conservation challenges – such as invasive species, flood resilience, and forest fragmentation – that don’t stop at a town’s borders.

The session included presentations from Margo Ghia of the Windham Regional Commission, Jim Henderson of the Bennington County Regional Commission and the Sandgate Conservation Commission, Heidi Willis of the Salisbury
Conservation Commission, and Curt Lindberg from the Waitsfield Conservation Commission representing the Tri-Town Partnership (Fayston-Waitsfield-Warren).
We greatly appreciate both our panelists and attendees for sharing their experience and enthusiasm for partnering with neighboring communities on conservation projects

In addition to our panel, Board members Mead Binhammer, Bill Dell’Isola, Suma Lash, Marian Wolz, and volunteer Alex Connizzo took turns running the AVCC materials table in the main presentation hall, where we sold raffle tickets to raise funds for the upcoming round of Tiny Grants. We want to thank our generous raffle sponsors for helping us raise nearly $700 for local conservation!

The raffle included items from Bee’s Wrap, Hunger Mountain Co-op, King Arthur Baking Company, Lunaroma, Orvis, Patagonia, Skida, Skinny Pancake, Switchback, Trapp Family Lodge, and Vermont Glove. Congratulations to our winners, Kate E. from Burlington, Kate W. from Chelsea, Mark N. from South Hero!