Many Vermonters are aware that Vermont has a legal mandate to conserve 30% of the state by 2030, a requirement set in place in 2023 as part of Act 59, otherwise known as the Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act (CRBPA). Act 59 also set a more ambitious long-term goal of conserving 50% of the landscape by 2050, and tasked the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) to work with the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) in the preparation of a statewide conservation plan.
The outcome of this work, the Vermont Conservation Plan, or VCP, is due to be delivered to the legislature in the summer of 2026 and will guide how Vermont conserves land — including natural areas, working forests and farms, watersheds, and recreational lands — over the coming years and decades. Development of the VCP involves two phases, the first of which being a statewide inventory of currently conserved lands – “where are we now” – and the second being the approach for reaching the 30% and 50% goals. Phase 1 was completed in late 2024 and indicated that 27% of Vermont was currently permanently protected from development, leaving over 270 square miles of additional land to be conserved by 2030. You can find the full Phase 1 report here.
What are the goals of the plan?
As captured in the title, the CRBPA has two overarching goals: community resilience and biodiversity protection. The biodiversity side of things is guided by Vermont Conservation Design, a statewide spatial plan established by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department that identifies the habitats, forests, waters, and landscape features most important to support native plants and animals, maintain landscape connectivity, protect ecological processes, and help nature and communities adapt to climate change.
The community resilience side of the Act is focussed on not only sustaining biodiversity, but also supporting Vermont’s working farms and forests, improving equitable access to conserved lands, and upholding Vermont’s historic pattern of compact villages surrounded by rural lands and natural areas while responsibly guiding growth and economic development.
How is outdoor recreation involved?
Act 59 explicitly recognizes outdoor recreation groups and businesses as important stakeholders in the development of the plan. It also explicitly calls for the plan to Provide recreational access and opportunities for people to enjoy Vermont’s natural landscapes, and to include recommendations to improve equitable access to conserved lands (including public access, recreation, sustainable land-based enterprises, etc.).
While led by VHCB in cooperation with ANR, the development of the plan is guided by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of representatives from stakeholder groups identified in the plan. Outdoor recreation holds two seats on this committee, one for dispersed recreation filled by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and one for trail-based recreation held by the Vermont Trails & Greenways council. Outdoor recreation is also represented by ANR through the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation.
Where do things stand now?
We are currently in Phase 2 of the VCP development, with the latest information available through the project portal. Following the development of a draft framework for the plan and a series of regional listening sessions over the summer of 2025, the Project Management Team released a revised draft of the framework (V2) in November 2025, including a series of proposed ‘pathways’ underneath three major goal areas: Support Conservation in Communities, Center Vermont Conservation Design, and Strengthen Conservation Capacity. The document is effectively an outline for the plan and the underlying objectives it will pursue, with the real “how” of the plan yet to be developed.
What can I do to participate?
The development of the plan will include another round of regional listening sessions in early 2026. This will be an excellent opportunity to better understand the current framework and weigh in on the draft actions for the plan that are currently in development, guided by the TAC. We encourage interested individuals to attend one of these sessions and help ensure that the “how” of the plan ultimately engages, leverages, and supports trail-based recreation as originally envisioned by the act.
The process also has proposed establishing a series of sector-based working groups to better capture the perspectives of key stakeholders, including outdoor recreation. VTGC and VOBA intend to convene a group of interested folks from outdoor stewardship and outdoor business to help guide our engagement on the draft actions and to ensure we have a broad base of support for the outcomes we advocate for.
Most importantly, we encourage you to stay up-to-date through VTGC and VOBA channels as the plan takes shape, and to read the latest version of the framework. Ultimately, the CRBPA presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance the ecological sustainability of our state while also enhancing the quality, quantity, and accessibility of trail-based recreation.
