Non-Point Source Pollution Reduction
LCCD strives to support Vermont’s Non-Point Pollution Reduction Program, both on the farm, home and forestlands, through the promotion of Accepted Agricultural Practices (AAP’s), Best Management Practices (BMP’s), Acceptable Management Practices (AMP’s), and stormwater management. LCNRCD’s commitment to non-point pollution reduction is the driving force for our ongoing Natural Resource Protection and Conservation Projects listed here.

Trees for Streams
Beginning in 1999 LCCD has coordinated Trees for Streams (TFS), a locally driven program to stabilize eroding stream banks, establish forested riparian buffers, and deliver watershed education & outreach. As part of the Lamoille River Watershed Initiative, LCCD has partnered collaboratively with Winooski, Caledonia, Franklin, and Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation Districts to expand TFS from the headwaters in the Northeast Kingdom to Lake Champlain. LCCD's signature model program is now offered state-wide by other Natural Resource Conservation Districts, and watershed organizations.

EQUIPMENT RENTALS and PROGRAMS

Portable Skidder Bridge Rental Program
Portable Skidder Bridges minimize the potential for soil erosion from logging equipment and logs crossing over water bodies. LCCD built and rents five Portable Skidder Bridges for loggers to provide access to log yards. Bridges are currently available in the mid and upper Lamoille watershed at Buffalo Mountain Wood and Transfer in Hardwick and Manchester Lumber in Johnson.

This Clean and Clear project supports the Acceptable Management Practices for Maintaining Water Quality on Logging Jobs in Vermont and made is possible by the Vermont Departments of Forest, Parks and Recreation, the Green Mountain Career and Technology Center, and the Jericho Research Forest. Click here for Portable Skidder Bridge information from the Vermont Departments of Forest, Parks, and Recreation. Or call LCCD to learn more or to rent a bridge in the Lamoille Watershed.

Regional Hydroseeder Expansion Project
LCCD has coordinated shareholders among six town municipalities (Eden, Elmore, Morrisville, Stowe, Jeffersonville, and Johnson) since 2000 for a Regional Hydroseeder Project. The Regional Hydroseeder Project allows each shareholder access to an otherwise out of reach in expense piece of equipment used to apply grass seed along roads instead of the labor-intensive task of hand seeding or the expensive option to rock line ditches. Lamoille County alone spends thousands to tens of thousands of dollars per year to remedy issues such as erosion, undermining, and washouts. These costs can be mitigated or avoided completely by implementing techniques such as vegetative stabilization. The hydroseeder is good for water quality and for town budgets. Original funds for the purchase of the equipment was made available through the Clean and Clear Grant Program. Additional municipalities are welcome to join the program at any time, please call (802) 888-9218 x 133 for more information.

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
CREP is a cost share program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides annual rental payments to farmers who convert highly erodible cropland or other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover such as native grasses or trees. The overall goal of CREP is to reduce soil erosion, protect the ability to produce food and fiber, reduce sedimentation in streams and lakes, improve water quality, establish wildlife habitat and enhance forest and wetland resources.

Since 2005 the Lamoille County Natural Resources Conservation District has worked in partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Lamoille County producers to coordinate the ordering and planting of over 5,000 stems on over 20 acres of land in the Lamoille and Winooski Watersheds.

United States Department of Agriculture
Learn more about CREP at www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/crp/