Biodiversity Enhancement Strategies for Landowners

A Vermonter's Guide for Protecting Biodiversity

This booklet gives Vermonters clear instructions for directly restoring, enhancing, and protecting biodiversity in the areas that we have the most influence over: our homes, our towns, and our state. Includes some of the resources listed on this website and more.

Wetland, Woodland, Wildland: A Guide to the Natural Communities of Vermont, 2nd Edition - Book By Elizabeth H. Thompson, Eric R. Sorenson and Robert J. Zaino

Wetland, Woodland, Wildland is the definitive guide to Vermont’s natural communities, and is packed with information unavailable elsewhere. It offers practical information for naturalists, teachers, students, landowners, land managers, foresters, conservation planners, and all those with a love of nature who want to learn more about their surroundings.

Vermont Conservation Design - Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department

A map-based plan that designates the areas in the state most important to biodiversity conservation and the maintenance of an ecologically functional landscape (which means clean air, clean water, pollination, flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, etc.). Vermont Conservation Design is a tool designed to deliver the best available conservation science to public and private decision-makers for land use and planning. You can check out conservation priorities for your own property.

Storm Smart - Friends of the Winooski River, Friends of the Mad River, and Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District

Storm Smart provides free expert advice to people in the Winooksi Watershed on steps they can take to 'spongify' the landscape. Sinking water in where it lands helps keep our rivers clean and clear and replenishes the groundwater we depend on. Installing rain gardens, replacing undersized culverts, and repairing and reshaping roads can help slow, spread, and sink water as it crosses the landscape. Restoring forests in the uplands and buffers along streams can reduce erosion, protect against pollution and flooding, and provide vital habitat for wildlife.

Converting Lawns to Forest - Friends of the Winooski River

Friends don’t let Friends have too much lawn! This program can help you reduce ecologically impoverished grassy areas and replace them with good habitat that also improves water quality. Residents within the Winooski Watershed are eligible for free native trees and shrubs and Friends of the Winooski River does the planting! Priority sites are currently mowed, have runoff reaching streams or storm drains, and/or have landowners who feel unable to do a planting on their own. Landowners must agree to maintain the planted area as a wild space. Plantings like these benefit the entire watershed in multiple ways including: 1) reducing stormwater runoff (less pollution, flooding, and erosion); 2) providing better habitat for birds, fish, and other wildlife; 3) improving the aesthetics of urban and suburban neighborhoods; and 4) capturing carbon. If you or someone you know is interested please contact Shawn at shawn@winooskiriver.org.

Backyard Woods Course - Self-Paced Online Course

From Vermont Urban and Community Forestry, the Vermont Backyard Woods Course is designed for homeowners with less than 25 acres who want to learn more about the woods in their backyard: what’s in it, who (wildlife) uses it, and how they can become better caretakers of it. The course explores the following themes: An Introduction to Your Backyard and Beyond; Getting to Know Your Woods; Backyard Woods Projects; Developing a Backyard Woods Action Plan. This is an introductory course, designed to give landowners basic skills and connect them to resources available.

Creating Pollinator Friendly Landscapes in Vermont - Self-Paced Online Course

Learn to use Integrated Pest Management strategies to attract pollinators and reduce pesticide use in your garden! This is a self-paced course offered by University of Vermont Extension for small landowners and home gardeners in Vermont. By taking this course, students will learn: 1) Integrated Pest Management as a strategy for pollinator protection. 2) Positive changes to enhance and protect pollinators, such as providing bee habitat, avoidance of pesticides, or choice of bee-friendly plants and pesticides on land or garden.

Vermont Coverts

Vermont Coverts is a peer-to-peer community of landowners, professionals and others learning from and supporting each other to enhance wildlife habitats through sound forest management. Vermont Coverts offers three-day trainings that include classroom and field studies, as well as numerous forest stewardship workshops on diverse topics. Vermont Coverts also facilitates personal contacts among individual landowners, experts, public agencies and private organizations in the conservation arena.

How to Make Your Yard Bird Friendly - Audubon

Birds are nature’s messengers, and they're broadcasting loud and clear: They are already experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change and habitat loss, and these dangers will only grow over time. In the face of these threats, you can help birds thrive right where you live by making your yard more bird-friendly. Follow these steps described in more detail on the webpage. Choose Native Plants, Plan Your Bird Habitat, Prepare Your Garden, Planting, Caring for Your Garden.

Gardening for Wildlife Resources - National Wildlife Federation

It’s easier than you think to create your own wildlife garden! The categories in this checklist include: FOOD; WATER: COVER: SHELTER; PLACES TO RAISE YOUNG: SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES. Download the Garden Certification Walk-through Checklist (PDF).

What Can We Do - Nature Trust British Columbia

We can participate in biodiversity conservation by increasing our knowledge of environmental issues, increasing our awareness of the impacts of biodiversity loss, and increasing support for government policies and actions that conserve our valuable ecosystems. We can become educators and role models as stewards of the environment by aiding in the recovery of species at risk and preventing other species from becoming at risk. To conserve biodiversity: Identify locations of critical wildlife habitat for species at risk; Eradicate and control introduced weeds; Leave native plants undisturbed, and landscape using native trees and vegetation; Maintain wetlands; Protect riparian areas and other sensitive habitats; Manage livestock grazing; Maintain old standing dead trees and mature forest stands; Consider donation property; Use natural products and methods for pest control; Monitor and assess your pets’ impact on biodiversity; Learn as much as you can about nature and share your knowledge; Encourage and support local government initiatives; Use environmentally friendly products; Recycle, reuse and reduce; Drive less, walk, ride or carpool more.