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The Nature Conservancy in VT Announces $500,000 in Awards for Local Conservation Projects Located in Eight Vermont Towns

May 13, 2025 | Montpelier, VT

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The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Vermont announces the successful distribution of half a million dollars of private funding to help conserve critical landscapes for wildlife and plant habitats and climate resilience through its Vermont Biodiversity Protection Fund that launched this past January. 

Award Map VT Biodiversity Protection Fund © Alex Stephanson

Seven land protection projects representing nearly two thousand five hundred-acres across Vermont have been chosen from a pool of proposals. The Nature Conservancy prioritized projects within five focal areas of TNC’s mapped network of Resilient and Connected lands: Green Mountains to Adirondacks, Southern Green Mountains to White Mountains, Worcester Range to Northeast Kingdom, Berkshire Wildlife Linkage, and Northern Mountains and Headwaters. The Focal Areas are identified on this map. 

These lands are prioritized for protection due to their ability to maintain biodiversity and its benefits amid climate change.  

“Biodiversity underpins every aspect of life on this planet but it's currently declining at an unprecedented rate. This has serious implications for our health, food systems, climate, and economies. The Nature Conservancy collaborates with local and global partners to preserve land and water for the benefit of people and nature. Here in Vermont, we are striving to solve for this crisis, no matter the headwinds, by investing in our conservation community and in projects on the ground,” said Eve Frankel, Vermont State Director for The Nature Conservancy in Vermont. 

The Vermont Biodiversity Protection Fund Awardees are Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife, Upper Valley Land Trust, Vermont Land Trust, Vermont River Conservancy, Green Mountain Conservancy, Stowe Land Trust, and Northeast Wilderness Trust (NEWT). The projects will permanently conserve lands in the towns of Ira, Fairlee, Corinth, Guildford, Halifax, Newfane, Stowe, and Jamaica.  

“The Green Mountain Conservancy is absolutely delighted to receive a $100,000 grant from TNC’s new “Vermont Biodiversity Protection Fund" toward the purchase of 248-acres that will expand the Deer Run Nature Preserve that spans the towns of Newfane, Dummerston, and Brookline.  This iconic and scenic property has long been used by the public for hiking and wildlife watching. As development and climate pressures increase, it is critical to have this type of state-wide funding available to conserve these special landscapes,” said Mary Ellen Copeland, President of Green Mountain Conservancy.  

Non-profit organizations, municipalities, and state agencies are eligible to apply for funding up to $100,000 per project from the Vermont Biodiversity Protection Fund, with a limit of two projects per year. The second application deadline for the 2025 calendar year is November 15th. 

The private funding for this initiative was made possible by an anonymous foundation matched with proceeds from the Atlas Timberland Partnership which was established with funding from the Freeman Foundation, and individual donations.  

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 81 countries and territories (40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.