Vermont Conservation Design is the data and the vision that powers the BioFinder website. It is a prioritization tool that identifies the lands and waters most important for maintaining Vermont's ecologically functional landscape – one that conserves current biological diversity and allows species to move and shift in response to climate and land-use changes. Vermont Conservation Design allows users to see patterns in Vermont’s forests and waterways, and identify the places that connect both into a functional network. The Design was just updated with new landscape scale components and Wildlife Road Crossings. It now features more accurate edges of the habitat blocks, that allow for a better understanding of the pattern and network of connected forests. Join us to learn more about this important conservation science.

Presenters: Jens Hilke, Conservation Planner, VT Fish and Wildlife Department and David Moroney, Conservation Planning Specialist, VT Fish and Wildlife Department 

Repeat sessions of this webinar will be offered on the following three dates: 

Session 2: Thursday, April 4th, 2024, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Register

Session 3: Tuesday, April 30th, 2024, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Register

The BioFinder website is an online map and database that allows users to explore the patterns of habitat distribution that most impact Vermont’s biodiversity. It hosts the Vermont Conservation Design data – all components of a complete vision for maintaining ecological function to secure our natural heritage for future generations. The Biofinder website was just updated to BioFinder 4.0 and while the functionality is nearly identical to the previous version, now is the perfect time to learn how to better use this multi-faceted tool. Join us and improve your skills in using BioFinder. This webinar will focus on the functionality of the webmap itself. To learn more about the data behind the maps displayed on BioFinder, be sure to join an upcoming "Understanding Vermont Conservation Design" webinar.

Presenters:

• David Moroney, Conservation Planning Specialist, VT Fish and Wildlife Department 
• Jens Hilke, Conservation Planner, VT Fish and Wildlife Department 

Repeat sessions of this webinar will be offered on the following three dates: 

• Session 3: Tuesday, May 14th, 2024, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Register

The BioFinder website is an online map and database that allows users to explore the patterns of habitat distribution that most impact Vermont’s biodiversity. It hosts the Vermont Conservation Design data – all components of a complete vision for maintaining ecological function to secure our natural heritage for future generations. The Biofinder website was just updated to BioFinder 4.0 and while the functionality is nearly identical to the previous version, now is the perfect time to learn how to better use this multi-faceted tool. Join us and improve your skills in using BioFinder. This webinar will focus on the functionality of the webmap itself. To learn more about the data behind the maps displayed on BioFinder, be sure to join an upcoming "Understanding Vermont Conservation Design" webinar.

Presenters:

• David Moroney, Conservation Planning Specialist, VT Fish and Wildlife Department 
• Jens Hilke, Conservation Planner, VT Fish and Wildlife Department 

Repeat sessions of this webinar will be offered on the following three dates: 

• Session 2: Thursday April 11th 2024, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  Register
• Session 3: Tuesday, May 14th, 2024, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Register

The BioFinder website is an online map and database that allows users to explore the patterns of habitat distribution that most impact Vermont’s biodiversity. It hosts the Vermont Conservation Design data – all components of a complete vision for maintaining ecological function to secure our natural heritage for future generations. The Biofinder website was just updated to BioFinder 4.0 and while the functionality is nearly identical to the previous version, now is the perfect time to learn how to better use this multi-faceted tool. Join us and improve your skills in using BioFinder. This webinar will focus on the functionality of the webmap itself. To learn more about the data behind the maps displayed on BioFinder, be sure to join an upcoming "Understanding Vermont Conservation Design" webinar.

Presenters:

• David Moroney, Conservation Planning Specialist, VT Fish and Wildlife Department 
• Jens Hilke, Conservation Planner, VT Fish and Wildlife Department 

Repeat sessions of this webinar will be offered on the following three dates: 

• Session 1: Monday, March 25th, 2024 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Register
• Session 2: Thursday April 11th 2024, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  Register
• Session 3: Tuesday, May 14th, 2024, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Register

The Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative -- a working group of fisheries professionals from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service -- will host a ‘State of the Lake Fisheries’ meeting at Whallonsburg Grange, 1610 NY-22, Essex, New York from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 6th, for anglers and other individuals interested in the fisheries of Lake Champlain. 

Come settle in at the Burlington Beer Company for a night of listening and storytelling with The National Wild Turkey Federation, Vermont Fish & Wildlife, and Vermont Folklife as the Green Mountain State heads into its second half century of turkey hunting! 

Register and get the details at vtfolklife.org/listeningparty

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is offering a New Instructor Training Course for people interested in volunteering to teach Hunter Education courses in Vermont.

All applicants must complete their instructor paperwork and online homework before attending the course.

Click here for more information about becoming a new Hunter Education Instructor.

The Hammond Cove Shooting Range in Hartland, Vermont will open on April 11, at 10:00 a.m.

Range users must sign in with an onsite range safety officer and have a valid Vermont hunting or fishing license or be the guest of someone who does.

Before using the range, shooters are urged to review the range rules on Fish and Wildlife’s website.  The range is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as well as all state and federal holidays. 

More info >>