A Tool for Conserving All Vermont's Species: Vermont Conservation Design
By Jens Hilke
Most mornings I find myself by the banks of the Winooski River. I love being there as the world wakes up, and I’ve come to expect seeing certain animals—the beaver that frequently slaps its tail on the surface of the water in warning my dog, or the group of deer that stand frozen, watching us with big eyes. These moments of connection are so important to me, though I am not alone.
Many of us have those moments when we see an animal and feel that connection. And as we pursue these moments, we often learn more about the world around the animals we seek. I see the signs of where that deer herd spends its time and the habitats they enjoy. Each species has its own habitat preferences and as seekers of wildlife we get familiar with them.
Now think about all the different habitats and their species across Vermont. Biologists estimate there are as many as 24,000 to 43,000 species here, and only a few hundred of these are our familiar birds and mammals. Most are cryptic species such as beetles, butterflies, bees, fungi, lichens, and mosses. Each has its own habitat, its own niche.
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is charged with the conservation of all of these species for the people of Vermont. But how can we possibly achieve this mission of conserving all species of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats? There are simply too many to go one by one. To help address this challenge, we developed Vermont Conservation Design (VCD). This online tool identifies and prioritizes natural features—forest blocks, surface waters and riparian areas, natural communities, and habitats—that are key to maintaining ecological function.
By conserving larger features, entire blocks of intact forest and functioning riparian areas, we are conserving the thousands of species within, even if we can’t catalog each and every one. We call this use of VCD Coarse Filter Conservation strategy.
At the same time, there are many rare species in Vermont’s Natural Heritage database for which we still need to go one by one. VCD compliments and even enhances conservation efforts for these species. Known to us as Fine Filter Conservation strategy, we can apply VCD to focus on rare species that can’t be sustained just by conserving large units of habitat.
In his book, A Sand County Almanac, hunter and conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote, “The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to keep all the pieces.” Vermont Conservation Design is our strategy to keep the thousands of pieces across the landscape, so all our plants and animals continue to thrive in Vermont.
