The franklin county natural resources conservation district (fcnrcd) is proposing a partnership with USFWS to improve aquatic organism passage and aquatic habitat throughout franklin county, VT

The Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District (FCNRCD) received a $198,000 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (CFDA 15.631), effective October 1, 2025, through June 2, 2026. Under this partnership, FCNRCD will deliver three primary products and services focused on aquatic habitat improvement and fish passage in Franklin County, Vermont: (1) monitoring a dam removal site to assess changes in habitat characteristics; (2) scoping, developing, designing, and implementing strategic wood addition projects to enhance stream ecosystems; and (3) identifying private culverts that serve as barriers to fish passage for USFWS trust species, particularly brook trout and wood turtles, in priority subbasins designated for future restoration efforts.

The deliverables are designed to generate both immediate on-the-ground conservation benefits and longer-term knowledge products that advance stakeholder understanding of these emerging restoration methodologies. By monitoring habitat responses, implementing wood addition projects, and systematically identifying passage barriers, FCNRCD will support USFWS trust species recovery while building technical capacity within Vermont's conservation community regarding cost-effective habitat restoration approaches that are increasingly gaining regulatory support.

This effort would allow for fcnrcd to better understand impacts of restoration projects, implement more strategic wood addition projects which are growing in popularity and regulatory support in vermont, and assist with improvements to road-stream crossing structures that represent barriers to aquatic organism passage. In doing so, brook trout, wood turtles, and other USFWS trust species will benefit from enhanced habitat and passage at these sites, as well as increasing the breadth of knowledge for stakeholder communities interested in these project types. Fcnrcd will collaborate with USFWS to (1) monitor a DAM removal site for changes to habitat characteristics, (2) scope, develop, design, and implement strategic wood addition projects, and (3) assist with identification of private culverts that are barriers for fish passage to USFWS trust species in priority subbasins for future improvement projects.