Our District

Wassabaastekw:  a clear water river, on Abenaki unceded territory

The White River Natural Resources Conservation District acknowledges the Abenaki People as the original stewards of Ndakinna, or “homeland,” also known as Vermont, and acknowledges this mid-eastern region of Vermont as the tribal territory of the Koasek of the Koas Abenaki Nation.  We express our respect to the many tribes who have ancestral ties to Vermont, and to displaced Indigenous peoples who call this place home.  We denounce the historical violence, theft, and genocide inflicted on Indigenous peoples to benefit settler colonial powers, and commit to practicing more than just an acknowledgment of past wrong-doings. 

White River NRCD Legislative Overview Slides by Jennifer Byrne

Who We Are  

The White River (Wassabaastekw) NRCD is a local, non-regulatory subdivision of Vermont's state government which provides natural resource conservation support for land stewards in 23 towns throughout the White, Wells, Waits, Ompompanoosuc (Pmômanosek), and Connecticut (Kwenitekw) River Direct Watersheds.  We provide agricultural outreach and education throughout our watershed.

We host workshops and events with our Partners, and provide direct technical assistance to agricultural producers, land stewards, and municipalities throughout the watershed.

The White River NRCD is one of the 14 Natural Resources Conservation Districts in Vermont, established by the 1939 Soil Conservation Act. Our original mission was to help farms combat soil erosion, but we have since grown to assist all resident land stewards improve their environmental stewardship through the implementation of conservation practices and environmental education on a range of natural resource topics.

We are overseen by a publicly elected Board of Supervisors who are residents of our District. If you are interested in becoming a board member, visit our Board Member page.

We are primarily funded through state and regional conservation grants. We perform outreach with our District's landowners and land stewards to understand their needs and assist them with accessing financial assistance and achieving Required Agricultural Practices (RAP) compliance. 

Conservation Districts 101 Video

What We Do 

We provide natural resource education, outreach, and support for landowners, land stewards, residents, municipalities, and organizations in 23 towns throughout Orange, Windsor, Rutland and Addison counties (see map below for our District's boundaries).

Some of our projects include:

• Assisting farmers to access funding to implement best management practices
• Grazing and Conservation Planning
• Lake Wise certification for homeowners 
• Public Education 

Who We Serve 

We provide all of our services to farmers, land stewards, landowners, and residents within our district's boundaries. We partner with the Ottaqueechee NRCD to provide our agricultural assistance to farmers throughout their District as well (see our agriculture service boundaries below). If you are not a farmer and you reside within the Ottauquechee district please contact the Ottauquechee NRCD for assistance at onrcd1@gmail.com.