Schedule

9:00am – 5:00pm    Registration

11:30am – 5:00pm   NCDEA Tour (box lunch provided), National Conservation District Employees                             Association Tour

                                  Bread and Butter Farm, Magic Hat Brewing Company

                                   Enjoy natural, historic and fun sites along Lake Champlain

5:30pm – 6:30pm     Welcome Reception

                                    ~Light hors d”oevres

                                    ~Cash bar

                                    ~Dinner (on your own)

There will be a continuous free hotel shuttle to/from downtown Burlington from 6 to 9pm.

Monday, August 14th

7:30am – 8:45am       Breakfast

7:45am – 8:45am        NENACD Region Board Meeting

8:00am – 1:15pm        Registration

9:00am – 10:30am    Opening Plenary

  ~Welcome and Opening – Michelle Green, VACD President

  ~Color Guard, Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem

  ~Welcome to Vermont – Vicky Drew, NRCS VT State Conservationist

   ~NACD Update – NACD Officer, Dan Ferrand, NE NACD Chair

   ~NRCS Update – Gayle Barry, NRCS NE Regional Conservationist

   ~NASCA Update

   ~NCDEA  Update

   ~President’s Association Update – Denise Savageau, NE Regional Rep

  ~EPA Update
~Meeting Logistics – Jill Arace, VACD Executive Director

10:30am – 11:00am   Coffee & Tea Break

11:00am – Noon        Keynote Speaker ~ Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands, and Communities: A Conservation Vision for New England, Brian Donahue, PhD

Noon – 1:15pm          Lunch

~Opportunities and Challenges for US Agriculture: Chuck Ross, Director of University of Vermont Extension and former VT Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets

1:15pm – 2:45pm       Breakout Session One

  ~Conservation Innovations: Watershed Approach, Edge of Field Monitoring, Resource Stewardship Evaluation Tool

  ~Program Sharing: Green Stormwater Infrastructure

  ~Policy: The Stick and the Carrot – Water Quality Policies & Programs in VT (Agency of Ag, DEC, Legislator)

2:45pm – 3:15pm      Coffee & Tea Break

3:15pm – 4:45pm      Breakout Session Two

  ~Capacity Building: Measuring & Communicating Conservation District Results

  ~Program Sharing: Supporting the Working Landscape

  ~Policy: Farm Bill and US Agriculture Budget 101 – Why You Should Care, Tom Berry, Senator Leahy’s Office and Eric Hansen, NACD

5:30pm       Buses Board for Dinner Cruise on Lake Champlain

~ Bill Howland – A Brief History of Lake Champlain, former Director of the Lake Champlain Basin Program

~Senator Patrick Leahy (invited) – Key National Policy Issues in Agriculture & Environment

~Envirothon Fundraiser

9:00pm       Buses return to Sheraton Hotel

Tuesday, August 15th

7:30am – 8:45am         NACDE Breakfast

7:45am – 8:45am        VACD Annual Board Meeting

8:00am – 10:00am      Registration in Hotel Conference Center

9:00am – 10:30am      Plenary Panel

Strategies for Accomplishing our Conservation Mission on the Continuum between Regulatory and Non-Regulatory (MD, NJ, PA)

10:30am – 10:45am    Closing Remarks – VACD Chair, NACD National Rep., Gayle Barry of NRCS, new NE NACD Region Chair

10:45am – 11:15am   Coffee & Tea Break

11:15am – Noon   Setting the Stage for Tours:

A Brief History of Vermont –

 Rick Hopkins, Chair Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District, former VT Dept. o Environmental Conservation Planning Director

Noon   Board Buses for Tours (box lunch provided)

 ~Tour One – Conservation Farm Implementation in the Lake Champlain Basin  (NRCS)

~Tour Two – Nurturing the Vermont Food System (Farm to Plate and Intervale Center)

~Tour Three – All in: Urban Conservation Programs to Address Water Quality (Winooski NRCD)

5:00pm   Buses Return to Sheraton Hotel

6:00pm   Dinner on Your Own at the Sheraton or Downtown

There will be a continuous free hotel shuttle to/from downtown Burlington from 6 to 9pm.