About Orleans County NRCD
Programs and Services Meet the Board and Staff Contact
Conservation Art Show 2019 call for artists!
The theme for this year’s conservation art show is “Ecosystem Services through an Artists’ Eye.” Many key ecosystem services – such as nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, pest regulation, and pollination – sustain agricultural productivity, so farmers often take on the role of stewards of ecosystem services. This year’s theme will raise awareness of this emerging field of environmental economics, and acknowledge the work that farmers are doing to sustain and enhance the ecosystems of the NEK.
More information and application
Participating artists are invited to attend a farm visit day, which will be held on Friday, August 23rd in Craftsbury. Please RSVP by Sunday, August 18th to attend!
More information about the farm visit day
Please contact Emily Irwin at 802-624-7022 or emily.irwin@vt.nacdnet.net for any questions, to RSVP for the farm visit day, or to express interest in participating in the project.
Water Quality Reports and Resources
Conservation Matters Videos
Newport movie theater will be showing two videos of the Faces of Vermont Agriculture series which is a collection of eight short video profiles that highlight outstanding stewards of the land who live and farm in the Green Mountain State.
Required Agricultural Practices (RAP) QUIZ
The goal of the RAP Online Quiz is to provide an accessible, informative tool for livestock farmers of all size operations and to raise awareness of the RAPs and water quality improvement practices available to Vermont farmers.
2017 District Highlights Newsletter
The Orleans County Natural Resource Conservation District (OCNRCD) was established in 1946 as a non-regulatory organization led by local landowners. We strive to protect natural resources by seeking solutions to local environmental concerns and providing resources to address them.
Our current focus is to support Orleans County communities and landowners in their efforts to improve water quality issues. Our extensive partnerships with state, federal and local organizations enable us to coordinate resources locally to support conservations land use practices.
Mission Statement
Protect and enhance the waters of Orleans County by providing leadership, education and services for implementation of sound land stewardship practices in order to improve the quality of all of the county’s waters.
Contact us at:
59 Waterfront Plaza
Newport, VT 05855
(802) 334-8325 x 7008
sarah.damsell@vt.nacdnet.net
VACD Technical Staff: (802) 334-8325 x20
Conservation Success Story!
Orleans County NRCD and Memphremagog Watershed Association highlight local farmers in Newport, VT who reduced their nonpoint source pollution. With help from NRCS, the McCormicks installed best management practices that reduced phosphorous runoff in the Strawberry Acres tributary by 50%!
“I don’t think people realize the effect that these projects can have on the environment.”
“We are getting more milk and better quality since we completed all this work”, this is their third year of getting a quality milk award. Overall, the project “has brought us closer together as a family.”