Vermont's Nongame Wildlife Fund is essential to the conservation and restoration of some of Vermont's most at-risk wildlife, from bumblebees to butterflies, and mussels to mammals. The Nongame Fund checkoff option on the Vermont state income tax form makes donating to the fund easy and impactful.
"Responding to biodiversity loss is as important as ever right now, and we're fortunate that here in Vermont we have strong state laws designed to protect species, and we work hard to safeguard the wildlife and plants we all care about," says Rosalind Renfrew, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department's Wildlife Diversity Program Manager. "Every dollar donated to Nongame Wildlife Fund makes this possible, and Vermonters' donations through the Nongame Tax Checkoff are doubled or tripled when they leverage matching federal grants, securing even more resources to benefit Vermont's wildlife."
Vermont's Nongame Tax Checkoff helped to recover species that were once on the brink of extinction in Vermont, like the common loon, osprey and peregrine falcon. The bald eagle was one of the most recent species to be removed from Vermont's list of endangered species. The Nongame Wildlife Fund continues to support nest monitoring to ensure that loon, peregrine and eagle populations remain robust. "Meanwhile," says Renfrew, "we are taking action for species of turtles, snakes, bats, plants, and other birds that now all need our close attention."
"For nearly 40 years, Nongame Checkoff donations have made possible some of our greatest conservation success stories, and they continue to fund front-line work on behalf of our most at-risk species," said Renfrew. "The eastern meadowlark and rue anemone wildflower were among the species recently added to Vermont's threatened and endangered list, and we're already taking action to support their populations. The Nongame Checkoff is one of the most direct ways Vermonters can conserve our biodiversity, starting with species that are most imperiled."
VTF&W Photos
In 2022, the eastern meadowlark (photo by Tyler Pockette) was listed as threatened and the rue anemone wildflower (photo by Warren Bielenberg/Great Smokey Mountain National Park) was listed as endangered. Both species will benefit from Nongame Wildlife Fund tax checkoff donations.