Conservation Commission

The tree is located on the Robert Strang property
on the Jericho/Essex town line, Vermont Route 15, and has remarkably survived the
ravages of both Dutch Elm Disease and the ubiquitous road salt to reach its current
youthful majestic height.

The Jericho Conservation Commission (JCC) has an advisory role to the Selectboard, DRB, PC and other town commissions on best practices for management of natural resources in Jericho, including the use of the Conservation Reserve Fund. The Conservation Commission is committed to public education and strives to help Jericho residents learn more about the natural communities within our town and beyond. The JCC is also available for residential consultation on request. The JCC has membership in the Vermont Association of Conservation Commissions.

Meetings are held on the Third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm via Zoom.

There are vacancies on this committee. If you would like to serve on this committee click here for an application.

If you would like to sign up to be a volunteer click here to add your name to our list

Photo: Jericho Town Tree - An American Elm (Ulmus americana) on Rt. 15 near the town line with Essex.

Meetings are held on the Third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm via Zoom.

There are vacancies on this committee. If you would like to serve on this committee click here for an application.

If you would like to sign up to be a volunteer click here to add your name to our list

Photo: Jericho Town Tree - An American Elm (Ulmus americana) on Rt. 15 near the town line with Essex.

Why We Need Insects and Other Invertebrates

READ THE FULL ARTICLE FROM THE XERCES SOCIETY HERE
Sue Morse Presentation - Enjoying Our Trails with Wildlife in Mind

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A RECORDING OF THE PRESENTATION
Webinar Recording: Deer Impact on Forests

Click Here to Watch Video of Webinar
Rain Garden Manual - UVM/SeaGrant
If you missed the Rain Garden presentation on April 19th, we have a link to the manual published by UVM and Sea Grant.
What are some of the benefits of a rain garden?
- Reduces stormwater runoff
- Improves water quality
- Helps control flash flooding
- Removes Pollutants
- Provides Wildlife Habitat
Read more about using nature-based solutions to manage runoff on your property. 2021 Rain Garden Manual for Vermont and the Lake Champlain Basin
Native Plant Sale

Help Birds and Pollinators by adding some native plants to your gardens this year. Plants are Vermont-grown at Riverberry Farm in Fairfax and will be available for pick up in Jericho. Proceeds from the plant sale will benefit the Jericho Community Center. The deadline for placing orders is April 30th.
More details and Plant Order Form here: https://jerichovermont.blogspot.com/2023/02/pollinator-plant-sale-2023-community.html
Clean Water is Important for Climate Resilience

Read more about the role that clean water plays in building climate resilience in these fact sheets published by the VNRC.
Jericho, Vermont is part of the Lake Champlain Watershed: The Browns River feeds into the Lamoille River and the Mill Brook feeds into the Winooski River.
Click on each image to read the PDF.
Great Backyard Bird Count 2023
How to Participate

Participating is easy, fun to do alone or with others, and can be done anywhere you find birds.

Step 1: Decide where you will watch birds.
Step 2: Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 17-20, 2023.

Step 3: Identify all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:
- If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to bird identification, try using the Merlin Bird ID app to tell us what birds you are seeing or hearing.
- If you have participated in the count before and want to record numbers of birds, try the eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list
If you already contribute to Merlin or eBird, continue what you are doing! All entries over the 4-days count towards GBBC.

Learn more at: BIRDCOUNT.ORG
Leave the Leaves/Soft Landings at Jericho Town Green
The Jericho Conservation Commission is beginning a project at the Town Green which will model the practices of allowing leaves to remain under trees from the trunk out to the dripline and combining that with some native plantings ("Soft Landings"). This will:
- Protect the trunks of the trees
- Prevent soil compaction around the trees
- Provide natural mulch in the forms of leaves and other plants
- Provide habitat for overwintering insects such as moth caterpillars and some types of bees
Stay tuned as this project progresses through 2023 and beyond.

One of three Sugar Maples in the project with a base layer of fallen leaves from the site

Click here to read more about Soft Landings
The State of Vermont's Wild Bees

Click Here to Read the Report
Pollinator Gardens 101

Join the Jericho Conservation Commission on Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 pm at the Community Center (Browns Trace) as we welcome local plant expert and nursery owner, Jane Sorenson. View the video of the presentation here: Pollinator Gardens Presentation link
She will give us professional tips on how we can use pollinator plants to improve the ecological function of our gardens. Learn which plants can be used to provide blooms throughout the growing season to support a wide range of native bees and other pollinators.
Jane Sorenson is a retired landscape architect. She gives presentations on Landscape Design for Pollinators around the region and also teaches a course at the University of Vermont. Her locally grown plants were featured in our recent pollinator plant sale to benefit the Community Center.