The Grant-in-Aid Program provides financial assistance to municipalities and agencies of the state for aquatic nuisance species management programs. The Grant-in-Aid Program, established under 10 V.S.A. § 922, is administered by the Vermont Aquatic Nuisance Species Program within the Department of Environmental Conservation's Watershed Management Division. Funding for Grant-in-Aid grants comes from a portion of annual revenues from motorboat registration fees and often federal funds. Proceeds from the voluntary Aquatic Invasive Species Sticker Program  also directly support this grant program.

The applicant must be a municipality. Local interest groups such as lake associations must apply through the municipality in which the waterbody is located. If the waterbody is located in more than one municipality, affected municipalities may apply jointly.

All types of aquatic nuisance control projects, for both native and non-native species management, are eligible for funds under this grant program. Projects supported to date include control programs for Eurasian watermilfoil, purple loosestrife, curly leaf pondweed, and nuisance native aquatic plants, and aquatic nuisance species spread prevention programs. Supported management methods have included the use of mechanical controls, benthic barriers,  herbicides, and physical removal by hand. Spread prevention programs have included public access area "greeter" programs, boat wash stations, searches for invasive species in a water body, and education and outreach initiatives.

VTDEC identification workshop

Grant awards are made to priority projects to the extent funds are available.  First priority is to projects designed to manage new infestations of aquatic nuisances.  Second priority is to projects to prevent or control the further spread of aquatic nuisance species.  Third priority is to recurring maintenance projects.

In establishing priorities for individual projects, the following criteria are considered: public accessibility and recreational uses; importance to commercial, agricultural or other interests; the degree of local interest; local efforts to control aquatic nuisances; other considerations affecting feasibility, probability of achieving long-term control, and necessity or advantage of the proposed work; and the extent to which the control project is a developmental rather than a maintenance program.

Additional criteria considered in approving requests and determining the amount of any grant include: the use of the waters by persons outside the municipality in which the waters are located; the long-range effect of the control project; the recreational use of the waters; and the effectiveness of municipal shoreland zoning and other controls in minimizing or preventing existing or new development from having any adverse effects on the waters subject to the control program.

Municipalities may be awarded a grant for 75 percent or less of the total estimated project cost. Grant recipients must contribute at least 25 percent of the final eligible project cost through in-kind labor (unpaid personnel), in-kind services and/or actual cash expenditures (all from non-state sources). If federal funds are awarded, the match requirement may be greater than 25 percent.  Only in-kind match accrued in the grant project year is eligible. The amount of the final grant award will not exceed 75 percent of the final eligible project cost, or 100 percent of the final eligible project costs excluding in-kind costs, whichever is less.

Grant award recipients are required to prepare and submit a project completion report.   Report requirements are outlined in the grant legal document under “deliverables” for each funded project

Contact Ann Bove.

Updated: November, 2012