2025-2027 Biennium VSP Contracts Out Now
Signed contracts due by August 31, 2025
Reminder that all VSP contracts need to be signed and returned by August 31, 2025. For new biennium, all VSP contracts must use the new A19s that will be sent with the correct outcome numbers per the new contract.
If your county needs more time or has questions please contact Nicole Boyes.
VSP Funding Guidelines Public Comment Period Open
Open until June 29, 2025
The Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) has proposed updated Voluntary Stewardship Program funding guidelines and is seeking comments on the proposed revisions during a 45-day public comment period starting May 15 and ending June 29, 2025.
Please read through updated funding guidelines or check out a video explaining the proposed guideline(s) changes in the links provided below.
Biennium Closeout - Vouchers Due July 10
All final vouchers are due by July 10, 2025.
All purchases must be completed with purchased items in hand on or before June 30, 2025 to be eligible for reimbursement.
Upcoming Joint TP/SAC VSP Meeting - Aug. 6, 2025
Location: Spokane and online
This meeting will continue to focus on reporting guidance and will also hold time on the agenda for Pend Oreille, Stevens, Lincoln, Spokane, and Ferry counties.
Open to the public. Registration required:
If attending in person (lunch provided), details and RSVP sign up coming in July!
If attending by Zoom, please register for the link here.
2025 WADE Conference Success!
June 9-11, 2025
Thank you WACD, WADE Board Members, the Track Panel Team and Washington Conservation District's for a wonderful week of education and training opportunities amongst the state's leading conservation specialists.
A special thank you to all our VSP county partners who were able to attend the VSP Happy Hour event on Tuesday June 10, 2025, for a lively time of networking and knowledge sharing.
 WADE Trivia Night. Photo By: Victoria Fischella, June 2025.
Joint TP/SAC VSP Meeting Appreciations
Thank you Kittitas, Douglas, Yakima, Grant, Adams, Okanogan, Benton, Franklin, Whitman, Garfield, Columbia, Walla Walla, Asotin, Mason, San Juan, Cowlitz, Pacific and Skagit counties!
We have appreciated hearing all the successes, challenges and projects these VSP counties have accomplished in the past year(s) as it pertains to agricultural viability, watershed uplift and critical area protection and enhancement throughout Washington State.
 Watershed Scale Strategic Planning-Kittitas. Photo By: Leslie Michel, May 2025.
Thank you Kittitas and Yakima County for hosting the VSP Technical Panel and SCC staff to showcase county efforts towards voluntary stewardship.
Yakima County VSP Site Visit
April 29, 2025
North and South Yakima Conservation District’s hosted a VSP site visit with the State Conservation Commission (SCC) and Technical Panel Coordinators. During the tour, we learned about the innovative ways VSP is helping producers. Yakima County showcased their no-till drill rental program, deep soil sampling, irrigation efficiency projects, and conservation easements. We toured a farm that is using drip web irrigation to farm the corners of pivot fields. We also toured a large-scale riparian restoration project that is using buried stakes in the floodplain to create a natural barrier to slow down erosion and farmland loss.
 Farmland Preservation via Floodplain Conservation. Photo by: Sean Williams, April 2025.
Kittitas County VSP Site Visit
May 8, 2025
The Kittitas County Conservation District hosted the SCC and TP coordinators and members showcasing projects that included native heritage and pollinator gardens and educated us on Kittitas County's international hay economy. The tour ended showcasing a fish screen and irrigation efficiency project at an alfalfa farm that included a large scale native riparian planting along the adjacent creek highlighting both critical area enhancement and agricultural viability. Nestled within the trees of this site were not one, but two, Great Horned Owl fledglings captured in the photo below by WSDA Tech Panel Coordinator and Soil Scientist, Leslie Michel.
 Great Horned Owl Fledglings. Photo By: Leslie Michel, April 2025.
2025 Organic and Climate-Smart Agriculture Report
A Washington State University & SCC Partnership Publication contributing towards Washington State climate response goals!
This report includes scientific research and input from producers and agriculture partners to help evaluate the current and potential role of organic and climate-smart agriculture in Washington state. Washington state's agricultural sector has strong potential to help meet our state's climate goals through voluntary reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
VSP Open Office Hours - Now Through Oct.
Join us the second Tuesday of every month, 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Join SCC VSP staff and the VSP Technical Panel Coordinators for open hours office hours to ask questions, hear what other counties are up to and learn from fellow VSP peers.
SCC and Technical Panel coordinators are currently working on VSP Open Office Hours Content Request Form and Lesson Plans to review at upcoming office hours.
Further information will be released directly to VSP county specialists and staff in the coming weeks.
5-Year Report Template Training
Join us for a training on the new VSP 5-year reporting template from beginning to end for VSP counties. Please register using the links provided below.
Counties/VSP staff working on reporting are only required to attend 1 of the 5 training tutorials offered. One of these training sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the VSP website for ongoing reference.
- May 29, 2025, 9 - 10:30 a.m. Completed
- June 17, 2025, 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. Completed
- July 14, 2025, 9 - 10:30 a.m. Register
- Aug. 8, 2025, 10 - 11:30 a.m. Register
- Sept. 15, 2025, 12:30 - 2 p.m. Register
2025 Fall Ecology Course Registration Open
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Provided through the Washington Department of Ecology the Coastal Training Program provides practical, science-based training to professionals who make decisions about shoreline management in Western and Eastern Washington.
Example of Courses Offered:
- Using the Washington State Wetland Rating System
- How to Determine the Ordinary High Water Mark
- How to Conduct a Forage Fish Survey
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New WDFW Riparian Data Engine (RDE) Launch Webinar
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WFDW is excited to announce the upcoming rollout and launch of the Riparian Data Engine (RDE), a new decision-support tool designed to enhance our collective ability to identify, evaluate, screen, and prioritize riparian restoration efforts across the state.
When: Tuesday, June 24, 2025 (10:00-11:00am PST)
Where: Teams Webinar Platform
Who: We encourage staff from Conservation Districts, Salmon Recovery Lead Entities, and anyone who has in interest in riparian habitat restoration to attend and explore how this tool can support your work.
What: WDFW will officially introduce this tool and demonstrate its key features and functions. This rollout and webinar are targeted to collaborators and partners – entities involved with riparian restoration. The RDE is not yet being released to the general public.
If you have questions, please reach out to Keith Folkerts: keith.folkerts@dfw.wa.gov.
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New Online Learning Platform Launches at WADE Conference
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Join webinar demo to learn more or become a Beta tester.
The CTD unveiled the new Online Learning Platform at this year's WADE conference. Now they are looking for Beta testers. Be among the first to explore this new training platform. Testing will begin in July.
If you were unable to attend WADE and would like a demo of the system, join CTD on Monday, June 23, 2025, at 10 a.m. via Zoom. This demo will be recorded.
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