News

VSP capital cost-share funding round open: Applications due by Jan. 28, 2025

Mike Poteet is starting as the new VSP Coordinator

Mike Poteet joins SCC today, Dec. 16, 2024, as the Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) Coordinator. 

Nov. 1: Statewide Advisory Committee Meeting

Please join us for a meeting of the VSP Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC) on Nov. 1 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. in Lacey and online to discuss guidance for 10-year county reporting. Technical panel members and counties/technical service providers are also invited to join to review the 2025 Joint meeting schedule.

Program funding guidelines update: Take part!

Sign up to take part in the VSP Program Funding Guidelines update via a VSP Task Force.

SCC is hiring! Seeking a VSP Coordinator

SCC seeks a Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) Coordinator

WDFW's monitoring resource for VSP

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has a new resource available to assist VSP participating counties with critical area monitoring.

Sept. 30: NRCS conservation practices data at HUC12 watershed scale - Overview and training

Join us for a virtual training to learn about Natural Resource Conservation Service or NRCS’s conservation practices data and approaches to utilizing this data for VSP reporting and “telling the story” of voluntary conservation.

Feb. 6, 2025: Thurston and Chelan 10-Year Report Review Meeting with SAC and TP

This is a Joint meeting of the Statewide Advisory Committee and the Technical Panel to review VSP 10-year reports (5-year reporting intervals) from Thurston and Chelan counties.

Sign up for a VSP task force

Take part in a VSP task force to share feedback and help inform program development and changes.

Aug 13: VSP Joint Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee meeting

Please join us for a Joint Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee meeting on Aug. 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Walla Walla and online.

May 20: Monitoring Plan Workshop, online only

Please join us for an online VSP Monitoring Plan Workshop event on May 20, 9 - 11:30 a.m.

WDFW's High Resolution Change Detection (HRCD) Program - Two-Part Training Series

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is hosting a training program to assist VSP counties using WDFW’s High Resolution Change Detection (HRCD) data to monitor critical areas on agricultural land.

Feb. 6 VSP Stakeholder Meeting Report

View the facilitator report from the Feb. 6 stakeholder meeting in Spokane.

June 4: VSP Joint Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee Meeting

Please join us for a Joint Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee meeting on June 4, 2024, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Spokane and online.

Draft VSP program funding guidelines available for comment

The Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) is seeking comments on the draft VSP program funding guidelines.

April 30: VSP Monitoring Plan Event, Ellensburg and online

The Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) is hosting an in-person hybrid meeting to support counties with the development of their VSP monitoring plans. 

High Resolution Change Detection (HRCD) data available for VSP programs

The High Resolution Change Detection (HRCD) is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) database for monitoring land cover change in Washington State. WDFW staff are available to assist VSP counties with using the data to support their program needs. Learn more!

April 9: Joint Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee Meeting

Please join us for a Joint Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee meeting on April 9, 2024, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Wenatchee and online.

VSP Capital Funding Reappropriation Q&A webinar recording now available

VSP Capital Funding Round Open for Reappropriated Funds

The Washington state legislature first provided this funding from the capital budget in the 2022 supplemental budget. VSP encourages incentive-based projects with landowners focusing on the protection of critical areas in the 27 counties that participate in VSP.

March 12: VSP Joint Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee Meeting

Please join us for the next Joint meeting of the Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC) and Technical Panel (TP) on March 12, 2024 at 9 a.m., Lacey (tbd) and online.

2024 Joint Technical Panel & Statewide Advisory Committee meeting dates

Join us for a VSP Joint Technical Panel (TP) and Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC) Joint meeting! Meetings are held regionally and online. See the 2024 schedule.

VSP Stakeholder Feedback Meeting Feb, 6 2024

This meeting will focus on programmatic review and update from SCC staff; presentation, feedback, and discussion of the October 2023 VSP survey, and possible proposed changes to the VSP capital funding guidelines. 

Funded project list from VSP supplemental budget - July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023

View the list of VSP projects funded by the supplemental capital budget for July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023.

December monitoring symposium: Identifying and prioritizing erosion hot spots in the Palouse

Dec. 12, 2023: This webinar will explore tools and approaches to identify and prioritize erosion hot spots on agricultural lands.

Dec. 7: VSP Joint Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee Meeting - Agenda Update

Please join us on Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. for a VSP Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee Meeting. Please note that the agenda has been amended.

Department of Commerce 2021 webinar series on critical area monitoring

The Department of Commerce produced a series of webinars in early 2021 related to critical areas, monitoring at the parcel scale, and adaptive management.

Share your feedback about VSP! Please take the survey by Oct. 30.

The State Conservation Commission (SCC) is looking ahead at how best to support the VSP program. We would like to hear your concerns, thoughts, and ideas as we begin this new biennium together.

Fall VSP Monitoring Symposium: Assessing wetland functions and values with applications to the Voluntary Stewardship Program

Join us for a webinar on Nov. 14 focused on assessing wetland functions and values, with an emphasis on applications to watershed-scale monitoring and VSP.

VSP capital funding update: Cost share now closed

At this time, all the available Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) cost-share funding has been allocated. This was capital funding provided by the legislature to the State Conservation Commission (SCC) for fiscal year 2023-25. 

Next VSP Joint Meeting is Oct. 12 in Pullman and online

The next VSP Joint meeting of the VSP Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee is Oct. 12, 2023. This meeting will be held in Pullman and online. The seven counties in the Southeast region and two from the Northeast of Washington are invited to present--Benton, Franklin, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, Asotin, Stevens, and Lincoln.

VSP Capital Funding Rounds Open!

Project funding is open! Capital funding provides an opportunity for on-the-ground conservation projects that protect the five critical areas (including salmon habitat) while maintaining agricultural viability.

SSB 5353 VSP for New Counties webinar recording and slides now available!

The recording and presentation slides from the SSB 5353 - Reopening VSP to the 12 Non-VSP Counties Webinar held on June 15, 2023 is now available to view and download on the VSP Webinars page!

UPDATED: VSP Opt-in Timeline and Process Guidance per SSB 5353

SSB 5353 (effective date 7/23/23) reopens the Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) to the 12 counties who did not originally opt-in to VSP in 2011-2012.

July 13: Upcoming Joint meeting, Spokane and Online

July 13, 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Spokane and online. All counties, staff, and work group members are invited to attend. This meeting will focus on presentations from Ferry, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Lincoln, and Spokane counties.

June 15: Reopening VSP to the 12 Non-VSP Counties – Informational Webinar

This year the legislature passed SSB5353, reopening VSP to the 12 WA counties yet to participate. An informational webinar will be held on June 15, 9 - 10:30 a.m. Designed for county commissioners, county staff, and conservation district staff of non-VSP counties, this webinar will walk through the process of opting into VSP.

VSP Policy Dealing with VSP Adaptive Management - May 2022

The Commission has adopted new policy advisory dealing with adaptive management in VSP.

Next Round of VSP Capital Cost Share Funding Opens July 2023

Funding rounds are closed as this fiscal year comes to an end, but the next round of funding will open in July 1, 2023. SCC encourages counties and CDs to use this time to put projects into CPDS so that they are ready-to-go for the first review by the committee on July 11.