Before and after photos of a lakeshore restoration project. These encapsulated soil lifts (native soil held in biodegradable fabric) help to rebuild and stabilize the shoreline so that natural vegetation can take hold, reducing erosion along a road next to Lake Bomoseen.

Register for the Shoreland Erosion Control and Restoration Training

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont boasts over 1,400 miles of lakeshore, and nearly half is developed in a way that impacts water quality and wildlife habitat. Ahead of construction season, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is holding a free training on best practices to develop, manage, and restore shorelands. The training advances the state’s goals to improve and protect clean water, flood resiliency, and wildlife habitat.

The Shoreland Erosion Control and Restoration Training is a great opportunity for engineers, landscapers, designers, contractors, consultants, project managers, and other site workers. The all-day training will cover lake ecology, permitting and regulations, landscape design, project funding, best practices for using heavy machinery near lakeshores, and other shoreland best management practices.

The training will be on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm at the Gateway Center in Newport, Vermont. Please register online by March 16.         

“One of the most important actions that a lakeshore property owner can take is to maintain a natural shoreline,” said DEC Commissioner Misty Sinsigalli. “This training not only raises awareness about shoreland management best practices, but it also supports networking and partnership building. Over the last ten years, our department has trained more than 700 people through 10 shoreland erosion control trainings across Vermont.”

Lakeshore property owners often rely on professionals to give them advice and help them manage their land. Anyone certified through this training can choose to be added to the public listing of certified professionals in natural shoreland erosion control practices. This listing is shared with lakeshore property owners.

The certification lasts three years. To recertify, professionals may take this training again, attend another training that addresses stormwater management or other lakeshore land management issues, or complete a shoreland restoration project. This training has a new name and was previously called the Natural Shoreland Erosion Control Certification Course.

To ask questions about the training, contact Alison Marchione at 802-490-6128 or Alison.Marchione@Vermont.gov.

The Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for protecting Vermont’s natural resources and safeguarding human health for the benefit of this and future generations. Visit dec.vermont.gov and follow the Department of Environmental Conservation on Facebook and Instagram.