March 13th Webinar Will Introduce New Resource to Community Leaders
Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative launched a toolkit to give Vermont communities of all sizes a practical roadmap for measuring and growing their outdoor recreation economies. The Vermont CORE Toolkit (Community Outdoor Recreation Economy), a comprehensive resource designed to support municipalities and local organizations, is available starting today at vtcoretoolkit.com.
VOREC will host a webinar to introduce the Toolkit on Friday, March 13, from 11 am to 12:30 pm. Registration details can be found below.
The Toolkit is organized across three modules:
- Build Your Case identifies the preparation needed to create a strong foundation.
- Create Your Outdoor Recreation Economy Snapshot guides communities in inventorying outdoor recreation assets, events, and businesses, and turning data into a ready-to-share report suitable for grant applications, planning efforts, and outreach to partners.
- Take a Deeper Dive helps communities identify opportunities for further investment, including tracking visitation, estimating visitor spending, and communicating value to leverage funding and advance strategic local projects.
The Toolkit is designed for community leaders with any level of experience, providing practical, adaptable guidance that local leaders can easily access. “Our city wants to become the hub for outdoor recreation for our five-town region,” said Vergennes City Manager Ron Redmond, who helped pilot the toolkit in 2025. “While we knew Vergennes was a destination for outdoor recreation, we hadn’t articulated where people were going, where they were coming from, or their level of participation once they got here. We used the toolkit to complete an early inventory of outdoor recreation assets that helped us identify key destinations and information about the people visiting them. As we continue expanding our inventory, we are using the toolkit to build our coalition of partners and grow our visibility in the region.”
Funded through the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, the CORE Toolkit is part of Vermont’s broader strategy to strengthen the outdoor recreation economy while connecting people, promoting places, and encouraging commerce across the state. “We know that outdoor recreation is a key component of Vermont’s visitor economy, and now we have a mechanism to understand how the economic benefit from outdoor recreation is spread across Vermont’s regions and towns,” said Heather Pelham, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing. “The Vermont CORE Toolkit gives local leaders a clear framework for collecting and using outdoor recreation economic impact data to benefit both residents and visitors.”
“When we review grant applications, we look for projects that have support from a broad group of partners who can articulate its value to the community and the region,” said Jacob Hemmerick, Planning and Policy Manager for the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development and manager for the Municipal Planning Grant Program. “The Vermont CORE Toolkit provides key information that helps applicants tell a more compelling story about why a project is being prioritized.”
Register for the introductory webinar or access the recording afterward on the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation website.
Non-Discrimination Notice: The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) operates its programs, services, and activities without discriminating on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency), ancestry, place of birth, disability, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or breastfeeding (mother and child).
3.12.2026. Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Website.
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