Vermont Tax Checkoff Saves Eagles, Loons from Extinction

Vermont's bald eagles nearly disappeared forever, but a checkbox on a tax form helped bring them back.

For almost 40 years, the Nongame Wildlife Fund checkoff on Vermont's state income tax form has quietly funded one of the state's greatest conservation success stories. Donations from everyday Vermonters have helped recover species once on the edge of extinction, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, ospreys, and common loons.

The program works simply. Taxpayers check a box to donate, and those dollars get doubled or tripled through matching federal grants. Every donation goes directly to protecting Vermont's most vulnerable wildlife, from bumblebees and butterflies to mussels and mammals.

"The bald eagle was one of the most recent species to be removed from Vermont's list of endangered species," says Rosalind Renfrew, Wildlife Diversity Program Manager at Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. The fund continues monitoring eagle, loon, and peregrine falcon nests to keep those populations strong.

But the work isn't finished. The eastern meadowlark and rue anemone wildflower recently joined Vermont's threatened and endangered list in 2022. Turtles, snakes, bats, plants, and other birds now need urgent attention.

The Ripple Effect

Vermont's success proves that small actions create massive conservation wins. What started as simple tax checkoff donations has cascaded into healthy populations of once-endangered species soaring through Vermont skies and thriving in its waters.

The matching grants mean Vermonters' generosity stretches even further, securing two or three times the resources for wildlife protection. These multiplied funds support front-line conservation work, giving scientists and wildlife managers the tools they need to monitor populations, protect habitats, and intervene before species reach crisis levels.

"Responding to biodiversity loss is as important as ever right now," Renfrew explains. Vermont's strong state laws protect species, but funding makes those protections real. The checkoff provides one of the most direct ways ordinary citizens can defend their state's natural heritage.

The program represents democracy in action for nature, letting taxpayers vote with their wallets for the wildlife they care about.

Forty years of conservation wins show what's possible when communities invest in protecting the species that share their home.