This strategic plan is our Agency's chart by which we will navigate as we accomplish our responsibilities in the next five years. We at the Agency of Natural Resources encourage all Vermonters to read this document, in order to gain a deeper understanding of our Agency's work.
This document will guide us as we make decisions, set
priorities, commit resources, coordinate with and support others, and measure
our progress. We will carry out these responsibilities with a sensitivity
for the relationship between the quality of Vermont’s natural resources
and the quality of our life, the health of our communities, and the vitality
of Vermont's businesses and economy. We have expressed our goals, outcomes,
and strategies always with these considerations in mind.
At the core of this five-year work plan is the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources' mission statement, from which we define our comprehensive goals, our outcomes, and our strategies. The comprehensive goals state the four broad directions of our work; the outcomes enunciate what results we want to see as we achieve our goals; and the strategies are specific initiatives, undertaken at the department or division level.
This process flows in two directions. The mission statement is the starting point for defining all of our work. But our achievements -- the results of our work -- begin with the strategies. (See flow chart.)
This plan, like the Agency itself, does not exist in a vacuum. That we have decided to put more emphasis on one strategy than another may well affect many Vermonters. That's why this plan was written with extensive input from staff across the Agency's three departments and the Central Office -- including front-line staff members who know how their programs impact individuals and communities -- and from hundreds of Vermonters familiar with the Agency's work.
Development of this plan began at the department level. Each of the Agency's departments -- the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Central Office -- first wrote its own strategic plan. This involved scores of Agency employees from all divisions. These plans state the most important goals for each department.
Working
from the department strategic plans, the Agency's Planning Team selected
issues that either cut across department boundaries or are of such importance
that they need to be highlighted in the Agency plan. While the front-line
work of the Agency occurs through the departments, many of the resource,
process, and customer service issues are larger and more complex than can
be addressed by the individual departments. We address those issues in
this Agency strategic plan.
We next invited several thousand Vermonters to review and comment on a draft of this plan. The comments were excellent, and we have revised the plan to reflect the suggestions received.
This is not a static document. Although the systems of the natural environment typically evolve slowly, some issues, such as the introduction of a destructive non-native species, can arise quickly. We therefore intend to review and revise this plan as we identify new issues of concern.
We invite you to become familiar with both the Agency and department plans, and to share your thoughts with us. If you’re interested in receiving copies of the department plans, you may do so through our website (www.anr.state.vt.us), or by contacting these offices:
Department
of Fish and Wildlife
802-241-3700
Department
of Forests, Parks and Recreation
802-241-3670
Department
of Environmental Conservation
802-241-3808
Agency
of Natural Resources
Central
Office
802-241-3600