Vermont Fish and Wildlife Conservation Group

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Conservation Group manages Essex County Shooting Range on behalf of the State of Vermont. Located a couple of miles south of Route 105 on South America Pond Road in Ferdinand, the range is a state-constructed facility that meets all safety and ecological regulations.

The VTFWCG accepted responsibility for range maintenance through a memorandum of understanding with the State of Vermont. This isn't a commercial operation—it's a public resource built and overseen by the state, maintained by volunteers and conservation-minded sportsmen.

• •Public Access: Open to all sportsmen and women who treat the facility with respect
• •Year-Round Availability: Closed December 15–April 15 annually for winter months
• •Well-Built Infrastructure: State-designed facility meeting modern safety standards
• •Ecological Compliance: Constructed to protect environmental integrity

Game wardens serve as law enforcement officers for the facility:

Beyond the shooting range, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Conservation Group is a nonprofit membership organization based in northeastern Vermont. Their mission: preserve and conserve Vermont's fish and wildlife so citizens and guests can enjoy quality recreational opportunities.

The group operates across multiple scales—local projects, statewide initiatives, and even international conservation work. Members include hunters, trappers, and anglers primarily from Essex, Orleans, and Caledonia counties.

• •Morgan Fish Hatchery: Raises and distributes brook trout fry free to the public for stocking beaver ponds in the Northeast Kingdom
• •Dock Installation & Maintenance: Installs and maintains fishing access docks at seven lakes and ponds
• •Wildlife Research: Assists with university tick research, West Nile Virus studies on grouse populations, and other conservation projects
• •Habitat Management: Advocates for active management of Wildlife Management Areas, early successional habitat, and forest openings
• •Education & Scholarships: Funds Green Mountain Conservation Camps and youth conservation education through fundraising
• •Gun-a-Month Raffle: Monthly giveaway (12 firearms annually) supporting the hatchery and youth programs
• •Riparian Projects: Partners with conservation groups on tree planting and stream restoration

Meetings held the first Thursday of every month at the fish-rearing facility on Elliot Acres Road in Morgan, Vermont. Open to members and non-members. The organization welcomes volunteers interested in conservation work and has 15 directors overseeing operations.

"We invite the public to come and enjoy the facility and treat it with the respect expected of sportsmen and women."

• •2025 Youth Turkey Hunt program documenting young hunters' experiences
• •2024 Fish stocking weekends supplying brook trout to Northeast Kingdom beaver ponds
• •2023 Border Management Unit comments on wildlife habitat preservation
• •Ongoing moose tick research collaboration with UVM
• •Riparian tree-planting project on the Passumpsic River with Trout Unlimited and other partners

VTFWCG operates entirely on volunteer effort and member support, with no defined regional boundaries despite being based in northeastern Vermont.