Natural Shoreland Erosion Control Certification Course
for Engineers, Landscape Designers, Project Managers, Contractors, and Site Workers who work on Lake Shore Properties
Thank you for attending the 2025 Natural Shoreland Erosion Control Certification Course. The next NSECC Course will be held in January 2026. If you need to get recertified please see the recertification section.
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Course Content
Public List of NSECC Trained Professionals
Upcoming Training Locations and Dates
Recertification
Documents
Recordings
This Certification Course covers shoreland Best Management Practices, including techniques for erosion control, stormwater management, bioengineering and wildlife habitat protection. Lakeshore owners often rely on professional contractors, landscapers, engineers or other site workers to give advice and help them manage their property. The NSECC course teaches contractors both how to use best management practices and the science of how they work to protect the lake while remaining attractive and appealing to homeowners.
The course will include:
- Introduction to Lake Ecology: Why Natural Shorelands Matter
- Overview of Permitting and Regulations
- Benefits of Native Plants for Landscaping
- Bioengineering – Hands On Case Studies
- Project Funding and Phosphorus Tracking
- Landscape Design for Lake Shores
- Materials for Bioengineering
- Using Heavy Machinery Near the Shoreline
- Project Design and Engineering for Shorelines
- Encapsulated Soil Lifts Step by Step
- Group Design Project
All professionals certified through this six hour training course can choose to be listed on the Agency of Natural Resources web site and the list will be shared with lakeshore property owners.
For questions about the course, please contact Alison Marchione at alison.marchione@vermont.gov
Public List of NSECC Trained Professionals
Previous Presentations:
2025:
- Introduction to Shoreland Erosion and Best Management Practices
- Benefits of Native Plants.pdf
- Lakeshore Permitting.pdf
- Bioengineering Case Studies
- Project Funding and Phosphorus Tracking
- Materials for Bioengineering.pdf
- Landscape Design for Lakeshores
- Using Heavy Machinery Near Shorelines and Riparian Areas.pdf
- Lakeshore Restoration Design.pdf
- Encapsulated Soil Lifts Step-by-Step.pdf
2024:
- Army Corps of Engineers Permitting and Regulations
- Biodegradable Erosion Control Products
- Finding Support and Calculating Benefits of Lakeshore BMPs
- Benefits of Native Plants on Shorelands
- Bioengineering Projects in VT That NorthWoods Helped With
- Permeable Interlocking Unit Paving Systems
- O&M and Site Access Agreements
- Lake Ecology: Why Natural Shoreland Erosion Control Matters
Recordings:
Recordings of the NSECC Training are provided for educational and reference purposes only. Watching the recording will not earn viewers NSECC certification.
The three recordings below are from the online training that occurred as a Microsoft Teams meeting on Friday January 26th, 2024.
- Part 1 - Presenters: Kellie Merrell, Laura Dlugolecki, and Amanda Sayles
- Part 2 - Presenters: Meg Carter and Annie White
- Part 3 - Presenters: Alison Marchione, Ben Copans, Jill Sarazen, Eric Mootz, Mike Everhart, and Laura Dlugolecki
Upcoming Training Locations and Dates
The next NSECC Training will be held in January 2026.
Recertification
NSECC Certification lasts three years. After three years you will need to recertify to continue to be included on the list of certified professionals. Options for recertification are below.
If you don't remember the year you earned your NSECC certification, please contact David Addeo at David.Addeo@vermont.gov
Options for Recertification
Options for Recertification
- Attend Another Training or Conference
- VT Rivers and Roads Training
- Green Stormwater Infrastructure Workshop - various offered throughout the year
- UVM Sea Grant Relator Training
- NSECC Training (course curriculum varies some from year to year, but always provides current science, case studies, and updates on permit requirements)
- Vermont Lake Seminar
- North American Lake Management Society Conference
- New England Chapter of the North American Lake Management Society Conference
- Maine Erosion Control Workshops (available in person and online)
- It’s possible to attend another Conference or Training Event and earn Recertification Credits, if the training is deemed relevant to shoreland issues by Alison Marchione.
- Complete a Bioengineering Project Installation
- If you have been involved with a shoreland restoration project, you can earn NSECC recertification credits for your work. Please send a email with work description, photos, and location to alison.marchione@vermont.gov
FORM to SEND US for Recertification. This is REQUIRED and essential for our record keeping.
Related Documents
Bioengineering Manual
- Vermont Bioengineering Manual (To print this Manual, under the printer headings, select “flip on short side,” so it will print landscape, back to back and open properly.)
- Vermont Bioengineering Project Tour
Resources
- The Science Behind Shoreland Management and Bioengineering
- The Reasons for the Certification Training
- Native Plant Suppliers
- Vermont Lake Wise Program
- Shoreland BMPs
- Shoreland permitting
PowerPoint Presentations
- Native Plant Presentation
- Permitting and Regulations
- Vermont Lake Conditions
- Living Shoreland Best Management Practices
- 2020 Natural Shoreland Erosion Control Certification - Bioengineering Presentation
- 2019 NALMs Bioengineering Presentation
Related Videos
- Introduction and Installation of Bioengineering Practices (Full Length)
- Introduction to Bioengineering Practices
- Installation of Two Bioengineering Practices
Legislative Report
Recordings
Recordings of the NSECC Training are provided for educational and reference purposes only. Watching the recording will not earn viewers NSECC certification.
The three recordings below are from the online training that occurred as a Microsoft Teams meeting on Friday January 26th, 2024 and Friday, January 10th, 2025.