Since 1985, Vermont Coverts has offered an intensive 3-day training session on forest and wildlife habitat management for landowners and other people interested in forest management. The program involves classroom and field studies taught by professionals, and offers an opportunity to connect and learn with people who are passionate about these issues. The seminar is free to participants and includes food, lodging and materials. A $100 fee is required to secure a space in the training. This fee is fully refundable at the completion of the 3-day program, though many attendees choose to donate that money to Vermont Coverts to offset the cost of the training.

People who complete this 3-day training are called Cooperators, to reflect our commitment to peer-to-peer support and cooperation. There are over 800 Cooperators who have influenced forestry and wildlife stewardship practices on over 300,000 acres of Vermont woodlands.

In exchange for attending the training, participants make a commitment to share information on forest management with their community. Community sharing by Cooperators may involve informal conversations with friends and neighbors, demonstrating forest management activities on their land, speaking to community organizations, writing short articles for newspapers, organizing workshops for woodland owners or enhancing local public wildlife policy. Cooperators have been instrumental in creating an information network that has helped other landowners make more informed decisions about managing their land.