Volusia Forever and ECHO launch web enhancements

Posted On: April 24, 2022

Residents can view detailed information about Volusia Forever and Volusia ECHO on the programs’ recently enhanced websites at www.volusia.org/forever and www.volusia.org/echo.

Volusia Forever is the county’s land conservation program, and Volusia ECHO provides funding to acquire, build or restore environmental, cultural, historical and outdoor recreation projects that are open for public use. Both were approved by voters in 2000 and 2020.

The Volusia Forever website features a new transparency dashboard that provides an overview of completed and in-progress land purchases, funding sources, maps and a progress tracker for conservation of the Volusia Wildlife Corridor.

Since local voters approved the Environmentally Sensitive Lands program in 1986 and Volusia Forever in 2000, the county has been able to preserve over 54,000 acres for water resource protection, farmland preservation and outdoor recreation opportunities. County funding for the projects has totaled $105.7 million, which has been leveraged with an additional $52.5 million in match funding from partners. 

The ECHO Advisory Committee’s web page, www.volusia.org/echo-committee, has undergone enhancements to improve ease of access for residents by providing committee meeting agendas with supporting documents, features that allow previous agendas and minutes to be searched using keywords. Individuals can also watch live broadcasts and access recordings of committee meetings.

Additionally, an ECHO grant process flowchart was developed and posted on the website to help the public and grant applicants easily understand the application review and approval process. It can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/ECHO-FC.    

For more information, contact Brad Burbaugh at bburbaugh@volusia.org or 386-943-7081, ext. 13455.