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ABS expansion comes online
anticipates the new space will eventually have to be converted to classrooms as new home construction in town is predicted to continue apace. “We are anticipating more families arriving, and although we haven’t seen that enrollment increase quite yet, we are getting ready for that,” said Filion. “We’ll be ready for additional classroom spaces out there should we need to pivot to that.” The new space has its own restrooms and sinks and is not connected to the main building. It was first anticipated to arrive over the summer and be ready for the start of the school year. But by last spring, it was clear that it wouldn’t be ready until this fall. The buildings were delivered to the school parking lot in October and moved into position within a matter of days. see EXPANSION page 15
‘This is not meant to be a longterm solution’ BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Allen Brook School is adding two classroom spaces over Thanksgiving break. But they won’t be used as actual classrooms, at least not yet. The rectangular, prefabricated square-footage was added to the front yard of the elementary school in October. Facilities staff will be outfitting the interior of the space next week while students are out for Thanksgiving break. ABS Principal Angela Filion said the space will be reserved for staff use — offices and meeting rooms — for this school year. That will free up office space in the main building for small group instruction. But she
Williston footwear factory ramps up production Queen City Footwear produces house shoes and sneakers from an unassuming commercial condo on Shunpike Road. Read about the inner workings of the shoe and leather factory in this month’s Hub business section, starting on Page 4. OBSERVER PHOTO BY JASON STARR
School district grapples with loss of state, federal funding BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Two modular classrooms have been constructed outside Allen Brook School in anticipation of increased school enrollment. This school year, the space will be used solely as staff offices and meeting rooms. OBSERVER PHOTO BY JASON STARR
Champlain Valley School District administrators won’t present a draft budget for the upcoming fiscal year until the school board meets on Nov. 28. But they already are warning of a hefty tax increase.
There’s tons on sale November 24-26th
s a le
3-day Black Friday Sale Friday thru Sunday!
Barre, Williston, St. Albans Plattsburgh, NY Sale Hours: Fri 10-6, Sale in-stores and online at LennyShoe.com. No special orders, no rain checks, limited to on hand inventory. Styles vary by store. While supplies last. Sat 10-5, Sun 11-4
Select Darn Tough Vermont Socks
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“This reduction in funds will require some really difficult decisions.” Gary Marckres CVSD Chief Operations Officer
Since the passage of the Equitable School Funding Act (Act 127) last year, which redistributes the state’s education fund to better support students with greater barriers to education, it’s become clear that the comparatively well-off Champlain Valley School District will be see FUNDING page 15
Select Kuhl
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In-Stores Only Nov. 24-26 at Lenny’s
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Offer valid 11/24/23-11/26/23 on regular priced in-store items only. Coupon must be surrendered at time of purchase and can’t be combined with other offers. Limit one coupon per customer. Coupon not valid at the Outlet Store or online. No cash value. Exclusive Darn Tough socks, Yeti, Sitka, Gift Cards & Gun Safes excluded. WO
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Williston Observer • November 16, 2023
Bus Trip t
Rotary event honors veterans
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0 Rotarian Jeanne Kennedy reads some of the names of area veterans being recognized at this year’s Veterans Day Observance at Williston Memorial Park on Saturday. OBSERVER PHOTO BY RICK COTE
On Saturday, Nov. 11, community members, town officials and veterans and their families attended the Veterans Day Observance held by the Williston-Richmond Rotary Club in the War Memorial Park that lies between Town Hall and the Town Hall Annex. Williston Federated Church Pastor Paul Eyer offered an invocation, Rotary President Susan Cote delivered remarks, and the names of local veterans were read aloud. A letter sent by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders for the occasion
was shared. Attention was drawn to the brick patio that fronts the granite memorial where an increasing number of engraved bricks display the names of veterans. Anyone wishing to honor a veteran, living or dead, with an engraved brick to be installed in the patio is invited to contact Phil Stevens at philipstevens@gmail.com to learn more. The event was recorded by Town Meeting TV and will be available for viewing on their website.
Around Town Tree lighting on tap for Dec. 3
Christmas caroling, cookies and hot cocoa will accompany this year’s lighting of a Christmas tree in the Williston Village Green gazebo. The event, sponsored by the Williston-Richmond Rotary Club and the Williston Federated Church, runs from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring donations of new hats, mittens, gloves or socks for the Williston Community Food Shelf.
Group offers support for bereaved families The Compassionate Friends provides personal comfort, hope and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family. The group meets every fourth Tuesday of the month at Cathedral of St. Paul, 2 Cherry St., Burlington. The next meeting will take place, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. To learn more visit: https:// www.compassionatefriends.org/ For the local chapter, contact Allan Day at AllanDay88@gmail. com or (802) 233-0544.
WCS band director chosen to march in NYC parade Kim Thompson, the band director at Williston Central School, and Mary Bauer, the band director at Mount Mansfield Union High School have been selected to join
Who showed up? An owl shows up in the backyard of a home on McMullen Lane. PHOTO BY TONY O’ROURKE
a marching band of 400-plus band directors from across the country in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 23 in New York City. Both teachers are clarinetists who grew up near New York City. They will be part of the Saluting America’s Band Directors parade entry. “I am very excited to represent Vermont and promote music education while performing,” said Thompson.
Pack packs Members of Williston’s Scout Troop #692 help pack food at the Williston Federated Church’s Thanksgiving Food Drive on Saturday. OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO
November 16, 2023 •
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it…
Williston Observer •
Page 3
Give Thanks this Holiday! HELLO AUTUMN
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CLOCKWISE (l to r) In last week’s CVU production of ‘Newsies,’ performers got to put themselves in the shoes of the kids who hawked newspapers in the late 1800s and banded together (top) to fight the unfair pricing and working conditions under William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Zander Olszewski plays Joseph Pulitzer, center, who schools his staff about “The Bottom Line.” A compromise agreement is celebrated. Marin Walsh in the role of Joseph Pulitzer’s daughter Katherine Plummer interviews Jack Kelly (Cole Williams), leader of the ‘newsies’ about the strike. Davey (Frankie Fidler, left) tries to reason with Kelly as he contemplates giving up. Kelly and Plummer seal their relationship. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY
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Williston Observer • November 16, 2023
Shoemaker shines on Shunpike WILLISTON:
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
It’s amazing how much manufacturing punch can be packed into a cozy commercial condominium. Queen City Footwear pulls off an entire design, manufacturing, assembling, marketing and distribution operation from an unassuming corner of a business park on Shunpike Road. The signature product is the Vermont House Shoe, a leather and suede comfort shoe that occupies a niche in between slipper and sneaker. Company founder Matt Renna launched the house shoe in 2020, a pandemic year when a lot of people were spending a lot of time in their homes. This year, the company launched a line of sneakers. It continues to offer contract manufacturing services to other companies, with a specialty in leather products. On Tuesday, a batch of leather oven mitts were coming off the line. Renna began his leatherwork and shoemaking career with an artisan shop on Church Street,
offering a variety of leather products and custom shoes. He moved into the space on Shunpike Road in 2016, making bags, briefcases and small leather goods before pivoting to footwear. “Originally I was doing handmade, one-off, totally custom things,” Renna said. “It’s been a process of trying to figure out how to actually produce them in an ef-
“For people who are looking for made in the U.S.A., we’re here for them.” Matt Renna Queen City Footwear
ficient way, and get all the tools and machinery in place, to really start making something that’s production oriented.” Visitors to the factory find a thoughtfully designed retail space just inside the front door. A production area to the right houses a workhorse leather-cutting ma-
BUSINESS
chine, and behind that is where the hand-made stitching and material adhering take place. Office space and a product photo studio round out the factory. “It’s everything under one roof, and as our sales pick up we can grow it because we are in control of the whole process,” said Renna. Queen City Footwear sells at REI and a handful of other retail stores, but the majority of sales are coming through its website (www. queencityfootwear.com), ginned up by social media advertising. “We have orders coming in from all over the country,” Renna said. “There are very few shoes made in the U.S. That’s what we’re all about and what distinguishes us in the marketplace. For people who are looking for made in the U.S.A., we’re here for them.”
HUB
OF
VERMONT
Matt Renna, left, in the retail portion of the Queen City Footwear factory on Shunpike Road. Top right, James Valastro works on a contract order for leather oven mitts on Tuesday. The Vermont House Shoe, right, was launched in three styles in 2020. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY JASON STARR
e
W ho
Williston Observer •
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the W h at
Th
November 16, 2023 •
& the When
Golf store opens at Maple Tree Place
“Our goal (is) finding the best combination of components to help customers lower their scores and better enjoy the game,” Club Champion founder Nick Sherburne said in a news release.
Local Amazon alternative launches With its wall of golf clubs and interchangeable parts, Club Champion in Williston says it can create 65,000 different club combinations for golfers. OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO
Club Champion, an Illinois-based golf club fitting franchiser, opened its first Vermont store this month at Maple Tree Place in Williston. The retailer sells brand name golf clubs and offers customized club fittings. Inside the 3,000-square-foot store are three hitting bays with video analysis and thousands of interchangeable golf club head and shaft combinations.
A Burlington-based online shopping platform that serves Chittenden County is up and running at www. myti.com. Myti aims to offer the convenience of online shopping while keeping dollars in Vermont and competing with the likes of Amazon. Twenty-five Chittenden County businesses offering thousands of products are now on the platform. Statewide expansion is planned. “Myti is designed to give people the tools to make a difference, to feel more connected and to be proud of their communities,” said Chief Visionary Officer Bill Calfee. “We envision local communities thriving everywhere.”
BEVS expands into pet ophthalmology Burlington Emergency & Veterinary Specialists in Williston is now offering eye care for pets. The company’s new ophthalmology department offers diagnostics and medical-surgical treatments to preserve and restore vision in dogs and cats. Staffing the new department are board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists Sarah Hoy and Courtenay Brines. To schedule an appointment or learn more, call (802) 863-2387 or visit bevsvt.com.
Working land business grants available The Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Board has about a half-million dollars in grant funding available for agricultural businesses, with individual grants ready to be distributed of between $15,000$50,000. Projects eligible for funding can
relate to marketing, research, infrastructure, energy or workforce training. The application deadline is Nov. 20. Apply at www.workinglands. vermont.gov.
GlobalFoundries hosts high-schoolers In honor of Vermont Manufacturing Day (the first Friday of every October), GlobalFoundries welcomed Essex and Winooski high school students for a day of learning and tours at its Essex Junction plant. The students learned about manufacturing and robotics at the facility and the different career paths.
Makers market returns to Hula The Good Trade Makers Market will gather nearly 100 independent makers and small manufacturers from around the region for a weekend-long shopping experience at Hula (50 Lakeside Ave., in Burlington) on Dec. 2-3.
Williston’s Crazy Cotton Candy Lady participates in last year’s Good Trade Makers Market in Burlington. The event returns to Hula on Dec. 2-3. OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO
This will be the second year the event has taken place in Burlington. “We’re highlighting local Vermont-based businesses while also welcoming businesses from seven other states and introducing them to Vermont and the state’s passionate community of small business supporters. In trade, we aim to introduce Vermont small businesses to other cities to help them reach a new audience, too,” said event organizer BJ Mansuetti. Tickets and more information are available at www.goodtrademakersmarket.com.
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Williston Observer • November 16, 2023
Champlain Valley School District Child Find Notice Champlain Valley School District (including the towns of Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George, and Williston, Vermont) is required by federal law to locate, identify and evaluate all children with disabilities. The process of locating, identifying and evaluating children with disabilities is known as child find. Champlain Valley School District schools conduct Kindergarten screening each spring; parents may also call to make an appointment to discuss their concerns at any time. As the school district of residence, CVSD has the responsibility to identify and provide services to any child with special needs who may require special education and related services in order to access and benefit from public education. If you have, or know of any CVSD resident who has a child with a disability under the age of 21 or a child who attends a private school located in Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George, or Williston, Vermont, we would like to hear from you. Sometimes parents are unaware that special education services are available to their children. Please contact the School Principal (Charlotte Central School – 802-425-2771, Hinesburg Community School – 802-482-2106, Shelburne Community School – 802-985-3331, Williston Central/ Allen Brook Schools – 802-878-2762) or the Director of Student Support Services, Anna Couperthwait at 802-383-1234.
GUEST COLUMN
Hospital’s challenges are our challenges BY KELLY DEVINE The City of Burlington takes its time with change, and overall I’ve seen the city transform in so many positive ways. It remains one of our best community spaces. Yet today, we are facing one of our biggest and hardest to address problems in recent memory: the slow erosion of the norms that guide how we interact with each other as decent humans. From minor slights to major altercations and right through to blatant criminal acts, our downtown is daily facing the challenges of this behavior. I’ve been the executive director of the Burlington Business Association (BBA) for 15 years. During that time, Burlington has been and remains a welcoming place for everyone and anyone. There have always been dustups, such as a fist fight or someone in crisis. In all the
situations I’ve observed (my office is just off Church Street near Cherry Street) our first-responders have responded quick-
As the scope of illness and challenges in our community intensifies, I have learned that the potential for violence at the hospital has grown. ly and professionally. The increasing frequency and severity of these behaviors, combined with the loss of officers at the Burlington Police Department, equals real challenges in terms of ability to respond. And while the reality downtown right now is that not all inci-
dents can be addressed, most acute cases are being addressed, and the daily buzz of the downtown goes on. In some cases, people need help, and when that ambulance heads up the hill, we all feel relief. Problem solved, or so we think. Only recently did I begin to appreciate that the problem isn’t necessarily resolved. More likely, it has simply moved. I came to this realization when I had the honor of listening to a nurse leader from UVM Medical Center’s Emergency Department talk about his experience of being attacked while providing patient care. The experience of hearing him bravely tell his story — a story that brought me and others in the room to tears — was really difficult. But what was profound for me was the change in how I viewed the world outside our downtown. see DEVINE page 7
Williston’s Community Newspaper Since 1985
www.willistonobserver.com P.O. Box 1401, Williston, VT 05495 | 802-489-5499 ADVERTISING Rick Cote, Associate Publisher rick@willistonobserver.com 802-373-2136 EDITOR Jason Starr editor@willistonobserver.com PRODUCTION & DESIGN Jan Kenney jan@willistonobserver.com
ADVERTISING SPACE DEADLINE Friday at 5 p.m. for the next Thursday issue rick@willistonobserver.com, 802-373-2136
The Williston Community Food Shelf is hoping to collect
CLASSIFIED ADS Deadline is Friday 5 p.m. There is a fee for business, real estate, help wanted and legal ads. Free classifieds must be 25 words or fewer and are printed on a space available basis.
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The Williston Observer reserves the right to edit or refuse submissions or advertising. Opinions expressed in the paper are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the paper.
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MEMBER:
It’s Turkey Time Again!
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Burlington Area Newspaper Group
150 turkeys
for our clients for Thanksgiving! Drop off turkeys Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 from 8-11 a.m. 400 Cornerstone Drive, Suite 130 (down behind the Williston Coffee Shop)
WILLISTON COMMUNITY
FOOD SHELF
Alternatively feel free to donate gift cards ($15 are best) from local grocery stores. Drop off, or mail to: Williston Community Food Shelf at P.O. Box 1605, Williston, VT 05495
TURKEY PICKUP: Clients wishing to pickup a turkey are also welcome Nov. 18 from 8-11 a.m.
November 16, 2023 •
Devine
continued from page 6
An ambulance or police cruiser pulling away from the scene of an incident doesn’t mean the problem is over. In fact, all too often, it means the incident is moving to someone else’s workplace. We’re moving potentially explosive situations to the emergency department that serves our community and is ill-equipped to take these on. As the scope of illness and challenges in our community intensifies, I have learned that the potential for violence at the hospital has grown. Hearing the story of violence in our emergency department has helped me appreciate the work that happens in this critical resource for our region — and especially appreciate the heroes who show up every day to provide care in sometimes really challenging situations. My own niece is a nurse. When I asked her about violence in hospitals, I was stunned to learn she had been assaulted at work. UVM Medical Center is a major part of the fabric of our community. It’s more than our
community hospital, it is part of almost every major conversation and initiative our community is facing, leading through its own challenges. And its challenges are our challenges. It is critical that we work together, at all levels of community and government, to address them. I’m supportive of our frontline professionals who have dedicated their lives to improving our communities, from our police, firefighters and street outreach workers to our EMTs and paramedics — and to our doctors, nurses and supporting hospital staff. I’d encourage everyone to watch the recent video the UVM Health Network has published at www.uvmhealth.org/violence so that we may learn from staff stories and begin to understand the challenges these caring and brave souls face. It’s important to recognize as a community that they are the ones facing some of our biggest challenges, and it’s important to let them know that we see them, and we honor their work and sacrifice. Kelly Devine is executive director of the Burlington Business Association.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR An unrecognizable future With only a couple exceptions, all the roads in and around Williston are two-lane roads. Currently, two major housing developments have been approved by town planners that will create a combined total of 385 new housing units. If each of these future homeowners own only one vehicle, we are guaranteed that there will be an additional 385 new vehicles navigating our twolane road system in the near future. We have three brand new hotels (two that will sit side-by-side) whose available rooms will total 306 when completed. Local developers have been saying that the first of these hotels is doing “very well.” During the most desirable travel months of every coming year, we may now expect that at least a couple of hundred tourist vehicles will travel in and out of our village to these hotels. Also, currently before town planners is a proposed commercial development project that includes the demolition of existing structures and construction of new retail and office space along Merchant’s Row.
Since it is currently known that many of the those who work in Williston cannot afford to live here, we can add these additional commuters and related delivery vehicles to the mix. It seems inevitable that this massive expansion will ultimately require the additional growth of our schools, fire, police and highway departments, along with the additional personnel, vehicles and equipment needed to make them operational. Taken together, these will represent multi-million dollar building efforts. So I send this, my lonesome plea, to our town planners: How will you know when you have finally transformed Williston from a place we love to live into a place we are left to deal with? Bruce Blair Williston
for all the energy and spirit they provided to help make this year’s Thanksgiving Food Drive work so smoothly. We would also like to thank Hannaford and Healthy Living for their donations of grocery bags. All of this would not have been possible without the widespread support of caring community members extending themselves to assure that 35 families in our area would receive fixings for Thanksgiving dinner as well as a bag of groceries to assist them through the school vacation week. What a blessing it is to be part of such a caring and giving community where neighbors help neighbors. Together, we are community. Thank you. Sue Hook Williston
What a joy, what a gift, what a community The Williston Federated Church would like to thank the scouts and leaders of Troop #692
Speak up! Send your letters and story ideas to email editor@ willistonobserver.com Williston
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Williston Observer • November 16, 2023
How to grow greens in winter BY DEBORAH J. BENOIT Special to the Observer
There’s nothing like creating a salad of freshly harvested greens you’ve grown yourself from seed. The good news is, greens can grow year-round, indoors, safe from nibbling rabbits in fair weather and freezing temperatures in winter. What type of greens do you fancy? Leafy lettuces? Deep green spinach? Spicy arugula? There are so many possibilities. While you likely won’t find seeds for sale locally at this time of year, you can use seeds you already have or hop online to check out all the choices available from mail order catalogs. Like any garden, location will play a major part in the success of your growing plans. You’ll need adequate light, suitable temperatures, an appropriate soil mix and water. Since light is so important to promoting healthy growth, select a sunny spot directly in front of a southor west-facing window. Just be sure the location is away from cold drafts from windows and doors, and hot
B
drafts from radiators or woodstoves. As an alternative, you can use grow lights, which are readily available in stores and online. You also can use a shop light using fluorescent tube bulbs. For more information on using grow lights, see https:// go.uvm.edu/grow-lights. Once you’ve selected a location, choose a container or containers for your garden of greens. If you’re growing in front of a window, a rectangular window box shape is a good choice, but a selection of small pots can work as well. Fill your containers with a light potting mix or seed starter that’s been moistened. Scatter seeds across the surface and cover lightly with soil according to directions on the seed packet. Use a spray bottle to water in the seeds. Add a clear cover to the container to help retain moisture. A plastic soda bottle with the bottom cut off will work well with round pots. Clear food storage bags or food wrap also work well. If water begins to collect on the cover, vent it to allow the excess moisture to escape. Once seedlings emerge, you can
remove the cover. Be sure the soil doesn’t dry out, so water as needed. As the seedlings grow, thin to the spacing recommended on the seed package. Thinned seedlings make a good addition to salads or sandwiches while you’re waiting for the remaining plants to grow. Provide 10-12 hours of light daily to encourage healthy growth. If you notice any of your seedlings growing leggy or becoming yellow, they are likely in need of more light. Adding a grow light can supplement natural light. Lowering a grow light closer to the foliage can help, as can extending the number of hours of light the plants receive. When your plants reach several inches in height, it’s time to harvest. Using sharp scissors, cut the outer leaves. By leaving the inner leaves, the plant will continue to grow for future harvesting. You can extend your harvest further by succession planting. Instead of planting your entire crop of greens at once, initially plant only part. Every two or three weeks, plant more. After your original planting has
Seeds for lettuce, spinach, radishes and baby carrots, left, can be ordered online or from mail order catalogs for planting indoors in winter. Leafy lettuces, mesclun and other quick-growing greens grown indoors ensure a steady supply of fresh greens for salads and sandwiches all winter. PHOTO BY DEBORAH J. BENOIT
been completely harvested, replant that container. This way you will have greens in various stages of growth throughout the winter and early spring. If you’d like to try growing something besides greens for your salad, consider radishes. Check for varieties ready to harvest in as little as three weeks. Other possibilities
include green pea shoots and green onions. Whatever the weather outside, gardening indoors can be very tasty indeed. Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension Master Gardener from North Adams, Massachusetts, who is part of the Bennington County Chapter.
BY DEAN B O
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November 16, 2023 •
Williston Observer •
Page 9
‘A false narrative’: Abenaki leaders dispute legitimacy of VT’s state-recognized tribes This is Part 1 of a twopart article. Part 2 of this article will be published in next week’s Observer. BY SHAUN ROBINSON VTDigger
Rich Holschuh, chair of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, speaks at a press conference on May 2. PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
ODANAK, Quebec — Jacques Watso took the turns fast as he drove through the narrow streets of Odanak, a First Nations reserve in Quebec his family has called home for generations. As music belted from the radio, he leaned out the window to point out houses where his friends and his sister and her friends live: “This is Caroline, this is Eddie … there’s Kim…” Home to about 350 Abenaki band members, Odanak is perched on the banks of the St. Francis Riv-
er, with modest houses fanning out around a church and a village green. All over the community, there are subtle indications — such as the stop signs, which read in French, English and Abenaki — that this is an Indigenous reservation. Watso pulled up to the Musée des Abénakis, where the First Nation has chronicled its history, and walked over to a small plaque on a rock that bore carvings of two animals, each representing a different historic tribal clan. Watso held up a necklace he wore with a pendant embroidered with a bear paw — for his family’s clan. As a tribal councilor, Watso has his hands full on the reservation, which is about an hour and a half north of Montreal. But in recent years, he and other Odanak First Nation leaders have turned their atten-
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tion south, across the U.S.-Canada border, and waged an increasingly pitched battle over identity with four groups recognized as Abenaki by the State of Vermont. Those Vermont groups — the Elnu Abenaki, Nulhegan Abenaki, Koasek Band of the Koas Abenaki Nation and the Abenaki Nation at Missisquoi — share culture and, at least recent, history with Odanak First Nation. But Watso and other Odanak leaders assert that many members of the Vermont groups are not Indigenous and, instead, are appropriating their identity. Research from scholars on Indigenous communities in New England and Canada — as well as
reports from the Vermont and U.S. governments — have concluded that there is little evidence to support the existence of Abenaki tribes in Vermont with ties to historic groups. “It’s a false narrative,” Watso said, characterizing the history of the Vermont groups. “But you teach that to your kids, and your grandkids, and then they believe the story.” As Watso and others have made their case ever more forcefully, it’s raised questions in Vermont about the definition of Indigenous identity, complicated by an international border crafted by colonial powers. Odanak leaders have asserted that see ABENAKI page 10
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Williston Observer •
November 16, 2023
Abenaki
continued from page 9
Indigenous identity is built on acceptance from other Indigenous groups — in this case, Abenaki — that the groups in Vermont don’t have. Odanak representatives made this clear in no uncertain terms at a contentious presentation at the University of Vermont last year. And in June, the First Nation’s leaders followed up with a letter to three dozen housing, environmental and conservation groups across Vermont urging them to stop working with the four state-recognized tribes. Instead, they wrote, these organizations should work only with Odanak band members. “We are the sole guardians of Abenaki citizenship,” the tribal leaders wrote. “They are not Indigenous.” Leaders of the state-recognized tribes in Vermont have scrambled over the past two years to, as they tell it, defend their culture. In letters
to the media and at press events, they have assailed Odanak First Nation’s views as anti-Indigenous. These Vermont leaders have formed an “Abenaki Alliance” and advanced unproven theories about Odanak First Nation’s motivations, asserting that questions about their own legitimacy have essentially been moot since the state formally recognized them more than a decade ago. “We are who we say we are,” said Rich Holschuh, an Elnu band member who lives in Brattleboro and chairs the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, the state panel tasked with supporting the four groups. “I don’t know how else to put it.” ‘SERIOUS QUESTIONS’
Abenaki people have inhabited modern-day New England and Canada for thousands of years. A map at the Musée des Abénakis shows the nation’s “Ndakinna,” or homeland, stretching from the St. Lawrence River in the north to what’s now
Massachusetts in the south, and the Lake Champlain valley in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east. By the 18th century, though, wars between England and France — and the decimation that their colonizing societies wreaked on Indigenous nations — forced many Abenaki people to flee north, from modern-day New England to modern-day Quebec. The current cross-border dispute comes down to who can claim legitimate descendency from these original Indigenous peoples, who were left largely without a homeland. According to a recently published paper by Darryl Leroux, a French Canadian scholar of race and identity, many Abenaki people settled along the St. Francis River at the site of a Jesuit mission — the village of Odanak — which became “the center of Abenaki cultural and political life.” Leroux writes in the July paper that, in the early 1700s, a “significant” Abenaki village was created in modern-day Swanton that had
close ties to the Abenaki community at Odanak. But it is “widely acknowledged,” Leroux continues, that its residents moved north to Odanak in the decades following the American Revolution. Daniel Nolett, executive director of the Odanak First Nation’s tribal government, noted that some Abenaki families with ties to Odanak continued to live in U.S. communities into the 19th and 20th centuries — and still live there today — including around Albany, New York and in the Adirondacks and parts of New Hampshire. Today, several Indigenous nations that allied with Odanak First Nation and other Abenaki people during European colonial wars are recognized as sovereign nations by the U.S. federal government. Those include the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Mi’kmaq and Maliseet nations, which are based in present-day Maine. Odanak First Nation has federal-level Indigenous recognition in Canada, as does a nearby Abenaki
nation — Wôlinak — that is considered to be its sister community. This recognition allows the nations to access greater levels of federal funding and resources, as well as, critically, the ability to claim pieces of land as sovereign territory. No state-recognized band in Vermont had any organized government until the 1970s, when Homer St. Francis of Swanton organized a tribal council at Missisquoi, according to Fred Wiseman, a Missisquoi citizen and longtime researcher of Abenaki culture. Other families in Vermont that identified as Indigenous saw what was happening in Franklin County, and some traveled north to participate in cultural events there, Wiseman said. When others saw that Missisquoi families had “come out of the closet” as Abenaki, he said, it encouraged them to do the same in other parts of the state. About a decade later, the Missisquoi group began to pursue formal federal government recognition, see ABENAKI page 11
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which would grant the group access to additional resources and funding. About 570 federally recognized tribal nations exist across the country, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, including about a dozen tribes in New England states. Federally recognized nations have a government-to-government relationship with the U.S. and provide services to their citizens, such as law enforcement and education. Eleven states have also recognized more than 60 Indigenous tribes using their own criteria, which vary from state to state, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Some groups have both state- and federal-level recognition. The process is disparaged by some federally recognized tribes. Oklahoma, the state with the largest proportion of the U.S.’s Indigenous population, has barred state recognition due to opposition from local tribal governments, according to Leroux. In Vermont, the state Commission on Native American Affairs vets applications for state recognition before issuing a recommendation to the Legislature on whether or not a group should be recognized as an Indigenous tribe. The nine-member panel is tasked with protecting the heritage of Native Americans in
John Bosely of the Nulhegan Abenaki performs a tribal dance at the second annual Indigenous People’s Day Rock celebration in Stowe on Oct. 9, 2021. FILE PHOTO BY RACHEL NOSTRANT/VTDIGGER
Vermont and advocating for changes to state laws and policies that would benefit members of Native American tribes. Commissioners are appointed by the governor, with priority given to applicants who are members of the four state-recognized tribes. To be recognized, a group has to show that “a substantial number of the applicant’s members are related to each other by kinship and trace their ancestry to a kinship group through genealogy or other meth-
ods,” according to standards adopted in 2010. That’s a different — and less stringent — standard than the federal government’s recognition requirements, which provide that, among other stipulations, an applicant must have been identified as Native American “on a substantially continuous basis since 1900.” The Abenaki Nation at Missisquoi — which has more than 3,500 enrolled members today and is based in Swanton — obtained
state recognition from Gov. Thomas Salmon in 1976, but Salmon’s successor, Gov. Richard Snelling, promptly rescinded it. The Missisquoi went on to apply for federal recognition in the 1980s. In 2007, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is tasked with adjudicating those applications, denied the request in almost unequivocal terms. (It is not unusual for the government to take years, or even decades, to review an application for recognition, according to experts). The government found that of Missisquoi’s 1,171 members at the time, just eight — less than 1 percent — could show descent from an Abenaki ancestor, and those eight members were not associated with the others before the 1990s. There was no available proof, the bureau wrote, that any other member de-
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scended from any “historical Indian tribe.” “Instead, the available evidence indicates that the petitioner is a collection of individuals of claimed but mostly undemonstrated Indian ancestry with little or no social or historical connection with each other before the early 1970’s,” the bureau wrote in its report. Around the same time, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office also studied Missisquoi’s application for federal recognition. It concluded in its own report that the group could not be federally recognized, having found “serious questions about the existence of a tribe of Abenakis in Vermont who are a continuation of the historic Abenakis.” The lack of historical record for any such group from the 1790s to see ABENAKI page 12
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the 1970s, the office wrote, “was so complete that historians, anthropologists and census takers were unable to locate it.” ‘THE RIGHT THING TO DO’
Several years later, however, Vermont officials returned to the matter. And in April 2011, thenGov. Peter Shumlin signed legislation granting state recognition to the Nulhegan and Elnu Abenaki groups. He did the same for the Missisquoi and Koasek groups the following year. The tribal government that oversees Odanak and Wôlinak has sharply criticized the state process leading to that decision, and it has urged Vermont lawmakers to reconsider recognition of the four groups as recently as last month, when it issued a press release to that effect. “When their (federal) claim was rejected, we thought that they were done,” Nolett, the Odanak First Nation executive director, said in a late May interview at his office in the tribal headquarters, a bright and
spacious room overlooking the Rue Sibosis below. Watso, sitting nearby, nodded in agreement. Over several hours that afternoon, Nolett took calls on all sorts of topics — including one about a young boy who had just failed a shooting test and was seeking reassurance that he could take it again soon. When talk turned to Vermont’s four state-recognized tribes, both men became animated, leaning forward and gesturing with their hands. Nolett and other Odanak First Nation leaders take issue with how the state permitted factors other than genealogy to be considered, saying that this allowed groups with many members who are not actually Indigenous to be recognized as such. (Both Odanak and Wôlinak require genealogy to be submitted for band membership.) Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Abenaki, disputes that argument. In an interview, he asserted that he and other band members in Vermont submitted genealogical records to the state as part of the recognition process. But, he said, that information was kept confiden-
tial from the public in order to protect people’s privacy, and to protect members of the groups that were applying for recognition from “personal attacks.” Attacks on the state recognition process came from a small but vocal group of critics who were not from Vermont, Stevens said. He and other leaders have also said that the criticism comes not from ordinary Odanak First Nation citizens, but from politicians. Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury, served on a Vermont House committee that took testimony on the applications for state recognition in the early 2010s. He said he thought it was important, from a privacy perspective, to restrict access to people’s family records. Moreover, Stevens said it was not lawmakers’ goal to prove, or disprove, the Indigenous identities of members of the groups that were applying for state recognition. He said lawmakers relied on the groups that were applying to determine who was on their band lists. Rep. Stevens said he does not think the state should have done anything differently. Among the members of the
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tribes that were applying for state recognition, he said, “there is a mixture of blood,” referring to both those who are Indigenous and those who are not. Lawmakers knew this, he said — “but there’s a mixture of blood for everybody.” “We kept ourselves at arm’s length from determining, say ‘Rich is an Indian or not,’” Rep. Stevens told colleagues during a House committee hearing earlier this year, referring to Holschuh. “From a governmental perspective, that is a terrible place to be.” Former state Sen. Vince Illuzzi, R-Essex/Orleans, also helped manage the recognition process. Illuzzi said he thought lawmakers’ best move was to trust the testimony they received, including from the members of the groups that were applying. He said he “saw no downside to state recognition — zero,” adding that it seemed like “the right thing to do.” “Like anything else, the Legislature’s like a jury. Somebody comes in and makes their case and you choose to believe them or not,” said Illuzzi, who has also served as Essex County state’s attorney for 25 years. “And you know, we chose to believe them.” But Odanak First Nation leaders contend that lawmakers didn’t hear from all sides. Watso said much of his distrust for Vermont’s state recognition process stems from the fact that he and some other Odanak members were rebuffed when they asked to testify before Vermont lawmakers. He recalled being asked to leave the room during one legislative hearing at the Vermont Statehouse. Lawmakers only took testimony
from Vermont residents, according to Rep. Stevens. He acknowledged that the question of who could testify was thorny, especially given that Abenaki citizens live outside of Vermont. But he said that lawmakers had to draw the line somewhere and felt that they were still able to consider all perspectives. Watso has a different view: “They kept us real Abenakis from testifying,” he said. Several Vermonters associated with Odanak did testify, according to Watso and Illuzzi. Illuzzi also noted that anyone was allowed to submit written testimony — which some people associated with Odanak First Nation said that they did — though Watso said he and others did not think that was as effective as testifying in person. Christopher Roy, a professor at Temple University who hails from Franklin County and, for a period of his life, identified as a member of the Missisquoi group, said he sees a conflict of interest in the state recognition process because members of the commission tasked with vetting applicants for state recognition were also members of the groups applying to be recognized. Roy renounced that Indigenous identity decades ago, he wrote in 2012, after “disproving one family story of aboriginal ancestry and learning enough about Abenaki history to no longer consider the other such story credible.” In an August interview with New Hampshire Public Radio, Leroux echoed this concern. “Really what has happened is the State of Vermont has set up a see ABENAKI page 13
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situation where members of these groups can pick each other to be on the commission. And of course, they have decided that their own tribes are Native American,” Leroux told NHPR. The commission this year came under fire from within, with one member claiming that other members had fraudulently claimed to be Indigenous, and resigning in protest. While state legislators refrained from probing the Abenaki ancestry of individual Vermonters, Holschuh, the Native American Affairs Commission’s chair, openly discussed his own during an interview in June. Sitting on a balcony in Brattleboro overlooking the Connecticut River, he noted that, just below the surface nearby, archaeologists have found petroglyphs that are associated with Abenaki settlement in the area dating back several thousand years. Holschuh, who’s been a leading voice educating people about the carvings, told a reporter he has “kinship relations” with other members of the Elnu state-recognized tribe. That’s allowed him to be accepted into the community, he said, and head up an Abenaki cultural education nonprofit associated with the tribe called Atowi. He said he has ancestral ties to
the Mi’kmaq nation — which today is based in Presque Isle, Maine. But he has found no direct ties to the Vermont groups. “I do not have any Abenaki blood,” he said.
crimination. Some linked this concern to a fear of being considered for sterilization during a state-sanctioned eugenics survey in Vermont
ash baskets, knives and articles of beaded clothing — and posing so that reporters could snap pictures. These stories are, themselves,
‘WE BELIEVED THEIR STORIES’
On a sunny morning in midMay, Holschuh and a half-dozen other members of Vermont’s state-recognized tribes held a press conference at a waterfront office building in downtown Burlington. “Vermont is Indian County,” an invitation read. “Yet little more than a decade after the four resident Abenaki tribes achieved political recognition, there remains a measure of confusion about the unique and elegant Vermont Abenaki cultural-historic experience.” Over about an hour, tribal members stood up and recounted memories and stories that, they said, showed they have taken part in Indigenous traditions. Chris LaFrance, a Missisquoi citizen, showed photos of his family and the Abenaki ash baskets they have long made. Another Missisquoi citizen, Steve Wheeler, wrote in remarks read at the presentation that he and his family have long used Abenaki gardening techniques. Others recalled being told by their parents and grandparents that they needed to “hide” their family’s Abenaki identity, out of fear they would be subject to racism and dis-
Richard Menard, former chief of the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi, listens as U.S. Sen. Peter Welch visits a building the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi Community Center is refurbishing in Swanton on Friday, Oct. 6. PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
in the 1920s and 1930s. “In my house, we grew up knowing, from my dad, that we were Abenaki. And he knew from his dad,” LaFrance said. “But he said, ‘Don’t talk about it outside of the house.’” Band members also took turns holding up heirlooms — including
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— something that could come with federal recognition — the Vermont groups instead draw an identity from shared, cultural memory, he said. Holschuh was adamant that the state-recognized tribes are no longer interested in pursuing federal recognition, citing both the financial and time investment required. According to Wiseman, the Missisquoi scholar of Abenaki history, prior to the 1970s and ’80s, many people in Vermont — especially in the Swanton area — were likely raised with Indigenous cultural practices, even if their parents never said anything about it. “These families were actually ‘operationally’ Native, a lot more than they were ‘identity’ Native,” he said, speaking at his home in Swanton. “It was just ingrained in there.” Nolett, in an interview, praised Wiseman’s work. The latter’s name is even credited in the short movie shown to visitors at the Musée des Abénakis in Odanak. But Nolett also said he thinks it’s “a red flag” when people “discover” an Abenaki identity later in life, as opposed to those, like himself, who are raised in an openly Indigenous see ABENAKI page 14
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community. Wiseman and other members of what are now Vermont’s state-recognized tribes have traveled up to Odanak in the past. For decades starting in the 1970s — around the time Missisquoi organized its tribal government — members of both groups went back and forth across the U.S.-Canada border, exchanging stories and cultural practices. On its website, the Elnu band cites an example: the Abenaki Round Dance, for which Odanak First Nation leaders helped Vermonters “fill in the gaps” in the 1990s. Odanak and Wôlinak First Nation leaders issued two resolutions in the 1970s stating that they recognized the Missisquoi band as a
legitimate Abenaki tribe. In 1976, then-Odanak First Nation Chief Walter Watso — who is related to Jacques Watso — was on hand as Gov. Salmon signed his short-lived recognition of Missisquoi. “At the time, we believed their stories. We’re not denying that,” said Nolett, who has traveled to Swanton many times and knew St. Francis personally. He said he attended St. Francis’ funeral and an early Abenaki powwow that the Missisquoi group hosted. But certain discrepancies — Nolett recalled seeing at least one ritual at the powwow that he did not recognize, for instance — raised suspicions among leaders from Odanak First Nation. Nolett said the First Nation’s leaders started “asking more questions” about who the Vermont groups’ ancestors were and did not get satisfying answers. “We started getting labeled as
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racist for asking,” Watso recalled. “They’d deflect and say, ‘Well, you’re awakening my trauma.’ I was like, ‘No — keep that for the white folks. You’re talking amongst other Natives, so why don’t you tell me where you’re from?’” Watso said he feels particularly betrayed by this claim of trauma because he and his ancestors in openly Abenaki communities have experienced racist policies imposed by the Canadian government — such as limits on where they could travel in public — but members of the state-recognized tribes have faced no equivalent in Vermont. By 2003, Odanak First Nation leaders said, their tribal government had reversed course and published a resolution saying they did not recognize any groups in Vermont as Abenaki. The resolution also called on the Vermont groups to send Odanak First Nation leaders genealogical evidence of their Indigenous ancestry. But members of the Vermont groups have refused to provide sufficient
evidence of this, Nolett said. “We want to meet, and we want proof,” the tribal director said. Stevens contended that the state-recognized tribes “already showed that we are who we say we are” through the Legislature’s recognition process. He went so far as to suggest that he, or other leaders of Vermont’s state-recognized tribes, could be mistreated or arrested by Odanak’s tribal police if they went up to visit and talk more explicitly about their ancestry, as Odanak First Nation leaders have asked them to. “That may sound like a conspiracy theory,” he said, trailing off. “I don’t know.” A New Hampshire Public Radio report earlier this year said the outlet commissioned a review of Stevens’ genealogy and found no evidence he is Indigenous. Stevens did not return requests for an interview for that story but, according to the outlet, furnished documents he said “come from the Vermont State Archives” and “describe some of his family members from the 19th
century as presumed to be ‘Indian.’ He showed the same documents to VTDigger during an interview in June at his home in Shelburne. Asked about the NHPR story, Stevens said the news outlet cherry-picked scholars to prove a point, and he maintained that he is Abenaki. Asked which scholars a reporter should talk to instead, Stevens wavered, saying, “I don’t know. I haven’t sought them out.” Questions about his and other Vermonters’ identities are a racist double standard, he told VTDigger. “Nobody’s going to walk up to an African American person and say, ‘Let me see that you’re from Africa,’” he said. “We’re being put under a microscope for things that other races don’t have to be put under.” Look for Part 2 of this article in next week’s edition of the Observer. Savannah Maher, a member of the Indigenous Journalists Association’s board of directors, served as a contributing editor of this story.
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“We were grateful for that because it was impacting the parking and the logistics of arrival and pickup,” Williston Lead Principal Greg Marino said. While Marino anticipates the unit to be a fixture at the prekindergarten-through-second-grade school for years, there is hope that the community will eventually invest in an expansion of the school. Champlain Valley School District administrators have already worked with an architect to study expansion possibilities. “This is not meant to be a longterm solution,” Marino said. Champlain Valley School District Chief Operations Officer Gary Marckres plans to convene a committee after Town Meeting
Day in March representing each of the district’s five towns to assess and prioritize the district’s school building needs. The school board will then be asked to create a 10-year capital plan, he said. “We are working hard to make sure we
“We’ll be ready for additional classroom spaces out there should we need to pivot to that.” Angela Filion ABS Principal
understand what the longterm needs are for the future of our district,” school board vice chair Meghan Metzler said.
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receiving fewer state education dollars. The upcoming fiscal year’s budget is the first to be affected by the new formula. “The impact of Act 127 on our tax rate is outsized compared to many other districts, and it will impact us negatively,” school board finance committee chair Meghan Metzler said at a budget forum in October. Although the district’s spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year has not yet been released, the community can expect it to result in a 5 percent tax rate increase, according to Chief Operations Officer Gary Marckres. “A higher tax rate will be needed to maintain the same level of service,” he said. Act 127 mitigates the effects of the education fund redistribution with a 5 percent tax rate increase cap annually over the next five years, Marckres said. The budget will be up for voter approval at Town Meeting Day in March. The loss of state education funds is compounded by the simultaneous sunsetting of federal pandemic relief funds.
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The multi-million-dollar influx over the past three years has resulted in the addition of 18 support staff positions in the school district — social workers, counselors, interventionists and summer school teachers. District administrators plan to decide by early December which positions to cut. “We’ll have to look at eliminating those that aren’t high payoff (positions), or we’ll have to offset them with other reductions if we want to keep them,” Marckres said. Administrators are requiring that any new funding or staff requests be offset by equal reductions elsewhere in the budget. “Act 127 — this reduction in funds — will require some really difficult decisions,” Marckres said. The board will receive a draft of the budget at its Nov. 28 meeting and hold meetings on the proposal throughout December and early January. Board members are expected to approve a budget proposal for Town Meeting Day consideration by the end of January. “We do have a lot of challenges coming our way,” Metzler said. “We are ready to work through it together, and we need community support and feedback on the best way to do it.”
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November 16, 2023
46 (23)
Next Week: Our states: New York
Issue 46, 2023
Founded by Betty Debnam
Mini Fact:
Ben Franklin admired the wild turkey so much that he thought it should be our national bird.
Who’s a Turkey? photo © National Wild Turkey Federation
Is turkey on your menu this week? Turkey is an American tradition for Thanksgiving meals. Spanish explorers discovered turkeys in Mexico in 1571. They carried them back to Europe, so the Pilgrims were familiar with turkeys when they arrived in North America. A Pilgrim leader wrote about their Thanksgiving feast in 1621: “Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling.” That means they went out hunting for birds such as ducks, geese or turkeys.
Turkey meat
Most of us will eat the meat of a domestic (doh-MEHStick) turkey. Domestic turkeys can’t fly or Domestic turkeys are usually raised in pens and run very fast. They fed corn and other make more noise by are feed mixes. Most have gobbling than wild white feathers. turkeys. The leading domestic turkey-producing states are North Carolina and Minnesota.
Wild turkeys
In the early 1900s, there were only 30,000 wild turkeys in North America. Today, there are nearly 7 million. State and national wildlife groups have worked to protect the bird and its habitat. Hunting wild turkeys is a popular sport.
Wild turkey fact-a-roonies
• Wild turkeys can hear very well, although they don’t have any ears that stick out. They see well during the daytime, but not at night. • Wild turkeys can fly as fast as 55 miles per hour for short distances. They can walk as fast as 20 miles per hour. • Male turkeys are toms or gobblers. Females are hens. Babies are poults.
• Turkeys have 5,000 to 6,000 feathers. When he wants to show off to attract a mate, a tom turkey spreads out his tail feathers and struts. • Poults eat berries, seeds and insects. Adults eat acorns, insects and small reptiles.
Audubon’s birds
John James Audubon knew birds. He was one of the best artists ever to draw birds in natural, lifelike settings. It took him many years to create his “Birds of America” folio. (In this case, folio refers to a book with oversized pages.) In the folio were 435 watercolor images of 1,065 birds of 489 different species. The first bird in Audubon’s book was the wild turkey. Audubon wrote: “The great size The pages in Audubon’s folio and beauty measured 26 1/2 inches wide and 39 1/2 inches high. of the Wild Turkey, its value as a delicate and prized article of food … render (make) it one of the most interesting of birds … in the United States.” Audubon’s folio was published between 1827 and 1838.
Resources On the Web:
• bit.ly/MPturkeycalls • After a hen has mated, she starts looking for a place thick with plants so she can hide the shallow nest she will scrape out of the ground to lay her eggs in.
At the library:
• “This Strange Wilderness: The Life and Art of John James Audubon” by Nancy Plain
The Mini Page® © 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication
Try ’n’ Find
Mini Jokes
Words that remind us of turkeys are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: AUDUBON, BIRDS, DINNER, DOMESTIC, FEATHERS, FOLIO, GOBBLER, HABITAT, HEN, HUNT, NEST, PILGRIM, POULT, ROOST, SPANISH, SPECIES, THANKSGIVING,
Q U E S Q H B I H D U L N I
U Y E K R U T
S R E H T A E
T P O U L T S D R I B E L B B O G N D C B L P O L C D S O I H M T N U I G S E B N F I A E T M P R I U N O R T S C A X O C D E L G I T N B N O E U R I L B
Tom: When is it fun to serve a rubber turkey? Tanya: On Pranksgiving!
Eco Note Countless millions of wild birds across Asia, Africa, Europe and the
there are nearly 7 million. State and national wildlife groups have worked to protect the bird and its habitat. Hunting wild turkeys is a popular sport.
• After a hen has mated, she starts looking for a place thick with plants so she can hide the shallow nest she will scrape out of the ground to lay her eggs in.
At the library:
• “This Strange Wilderness: The Life and Art of John James Audubon” by Nancy November 16, 2023 • Williston Observer • Page 17 Plain
The Mini Page® © 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication
Try ’n’ Find
Mini Jokes
Words that remind us of turkeys are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: AUDUBON, BIRDS, DINNER, DOMESTIC, FEATHERS, FOLIO, GOBBLER, HABITAT, HEN, HUNT, NEST, PILGRIM, POULT, ROOST, SPANISH, SPECIES, THANKSGIVING, TOM, TURKEY, WILD.
Q U U S E S Y R Q H E E B I K H H D R T U L U A N I T E T W M F T O M S D E H G
Tom: When is it fun to serve a rubber turkey? Tanya: On Pranksgiving!
T P O U L T S D R I B E L B B O G N D C B L P O L C D S O I H M T N U I G S E B N F I A E T M P R I U N O R T S C A X O C D E L G I T N B N O E U R I L B I G E N S P A X O I A R H G Q T S K P D P H N I V I G S K N A H T
Eco Note Countless millions of wild birds across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas have been killed over the past three years by a highly infectious strain of bird flu, which now threatens to reach Antarctica. Peru and Chile have already reported more than a half-million seabirds and 25,000 sea lions killed by the virus. Of particular concern are the more than 100 million birds that breed on Antarctica and its nearby islands, including large populations of emperor penguins. Antarctica and Australia are the only continents where avian influenza has yet to arrive.
Cook’s Corner • 1 (32-ounce) container beef broth • 1/2 pound lean ground turkey, cooked • 1 1/2 teaspoons marjoram • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
What to do: 1. In a large pot, heat olive oil and cook carrots and onion until they begin to soften. 2. Add chopped tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the beans, broth, turkey and spices. 3. Bring mixture to a boil again, then simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with bread or crackers. Serves 4.
adapted with permission from Earthweek.com The Mini Page® © 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication
You’ll need: • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced crosswise • 1 1/2 cups chopped red onion • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice • 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
* You’ll need an adult’s help with this recipe.
Turkey Vegetable Soup
For later:
Look in your newspaper for Thanksgiving turkey recipes.
Teachers: Follow and interact with The Mini Page on Facebook!
Page 18
• Williston Observer • November 16, 2023
SAVVY SENIOR Seniors can get help paying for everyday needs By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior, What types of programs are available to help seniors struggling with their everyday bills, and how do I go about finding
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them? Since I lost my husband last year, my Social Security survivor benefit is barely enough to get by on. Searching Senior Dear Searching, I’m very sorry for your loss, but you’ll be happy to know that there are dozens of different financial assistance programs and government benefits that may be able to help you with your everyday costs. To locate these types of programs, your best resource is www. BenefitsCheckUp.org. This is a free, confidential online screening tool designed for older adults and people with disabilities. It will help you find federal, state and local benefits programs that can assist with paying for food, utilities, health care, medications, housing and many other needs. This site – created by the National Council on Aging in 2001 – contains nearly 2,000 programs across the country. To identify benefits, you’ll first need to type in your ZIP code and choose the types of benefits you’re interested in. Then you’ll need to answer a few questions regarding your personal and financial situation. Once completed, you’ll get a list of programs to choose from, followed by a personalized report that explains each program, and tells you where you can get help or how to apply. If you need some assistance or
you don’t have internet access, you can always speak with a benefits support specialist by calling 800794-6559. You can also get help in person at any of the 85 Benefit Enrollment Centers located across 41 states. See www.NCOA.org/ article/meet-our-benefits-enrollment-centers to search for a center in your area. TYPES OF BENEFITS
Here are a few of the many different benefits you may be eligible for, depending on your income level, location and circumstances. Nutrition assistance: Programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can help pay for food at the grocery store. The average SNAP benefit for 60-and-older households is around $105 per month. Some other nutrition programs that are available to seniors include the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Utility assistance: There’s the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that provides assistance in lowering home heating and cooling costs. And for broadband assistance, the Affordable Connectivity Program provides a $30 monthly subsidy that can be applied toward your home internet costs. Health care and medicine: Medicare Savings Programs and Medicaid can help, or complete-
ly, pay for seniors’ out-of-pocket health care costs. And for assistance with medications, there’s a low-income subsidy program called “Extra Help” that helps pay premiums, deductibles and co-payments on Medicare (Part D) prescription drug coverage. You can also search for prescription drug help through patient assistance programs or your state pharmaceutical assistance program at www.Medicare.gov. Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Administered by the Social Security Administration, SSI (see www.ssa.gov/ssi) provides monthly payments to very low-income seniors, age 65 and older, as well as to those who are blind and disabled. SSI pays up to $914 per month for a single person and up to $1,371 for couples. In addition to these benefits, there are dozens of other programs that BenefitsCheckUp.org can help you identify, like housing assistance, property tax reduction, home weatherization assistance, tax relief, veterans benefits, senior transportation, caregiving support, free legal assistance, disability services, job training and more. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
November 16, 2023 •
Williston Observer •
Page 19
CROSSWORD • SOLUTION ON PAGE 23
TODAY’S HISTORY:
• In 1801, the first New York Post newspaper was published. • In 1841, the first underwater tunnel was completed beneath the Thames River in London. • In 1907, Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th U.S. state. • In 1914, the Federal Reserve System of the United States officially opened. • In 1973, President Richard Nixon signed legislation authorizing the construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
TODAY’S FACT:
• The $5 bill is the U.S. currency with the shortest life span, lasting an average of 4.7 years in circulation.
SUDOKU • SOLUTION ON PAGE 23
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• Williston Observer • November 16, 2023
Dorothy (Dot) Hannigan
Dorothy (Dot) Hannigan of Williston, VT died Nov. 5, 2023 at McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester. Dorothy was the daughter of the late Daniel and Bernice Hadley Larned. She was born and raised in Jonesville and graduated from Richmond High School in 1948. Dot married Robert Liberty in 1948 and for several years they operated a trucking business until his death in 1962 in Essex Junction. In 1965 she married Jordan Hannigan who passed away in 1979. After working 22 years for IBM and retiring as a manager, Dot spent the rest of her years as a seamstress for assisted living homes and enjoyed gardening and doing puzzles with her family. Dorothy is survived by two sons, Robert D. Liberty and his wife Susan of Leister; Brian Liberty and his wife Linda of Texas; two daughters Cyndi Knaepen and husband Scott and Kathy Lothian and husband Brian of Essex Junction. She also leaves behind a sister-in-law and best friend Marie Liberty. Dot’s only sister, Virginia Verchereau, pre-deceased her in 2010. She also leaves behind 12 grandchildren and several great grandchildren, as well as her loving companion of 43 years, James
OBITUARIES E. Martin. The family would like to extend a huge thank you to all of the Hospice Home Care providers, especially to Judy and Ezra who went above and beyond in assisting in the final days, as well as the McClure Miller Respite House where she received the highest quality of care, respect and compassion in her final days and hours with her family members by her side. There will be no funeral services or visiting hours per Dot’s request. Committal services are to be at a later date. Dot’s wishes were to be cremated and buried in Richmond next to her father and mother. In lieu of flowers, Dot requested that donations be made to the McClure Miller Respite House, 3113 Roosevelt Highway, Colchester, VT 05446.
Harold Dean Ponto
Harold Dean Ponto, 91, of Williston, VT, passed away on Nov. 3, 2023. Born Oct. 26, 1932, in Rutland, Harold was a jack of all trades and a master of them all. As one of fifteen children, he possessed a remarkable ability to tackle any task with laughter and love. Harold’s love for his family was evident, and he never hesitated to lend a helping hand (or his opinion!). We
were all fortunate to have shared our lives with him. Harold is survived by his wife of 41 years, Gail Ponto, their daughter, Lynne Ponto-Rodriguez, and granddaughter, Isabella Rodriguez. He is also survived by his son Anthony (Barb) Ponto, Denise (Kevin) Carter, Michelle (Brian) Davenport, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Marion Ponto, as well as four brothers and four sisters. Harold proudly served in the Army, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to his country. Throughout his career, he owned multiple businesses, including a service station in Rutland, VT. Additionally, Harold provided towing services for the State Police for many years. A funeral mass was held in Harold’s honor. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at St. John Vianney Church. Ready Funeral and Cremation Services in South Burlington, VT, is assisting the family. To send online condolences, please visit www.readyfuneral.com. The family would like to give special thanks to the University of Vermont Medical Center McClure 6 nursing staff, social workers, palliative care team, and spiritual care team. Also deep gratitude to his primary care provider, Rick Dooley, and his nurse, Julia, for always being a supportive team, and especially for making sure that Harold’s wishes for endof-life care were honored. They would also like to thank the Williston EMS and Fire Department for their many visits to the home, tender care with Harold in all of his transports to the hospital, and for trading jokes back-and-forth with Harold, as that was his nature. Harold Dean Ponto will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him. His
legacy of love, laughter and unmatched generosity will forever be cherished.
LeRoy Vidrine
LeRoy Vidrine, 89, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family. LeRoy was born in a little town called Pine Prairie in central Louisiana. He loved fishing in the bayou, playing baseball and hanging out with friends. He graduated from Pine Prairie High School in 1952 and enlisted in the US Army. He served one year at Fort Bliss, El Paso, in the electronics school and then spent two years in Maryland working for the Army. LeRoy then enrolled in the Engineering Program at Louisiana State University on the GI Bill, graduating in 1960. LeRoy went to work for Westinghouse, and during a ski vacation in Quebec, he picked up a woman who was hitch-hiking with her skis. This was Louise Picard, who was practicing nursing in Canada. They were married in 1962 in Quebec City. LeRoy and Louise moved to Baltimore, and had their first child, Sylvie Vidrine, in 1964. The family then moved to California for a year, and had their second child, Jerry Vidrine. In 1966, LeRoy got a job as an Electrical Engineer at G.E. in Burlington, and worked there until 1995. The family enjoyed boat-
ing and fishing on Lake Champlain, playing tennis, and skiing at Bolton Valley. They regularly took trips to Louisiana and Quebec to see family. LeRoy knew how to cook delicious Cajun food and also enjoyed playing poker and tennis with his friends. He was famous for being able to fix ANYTHING, and when the job was complete, he would declare “that’s a Cajun Patent Pending!” In 1995, LeRoy and Louise moved to St. Albans. In 1999, LeRoy welcomed his first granddaughter, Shea Dunlop, and in 2001, his second granddaughter, Rowan Dunlop. LeRoy played a huge role in his grandkids’ lives — they went ice fishing, tapped trees for maple syrup, and he made the kids cup after cup of “café-aulait” — a little coffee and a LOT of whipped cream. In 2006, LeRoy and Louise moved to Williston. As his grandkids got older, going from Hinesburg Community School to CVU, LeRoy regularly boasted of “Grandpapa’s Taxi Service”. He often brought the kids to their dance classes and attended all of their plays and recitals. LeRoy is survived by his wife of 60 years, Louise Picard Vidrine; their two children and families: Sylvie Vidrine, her husband Brian Dunlop, and their children Shea Dunlop and Rowan Dunlop; Jerry Vidrine and his dog Stevie; and his brothers Don Vidrine, Tim Vidrine and sister Mary Ann Vidrine. The family will have a private gathering in LeRoy’s memory. The family would like to extend their sincere thanks to the staff at UVM Medical Center ICU for their compassionate and extraordinary care of LeRoy. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Critical Care Nursing Fund at the UVM Medical Center by mail at 5th Floor St. Joseph’s, 1 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT 05401, or online at give.uvmhealth.org/medcenter.
S H O P • E AT
S P E N D • E N J OY
Williston
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November 16, 2023 •
ADULT PROGRAMS DOG TRAINING
INSTRUCTORS WANTED Do you have a talent or skill that you would like to share with others? If so, the rec department is accepting proposals for new programs and/or camps from people who have a talent to share or want to give to the community by being an instructor. Consider becoming an instructor and offering an ongoing program at The R.E.C. Zone or a program with 6-8 week sessions. We are always looking for people with a talent to share. We are currently looking for a senior fitness instructor, a yoga instructor and people who can teach art, dance, fly-tying, crafts, jewelry, writing, flower arranging and educational programs.
THE R.E.C. ZONE 94 Harvest Lane, Williston GET FIT W/JAZZY
18-plus. Wednesdays, 5:456:30 p.m. $10 per class. Instructor: Jazmin Averbuck JAZZERCISE CARDIO SCULPT
Age 50-plus. Mondays and/ or Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. $25 per class; class passes: five for
$99, 10 for $180. Instructor: Kit Sayers RETRO DANCE CARDIO & CORE
Age 50-plus. Wednesdays, 4:45-5:45 p.m. $5 per class. Instructor: Jazmin Averbuck TAI CHI SUN
Age 50-plus. Thursdays, 12:30-1:45 p.m. Free. Instructor: Chris Curtis
Age 18-plus. Dog Training Basics and Dog Training Beyond Basics programs start Nov. 30. Instructor: Deb Helfrich THERAPY DOG ACADEMY
Age 18-plus. This six-week course gives dogs and handlers the necessary skills for not only passing the therapy dog test, but also working successfully as a therapy dog team. The program stars Nov. 30. Instructor: Deb Helfrich PICKUP BASKETBALL PROGRAMS
FAMILY PROGRAMS SNOWMOBILE SAFETY COURSE
Age 12-plus. This in-person course will provide the opportunity to earn the certification necessary to legally operate on Vermont’s Statewide Snowmobile Trails System. State law requires that all Vermont snowmobile operators born after July 1, 1983, must take and pass a state-approved snowmobile safety course before operating on Vermont Trails. Registration deadline is Nov. 27. The course is Dec. 2, 9 a.m.3 p.m. Lunch is provided. Cost is $10 per person. The program will be held in the Shelburne Town Municipal Center. Instructor: Richard Spitzer
There are programs for Men’s 20-plus, Men’s 30-plus, and Women’s 19-plus. Programs meet once a week October through May. Register at www.willistonrec.org.
program meets on Saturdays in January and February. Instructors: Rec Department staff GRADE 1-2 BASKETBALL
This program provides the opportunity for youngsters to learn the game, improve their skills and enjoy playing. This program meets on Saturdays in January and February. One-hour sessions will consist of a practice and scrimmage time. Parent volunteers are needed to coach teams. Sign up to coach when registering your child. GRADE 3-4 BASKETBALL
There are separate boys and girls programs offered if numbers allow. The programs provide the opportunity for youngsters to play and improve their skills. The programs meet twice a week for one
Williston Observer •
Page 21
hour each time, with one practice and one game. Parent volunteers are needed to coach. Sign up to coach when registering your child. GRADE 5-6 BASKETBALL
There will be separate boys’ and girls’ leagues offered if numbers allow. The leagues meet twice a week for one hour each time, with one practice and one game. Teams play in a league with other town rec departments. Parent volunteers are needed to coach. Sign up to coach when registering your child. GRADE 7-8 BASKETBALL
Teams meet twice a week for one hour each time, with one practice and one game. Teams play in a league with other town rec departments. Parent volunteers are needed to coach. Sign up to coach when registering your child.
YOUTH PROGRAMS LEARN TO SKI/RIDE
Registration is open for the Learn to Ski/Ride Program. Register before Dec. 17 for early bird discount. Equipment fitting nights are coming soon. KINDERREC BASKETBALL
This is a parent/child program designed to teach the fundamentals of the game. Each week, youngsters will be introduced to a new skill and fun activities that will enhance their learning. This
30 YEARS
NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT
WILLISTON COMMUNITY FOOD SHELF 400 Cornerstone Drive • Suite 130 P.O. Box 1605 • Williston, VT 05495 (802) 578-0586 • Info@willistonfoodshelf.com For more information, visit: willistonfoodshelf.com
Donate to the Williston Community Food Shelf by December 31st, and your gift will be matched dollar for dollar up to $15,000.
Your Gift, Matched!
www.WillistonObserver.com
HOLIDAY SOCK DRIVE The Williston Observer is collecting new, comfortable socks to donate to area nursing homes. Help us show our seniors we care! Please drop off your donations by Dec. 15 at:
Williston Coffee Shop 400 Cornerstone Drive, Williston
Williston Optometry 33 Blair Park Rd., Williston
Page 22
• Williston Observer • November 16, 2023
CLASSIFIEDS HELP WANTED PART TIME FARMER WANTED — Our dairy farm is looking for
a reliable animal lover to help with afternoon chores. Weekday and some weekend afternoons 3-6 p.m. $18 per hour. Attitude more important than experience. 802-238-5781.
To place a classified ad, email rick@williston observer.com or call 802-373-2136 Deadline for classifieds is Monday.
‘It belongs to the community’
Latest steward of Charlotte’s Old Brick Store reopens historic shop BY MERYL HARTMANN Community News Service
After three months of renovating and putting on the finishing touches, new owner Jolene Kao has re-opened the doors of the Old Brick Store in Charlotte, and the first day was one to remember. Kao, who bought the store in July, is a second-generation Taiwanese immigrant, and opening day, Sept. 29, coincided with her “favorite Chinese holiday,” the Mid-Autumn Festival, which made it all the more special.
SHELBURNE Human Resources Coordinator $24 - $28 hourly DOQ Full-time with a great Town Office team and excellent local government benefits. The Town of Shelburne team has grown to require a dedicated human resources professional. Help all our staff achieve their best, and cultivate the spirit of public service in our town. This coordinator will support all of our departments in the full suite of HR routines and special projects. The ideal candidate has related education and experience in human resources work, including recruiting, benefits administration, training, and problem solving. We are excited to shape this position to the skills and interests of the right candidate. Visit www.shelburnevt.org/jobs to see the full job description and application. To apply, email scannizzaro@shelburnevt.org. Review of applications begins immediately. The Town of Shelburne is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
This new position is a priority for the Shelburne Selectboard, to enhance all of the Town’s services.
What else made the day so special was her surprise at the turnout. She had thought it would be a “really quiet, soft opening,” having only told “a handful of neighbors.” But instead, a chatty inflow of locals poured in. Kao remembered how exciting it was “after three months of being closed” to see the space as she had always wanted, “full of life.” “I’ve been wanting a place like this for like 10 years,” she said in a recent interview. “I grew up in a family business and a family restaurant.” In buying the historic Charlotte store, she wanted to replicate part of her upbringing, but in her own way. “My parents’ restaurant is a big, sit-down, full service Chinese restaurant,” she said. The store, in her mind, would be “a little bit more intimate.” If you walked up the old wood-
LEGAL NOTICE OF TAX SALE The resident and non-resident owners, lienholders, mortgagees and all persons interested in the purchase of land in the Town of Williston, County of Chittenden and State of Vermont, are hereby notified that the taxes assessed by such Town for the 2022-2023 and prior fiscal years remain, either in whole or in part, unpaid on the following described lands and/or premises situated in the Town of Williston: Property commonly known and numbered as 0 Old Creamery Road, Parcel #19098-063000, being 5.0 acres, more or less, owned by Richard W. Glenn and Ann S. Glenn, and being part of the lands and premises conveyed to them by Warranty Deed of Roy J. Lunderville and Ida Mae Lunderville, dated May 8, 1969, and of record in Volume 36 at Pages 280-282 of the Town of Williston Land Records. Said lands and/or premises will be sold at a public auction at the Williston Town Office, 7900 Williston Road, Williston, Vermont, on Tuesday the 12th day of December 2023, at One o’clock in the afternoon (1:00 p.m.), to discharge such taxes with costs, unless the same are previously paid. Information regarding the amount of taxes due may be obtained at the offices of Stitzel, Page & Fletcher, P.C., P.O. Box 1507, Burlington, Vermont 054021507, (802) 6602555. DATED at Williston, in the County of Chittenden and State of Vermont, this 12th day of October 2023. Erik Wells Delinquent Tax Collector Town of Williston, Vermont
Customers que-up inside the Old Brick Store in Charlotte PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
en steps on Ferry Road and into the front door in recent weeks, you probably noticed a fresh stack of sugary Shelburne Farms apple cider donuts at the front counter, a fall tradition of the previous store owners Kao wanted to continue. Kao’s mindset coming into owning the store was “not to take away from the things people are used to but add to them and put my own touches,” she said. During the three months of renovations, she said, she wanted to keep the old charm of a building so iconic in town. So the new additions to the structure aim to highlight its history. Lights in the shelves both show off the products for sale and spotlight the old brickwork inside. Kao said she wanted to create a place for people to come to and feel welcomed in, just as she found in Charlotte when she moved to town with her family this past year from New York. “My partner Pete and I are constantly looking at each other and saying ‘this is the best decision we’ve ever made’ — second to having our daughter,” she said. “But really, it’s about the community we’ve found here.” She added, “Everybody is so welcoming and kind.” Charlotters also live the kind of lifestyle she was looking for. “People just take their time to savor things more,” she said, adding later, “I feel really lucky that I’ve been able to find a really lovely staff. All really beautiful humans.” She sees herself, really, as just the latest steward of the building. “It doesn’t really feel like it’s mine, but that it belongs to the community,” she said. Kyle Mariboe, who comes to Charlotte seasonally with his family, has “seen a lot of different iterations” of the Old Brick Store. Mariboe was in the store recent-
ly, his first time in the revamped building, and he said the space felt “inviting and friendly.” Charlotte Historical Society member Molly King, who grew up in town summering at Thompson’s Point, has her own history with the Old Brick Store. In 1878, she said, her great-grandfather, Sydney E. Russell, owned the store, and it got passed down in the family until the 1980s. She remembers hearing conversations when she was a kid about how the store had begun to change so much, especially from when they, the adults, were kids. The transformation of the store over the years and through the different owners is something that King grew up with. “It evolved from when you could go get a bucket, you could go get a pair of galoshes there, you could go get cleaning supplies, shoes — you could get everything you needed there, and then it started to get more towards food,” she said, describing a deli and a pizza shop. According to a 2007 article written by Frank Thorton in The Charlotte News, no one knows for sure when a store first opened at the Charlotte’s Four Corners. The first records of a store there come from 1818, when a store owned by Nathaniel Stone stood on that site, Thornton wrote. An owner or two later, in 1840, that store burned down, and “the present building, a brick Greek Revival–style commercial building with granite lintels, was built in 1840-1841,” according to the article. Meryl Hartmann reported this story on assignment for The Charlotte News. The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost.
November 16, 2023 •
CROSSWORD SOLUTION
SUDOKU SOLUTION
Puzzle found on page 19
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Williston Observer •
Page 23
In print & online: We’re your neighbors, committed to keeping you informed on what’s going on in Williston.
Puzzle found on page 19
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Brian Bittner • 802-489-5210 • info@bittnerantiques.com Showroom at 2997 Shelburne Rd • Shelburne Open Wed-Fri, with walk-ins to sell every Thursday. www.bittnerantiques.com
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Page 24 •
Williston Observer •
November 16, 2023
Phase-out of fluorescent lights to be completed in 2024
Vermont stores will be prohibited from selling all types of general use fluorescent lights starting in the new year. A 2022 law banning the sale of 4-foot linear fluorescent bulbs goes into effect on Jan. 1. Sales of compact fluorescent bulbs have been restricted since February. Mercury is a toxic pollutant that can cause significant health problems, the law emphasizes, citing nervous system, kidney and liver damage and impaired childhood development. “All fluorescent lamps contain mercury and create an immediate public health and environment hazard when they accidentally break,” the legislative findings for the 2022 law said. LEDs, a source of light that does not contain mercury, are now a widely available and more energy efficient alternative for most uses of fluorescent bulbs, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources determined in February 2022. That determination banned the sale of compact fluorescent lights by February 2023.
At the time, the Legislature disagreed that the long tubular bulbs targeted by this law were more expensive than LEDs. Upon further research, however, they found that the 4-foot LEDs
“In some cases (people) might find that the fixture doesn’t accommodate an LED and have to replace the fixture, but my experience has been that that’s very, very rare.” Josh Kelly Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
are actually more energy-efficient than fluorescent bulbs, using only half as much electricity. When the law was adopted in 2022, Vermont became the first
state to order a phase-out of all fluorescent lights. Since then, other states, such as California and Maine, have followed. Sale of special use mercury-containing 4-foot-long bulbs — for instance, those used to disinfect products or for lithography — will still be allowed under the new restrictions. “Sometimes there is no alternative,” said Josh Kelly, the solid waste program manager of the Department of Environmental Conservation. He said the new law’s focus is on mass-produced bulbs that create the most harm to the environment, not on special-purpose bulbs. The organization Efficiency Vermont is offering rebates and help for people who are still using fluorescent lightbulbs, Jason Batchelder, commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation, said in the release. The rebate program, which is called SMARTLIGHT, will expire at the end of this year. However, Efficiency Vermont will continue to offer custom re-
Fluorescent light bulbs will be banned from sale in Vermont starting in 2024. ADOBE STOCK IMAGE
bates and help with a change to LEDs throughout 2024, according to a news release from the Department of Environmental Conservation. Across the state, there are locations where residents can dispose of up to 10 mercury-containing lightbulbs for free, which is expected to continue beyond the start of the prohibi-
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tion. Kelly said in most cases Vermonters will be able to use an LED just like a fluorescent bulb. “In some cases (people) might find that the fixture doesn’t accommodate an LED and have to replace the fixture, but my experience has been that that’s very, very rare,” he said.