Redhawks Roundup Spring Sports Preview
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APRIL 4, 2019
Boy Scouts go co-ed ‘Our families are very accepting of the idea’ By Jason Starr Observer staff
The Merrill family of Williston believes that the values promoted by Boy Scouts of America — bravery, loyalty, community service, kindness — are gender neutral. Donovan Merrill, 11, was promoted from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts this week, putting him on a path toward the rank of Eagle Scout. His sister, Alana, 12, would like the same opportunity. In October 2017, Boy Scouts of America announced a decision to begin accepting girls and change its name to Scout BSA. The decision took effect this year. Alana had joined a Girl Scouts troop in the Merrills’ previous hometown in Wisconsin, and found that it wasn’t a good fit. The family moved to Williston last summer and, with Boy Scouts soon to be integrated, contacted leaders of Williston’s Troop 692 about having Alana join. “She likes canoeing, camping,
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
building fires and all that fun stuff,” Ryan Merrill, Alana’s father, said. “Boy Scouts is able to provide that more than Girl Scouts.” According to troop administrator Jason Ruwet, Williston’s Boy Scout troop receives a couple inquiries each year from families with daughters interested in joining. When Alana Merrill showed “concrete” interest, Ruwet said, troop leaders began taking the administrative steps to welcome girls. Scouts BSA prescribes a particular process for bringing girls into the fold, including a requirement that there be at least five girls and two women leaders to create a troop. “We don’t agree with that, but we have to follow what has been put in place,” Ruwet said. “As long as we have the right adult leadership in place to make this happen, I think it will work very well. “All of our families are very open and accepting of the idea.” The girls and boys troops will be separate administratively, but in practice they will function as one unit.
WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Swinging into spring
Observer photo by Al Frey
Isaiah Lawlor hones his swing during preseason practice at CVU. Redhawks spring sports teams open the season this week. See our Redhawks Roundup on pages 9-16 for season previews and schedules.
see SCOUTS page 3
Trapped: Is Vermont stuck with laws that imperil pets? By Jason Starr Observer staff
On a recent walk along the North Williston Road recreation path in Williston Village, Mary Jo Childs glanced at the Allen Brook from a bridge near Lefebvre Lane. She was surprised to see a trap designed to kill otters and beavers set in the water about 10 feet from the path. Because it was set in an area her children had once explored and where dogs are likely to romp, the thought of an accidental catch — resulting in a pet fatality or human injury
— compelled her to speak out. She alerted the nonprofit Protect Our Wildlife, which advocates for banning or at least restricting trapping in Vermont. She started a conversation on Front Porch Forum. And she rose at the March 19 meeting of the Williston Selectboard to implore town officials to take the issue seriously. “I feel strongly about a need to have the town create some sort of regulation outlawing trapping in and around the village or areas of town where there is a high population density,” she said. “There are certainly places where people
can hunt and trap appropriately, and this is not appropriate,” she continued. “We shouldn’t wait until someone’s child gets hurt or someone’s pet gets killed. I think the town should figure out a way to prevent that from happening.” State of Vermont regulations allow trappers to set traps on public land and private land with owner permission. Traps targeting beavers and otters are commonly set in and around streams. Town Manager Rick McGuire noted that the trap in the Allen Brook was set on private land. Childs agrees that it was legally set.
But Childs noted that the water in the Allen Brook can’t be owned and suggested that at least the town could take jurisdiction over traps in the brook. The selectboard requested an opinion from the town’s attorney, but that was not available by press time. Vermont game warden George Scribner said any trap set in water would have to be tethered to land or anchored to the streambed, making it legal under state regulations. During winter trapping season, Dec. 31-March 31, traps can only be set in water. see TRAPPED page 3
Spirit Samples & Mini Cocktails Tasting Event Saturday, May 11 Hilton Waterfront, 600 Battery St., Burlington www.VermontCocktailFestival.com