SPRING OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, May 7th sionals.

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service in Vermont, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Composting Association of Vermont, Lawn to Lake and the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District and its Rethink Runoff Stream Team will be available to talk with.

The event is a collaboration of the Vermont USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the UVM Extension Master Gardener Program.

Questions can be sent to debra.heleba@uvm.edu.

Lawns

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Planting more native species of trees, shrubs and perennials has the additional benefit of eliminating lawn and the associated costs of maintaining that lawn. At the same time, it brings more wildlife to our yards. If this is a subject that interests you, “Bringing Nature Home” by Douglas Tallamy is an excellent book on the topic. The audiobook, e-book and Kindle versions are available at our town library.

Reducing mowing in May, and throughout the season, has other benefits as well. The most obvious is reducing noise pollution in our neighborhoods. We’re all familiar with the experience of sitting down for a meal on a beautiful afternoon just in time to hear a mower start up a few houses away. At least as important, though less obvious, is the air pollution that comes from lawn care equipment. In 2011, the EPA estimated that 5 percent of all air pollution in the country comes from lawnmowers, and in 2017, the California Air Resource Board estimated that, by 2020, the pollution from mowers would be greater than

Mower

continued from page 9 all the electric utilities also offer rebates to make e-lawn equipment even more cost effective. the pollution from all the cars in that state.

E-lawn equipment is relatively quiet, has no tail-pipe emissions and the electricity it consumes produces a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions of gas-powered equipment.

The collective impact of lawn equipment in the U.S. is huge. In fact, a recent Federal Highway Administration analysis estimated that, in Vermont alone, over 5 million gallons of gas are burned annually by lawn care equipment, which generates over 5,000 tons of CO2.

If your gas powered lawn equipment is at or nearing retirement and you’re considering making the switch, here are some things to keep in mind.

If you are part of a homeowners association that takes care of landscaping, see if your association would like to participate by not mowing a section of lawn and eliminating the use of pesticides and fertilizers for the month of May, or possibly all season.

If not mowing your lawn raises some eyebrows with your neighbors, help make them aware of the No Mow May initiative with a lawn sign. In collaboration with the Williston Conservation Commission, Sustainable Williston and the Williston Energy Committee, the Town of Williston will be offering a limited number of “No Mow May” yard signs for participants. These signs will help let neighbors know that some temporary “rewilding” is going on and not to worry, as it’s for a good cause.

“No Mow May” yard signs will be available for pick-up at the Town Fair on Green Up Day, Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. on the Town Green next to the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. These signs will also have a QR code that people can scan to learn more. Since there will be a limited number

There are lots of manufacturers, and quality is relatively consistent between them, so your choice will largely depend on the different features and specifications of each item. If you’re considering buying multiple items (e.g., mower and chore tools), stick with one manufac - of signs available, you can also download and print your own from the Xerces Society Website (www.xerces.org/publications/other/no-mow-may). turer since batteries and chargers are not interchangeable between manufacturers.

E-mowers are now being used by the University of Vermont, the City of Burlington, Shelburne Farms, the Burlington Airport and at least nine lawn care contractors.

We hope you’ll join us in “No Mow May” to help create important habitats for endangered insects. You may discover that you love the natural look and all the beauty it can bring yearround.

For more information, go to https://bit.ly/WillistonNoMowMay or https://beecityusa.org/ no-mow-may/ at Bee City USA. For more information about Sustainable Williston, visit www. sustainablewilliston.org.

To participate in Williston’s energy future, reach out to your Williston Energy Committee at energy@willistonvt.org or attend one of the public meetings, held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. The agenda for upcoming meetings is posted on the Town of Williston website (www.town.williston.vt.us. For more information, visit www.willistonvtenergycommittee.org.

Deborah Miuccio is a member of Sustainable Williston. Kevin Thorley is a member of the Williston Energy Committee.

For larger yards, it’s a good idea to invest in higher capacity/longer run-time batteries. Also, consider cooperative or shared ownership. Since there’s no need for oil changes, tuneups or buying and transporting gas, it’s a lot easier for neighbors to share the ownership of an e-lawn mower.

Lastly, while e-lawn equipment can be purchased online, consider buying local instead. Most local hardware, building supply and farm and yard equipment stores now sell e-lawn equipment.

Steven Wisbaum of Charlotte is the founder of www. mowelectric.org, an advocacy website promoting electric lawncare products and services in Vermont.

Danielle Fitzko appointed to lead Vermont Forest, Parks and Recreation

BY EMMA COTTON VTDigger

Gov. Phil Scott has appointed Danielle “Danny” Fitzko to lead the Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation, which is responsible for the state’s forest resources, operating its state parks and supporting outdoor recreation.

Fitzko, who has worked at the department for 20 years, had been serving as interim commissioner since January, when then-commissioner Michael Snyder stepped down. Snyder led the department, which is part of the Agency of Natural Resources, for 12 years.

“Danny has demonstrated a deep commitment to Vermont and our natural assets over the course of her two decades of service to the department,” Scott said in a statement on Tuesday. “I’m confident she’ll continue that good work leading FPR.”

The new commissioner first came to Vermont from the University of Maryland’s Extension program, where she focused on horticulture.

“I was doing everything from turf, to house plants, to vegetables and trees,” she said in an interview. “And I really just had a keen interest in trees and forestry — just the impact that they have on the landscape.”

At the same time, she became interested in land use and smart growth. Combining these interests led her to pursue a master’s degree that focused on urban and community forestry. When she graduated, a coordinator position opened up for the urban and community forestry program in Vermont’s Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation.

Fitzko ran the program for 15 years. She oversaw projects to install trees as green infrastructure to help control stormwater, help towns develop recreation planning toolkits for municipal forests and promote the use of the VT invasives website, where residents can learn about controlling invasive species in their backyards.

“Really, it’s about empowering local communities to understand the public tree resource and to be better stewards of them going forward, and really about increasing urban tree canopy so it’s healthy and thriving for the future,” she said.

Fitzko said she’s likely to see much of her work through the lens of climate change. Forests sequester carbon dioxide, therefore providing a climate solution, but trees are also more likely to face challenges from pests, diseases and extreme weather.

Climate change has brought new discussion to the use of Vermont’s forests in recent years, with an increasing number of environmentalists urging those who manage state and federal forests to set forests aside so they can’t be logged. Meanwhile, loggers have worried for their livelihood and said their work can be part of the climate solution.

About 74 percent of the state is covered in forest, but only about 4 percent of the forests are permanently protected from logging, according to a forthcoming report by forest research and conservation groups including Harvard Forest, Highstead and Northeast Wilderness Trust. Across the region, scientists consider less than 0.1 percent of land in New England and New York to be occupied by old growth forests.

Asked how she thinks of the balance between working lands and permanent environmental protection, Fitzko said that while she believes a majority of the forest should remain sustainable working land, she hopes to find room to do it all.

“It’s a hard balance, but forests are so important,” she said. “And we need them for all the climate benefits, all the environmental benefits, and we need them also for the goods that they provide.”

A number of environmental groups celebrated Fitzko’s appointment on Tuesday, including the Vermont Natural Resources Council, The Nature Conservancy in Vermont, the Vermont Land Trust, Audubon Vermont and Trust for Public Land.

Throw back

CLOCKWISE (l to r): CVU’s Charlie Garavelli makes a catch between two Burlington defenders during the Redhawks’ 14-8 win over the Seahorses April 19 in Hinesburg. Quinn Bagnato gets up high to snag the disc. Zach Spitznagle makes a sure two-handed grab as a defender comes up over his back. Grayson Blom-Clarke flips a pass to one of his teammates.

Next Week: Plant a seed with Mom