ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
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Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
MAY 13, 2021
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Bird bangers heading to Williston
zone around the airport where the Federal Aviation Administration requires bird mitigation. According to the airport’s deputy aviation director, Nic Longo, there are occasional incidental bird-airplane collisions at the airBY JASON STARR port. A worst-case scenario, where Observer staff a bird is sucked into an airplane engine, would be life-threatening. Seagulls are flying from Lake “It really is the safety of what Champlain to the Casella transfer could be 100 to 200 people on an station off Industrial Avenue in aircraft coming in for landing,” Williston, crossing over the main Longo said. runway at Burlington International Longo occasionally sees dozAirport for a reliable source of food ens of seagulls crossing the airat what is the largest trash transfer field to get to the Casella facility. station in Vermont. Borgeson said the trash transfer It’s a potentially disastrous station sometimes has as many as hazard for commercial and Vermont 200 birds on site, especially during Air National Guard pilots as they the spring and early summer when take off and land. Jacob Borgeson birds are rearing their young at is a U.S. Department of Agricul- roosting sites on Lake Champlain. ture (USDA) “The birds biologist workcross the southing with Casella ern end of the and the airport airfield on an to mitigate the east-west patproblem. tern,” he said. It’s gotten “It’s definitely worse over the starting to create past year as the more of a hazpandemic lockard, especially down created for departing — Terry Marron an increase in aircraft.” residential trash Williston resident The noiseand a decrease makers are akin in other food to fireworks and sources from human activity that emit either an extended 110-decibirds typically rely on, Borgeson bel screech, or a single 110-decibel said. He’s ready to deploy the most bang. Casella uses them at their disruptive tactic in the USDA’s landfills around New England, said bird disruption arsenal. Casella spokesman Joe Fusco. In Although noise from the Williston, Casella transfers trash airport is the subject of ongoing from residential pickup trucks to controversy as Chittenden County larger trucks that deliver it to Verresidents absorb increased decibels mont’s landfill in Coventry. The from the Air Guard’s one-year-old transfer happens under an open-air F-35 fighter jet program, Borgeson canopy. proposes adding 100-110 decibel “Wherever you are managing “screamers” and “bangers” to the waste, you attract birds,” Fusco Industrial Avenue neighborhood in said. an attempt to train seagulls to seek Williston resident Terry Marfood elsewhere. ron urged Borgeson to try less imTo do so, a waiver from Wil- pactful bird deterrent tactics, notliston’s noise ordinance is required. ing that the Industrial Avenue area The ordinance allows a maximum has a number of offices and retail of 90 decibels in the industrial activity. zoning district. If the Williston “With the F-35s it’s pretSelectboard grants a waiver, the ty noisy over there as is,” Marnoisemakers would be set off up to ron said. “To be adding another 20 times a day in the early days of 110-decibel noise at random, unthe program, Borgeson told board predictable times … will definitely members last week. The noise de- (be) disruptive to people’s lives. It vices are already used occasional- seems like there could be other ally at the airport itself. The Casella see BIRD BANGERS page 4 facility is within the 3-mile buffer
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Casella trash transfer station creates increasing hazard for airport
‘With the F-35s it’s pretty noisy over there as is.’
Netting a halfton of nutrition
Volunteers at Williston Federated Church helped collect about 1,200 pounds of food Saturday in a food drive for the Williston Community Food Shelf. Volunteers pictured are Ashley and Rebecca Dubois; Shelley Marshall; Heather, Dean, Connor and Trevor Lewis; Carol and Paul Bouchard; Carol Burbank; Dylan and Delainey Leblanc; Derek Allen; and Lauren Vaughan. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY.
Bringing mindfulness to class OBSERVER STAFF REPORT The Champlain Valley School District is making mindfulness practice a regular part of classrooms through a donation from Project HOePpnEr. The donation supports a district-wide subscription to Inner Explorer for all students, teachers and families in the district. Inner Explorer offers daily audio-guided mindfulness practice to give teachers and students the opportunity to practice together and encourage families to practice with their children.
The 5-10-minute sessions guide students through breathing and relaxation exercises, awareness of senses, use of thought and developing compassion. Sue and Joe Hoeppner established Project Hoeppner after their 17-year-old son Paul’s death by suicide. “Initially, our goal was to prevent teen suicide by encouraging teens to ask for help,” the Hoeppner’s said in a news release. “Unfortunately one of the things we realized is that help is hard to find. As we find ourselves further removed from Paul’s death, we realize that preventing teen suicide is more
than identifying and addressing the crisis. It’s providing tools, teaching strategies and creating habits that kids can access their whole lives. “We see Inner Explorer as an important part of an overall strategy to promote health and wellness for kids. We are excited to provide Inner Explorer to the Champlain Valley School District and look forward to expanding it to other Vermont schools.” Local schools are beginning to implement Inner Explorer this spring, with a goal of full use in all schools, kindergarten through 12th see MINDFULNESS page 4