Views of Dummerston - 2025 #2 - Spring

Art by Gary Blomgren

Volume 35 Issue 2

Spring ~ 2025

Free • Since 1990

Putney Foodshelf Serves Local Food Needs

By Hannah Pick Executive Director

Did you know that the Putney Foodshelf serves Dummerston residents? We do! We welcome shoppers from all surrounding towns. At the Foodshelf, shoppers find a wide variety of fresh produce, dairy, meat, eggs, dry goods, personal care products, along with some diet and culturally specific foods. People are welcome to shop once a week.

Everything is free, and we ask only a few anonymous questions (such as the number of people in each household, and the town of residence) for data to help us track trends. People are welcome to shop for other people who need food. There is a delivery intake process in this case, which connects us to the people getting the delivery. We intentionally keep the process simple, and accessible.

The Foodshelf is located in the Putney Community Center, 10 Christian Square, Putney, and is open Fridays 12:30-3:30 p.m., and Saturdays 9-10:30 a.m.

Fast Facts from the Foodshelf

The Foodshelf is currently serving an average of 175 households a week. In FY24, Dummerston residents shopped at the Putney Foodshelf 477 times.

There is understandable confusion, given the name of our organization, as to whether or not the Putney Foodshelf serves more than continued on page 6

Gratitude for Community Support of Adopt-a-Book Program

By Linda Rood

A Ruler Over All It Sees Photo and text by Cindy Bacigalupo This bald eagle was majestically posed by the northeast end of the covered bridge on March 16 at 4:30 p.m. Many folks have spotted eagles on the West River. This is my once-in-a lifetime, up close, thrilling moment!

The Friends of the Library wish to express gratitude to the community members who once again showed their robust support of our Dummerston School library by participating in the book adoption event during town meeting. This year we adopted 70 books! Not only was it heartening and fun to see everyone who came into the library to support us, but we will now be able to purchase more wonderful books for the library in the coming year.

Now that we have lost the support of the Community Chest, and the cost of books is increasing every year, we thank our longtime supporters and our newest contributors for your generosity. We are very happy to be able to continue this longstanding tradition because of you.

If you would like to help us, but missed us at town meeting, we would be glad to accept contributions by mail. Send checks to: “Friends of the Library” c/o Linda Rood, 668 Quarry Road, Dummerston VT 05301.

2 • Spring, 2025 • Views of Dummerston The Views of Dummerston is a quarterly newsletter published by a group of citizen volunteers since 1990, and has non-profit status through the Dummerston Community Center. Mary Lou McBean had the original vision for and was first editor of the Views, and Gary Blomgren created the original masthead art.

The current steering committee includes Roger Turner (editor), Michelle Cherrier (co-articles coordinator and calendar), Fred Lee (layout), Sara Ryan (ad coordinator), Linda Rood (co-articles coordinator), and Lee Ives Tice (mailing). We always welcome new interest in joining the committee.

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

The Views is mailed free of charge to all residents of the town of Dummerston. It is also available online at viewsofdummerston.org. We encourage people to help us save printing and mailing expenses by cancelling their print subscription and accessing the Views online at viewsofdummerston.org; to do so please email Sara Ryan at: subscribe online@viewsofdummerston.org.

If you are not a resident of Dummerston and would prefer to receive a paper copy of the Views, you may subscribe for an annual cost of $5. Mail a check made payable to Views of Dummerston, with your name and mailing address to Lee Tice, 230 School House Rd., East Dummerston, VT 05346.

ARTICLES:

We welcome all articles related in any way to the town of Dummerston, including news of town organizations, personalities, history, or activities. Email Microsoft Word documents (preferred) to: articles@viewsof dummerston.org. Typed or hand-written articles can also be sent to: Michelle Cherrier, 72 Miller Rd., East Dummerston, VT 05346.

CALENDAR:

Any (non-commercial) event you would like listed on our Calendar of Events should be emailed to: calendar@ viewsofdummerston.org, or mailed to Michelle Cherrier at the above address.

NEXT ISSUE: Submissions due: June 17, 2025 Views will be mailed on:August 6, 2025 ADVERTISING:

Rates: All rates are for four issues, however a large or small box ad can be placed for just one issue at an adjusted rate. Payment should be by a check made out to the Views of Dummerston, and mailed to: Sara Ryan, 53 Greenhoe Rd., East Dummerston, VT 05346 Small Box Ad $55 Large Box Ad $85 Information/Inquiries: Contact Sara Ryan at: ads@ viewsofdummerston.org, or at 387-0110.

SPONSORSHIPS:

Sponsorships of $25 for four issues augment our ad revenues to provide us with operating funds. You will be notified when your sponsorship is up and invited to renew. If you wish to become a sponsor or have questions, contact Sara Ryan as above.

Digital Views Available

Featuring easy navigation, clickable links, and full color. We’re sure you’ll love it! viewsofdummerston.org

Dummerston Selectboard Meetings Recorded and televised by BCTV and online at www.brattleborotv.org. (Select “Watch”, select “Watch On Demand”, select “Playlist”, scroll to “Dummerston”, select meeting.)

Senior Solutions Appreciates Support

By Mark Boutwell, executive director Thank you to the generous residents of Dummerston for showing your support for Senior Solutions. I am the executive director for Senior Solutions, and it is heartwarming to see Dummerston’s commitment to our aging neighbors and family members. For over 50 years, Senior Solutions has been a trusted partner in providing guidance, support, and advocacy for older adults and their caregivers in southeastern Vermont. The funding approved by Dummerston voters at their town meeting will help us continue offering vital services such as the services provided to Dummerston residents in 2024: Information & Assistance: We responded to 36 calls or office visits. Our HelpLine (802885-2669 or 866-673-8376) offers information, referrals and assistance to older Vermonters, their families, and their caregivers to problem-solve, plan, and access resources. We assist with health insurance problems, long-term care applications, fuel assistance, applying for benefits, and many other needs. Extensive resources are also on our website: SeniorSolutionsVT.org Medicare Assistance—16 calls or office visits: Dummerston residents received assistance with Medicare issues and enrollment through our State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). SHIP provides Medicare education and counseling, classes for new Medicare enrollees, and help enrolling in Part D and choosing a drug plan.

In-home care coordination services: We provided ten residents with in-home case management or other home-based assistance (totaling 95.25 hours) to enable them to remain living safely at home. A Senior Solutions case manager meets clients at home to create and monitor a person-centered plan of care. Based on this plan, case managers work to secure services that support the client in the community. We also support clients with self-neglect behaviors, and help those who experience abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

Nutrition services and meal programs: We partnered with Brattleboro Senior Meals at the Gibson-Aiken Center and Evening Star Grange #154 to provide more than 1410 nutritious home-delivered or congregate meals. Senior Solutions administers federal and state funds to local organizations to supplement their operating costs for these meal programs.

The funds we provide do not cover the full cost, so local meal sites must seek additional funding to meet operating costs. Senior Solutions does not use town funding to support these meal programs and does not benefit from any funds that towns provide directly to local meal sites. Senior Solutions also offers the services of a registered dietician to older adults and to local meal sites.

Volunteer visitors: Our volunteers provided home visits, telephone reassurance, and respite for family caregivers. Our Vet-to-Vet program matches Veteran volunteers with Veteran recipients. Three residents received 200.5 hours of volunteer service.

Other Services: Residents may also have received one or more of the following services: caregiver respite, transportation, wellness and fall prevention programs, options counseling, legal assistance (through Vermont Legal Aid), assistance for adults with disabilities, pet care support, and home-based mental health services.

Vermont is one of the oldest states in the country, and it is expected that one in three Vermonters will be over the age of 60 by 2030. The approval of this funding highlights Dummerston’s dedication to building a community where people of all ages can thrive. Senior Solutions looks forward to continuing our work in Vermont and ensuring that every older adult has the support they need to lead fulfilling lives.

The Views of Dummerston Mission Statement

Providing reports of town organizations, and stories of townspeople and their good deeds, in promoting cooperation and understanding toward creating a more “ideal” Dummerston.

“All who read may also contribute!”—Mary Lou McBean, founder, Views of Dummerston

Views of Dummerston • Spring, 2025 • 3

civic government Dummerston Selectboard

Speeding, Community Center Among Areas of Review By the Selectboard Future of Dummerston Community Center (DCC) / Lydia Taft Pratt (LTP) Library: Tom Nolan is going to gather and present options for the building that serves as the community center and library. The history of the current state began in the late 1990s after elementary school closed. The formation of the community center board (CCB) led to a lease from the town where the maintenance and management of the building fell directly to the CCB even as the town maintained ownership of the building. The CCB was charged with raising funds, paying bills, and ensuring that the building and spaces would continue to serve the community. In 2025, the library expanded space to support a more robust

children’s program and we feel this is a good Cities and Towns (VLCT) to move forward time to review the status quo. in this area.

Speeding: Paul Adler is leading a review of town concerns about speeding on paved and unpaved roads. We are using some final ARPA funding to increase Windham Sheriff patrols throughout town, while tracking whether or not additional hours lead to better outcomes.

As with other subjects this year, there will be multiple options and possible outcomes.

Grant writing: There are myriad state and federal grants that could provide funding to Dummerston. The town doesn’t have a dedicated grant writer and we’d like to determine the best way to respond to grant opportunities.

We will work with the Windham Regional Commission (WRC) and Vermont League of

Cemetery Association Manages Center Cemetery

By Sue Miller The annual meeting of the Dummerston Cemetery Association is held in June.

According to the by-laws of the Association, “all persons living within the said town of Dummerston who would naturally desire to be interred therein, whether present owners of lots or not, and all other persons who shall, from time to time, be elected by the aforesaid Association to membership therein, shall be and continue as members of said Association.” The announcement of date, time, and place for the 2025 annual meeting will appear in the Brattleboro Reformer, as well as in the Upcoming Meetings list on the town of Dummerston website (https:// dummerston.org/). Please watch for that.

Currently, officers are: Ines McGillion, president; Liz Hickin, secretary; and Sue Miller, clerk.

The Dummerston Cemetery Association is responsible for the cemetery in the Center, whereas the Dummerston Cemetery

Committee, overseen by the selectboard, is responsible for the other cemeteries in town. At the first meeting of the settlers in 1771, three men were chosen to select a spot for a burying place. That place was at the south end of the common. In 1792 the town voted to move the burying-ground, and the selected area was part of Hosea Miller’s farm, where it currently is. It is thought the bodies of the dead from the common’s cemetery were reburied in the “new” cemetery in 1793. The Dummerston Cemetery Association was created by “Articles of Association” dated October 3, 1898, and in 1912, the town deeded the property to the Association. The Association has been responsible for the upkeep and decisions about this particular cemetery for well over a century. More information about the Dummerston Cemetery Association and its cemetery will appear in future issues of the Views of Dummerston.

Sponsors Linda Rood & Roger Turner Nick & Joan Thorndike Martha & Mitch Momaney Marcy Hermansader Lou Nelson Allan & Sally Seymour

Restricted Funds Investment: There have been a number of inquiries about the type and method of fund management of tax revenues.

The selectboard is taking time to review inputs, studying guidance from the State, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT), and the current Town of Dummerston policies.

For any review, fund control will focus in priority order on safety, liquidity, and yield with a goal of local investment (VLCT Model Investment Policy and State of Vermont Office of the Treasurer). There is plenty of guidance on allowable investment vehicles and the selectboard will account for all limitations.

In the end, funds will be secure while there may be the possibility of growing restricted funds that could offset taxes. Additionally, there is no plan to move or invest operational (general fund and highway funds) or capital fund dollars.

Emergency Communications: As a major safety concern Paul Adler will review the option of providing cell service in areas of Dummerston that have no reception. Power outages severely limits emergency communications for town residents.

Listers Updating Project Assessments By the Listers The lister year for 2025 ended on March 31, 2025. April 1 began our new year. The listers will be contacting people who have taken out permits for projects over the past year. We will need to visit to assess how far along the project is as of April 1.

Also, if anyone has removed anything from their property, such as a barn or other structure in the past year, let us know so that we can adjust your assessment.

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4 • Spring, 2025 • Views of Dummerston

civic government Dummerston Conservation Commission

Helpful Info Presented on Land Conservation and Bluebirds

By Bill Conley Your conservation commission (DCC) continues to be very active. In the last edition of the Views, you read about our ongoing efforts to assess the conservation commission’s role in the conservation of land in our town, and how we can provide education of the most value to conservation-minded landowners. In this pursuit, we are grateful to the long tradition in Dummerston of conserving farm and forest land through the dedication and foresight of people such as Bill Schmidt, Mary Ellen Copeland and Ed Anthes, and both newer and multigenerational farmers in Dummerston. The list of conservation heroes in town is long and too numerous to name.

To keep our exploration going, in March the DCC scheduled a visit to our monthly meeting from Jennifer Garrett of Vermont Land Trust (VLT). Jennifer, a fount of knowledge and experience in conservation projects across the state, gave us detailed information about VLT’s mission, focusing on conservation easements,

Sponsors John & Karen Abel Roberta Garland Orly Munzing & Bob Dunbar Mark and Lee Tice Fred Lee

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the main tool for VLT’s work. A conservation easement is a voluntary, legally-binding agreement between a landowner and a conservation entity that permanently restricts certain uses (such as residential and commercial development) to protect its conservation values, which include wildlife habitat, community/public lands, and agricultural uses. Jennifer explained that VLT’s priorities are protecting farmland and forested land, especially larger contiguous tracts that lend themselves to corridors for wildlife migration. Examples of conserved farms in Dummerston include Full Plate Farm, Sweet Tree Farm, and the Bunker Farm. The community also has conserved community/public forestland tracts managed by the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association, Putney Mountain Association, and Green Mountain Conservancy.

Dummerston is currently well situated for these purposes, but an examination of town maps quickly shows where further conservation could be possible.

Some ideas from Jennifer for possible goals and actions for conservation work in Dummerston include: (1) fostering a town-wide culture of sound stewardship and sustainability, (2) prioritizing connecting forest corridors such as the community/public forestland tracts managed by the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association, Putney Mountain Association, and Green Mountain Conservancy, (3) focusing on ensuring resilient and protected streams and wetlands, (4) supporting viable farm businesses on sustainably managed farmland, and (5) protecting public resources that inspire residents and visitors. There are plenty of other possibilities, and we welcome input on these and other ideas on our Facebook page or at info@dummerstonconservation.org.

We also plan to touch base with other local conservation organizations to see if they have suggestions for the DCC’s overall vision or specific actions.

For Dummerston landowners interested in conservation through VLT with a conservation

easement, Jennifer said she was happy to hear from individuals. She can be reached via email at Jennifer@vlt.org. You may also be aware of the Vermont Current Use Program, also known as the Use Value Appraisal Program, which allows eligible landowners to have their property assessed based on its current use (agriculture or forestry) rather than its potential development value, potentially reducing property taxes. Here is the link if you are interested: tax.vermont.gov/property/current-use. Stay tuned for more news from your DCC on ways to conserve land.

In other DCC news, Ron Svec’s talk on bluebirds in March drew a capacity crowd to the Community Center. Starting with a descriptive quote from Thoreau, “the bluebird carries the sky on its back,” Ron gave the audience a wonderfully informative and enlightening talk on the history of bluebird populations, conservation efforts to improve its numbers, and helpful hints on how we can do our part to conserve and help this glorious species prosper.

Ron has been a dedicated bluebird lover and conservationist of these feathered friends for decades, building and maintaining bluebird houses, speaking to local groups, and helping as a member of the North American Bluebird Society (nabluebirdsociety.org), which is an invaluable source of information for any of us who want to do more to help bluebirds.

Among the most pertinent facts about bluebirds from Ron’s talk is that the preferred location for bluebird houses is in the middle of open spaces, 30 feet from the edge of woodlands and 300 feet apart from each other (they are territorial). Open space discourages predators and competitors. Ron emphasized that a bluebird house set among the trees is sure to not attract bluebirds and instead will encourage their main competitors (e.g., tree swallows, wrens, house sparrows and starlings). Of the three species of bluebirds in North America, our local variety is the Eastern bluebird. continued on page 19

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Views of Dummerston • Spring, 2025 • 5

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Dummerston Cares Weighs Concerns About Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security

By Bill Schmidt I expect there are many like me who feel overwhelmed about the chaotic goings on in Washington—especially about the proposed dismantling of Medicaid and Social Security, with Medicare perhaps being next in line. This is of concern to Dummerston Cares, too. Cares exists to support the health and wellness of Dummerston’s residents. Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security are essential to the health and wellness of hundreds of Dummerstonians who benefit from these programs now, plus those who will need them in the future. These programs must continue and remain solvent and administratively stable.

Social Security began in 1935 as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to enable older and disabled Americans to survive the financial challenges of the Great Depression. Since then, Social Security has been one of the most popular government programs. A former head of Social Security said that 40% of the 70-million-plus Americans who receive Social Security benefits live on Social Security alone.

Senator Bernie Sanders said in his March newsletter that these numbers include 150,000 older and disabled Vermonters. As early as March, Senator Sanders warned that President Trump was looking to cut up to 50% of the Social Security Administration’s workers and close many SSA’s field offices. This could be devastating for Americans who are dependent on Social Security benefits. “This would result,” again according to Senator Sanders, “in the deaths of thousands of Americans who would not be able to obtain the benefits to which they are legally entitled.” All of this is very strange, since President Trump had said many times while campaigning that Social Security would remain intact.

Medicaid and Medicare were enacted in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s

Civil Rights legislation. Federal Medicaid money, supplemented by state money, is an insurance program for 72 million poor and disabled Americans. Medicaid covers 39% of the country’s children and 63% of nursing home residents. As with Social Security, over 150,000 Vermonters rely on Medicaid to pay their medical bills, according to our Congresswoman Becca Balint. The preliminary government budget passed by Congress in March contains an $880,000 billion cut in Medicaid.

Thousands of children in low-income families and older adults in nursing homes, among others, will be significantly affected by this cut, if it happens. While campaigning, the President had also said he would not cut Medicaid.

Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare need to be protected from any drastic cuts. Yes, some changes may be in order regarding how these programs operate, but they absolutely must not be eliminated or made administratively inoperable by severe staff cuts. Over the past three months, protests against cuts have been ongoing across the country in various ways, by many state and local governments, private organizations, and numerous citizens, including Vermonters statewide and in the Brattleboro area.

The Dummerston Cares Board is thinking of specific ways to work more closely with town residents to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits, and to think about how we might support people if there are cuts to

john & Lori Brunelle office fax: (802) 254-5818 416 Tucker Reed road office phone: (802) 254-9788 e. dummerston, vt 05346 John cell: (802): 579-9788 lori cell: (802) 275-7111 john@brunelleandson.com lori@brunelleandson.com www.brunelleandson.com

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these programs. We can all make sure our congressional delegation knows we support these and other helpful programs. Plus, we must prepare, if worse comes to worst. The Cares Board is considering an effort like what Cares did during the Covid pandemic. At that time Cares sought and secured local financial support from concerned neighbors to provide financial assistance to those who lost their jobs.

We hope this effort won’t be needed again, but we must be prepared if it’s called for. We will be in further touch as events develop.

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6 • Spring, 2025 • Views of Dummerston

organizations Evening Star Grange

Grange Serves Meals and Books Year-round

By Sallie May

their annual Memorial Day Program on Friday, May 30, on the Common if the weather cooperates. The program this year is being dedicated to the memory of Richard Hamilton, late of Marlboro, who recently passed away, and who was a former prisoner of war during WWII. We have set dates for our public suppers this season as follows: June 14–chicken pie, August 16—peach shortcake, September 13— chicken pie, October 25—harvest supper. In addition to the public suppers, we will still be serving two Senior Lunches a month, on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, and we hope you

can come and enjoy the food and company at the Grange. (Today, March 26, we had 140 take-outs and about 50 in the dining room.)

We are also working with the Lydia Taft Pratt Library to restart their book loaning program here at the Grange. If you currently are a library user in West Dummerston let them know that you would like to have the books available to borrow on the two days when you come to eat.

And if you are interested in volunteering at either the lunches or one of our public suppers, please stop by or call a Granger for more information.

Is it dandelion season yet? When I left church on Sunday, March 23, I noticed two little purple flowers had blossomed just outside the kitchen door; the crocuses had dared to show their faces to the sun. This morning they are covered with icy snow, but my heart is light as I know that spring is not far off. Saturday’s Sugar on Snow Supper went off with only one or two small hitches . . . which we will note for next year. We served about 260 persons, virtually a sellout. Our very deepest appreciation to the sugar makers who donated syrup in a not so hot sugar season, and especially to those non-Grange volunteers who worked so hard to confusion. Please know this resource is availhelp prep food, serve food, clean up, and wash continued from page 1 Putney, so we are working to dispel this able to all our neighbors - it’s your community dishes. There is no way we could continue this food pantry too! meal without everyone who worked so hard for The Putney Foodshelf is a three days, and we at the Grange salute you!

501(c)(3) nonprofit and relies on Looking ahead, the Grange will be holding the support of the surrounding communities. It’s the people who power the Foodshelf - the volunteers, donors, local farmers/

By Roger Turner growers, and shoppers all working together that create the culture of On the first Tuesday of March, Dummerthe place and the diversity of the ston residents gathered in the Dummerston food offerings.

School gymnasium for town meeting, and If you’re planting your garden to exercise their democratic responsibility and would like to grow some extra to vote, which this year was simply for town for the Foodshelf this summer, let officials. The business of town meeting, facilius know! tated by moderator Cindy Jerome, included For more information about a good discussion of the value of a town shopping, volunteering, or library, and whether the town should support donating, visit putneyfoodshelf. an expansion of the LTP library in space and org or email putneyfoodshelf@ services. Subsequently, by a vote of 112 to 32, gmail.com. You can also give $12,000 was added to the budget for the library Hanna Pick a call at 802-433expansion. Board chair Todd Davidson led us 3882. through the intricacies of the proposed town budget. State representative Mike Mrowicki stopped by to update us on the big issues This meat came to the Foodshelf through a under consideration in the statehouse, and the matching gift challenge and discount provided by the Bunker Farm. Nancy Alexander, who volunteers Grange prepared a soup and sandwich lunch, regularly at the deli counter, was beaming that day. with the usual wonderful selection of desserts.

The Dummerston Friends of the Library held a book adoption all day in the school library, Do you know what a CUD is?

(Hint: It has nothing to do with cows …) during which 70 books were adopted. Having spent the COVID years without town meeting, Find out at www.DVFiber.net this second meeting since then reaffirms its DVFiber is building the region’s premier highvalue as an opportunity to mingle socially with speed fiber community broadband network. our fellow residents, and discuss, debate, and Visit our website to learn clarify matters affecting the governance and more and get involved today! financial obligations of the town. A collage of town meeting photos appears on pages 14 Walker Farm regularly donates excess produce to the Foodshelf, such as this butternut squash. and 15.

Putney Foodshelf Serves Local Food Needs

Photo by: Hannah Pick

Photo by Sheena Tesc

Town Meeting 2025

Views of Dummerston • Spring, 2025 • 7

organizations Dummerston Historical Society

Richardson and Miller Join Historical Society Board

By Ruth Hoffman and Gail Sorenson The Dummerston Historical Society (DHS) had an engaging and well-attended annual meeting in January. After a brief business meeting during which Muriel Taylor (president), Chuck Fish (vice president), and Sara Ryan (secretary) were reelected for one-year terms, the program, moderated by Chuck Fish, was a discussion about how folks came to live in Dummerston. The talk was lively; we heard many interesting stories from folks born here, long-time residents, and some “newly” arrived.

Following the meeting, two persons expressed interest in the two vacant director positions, and at the February board meeting, Bess Richardson and Gary Miller were appointed to three-year terms ending January 2028. We are very pleased to welcome them both to the board; they took their seats at the March board meeting.

DHS has newly designed t-shirts in royal blue or black, and cream-colored baseball style hats; both picture the covered bridge and the words Dummerston, Vermont.

T-shirts are $20, and hats $25. They can be purchased at the town office during open hours, the Historical Society during open house hours, or by contacting Gail Sorenson, gailsvt@gmail or 802-254-9311.

The Schoolhouse is open the first and third Sunday every month from 1–3 p.m. and by

Sponsors Gordon & Linda Evans Heather & Gene Rostov Akara Draper & Linnie Jones Elizabeth Catlin & Jared Flynn Cliff Adler & Lynn Levine

D u m m e r s t o n Congregational Church s e r v ic e s at 1 0 : 0 0 a . m .

Rev. Shawn Bracebridge, pastor Office 257-0544 • Home 802-689-0753 www.facebook.com/DummerstonChurch

appointment. Please call any board member or Muriel Taylor at 802-380-7525 to arrange a special visit. We always welcome donations of historical interest to Dummerston and we encourage you to join us in 2025 as a member, a volunteer, a participant in our programs, or as a viewer of our exhibits. You

are always welcome. Find more information and videos of recent programs at www. dummerstonhistoricalsociety.org. You do not need to be a member of the Historical Society to attend any of our functions. The Schoolhouse has an accessible entrance. We hope to have you visit soon!

A Remembrance Muriel Taylor remembers her family storing food in an odd liquid called waterglass when she was young, and found these experiences on the internet to stimulate and confirm her memory: We used to preserve eggs with waterglass in the war. We bought the waterglass as a powder in a packet similar to that of a 2 lb cardboard castor sugar packet. We poured the powder into a bucket and mixed in water until it reached the right consistency. It then looked rather like a cloudy grey and very liquid polycell wallpaper paste. My mother had a large stoneware container with a lid. When she had any eggs to preserve, she simply poured the waterglass into it and lowered the eggs in one by one. Then she put the lid back on again. I don’t really know how long they could be kept, but at least a couple of months I think. (Dick Hibberd) My mother was born in 1911, and her family kept chickens. She told how, as a small girl, she hated most of anything in life having to go to the dark, cold cellar in the winter to get eggs from the crock of waterglass. It was not so bad getting the ones toward the top of the crock, but as time wore on she had to reach into the cold stuff up to her little shoulder. That made quite a lasting impression on her. (Arlene (Bodmer) Harouff)

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Dummerston Photographs Needed Do you have a photo of a Dummerston Scene?

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Photos must be horizontal and without identifiable people.

Please send photos to Sheila Pinkney at: dummerstoncalendar@gmail.com.

You will receive a free 2026 calendar if your photo is selected.

Photo by Len Oppenheim

Prepare for tomorrow, by contacting us today.

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8 • Spring, 2025 • Views of Dummerston

school news A Lesson in Maple Sugaring

Sugaring, Theater, Science Are All Part of the Lessons at Dummerston School Student-Led Conferences

This past March, all Dummerston School students, PreK-8, led their families through a presentation of their learning. These studentled conferences build students’ communication skills and provide an authentic opportunity for families to engage in dialogue with their child about their world at school and the learning that takes place every day. During the conferences, students showed their families artifacts that demonstrate their learning and talked about their goals for the future. Artifacts included work samples, and, especially in the case of our younger students, actual places, activities, and objects that form the foundation of their experiences with their school community.

Dummerston School students had a close-up look at all the stages of maple syrup production as part of their farm-to-school studies with teachers and garden coordinator Tara Gordon. We had our very own boiling operation on the Early Learning Center playground!

Thank you to family volunteers Jonathan Royce, Alex Holding, and Katie Ross Morrison for helping us make this experience a reality for our students!

Students Visit the Montshire Museum On March 26, thanks to a grant from the Vermont Space Grant Consortium, Dummerston School students in grades 5-8 had the opportunity to visit the Montshire Museum to participate in an inquiry-based workshop related to earth processes and climate science, and to explore the museum with their classmates and teachers. Thank you to STEM teacher Lindsey Glabach-Royce for coordinating this incredible grant-funded experience for our students!

New England Youth Theater Engages Students in Production of The Gargoyle’s Wing Dummerston School students were delighted to watch the student performance of The Gargoyle’s Wing this past March. Ten Dummerston School students in grades 4-6 rehearsed tirelessly with NEYT after school as part of our most recent after-school clubs session. The cast performed both for our school community and at the New England Youth Theater in Brattleboro as part of NEYT’s Town School Theater Festival. Thank you, students, for treating us to such a hilarious and creative performance, and thank you to NEYT for offering this opportunity for our students!

All photos by julianne Egan

Views of Dummerston • Spring, 2025 • 9

school news

Decades Dance and a Night of Bingo

Decades Dance Grade 8 hosted an incredible Decades Dance this past March. 8th graders planned all aspects of this experience, including choosing the theme, decorating the gym, developing the playlist, preparing refreshments, planning activities, and making sure all students have an enjoyable evening. Thank you for your thoughtful work, 8th graders, and congratulations on hosting another wonderful dance for your community!

Bingo Raises Money for Walking Trail We had a great turnout for family bingo on March 21!

Thank you to everyone who attended–over $1,000 was raised in support of the Dummerston School community walking trail!

10 • Spring, 2025 • Views of Dummerston

school news

School Spelling Bee Champs Advance to States

Congratulations to Hailey Cogliano, Eliza Clark-Nelson, and Benjamin Birchmore who competed in the VPA State Spelling Bee Championship at St. Michael’s College in March. Hailey, Eliza, and Benjamin were our Dummerston School Spelling Bee grade-level champions, allowing them to advance to the state level. Thank you to these students for representing Dummerston School at the state level!

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Views of Dummerston • Spring, 2025 • 11

school news

Say “Huzzah!” for the Dummerston School Cheerleaders

Did you know Dummerston School has our very own cheerleading team? Thanks to 5th-grade students Ida Green and Ellery Gelke who started up this after-school club last year, we are proud to say that we now do! The Dummerston School cheer team had their premier performance at our April all-school meeting and delighted the crowd with their skill and enthusiasm. Thank you to teacher Katie Legare who coaches this team, and congratulations to all of the cheer team athletes for an incredible performance! We can’t wait for the next time!

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For Larger Events Consider the Grange

12 • Spring, 2025 • Views of Dummerston

school news

Four Retire from Dummerston School

Photo by Cindy Bacigalupo

The kids enjoy giving back to a great cause. teachers with their daily duties. Lynn has served Kathy will miss the students and her colleagues, the district for 30 years as a paraeducator and Awe! Retirement is something most of us but in retirement, she looks forward to having tutor. She has been at Dummerston School for look forward to. Well, here at Dummerston more free time to spend with her family and the past 10 years, working with younger children. exploring hobbies to fill her days. She would Lynn enjoys seeing the smiles of young children also like to substitute teach at the school and see and their excitement over their achievements and new learning. She has been a great asset to how the children continue to grow.

MaryAnn Runge, school nurse: MaryAnn the classroom and has tutored many children started her career as a nurse at Brattleboro Memo- after school. Lynn plans to return as a substitute teacher and help rial Hospital and Grace out when needed. She Cottage Hospital but will miss the children found her niche and but says she will espelove in being a school cially miss the people nurse. From 1986 to she has worked with.

1988, she worked in Rita Corey, music the Windham Central teacher: Rita’s love School District, travfor music began at eling to nine different the age of seven when elementary schools. she started taking MaryAnn has now accordion and piano been the school nurse lessons. She rememat Dummerston School bers telling her parents for 31 years. MaryAnn that when she grew states she has loved Kathy Evans up, she wanted to be School, we have four dedicated staff members her nursing career. a music teacher. doing just that. All four of these ladies have held Over the years, she Rita pursued music different roles for many years and will be greatly enjoyed continuing education in college missed by both staff and students. We want to h e r e d u c a t i o n b y and graduate school thank each one of them for their years of dedica- attending conferences MaryAnn Runge and has spent the past tion and service to our and classes. She has 37 years teaching music at Dummerston School school and district. We held memberships and one day a week at Academy School. Rita wish them congratuin the Vermont State says she will dearly miss teaching music, as lations and the best School Nurses Associ- well as her students and fellow teachers. “I will of luck in their future ation and the National remember my years at Dummerston so fondly endeavors.

Association of School and am happy to have imparted musical knowlKathy Evans, third Nurses, serving as trea- edge to my students,” she told me. grade teacher: Believe surer for three years. it or not, in 1982 Kathy When asked what started her student she will miss most teaching with Linda after her retirement, Ives in the very same MaryAnn said she will classroom where she miss the students and has been teaching and their families. Melanie will retire from this Keiser, Dummerston year. Kathy says she School’s administrahas enjoyed working tive assistant whose with her colleagues desk and workspace and students, and are located outside the ever since she was a Lynn Cameron nurse’s office, wanted child, she wanted to be a teacher. Kathy especially enjoys teaching to add that she will miss MaryAnn very much. reading and seeing the progress her students Over the years, MaryAnn has teased Melanie make in their reading skills. She was also instru- mercilessly and played many jokes on her, mental in putting on school plays. Every year, making their work relationship full of joyful Kathy involves her students in a community and fun moments.

Lynn Cameron, paraeducator: Thank goodservice project by coordinating a bake sale in the classroom to support the local Humane Society. ness for classroom paraeducators who help Rita Corey Photo by Rita corey

Photo by Cindy Bacigalupo

Photo by Melanie Keiser

By Cindy Bacigalupo

Views of Dummerston • Spring, 2025 • 13

Rudyard Kipling’s Naulakha Open for Rhododendron Tour

Photo by Jeremy Ebersole

Dummerston residents are surely quite familiar with one of our town’s most famous former residents - Rudyard Kipling, who built his unique shingle style home in 1892 on the road now named after him. The inviting home, designed by architect Henry Rutgers Marshall to resemble a cross between a Mississippi riverboat and the Kashmir houseboats of Kipling’s childhood in India, maintains its majestic site “sailing the seas” of rolling Vermont hills. While the Kiplings intended to live in Southern Vermont for the rest of their lives on this land purchased from wife Carrie’s family, their stay was famously cut short by a complicated series of events in 1896.

These four short years, however, were incredibly productive, producing some of the Nobel Prize winner’s most famous works, including The Jungle Books, Captains Courageous (his “American” novel), and portions of his children’s classic Just So Stories.

The home has been a National Historic Landmark since 1993, the highest national designation available to places of historic significance. There are only 18 total NHLs in Vermont, and we’re fortunate to have one right here in Dummerston. The historic property is owned and managed by The Landmark Trust USA, a nonprofit. Naulakha is maintained thanks to a unique preservation stewardship model that makes the house available for overnight rentals, business retreats, and other gatherings. Many of our Dummerston neighbors have experienced the estate as a place to house visiting family or a location for a meaningful gathering. Once a year, however, the doors to the entire Naulakha estate, including the Carriage House, are swung open at perhaps their most resplendent glory when the magnifi-

Photo by Jeremy Ebersole

By Jeremy Ebersole

Naulakha is resplendent in the spring bloom of iris and rhododendron.

cent rhododendron tunnel is in full bloom.

The annual Naulakha Estate and Rhododendron Tour will take place once again this year on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1. It serves as the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, with all proceeds going directly back into the preservation of the estate as well as The Landmark Trust USA’s other historic properties - Dummerston’s Dutton Farmhouse and The Sugarhouse, and Whitingham’s Amos Brown House. The extensive rhododendron tunnel, added to the grounds by the Holbrook family who owned the property for decades following the Kiplings, stretches almost the length of a football field and should be bursting with beauty for the tour.

A cocktail party will also be held in the evening on Friday, May 30.

Visitors will have the opportuSupporters of the Landmark Trust enjoy some refreshments at last year’s annual nity to take a selfrhododendron tour fundraising cocktail party.

guided tour to learn about the property’s history and architecture, sit at the desk where The Jungle Book was written, wander the famous rhododendron tunnel, and enjoy the expansive grounds, including one of the oldest tennis courts in Vermont. Picnics on the front lawn overlooking the rolling hills beyond are welcome as well.

This year is especially significant, as the organization is also in the midst of a $1.25 million fundraising campaign in support of a climate resilient future for Naulakha. This important project will replace the main house’s aging cedar roof in kind, develop a comprehensive drainage solution for the property, and rehabilitate the Naulakha stable into a new overnight rental, the first new Landmark rental in over a decade. Tour attendees will be able to donate to the campaign and receive symbolic “shingles,” as well as bespoke keychains made from actual shingles. Donations are also being accepted at andmarktrustusa.org/naulakha campaign.

Tickets to the Rhododendron Tour are $25 for Saturday/Sunday or $75 for the Friday evening cocktail party. Pre-registration online is strongly encouraged, as the event generally sells out. More information and registration are available at landmarktrustusa.org/ rhododendron-tour.

14 • Winter, 2025 • Views of Dummerston

Town Meeting 2025

Views of Dummerston • Winter, 2025 • 15

The Voices of Democracy

All town meeting Photos by roger turner

16 • Spring, 2025 • Views of Dummerston

Lydia Taft Pratt Library Benefits From Funding Increases, Community Support

By Dena Marger, Librarian

Amazing things have been happening for the library this year! You may already be aware that Dummerston residents agreed at town meeting in March to fund more open hours for the library, and to add a library assistant to our staff for fiscal year 25/26.

That’s huge! Thank you, Dummerston, for funding the library you deserve, and thank you to the Lydia Taft Pratt Library Trustees for making it happen!

The increase in town funding, together with grant funds which the library has been awarded, are allowing us to provide a greater level of service to our community than was previously possible. You likely have already heard about all the programming we’ve been implementing for families with small children.

This is the project we received funding for from the Building Bright Futures Vermont Early Childhood Fund last fall. But you should know that having more open hours and more paid staff hours will enable us to improve services available to Dummerston’s adult population as well! In the coming months, Dummerston residents can observe the evolution of the library, and look forward to: Improvements in the feel and function of the adult library.

More regular programs for adults, including the implementation of a weekly Coffee Chat Program!

Improvements to our website that will make searching and using our resources easier and friendlier experiences.

In-person training sessions to help you take advantage of such resources as Libby/ OverDrive eBooks and Audiobooks, Udemy, Chiltons, and a whole host of GALE database resources.

More outreach to our senior community members.

More speakers and special programs.

All the traditional services and programs

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we’ve been offering, including our Interlibrary Loan service that allows our users to request materials we don’t own from other libraries.

Library materials delivery to homebound residents. Contact us for more information about this program.

We look forward to seeing you over the coming months as our transformation continues to evolve. We will be able to do a lot with our 32 staff hours/week (starting in July), and look forward to better serving our community!

Here are some facts that people may not know about libraries and statistics that are true for libraries in general and for Lydia Taft Pratt Library in particular: Sometimes people come into the library once and never come in again. We keep a count of people who come in the door.

Some of those people get library cards and some do not. We keep a count of how many people request library accounts.

Sometimes people come in and become repeat users, checking out books over and over again, or attending ongoing programs.

We actively encourage that behavior.

We count the number of programs, and the number of participants. It’s how we know if our programs are successful and worth our while to provide.

Some people use the 24/7 library wifi in the parking lot, but never come in the door. Some people get a library card just so that they can use online resources from home. All these people are library users, even if they rarely or never come in the door. The wifi users are hard to count.

Some families contain multiple distinct library users who all use a single library card, meaning there are more users than our card number would indicate.

We keep a count of how many books are checked out. We keep a count of how many people attend our programs. We borrow twice as many books via interlibrary loan for our library users as we loan to other libraries for their users; reciprocal service is one of the values of the library world that we benefit from.

Sometimes people come to the library and check books out, but often people come to the library and do not check books out. There are lots of reasons people come to the library, and books are only one of them.

Sometimes people come to the library to find community, and sometimes people come

to the library to be anonymous.

So, how many people use the library? There is no one way to answer that question. What constitutes a “use?” Is foot traffic the only measure that matters? Is the number of cars in the parking lot a meaningful measure of anything? Did you know that some people walk to Lydia Taft Pratt library? We don’t ask people how they arrived. Nor do we count the cars. But we do collect the data that the world of professional librarians and library associations have found to be important and meaningful. This data is how we know where we stand as an institution statewide and nationally. It helped us secure more funding that will translate directly to better service.

Lastly, you should know that the library world takes patron confidentiality so seriously that Vermont (and many other states) even has a legal statute about the responsibility of the library to protect confidentiality. For this reason, you will not find a public library anywhere that requires you to scan an ID or library card on the way in the door; we are here for everyone, even non-card holders. It’s not a matter of resources or technology; it’s a matter of professional ethics and practice.

And, like so many other nearby libraries, we do not charge the occasional person who has an address outside of Dummerston to use our library. Why? Because the good will we incur is more important than the few dollars we may have collected. (This is the same reason libraries have almost entirely stopped charging overdue fees.) Honestly, there are not more than a handful of people using our modest resources from other towns. Most of our “out-of-towners” fall into one of these categories: Resident of Newfane or Townshend whose libraries are also free for out-of-towners.

Again, reciprocal.

Dummerston residents who keep a PO box in another town.

Dummerston second home owners.

And so, we don’t require people to have a library card to enter our facility, use our resources, or attend our programs. The writer Anne Hebert is best known for coining the phrase “Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” But, she has also said the following: Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.

And so we are grateful that Dummerston has opted to strengthen its small-town public library.

Submitted photo.

Views of Dummerston • Spring, 2025 • 17

This photo of Green Mountain Camp in 1926 reveals that the girls camped in tents set among the pine trees, and they favored short haircuts, the “bob” style of the time.

Green Mountain Camp Celebrates New Director’s House and Archive Project

By Melanie Brubaker The Green Mountain Camp for Girls Board would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the community for their generous support in helping us build our new director’s house.

This project represents a significant milestone for the camp, securing an important physical asset for GMC’s future.

One exciting aspect of this new building is the creation of a secure, dry space dedicated to preserving the archives of our camp’s rich history. It’s a running joke among our current board that the “archives” of Green Mountain Camp are scattered among barns, garages, attics and basements throughout southern Vermont, a result of the well-intentioned efforts to preserve our history by the camp’s champions and supporters for over 100 years! The time has come to centralize this history. We are thrilled to have a place to collect, organize, and store these materials at Green Mountain Camp and are asking the community to help us in this effort.

Do you have old Green Mountain Camp

photos, documents, newspaper clippings, or memorabilia tucked away? We would love to add them to our archives! At this time, we’re collecting original physical photos and documents as well as digital scans of camprelated materials and photos. Please note that we currently don’t have the capacity to scan and return physical items, but we deeply appreciate any contributions to our historical collection.

When sharing archival materials with us, please include as much information as possible. For documents, we would appreciate a description of what the materials are, the years covered by the documents, and your name and contact information.

For photos, please include your name and contact information, the year(s) the photos were taken if known, and names or ages of people in the photos if known. These details will help us properly catalog and preserve these important pieces of camp history for future generations.

To contribute or learn more about our archive project, please contact office@green

mountaincamp.org or call 802-257-1751 to arrange a transfer of your material to the camp office.

Thank you for helping us preserve the legacy of Green Mountain Camp!

18 • Spring, 2025 • Views of Dummerston

New Books from Niall Williams and Richard Powers

By Linda Rood By far, the book I have enjoyed the most in the last few months has been Time of the Child

by Niall Williams (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024). Williams is the Irish author of This is Happiness, my favorite book of 2023. If you shared my affection for that book, you will surely enjoy this new one, perhaps even more.

Time of the Child might be considered a companion novel to This is Happiness, but it is not a sequel. It is also set in the remote Irish town of Faha, this time in 1962, and many of the same characters appear. The central character is the town doctor, Jack Troy, he of the three beautiful daughters that attracted Noe Crowe in the earlier novel. By now two of his daughters have left Faha for city life, and Ronnie, the unmarried oldest, remains at home to help her father. Doctor Troy is a venerable and indispensable figure in the town, and he is tired. I was reminded of some of the rural doctors that have been significant forces in our own communities here in southern Vermont. Williams observes: “Melancholy was an occupational hazard of the General Practitioner who, in rural places, ran a solo operation that came with the guarantee of spirit-exhaustion for three reasons. It had no operating hours, everyone in the parish was your patient and the human being was a creation in which human life kept finding flaws.”

It is Christmas time in Faha, and after the annual Christmas Fair, an infant is discovered abandoned in the graveyard next to the parish church. The baby, thought to be dead, is brought to the doctor, who is somehow able to revive the child, and he and Ronnie take her in to care for her until her family can be found or a plan for her future is in place.

This situation changes their lives forever. The child’s family remains unknown; Ronnie, and indeed her father, fall in love with the child, but there will be problems with the church and the government. The doctor feels an obligation to find a way to protect his daughter’s happiness, and launches an elaborate scheme to somehow keep the baby.

Mixed in to this story is the problem of the aging parish priest whose emerging dementia becomes apparent during the opening scene of the novel, the mass on the first Sunday of Advent. Also added into the mix is the story of twelve-year-old Jude Quinlan, who is “on the rope bridge between man and boy,” with a father who drinks too much, and an anxious, helpless mother. It is Jude who finds the baby and brings it to the doctor’s house, helping to bring about a “Christmas miracle.”

Throughout the novel, we see how Jack Troy is woven into this community, moving through

and touching the lives of all who live there.

This novel is filled with rich scenes of village life, moments of deep despair, sadness, and frustration, but also humor and kindness.

It could have been a soap opera of a story, but in the hands of Niall Williams, it is deep and real and beautiful, a joy to read.

There

By John Anderson I was there the day the beech leaves fell, all winter long they’d hung rattling and shivering with every gust and every breeze and every breath.

But I was there the day in April when some few modest exhalations swept clean the beeches.

And every swirl and eddy was made visible, flecked with tawny, brittle, ribbed and serrate foliar malingerers; papery beech fish flashing in a swirling airy river, synchronous leaf schools darting through racing, roiling currents.

It happens every year I have no doubt but I was there that year, that day, that moment; there to see the beech fish run.

Another great read that I just recently finished is Playground, the new book by Richard Powers (W.W. Norton & Company, 2024). Powers won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for The Overstory, an epic ecological novel about trees. This time, Powers is concerned with the ocean, along with the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. The title of the New York Times review is “First He Spoke for the Trees; Now

He Speaks for the Sea.” This time, Powers confines himself to only four characters whose lives become intertwined: a computer design genius, an oceanographer, a poet, and an artist.

The narrative bounces back and forth between the past lives of the characters, telling their stories and explaining their relationships to each other, and the fictional present of 2027 on the French Polynesian island of Makatea, a place based in fact.

Three of the characters, Rafi the poet, his wife Ina the artist, live on the island, and Evelyn, the oceanographer, is there conducting research. A proposal has come from an American company to develop a “seasteading” colony, using Makatea as the launching place. This would bring jobs and prosperity to the people of the island, but it would also change it dramatically.

The people must decide whether to allow this to happen. They have been given the right to decide this for themselves by a vote. I don’t want to go into too much more detail for fear of giving away too much of the story.

Powers has created intriguing characters and a story that confronts some of the most significant issues of our times: the warming of the seas and the tyranny of technology. He brings in the ubiquitous pollution of plastics, the battles of female scientists in the face of sexist biases, and the tragedy of uncurable dementia, but also the wonder of the seas and the transforming power of art. The most gripping and exciting passages of the book are the wildly imagined and fantastically described scenes of underwater life, as experienced during the deepwater dives of Evelyn, the oceanographer.

One of the most memorable scenes involves a diving expedition to the waters of the Truk Atoll, where one of the biggest naval battles of WWII took place, and where 250 planes and 50 ships lay spread on seventy square miles of the ocean floor (also fact-based). These were haunting scenes of destruction, where sea life had taken over, transforming machines of war into “a rainbow garden painted by Bonnard.”

Throughout the novel, Evelyn’s encounters with the underwater world and her wonder bring magic to the page. After a somewhat slow start, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, its beauty and its significance for our times.

For somewhat lighter fare, I also enjoyed How to Read a Book by Monica Wood, set in Portland, Maine. This is the story of a young woman, just released from prison, who finds her way to redemption through her love of books. I also liked Ruth Reichl’s newest book, The Paris Novel, of how an introverted young woman finds herself and a new life in Paris.

It’s full of great food, art, and fashion and a fun read.

Views of Dummerston • Spring, 2025 • 19

Helpful Info Presented on Land Conservation and Bluebirds continued from page 4 Bluebirds are not seed eaters which is why you won’t see them at your feeder unless you have a suet feeder which they will occasionally visit. They feed on any berries from trees and shrubs that hang on during the winter.

If you have staghorn sumac, try not to cut it down as it is a food source for them in the winter. For this reason, ice storms which cover dried berries in the winter are a major hazard for bluebirds. In the summer, help them out as much as possible by conserving or planting local native plants which are homes for the large volume of insects and caterpillars that bluebirds rely on for feeding their

young during the breeding season. Ron pitched the book Nature’s Best Hope by Dr. Doug Tallamy as a primary source for understanding the bluebirds’ reliance on insects, as well as countless ideas for native plantings that support local insectivores.

Ron had many useful tips for mounting bluebird boxes. Placing them at eye level on seven-foot metal posts (predators can climb wood) put about a foot into the ground is ideal.

If you use u-posts, which are inexpensive and easy to install, hammer down the prongs first so there isn’t anything for predators to grip on.

At eye level, you can check on the inside easily to clean boxes. Don’t attempt to open boxes

while mother bluebird is incubating her eggs and for the three or more weeks after incubation when chicks are growing and readying to fledge the nest. Bluebirds can potentially raise two to three broods per season. If you see babies fallen from the box, it is safe and okay with mom to place them back in the nest inside the box. And make sure to include spaces around the top of the house for ventilation! Many thanks to Ron for his engaging and inspiring talk to enhance our appreciation for this gorgeous winged neighbor of ours.

We conclude with our longtime friend and wise naturalist John Anderson on the vagaries of semantics:

Bulbils: A Curious Plant Reproduction Strategy bulbils, bedded them in damp potting soil, and left them on a sunny windowsill. They all rooted and within a few weeks they were putting out leaves. What had seemed a bit abstract when I was reading about it became real and immediate as I watched them grow .

Now that I’ve learned to see them, I find the idea of swamp candles’ small aerial bulbs to be rather fascinating. However, the terms bulbil and bulblet don’t exactly roll off the tongue. On the other hand, using a descriptive term that is normally reserved for the offspring of a mammal to describe the offspring of a plant is something I might have a bit of fun with. Imagine telling an acquaintance, “I’ve got to hurry home to my flower garden, the swamp candles are about to drop a litter of pups.”

Dummerston Notable Events 17 Annual geranium festival and book sale Lydia Taft Pratt library, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

may

The natural world is a vastly complicated place and I have a tendency, through either laziness or inertia, to learn only the common names and the scientific name of any one species and on that basis alone claim familiarity. If I can name it, I know it. It’s an easy trap to fall into and on the subject of swamp candles, that’s where I found myself. I could name the species.

Lysimachia terrestris, aka swamp candles, is a familiar yellow-flowered wildling which, as its name implies, grows in swamps, ditches, and similar wet places. It’s common. I see it every summer but I have never really paid it a lot of attention beyond its flowering. It really didn’t seem all that interesting.

That all changed when I saw the plant in late September or early October and noticed some puzzling features. In the leaf axils, the points where leaves branch from the stem, there were small, shiny, reddish-brown, caterpillar-like growths. They weren’t seed pods, they weren’t leaf or flower buds, and they weren’t insect caused galls. They weren’t anything that I was familiar with. My curiosity was piqued.

The unfamiliar structures turned out to be bulbils, aka bulblets, sometimes even referred to as “pups”: small aerial bulbs each capable of dropping from the parent plant, rooting, and in due season producing a new plant: a clone.

The idea of small aerial bulbs seemed more than a bit foreign, more than a bit unusual.

However, I was familiar with cicuta bulbifera, the poisonous bulb-bearing water hemlock, which crops up occasionally along local stream banks and bears its bulbs aerially.

Lilium lancifolium, the common tiger lily, also produces aerial bulbils; shiny, bead-like,

purplish-black growths that sprout from its leaf axils. Quite a few members of the onion family including wild leeks also produce a kind of bulbil. There is also a fern that produces bulblets as part of its reproductive strategy, cystopteris bulbifera, the bulblet bladder fern. Its bulblets appear on the underside of its fronds. Producing aerial bulbs is a failsafe propagation strategy for these plants. They produce clones thereby greatly increasing the chances that their genes will eventually be passed on.

There are a lot of flowering plants. In the town of Dummerston alone I’ve documented over 850 species. Of those only a very few produce bulbils. A handful at most. It’s not a common strategy.

Last fall I collected some swamp candle

30 Grange Traditional Memorial Day program: Concert: 6:30 p.m.; Program: 7 p.m.

On the common, or in the Grange if raining.

31 Naulakha Cocktail Party

evening; Book tickets at landmarktrustusa.org/events

Dummerston Cemetery Association Annual Meeting Meeting details to be published in the Reformer

1,2 Naulakha estate and rhododendron tour, june

By John Anderson

10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Book tickets at landmarktrustusa.org/events,

14 Evening Star Grange Annual Chicken Pie Supper Evening Star Grange, 4:30–6

28 Church strawberry shortcake supper.

Call church for details: (802) 257—0544.

20 • Spring, 2025 • Views of Dummerston PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Mailed From Zip Code 05346 Permit No. 61 Electronic Service REquested

The Calendar is on page 19 Useful Stuff to Know Smoke Alarms & Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Dummerston Cares and WDVFD are providing and installing free smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Call the DC Message Line at (802) 257-5800 and leave your name and phone number for callback.

Senior Lunches Evening Star Grange; Second & fourth Wednesday, noon. Suggested donations: in-house meals $4 for age 60 and up; $5 for age 59 and under. Take-out $5 regardless of age. For Take-out call: 802-254-1138. Leave name, phone number, number of meals desired, whether Eat-in or Take-out.

The Front Porch Forum: online at www.frontporchforum.com Heating assistance: Fuel options listed on Dummerston Cares website. For assistance, call Cares Message Line at (802) 257-5800. Leave name and phone number to receive a callback.

Firewood: contact Charlie Richardson of the Dummerston Church Wood Pantry at (802) 254-6963.

NAMES & TIMES & NUMBERS

Community Center Randy Hickin 802-257-0784 Conservation Commission Web site: www.dummerstonconservation.com Dummerston Cares Message line & Fuel Assistance 802-257-5800, email: info@dummerstoncares.org, web site: www.dummerstoncares.org Dummerston School 802-254-2733 Web site: dummerston.wsesu.org Fire Chief Larry Pratt, 802-579-9494 Fire Warden Ted Glabach, 802-384-6994 Deputy Fire Warden Allen Pike, 802-258-0100 Lydia Taft Pratt Library 802-258-9878 Hours: Tue. 2-6; Wed. 1-5; Thu. 1-5; Sat. 10–1 Web site: library.dummerston.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/dummerstonlibrary email: dummerstonvtlibrary@gmail.com Vermont Theatre Company 802-258-1344

Evening Star Grange Larry or Carol Lynch, 802-310-0799 Meals on Wheels Cynthia Fisher, 802-257-1236 Selectboard selectboard@dummerston.org Carol Lynch, 802-254-2517 Senior Solutions Springfield Office 800-642-5119 Town Garage Lee Chamberlin, 802-254-2411 Town Office Laurie Frechette, 802-257-1496 email: townclerk@dummerston.org Veterans Assistance Contact Dummerston Cares message line or email Views of Dummerston views@viewsofdummerston.org WSESU 802-254-3730 Websites: Official Town: www.dummerston.org Calendar: calendar.dummerston.org/ Local Interest: www.dummerston.com

Dummerston Meetings Please note that these meetings may not be taking place at their usual locations.

Please refer to the town web site, www.Dummerston.org, for updated information.

Town Meetings Selectboard 6 p.m.

Every other Wednesday

Planning Commission 2nd Monday

6:30 p.m.

Conservation Commission

6 p.m.

Energy Committee

5 p.m.

Development Review Board

6 p.m.

2nd Thursday 1st Monday

3rd Tuesday at the town office

Community Center

7 p.m.

PTFO

6 p.m.

WSESD

6 p.m.

1st Monday at the Community Center

3rd Thurs. at the Dummerston School Library 2nd & 4th Tuesdays, revolving locations

Historical Society

3rd week of Jan./April/July/Oct. at the Dummerston Historical Society Open House: 1st & 3rd Sundays 1–3 p.m.

Exact dates posted at dummerstonhistoricalsociety.org