Tax rates go up for Hinesburg
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The Hinesburg Selectboard approved a tax rate last month at almost exactly what they anticipated when the board crafted its $5.4 million budget this year.
With the roughly 13 percent increase in expenditures from the
town’s previous year’s budget, the new municipal tax rate was approved at $0.6285. With the grand list increasing slightly less than the estimated 1 percent, the tax rate is increasing by 4.3 percent over last year. This will
See TAX RATE on page 13
CVSD contemplates “phone-free” future
STAFF WRITER
As students prepare to head back to school, the Champlain Valley School District is questioning whether their cell phones should come with them.
The school district is joining others in the state, and many nationwide, who are wondering what a school atmosphere would look like without the pocket devices. A new committee charged by interim Superintendent Adam Bunting has been tasked to find out.
The movement, which has been causing a buzz this summer, is an extension of restrictions that are already at play within the school district, Bunting said. In all the
elementary and middle schools, the district has a staunch overarching “away for the day” policy, which states that if students choose to bring cell phones to school, they need to be powered off and in backpacks.
For the high school, he said, that policy is slightly trickier. As the former Champlain Valley Union principal, Bunting has first-hand knowledge of developing policy that encourages students not to use their devices in academic spaces.
“What we noticed coming out of Covid, which was a time period that I hope people keep in mind, was that we were actually encour-
See PHONE on page 12
COURTESY PHOTO
Polar Express, a Henderson 30 sailed by Chris Duley from the Valcour Sailing Club, was the first boat to finish in last week’s Diamond Island Regatta.
Setting sail
LIBERTY DARR
Top-to-bottom cycling route on gravel tells Vermont’s story
OLIVER COMMUNITY NEWS SERVICE
From the top of the Northeast Kingdom down toward the Berkshires, the VTXL carves a path across Vermont. The biking route takes cyclists along the chatter of dirt and gravel roads in a ride that stitches together the state’s character. Breathtaking views come after hard climbs, and tunnels of trees spit out riders into small towns.
“The whole route was insane,” said Jake Bleggi, a cyclist from Utah who rode the VTXL in 2022 as an ode to Vermont, the last state he visited in the continental U.S. He called the roads “incredible” and the people “super nice.”
The trail demands much of the rider and offers rewards. Its 301 miles are peppered with 30,300 feet in total climb — all on public dirt roads between a dozen rocky Class IV sections.
Loosely defined as cycling on unpaved roads, gravel biking has been on the rise in Vermont. “From just about any point in the state you can get on a pretty terrific gravel ride,” said Dan Hock, owner of Winooski Wheels bike shop in the city of the same name.
The VTXL both represents the trend and reflects the state it spans.
Still charmed, Bleggi recounted stopping by a farmstand with homemade goods where “you could just grab whatever and then just leave cash,” he said.
“We were at a point where we needed a morale boost, and that was the best morale boost we could have asked for,” he said of the trip with his friend.
Joe Cruz, a self-described “adventure cyclist” who lives in Pownal, designed the
route in 2020 for retired World Tour road racer Ted King. King, a Vermonter by way of New Hampshire, had been set to ride in a Kansas gravel race that year, but it got postponed — and later canceled — due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
King was itching for a gravel ride back home like the delayed event in Kansas.
So, the pro reached out to Cruz, asking if he knew any that went the whole length of Vermont. He said no.
“I think that got his wheels turning,” King said.
Cruz remembers the following days. “It stuck with me, and two days later I wrote back to him and was like, ‘You know, I think we could probably make one of these,’” he said.
Cruz then spent six weeks drafting. He started with digital maps, then drove with his bike to sections he wanted to put his “eyeballs on” to make sure he got “the right kind of texture,” he said.
To him, putting routes together is about creating a “rhythm” and a “story,” he said, “a story about your own effort and a story about the landscape and a story about the history of
DIRECT CREMATION SERVICES
Vermont in this case.”
When the route was finally mapped out, King set in May 2020, with the goal of finishing in under 24 hours — and finished with a moving time under 21. He left the border with Canada at about 11 p.m. and reached the Massachusetts border at about 9 p.m. the next day.
“It’s just a constant flow, and a constant, really challenging flow,” said King.
“You really do have to put down a lot of power to get up there and then immediately be on your toes and be paying attention as you go screaming down the other side,” he said.
Although King was a pro cyclist, Cruz encourages everyone to get out and try it.
“I want to make sure that anything that I create in the outdoors is not some secret thing for the experts,” he said. Online he’s shared about 25 major routes he created around the world, along with hundreds of shorter ones.
Gravel biking started as a “combination of riding mountain bikes but trying to achieve the aesthetic of hiking and backpacking,” said Cruz, who started biking around Vermont in the late ’80s when he was a student at Williams College in Massachusetts. Living close to southern Vermont “meant riding on Vermont dirt roads, because that’s where the interesting terrain was,” said Cruz.
Hock, the bike shop owner in Winooski, said one of the main draws for gravel riding
is experiencing the roads themselves. He estimates about 30 percent of his bike sales are gravel or bikepacking bikes.
King understands the hype.
“I mean, it’s tremendously fun. I think people like skidding around on dirt,” he said. He rode the VTXL a second time in October 2023 over three days, and it still proved a challenge, he said.
Bleggi, the Utah cyclist, loves biking because it gives him “this freedom to explore an area human powered, while still getting to cover so much distance,” he said.
“You can hear or see things that you wouldn’t hear or see traveling in other ways,” he added.
On the VTXL he encountered “insane roads and cool bridges,” along with many friendly locals, he said. People gave him helpful directions, and one woman at a campground let him and his pal sleep “in the game room underneath the pool tables” to stay warm and dry during bad weather, he said.
Since Cruz posted the route online during winter 2020, he estimates hundreds of people have traveled it every year, and he gets around 50 messages a year from strangers online about it, he said.
For those who aren’t pros like King, Cruz guesses it usually takes four to five days, though people can take it whatever
INSPIRE YOUR TEAM
PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE OLIVER
Joe Cruz, who mapped out the route, poses on a part of the VTXL gravel cycling path.
See GRAVEL on page 4
PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA A. LAZAR
Hinesburg Police Blotter
Total incidents: 55 Arrests: 1
Traffic Stops: 23
Aug. 13 at 8:57 a.m., officers responded to Richmond to assist with an emergency on Jericho Road.
Aug. 13 at 11:41 a.m., an officer investigated the report of livestock in the roadway on Hollow Road.
Aug. 14 at 10:24 a.m., an officer investigated the report of theft of property on Magee Hill Road.
Aug. 15 at 11:37 a.m., after a traffic stop on Shelburne Falls Road, police arrested Jodi Palmer, 47 of Monkton, on an in-state warrant and cited Palmer with aggravated operation without owners’ consent,
GRAVEL
continued from page 2
pace they want, he said. He figures most people find it on bikepacking.com, a site with biking routes on every continent for which he’s a contributing editor. Past riders can share their experiences on the site and post useful information for prospective champions of the route.
Bleggi’s experience riding the VTXL inspired him to design a route for bikepacking.com in Wyoming.
“Everybody’s just trying to get more people involved,” Bleggi said
providing false information to law enforcement officers and driving with a criminally suspended driver’s license.
Aug. 16 at 11:12 p.m., police investigated a report of suspicious activity on North Road.
Aug. 17 at 3:30 p.m., officers responded to Lyman Meadows for the report of a missing juvenile.
Aug. 19 at 1:17 p.m., an animal problem was reported and investigated on Shelburne Falls Road.
Aug. 19 at 6:04 p.m., police investigated a report of an individual violating conditions of release on North Road.
Aug. 19 at 6:14 p.m., an officer responded to a juvenile issue on Hickory Place.
Hinesburg’s first full-time fire chief will start job next month
The Town of Hinesburg has announced the appointment of Prescott Nadeau as the new fire chief. Nadeau will start in the new role Sept. 5.
According to town manager Todd Odit, Nadeau will be Hinesburg’s first full-time fire chief, succeeding Nick Baker, who has served since 2021.
Nadeau brings with him 20 years of experience from the Williston Fire Department, where he served as captain, training officer, and public information officer. His background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in fire science administration from the University of New Haven and completion of the National Fire Academy’s Managing Officer Program.
He holds certifications as a
about the cycling community.
For his part, Cruz is content knowing people like Bleggi get to see the scope of Vermont. “I think, maybe, they’re made better for doing it.”
Charlotte Oliver is a reporter with the Community News Service, a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost.
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Fire Officer II, Fire Instructor, and Advanced EMT and actively participates in various statewide committees, including the State Emergency Response Commission.
“We are thrilled to have Prescott join us and lead the Hinesburg Fire Department,” Odit said.
“His extensive experience and commitment will be invaluable as we grow to meet future demands while honoring the legacy of former members.”
Hinesburg’s call volume is currently near 600 incidents a year and is growing every year, with 2024 on its way to being a record volume year.
“I am excited to get to know the people in this community and work to serve them in the best way
possible,” Nadeau said. “Becoming a part of and continuing to grow the community of Hinesburg as their Fire Chief is an incredible honor. I’m excited to get started.”
Charlotte photographer Lee Krohn recently got up close and personal with some of the leaf-dwelling fauna on Mount Philo, catching a glimpse of the bustling life tucked just out of sight. Critter cam
Prescott Nadeau
PHOTOS BY LEE KROHN
OPINION
First or last — What’s in a name?
In Musing
Carole Vasta Folley
Lately, I’ve been thinking about women politicians and how they’re often called by their first names. Think Hillary, Nancy, Geraldine and Kamala.
Meanwhile, male politicians are more frequently referred to by their surnames, like Biden, Trump, Obama and Bush.
Then I noticed the same elsewhere. Take tennis, there’s Nadal, Federer and McEnroe, while women superstars are Serena, Martina and Billie Jean. Or in car racing, it’s not Mario or Patrick. It’s Andretti and Danica.
I looked further and realized how often great actors are simply called De Niro, Pacino and Brando, (kind of sounds like a law firm, doesn’t it?). At the same time, often in the same conversation, it’s Meryl, Judi and Jodie.
Now and then acclaimed women are referred to by both their names, like Marie Curie, Emily Dickinson and Mary Cassatt. Still, it’s not their last names that define them like their male peers Darwin, Dickens and Degas, (jeez, another law firm).
In the arts, Picasso shares museum space with Frida. And in the sciences, Einstein, Hawking and Tesla share recognition with … well, the truth is that women scientists have rarely been given the notoriety they deserve, let alone becoming household names. A topic for another time.
This trend continues. The Mayo Clinic reports female doctors are twice as likely as male doctors to be called by their first name. And academia?
men, it contributes to the continuing gender pay gap where women today earn 84 cents for every dollar a man makes.
Spanning a 40-year career, that’s a loss of over $407,000 compared to her male counterpart, solely because she’s a woman. That’s income that could help her pay for education, health care and retirement.
The wage gap for women of color is much worse, 56 to 70 cents for every dollar a man makes. Sure, anyone can find exceptions to the above. Unfortunately, the overall result will be the same: the unconscious “lessening” of women.
There are an untold number of women who are not treated the same as their male counterparts. Just like President Biden earned his title, so did Vice President Harris. For her current campaign, Harris has embraced the use of her first name, Kamala. Countless candidates have done so. But we can’t forget that for many women, of all professions, it is not a choice. They are part of a system that reflects society’s biased norms regarding gender and power.
In today’s news, Harris’ male opponent, who’s almost always called by his last name, continually mocks and mangles the vice president’s first name, adding, “I couldn’t care less if I mispronounce it.”
A clearly derogatory tactic, it’s a way to “other” Harris, to suggest she is less of an American and unworthy of the respect of her position as vice president.
Whether on the world stage or in our everyday lives, misogyny and bigotry is hard to stomach. One thing we can do is stay aware. Be mindful of how we address women in professional positions, especially if that differs in how we address their male counterparts.
Sadly, I wonder how and if we can ever stop the incessant institutionalized sexism, discrimination and disrespect that plagues our country.
According to Cornell University researchers, students were far more likely to call a male professor by only his last name. Further, research in the Psychology of Women Quarterly stated, “the probability of being addressed by title was significantly greater for male professors than female professors.”
Studies bear this out, showing that people are more than twice as likely to describe a male professional by their last name versus a female professional. This was true in politics, science and literature. Further and importantly, those professionals called by their surname were believed to be more eminent and deserving of an award. Simply put, this is another way our culture inequitably bestows a greater respect towards men.
Not only does this translate into more confidence, promotions and prizes for
In addition, during this campaign season, pay attention to the media. According to research across eight studies, pundits and commentators were more than twice as likely to use a last name when talking about a man than when speaking about a woman. This inequity is on top of the gendered derision and hostility women candidates usually face.
Take, for example, Hillary Clinton and the 2016 presidential election. She was scrutinized for her clothing, hair, ankles, voice and laugh. Needless to say, not one of these points were issues for her male opponent. Sadly, I wonder how and if we can ever stop the incessant institutionalized sexism, discrimination and disrespect that plagues our country.
Who knows, maybe it begins with a name.
Carole Vasta Folley is an award-winning columnist and playwright. Visit carolevf.com.
Carole Vasta Folley
School tax increases hurt, but passing yield bill the right call
From
the
House Rep. Phil Pouech
Though most of you may have heard about the increased property taxes you would receive, it’s different when you open your tax bill. It is not easy to understand or to absorb this reality.
Despite months of discussion, lots of information/questions in various forums, and multiple school district budget votes, this increase is upsetting.
I’ve been asked why I would support this year’s yield bill knowing the effect it would have on our property tax rate.
I totally understand your frustration and anger with our education funding system along with the resulting increase in property taxes. I am also frustrated and know these property tax increases, coming along with general inflation, will be extremely difficult for many homeowners. So again, why did I vote for the yield bill?
It is important to remember that the yield bill is a must-pass piece of legislation. State legislators must, by law, pass the yield bill to fund the approved budgets for every Vermont school district.
This year’s historic increase is the result of the total cost of every locally approved school budget.
This year added $180 million to our state’s annual education bill. It is understandable that the school districts voted for increased budgets. They need to maintain high-quality education while addressing higher health care costs, added student needs including mental health, ailing infrastructure and general inflation.
software purchases and a tax increase on short term rentals. Both new revenues will be put toward education funding and are projected to raise about $27 million next year.
The legislators, including me, know we cannot tax our way out of this problem. We absolutely understand we need to address and change the entire education funding structure.
Some folks asked why we didn’t approve the governor’s plan. The governor had no formal proposals to change our education funding system but did offer some stop gap measures at the last minute. He suggested we could borrow money to lower the tax increases. Our state treasurer stated this to be an irresponsible approach.
The governor did not identify what revenues could be used to pay back the loan and our treasurer was concerned this action could result in lowering our state bonding rate. Both would negatively impact our state budget.
The governor also suggested using one-time state revenue surpluses, even though any potential tax surpluses are not guaranteed. The legislators felt we shouldn’t pass a bill based on the hope for future surplus revenue.
The legislators, including me, know we cannot tax our way out of this problem. We absolutely understand we need to address and change the entire education funding structure.
The Legislature voted to include about $70 million of one-time funds to help offset this year’s tax increase, to reduce our bills. These funds were included in the bill despite a realization that using one-time funds does nothing to fix our education funding crisis, and there is no guarantee we can find one-time funds next year when we must fund all the school budgets again. The bill also included some small tax changes, which will help fund education in the future, including collecting sales tax on remotely accessed
After the yield bill was passed, the governor proposed at a press conference that we empty the state’s $47 million education fund reserve (piggy bank) to lower the tax rate. Those rainy-day funds have been specifically put away to soften the blow when state education revenues drop during a downturn in the economy.
Spending these funds would, again, be irresponsible because we would be kicking the can down the road and passing even more costs into next year’s education budget.
It’s important to remember almost 70 percent of property tax payers receive income sensitive property tax reductions. This amounted to over $150 million in 2024. An additional $20 million dollars of relief was included in this year’s yield bill. This program helps property owners who can least afford increases. More information can be found on the state website: tax.vermont. gov/property-owners/homestead-declaration.
To fix our education funding system, the yield bill includes charging a commission made up of stakeholders to review every aspect of our current education funding system and propose long-term strategies to
August 29-31
correct its deficiencies. This work is already underway.
I believe it is time for all Vermonters to realize we can’t have 100 percent local control of school district budgets and then expect the state to fund it using our property tax, a very regressive tax model. We need to look at how other states control school costs and progressively fund our children’s public education.
I am not the only one who feels passing the yield bill was our best option. More than two-thirds of all our state representatives and senators agreed this was our best course of action this year. We are required to fund every locally controlled school district budget, and we agreed that funding this year’s bill using our state credit card or by emptying our reserve fund, while sounding good on one level, was not fiscally responsible.
I realize this explanation doesn’t change
what happened with this year’s tax bill, but it is important for me as your representative to provide my thought process for voting to override the governor’s veto.
I totally understand the frustration and anger taxpayers are expressing. My family also must now budget these increases in our yearly spending. I am personally committed to maintaining high quality public schools and will strongly encourage my legislative colleagues to find the best path forward to lower our overall education costs and change how we fund them using a more progressive tax system.
While I spend a lot of time trying to be a responsible state representative, it is critical I communicate not just what I am doing, but why. As always, I can be contacted anytime via email ppouech@leg.state.vt.us
Phil Pouech, a Democrat, represents Hinesburg in the Chittenden-4 House district.
Letters to the Editor
Senate candidate: primary journey brings it all back home
To the Editor:
Primary day in Vermont was a long one for many. Poll workers, town clerks, candidates and supporters put in many hours so that voters could engage and vote. I am grateful to all who worked and voted. I was able to visit all 11 towns and cities in the Chittenden Southeast Senate District including Charlotte, Hinesburg, South Burlington and Shelburne.
It was a long day; lots of miles and smiles, lots of conversations and concerns. There was the lifelong Bolton resident afraid she was going to have to sell her home and leave Vermont as taxes and utility prices continue to rise.
There was a young voter in Shelburne struggling to see a path to staying in Vermont and owning a home. There were the many citizens who just wanted to thank me for running and offering a choice. I was humbled they took the time to share with me and my supporters their concerns and priorities.
To the point, I ran across the district all day, voting location to voting location on a beautiful Vermont summer day. I was hot and tired and ready to be home. We all know the feeling.
But, to my surprise, home came to me. I ended the day in a camp chair underneath a shade tree with a slight breeze, during the last few hours of primary voting at the Guard Armory in my hometown of Williston. I was sitting next to my beautiful and
supportive wife of 20-plus years, joking with the town clerk as she started to shut down operations, and thanking one of the last voters who exclaimed, “I’m glad I made it in time, I came here to vote for you.”
The moment was perfect. The day wasn’t quite over, but I truly was home. I was balanced and content, cherishing small town Vermont life under a quiet shade tree. There was no place I would have rather been.
This is why I am running for the Vermont Senate. All Vermonters deserve this kind of moment. I am committed now more than ever to making sure “the 14th star continues to shine bright” for everyone.
Bruce Roy Williston
Wilson is a Republican candidate for the Chittenden Southeast Senate district.
Playdate: do you ask the question?
To the Editor:
With school starting, children will make new friends, have new playdates. Don’t forget to ask other households how their firearms are stored, like “Before I drop my son off, I just wanted to check to see if you have pets? And also ask if you have firearms in your house and confirm how they are stored. I want to make sure he knows your safety rules.”
Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens.
Kelsey Pasteris Hinesburg
With every pair of Darn Tough & Smartwool socks sold, a pair will be donated to local non-profits serving the homeless.
Shop in stores & online at LennyShoe.com
Barre, Williston & St. Albans, VT Plattsburgh, NY
Rep. Phil Pouech
Camp food
State urges families to fill out school meals applications
School is starting back up for Vermont students and the Agency of Education is encouraging all families with school-aged children to “Fill the Form.”
By returning the Household Income Form, or School Meals Application to their child’s school, families can help secure important funding that benefits Vermont students and schools. The data collected by school districts and reported to the agency is used to draw down the maximum federal funding for the state’s Universal Meals program. This not only reduces the program’s cost to taxpayers, but also helps to secure and equitably distribute tens of millions of dollars in other federal funding to Vermont schools for a broad
range of education programs.
“The information collected through these forms is a critical part of how we guarantee a 21st-century education system,” interim Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders said. “Family income data is used by nearly every federal education program to provide the funding that Vermont school districts rely on. That is why we’re asking all families to do their part by returning the form requested by their child’s school.”
Beyond supporting Universal Meals, the data helps schools qualify for other funding such as “Title” programs, afterschool and summer programs, broadband access, special education, and more. The information also
supports the Agency in federal reporting requirements for student performance and helps determine how much funding schools receive from the state’s education funding formula.
The Agency is providing training and support materials to school district staff. Schools have additional resources available to guide families in accessing and completing the form. Families are encouraged to reach out directly to their schools with any questions. The Household Income Form is available in multiple languages and can be filled out online or by hand. The information families provide is confidential, and the data are securely collected and stored to protect student and family privacy.
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COURTESY PHOTO
John Patterson, executive chef of Shelburne Farms Inn, recently joined the farm’s campers to make a multi-course, fresh-from-thegarden feast.
Community Notes
Lifelong learning group hosts fall lecture series
Education and Enrichment for Everyone (EEE) is excited to begin its fall lecture series on Sept. 6 with Rodney Smolla JD, President, Vermont Law and Graduate School, whose topic is “The Ever-Changing Face of American Constitutional Law.”
Education and Enrichment for Everyone is a non-profit, lifelong learning organization founded in 1990 and open to all. Weekly lectures are held on interesting and diverse topics each fall and spring on Fridays from 2-3, both live at Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset St., South Burlington and on Zoom Webinar.
For more information, visit eeevermont.org, email info@eeevermont.org, or call 802-343-5177.
To enroll for the fall, mail a check for $55 per person, payable to EEE and send it c/o Cathy Chamberlain, 2504 Brand Farm Rd., South Burlington, VT 05403. Include your email and mailing addresses and phone number. Memberships will also be accepted at the church. Non-members are welcome to attend at the church for a fee of $8, cash or check, payable at the door. Here are the fall speakers and topics.
• Friday, Sept. 6, Rodney Smolla, JD, President, Vermont Law and Graduate School, “Everything You Need to Know about the U. S. Supreme Court”
• Friday, Sept. 13, Thomas Denenberg, John Wilmerding Director and CEO, Shelburne Museum, “The Railroad in American Art”
• Friday, Sept. 20, Rebecca Holcombe, Vermont state representative and former Vermont secretary of education, “Freedom: What
Happens to PK-12 Public Education When We Are Not Really in This Together?”
• Friday, Sept. 27, John Brooklyn, MD, associate clinical professor, Department of Family Medicine and Psychiatry at UVM Medical Cetner and medical director of the Howard Center Chittenden Clinic and BayMark St. Albans, “The Tip of the Iceberg: How Vermont Is Addressing the Opioid Crisis”
• Friday, Oct. 11, Joan Goldstein, commissioner, Vermont Department of Economic Development, “Achieving Affordability: How Economic Development Could Make Vermont More Affordable”
• Friday, Oct. 18, Sunder Ramaswamy, Distinguished Professor of International Economics, director of International and Global Studies, Middlebury College, “Elephants Can Dance — India’s Expanding Role in the Global Economy”
• Friday, Oct. 25, Matthew Dickinson, professor of political science, Middlebury College, “Forecasting the Presidential Election: Who Will Win and Why?”
• Friday, Nov. 1, Cheryl Casey, professor of communication, Champlain College, “Sorting the Spin: How to Spot Made-Up, Murky and Misleading Information”
• Friday, Nov. 8, Michele Commercio, professor of political science, director of Russian/ East European studies, director of Undergraduate Studies and Transfer Affairs at UVM, “The Politics of the Great Patriotic War in Post-Soviet Russia”
• Friday, Nov. 15, Sarah Owen, State Toxicologist with the Vermont Department of Health, “Chemical Soup: PFAS and Other Environmental Contaminants in Our Food and Water”
• Friday, Nov. 22, Richard Plumb, president of St. Michaels College, “Opportunities and Challenges of Small Liberal Arts Colleges”
Gallery puts on sport exhibit
Visions of Vermont Art Galleries in Jeffersonville presents “The Sport of the Spirit,” running through Sept. 15. The exhibit captures the viewpoints both painters and outdoor recreationists share as they explore our local Vermont landscape.
From gravel riding in Pleasant Valley to fly fishing in the Brewster River, these scenes capture the distant trait that unites plainair artists and outdoor adventurers alike: the act of finding our line in the outdoors.
The exhibit runs Aug. 17- Sept. 15 at the gallery, located at 100 main Street, Jeffersonville. More information, visionsofvermont.com.
PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA LAZAR
From photographer Alexandra Lazar, who found this bee in her backyard: “Fun fact: you can tell this bee is female because of the yellow pollen basket on her back leg.
As Vermont loses its ash trees, towns race to stop the beetle that’s the culprit
EMMA MALINAK VTDIGGER
Vermont’s environmental experts are imagining a future without ash trees — and that future isn’t far away.
It’s all because the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle from Asia, is destroying ash trees from the inside out. The beetles’ larvae burrow into and feed on inner layers of bark, damaging the system trees use to transport water and nutrients throughout their branches and leaves.
The beetles, commonly referred to as EAB, have been reported in 72 municipalities across 13 of Vermont’s 14 counties, according to the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
But the map of detections is on its way “from looking like Swiss cheese, with little pockets of infestations, to being completely covered,” said Elise Schadler, program manager for the department’s Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program.
“Eventually there’s going to be no ash left, or at least very few. EAB isn’t going away,” Schadler said.
Environmental experts say the primary solution is to control the timeline of that decline by slowing the spread of EAB. Losing every ash tree over the course of a few years could be detrimental to Vermont’s forests and pose a safety risk to town infrastructure as dead trees fall. Losing the same number of trees over decades, however, would give locals time to stay one step ahead of dramatic changes — and maybe even “give a second generation of ash trees a fighting chance” to grow and preserve the
species, said Josh Halman, forest health program manager for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
It’s “near impossible” to tell how many of Vermont’s trees have been infested since the beetle was first reported in the state in 2018, Halman said. All his team knows, he said, is that “EAB is here to stay.”
“In other states, there’s been no success in fully exterminating it or removing it from the landscape,” Halman said. That means all of Vermont’s ash trees will one day be exposed, he said — that’s 150 million trees, accounting for about 5 percent of the state’s total trees, according to a 2021 report from the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
What’s new this year, Schadler said, is that environmental experts are seeing a “boom in mortality.” Ash trees can take up to three years to show symptoms of infestation, and up to five years to die
from those symptoms, she said — which means the trees first infested in Vermont are starting to die en masse.
The loss of ash trees could have serious impacts on Vermont’s ecosystems, said Emily May, pollinator conservation biologist at the Xerces Society, an international nonprofit that advocates for the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. Nearly 250 species of insects, moths and butterflies across the country rely on ash trees as a source of food, she said, and numerous other species use the trees for habitat.
Vermont’s urban forests — the trees that line streets, sidewalks and parks — will also be affected, Schadler said.
“Street trees truly define a neighborhood and losing them — especially one as prominent as ash — can entirely change the charac-
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PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
Arborist Greg Ranallo and one of the ash trees he has recently treated against the emerald ash borer in Shelburne on July 19. Ranallo favors treating the trees to curb the spread of the invasive pest rather than cutting them down.
PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
One of the ash trees in Shelburne that arborist Greg Ranallo has recently treated against the emerald ash borer.
Diamond Island Regatta smooth sailing despite Debby
The remnants of Hurricane Debby rampaged through the Champlain Valley on Friday, August 9, bringing heavy rain and high winds, with gusts as high as 65 knots. At Point Bay Marina in Charlotte, a sailboat was blown off its mooring into the marsh, and another was dismasted. Tens of thousands of Vermonters, and the marina, were without power as of Friday night, an outage that continued well into the weekend. Downed trees and flooding closed many roads.
But the weather had calmed down significantly, and the cleanup was well under way by Saturday morning, Aug. 10, and the 12th annual Diamond Island Regatta went ahead pretty much as scheduled. Boats that would have traveled south from the northern bays of Lake Champlain on Friday evening either moved up their trips to earlier in the day or decided to make the long trip down the lake on Saturday morning before the race.
Julie Trottier, captain of Meridian, left Malletts Bay Boat Club in Colchester at 4 a.m.
“There was no way I was going to miss it,” Julie said. “It’s one of my favorite events of the season. Plus, my crew and I enjoyed a beautiful sunrise from the middle of Lake Champlain, and on our return to Mallets Bay Sunday evening sailed right into a rainbow.”
Despite the storm, and thanks to the resilience of those in the Champlain Valley and New York, 25
boats — all but a couple of those that had registered to sail — were on the starting line on Saturday morning.
The regatta, Diamond Island Yacht Club’s signature sailboat race, took boats on a course of about 11 miles, from the start/finish line in Town Farm Bay, south to Diamond Island off Ferrisburgh, north to Sloop Island off Charlotte, and back to the start line.
The race started in a light breeze, ironic given the record winds of the previous day. The wind picked up, then waned again making for some challenging sailing but getting all the boats around the course.
The next day, 20 boats — just one short of last year’s record turnout — sailed in the fourth annual Split Rock Race, in mostly steady winds, covering the same course.
The start was in a brisk 15-knot southerly, providing a quick trip to Diamond Island, and the breeze held up until the last few boats made it to Thompson’s Point on the way to the finish line. At that point, the wind died and a few boats ended up drifting slowly toward the line.
But ultimately, everyone made it to the finish, and many headed back north to their home ports.
Both races are part of the Lake Champlain Championship Series, a season-long competition that determines annual bragging rights in five classes: three Spinnaker classes and two Jib-and-Main classes.
The races are scored using the Performance Handicap Racing
Fleet system, so boats with different speed potentials can compete against each other. Each boat’s elapsed time for the course is turned into a “corrected” time to determine the winners in each class.
The first boat to finish in the Diamond Island Regatta on Saturday, in 2 hours, 32 minutes and 18 seconds, was Chris Duley’s Polar Express, a Henderson 30 from the Valcour Sailing Club competing in the Spinnaker A division.
Everyone had fun watching the lone multihull boat, Shoshin, owned by Tim McKegney, zip around the course in record time on Sunday.
Full results can be found at diamondislandyc.org/dir-srr-results-for-2024/
As is the case every year, perhaps the biggest winner was the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. The money raised by the regular benefit events — the
pre-race breakfast, the Lobster Fest dinner, T-shirt and hat sales, and a fundraising raffle — is still being tallied, but is on track to break records.
The post-race events on Saturday included live music from The Morning Dudes, Tom Van Sant and Jake Geppert, who saved the day with their battery-powered amp and mics.
See results online at thecitizenvt.com.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Above: Foxy Lady, a J/105 sailed by Jeff Hill of Lake Champlain Yacht Club, was the winner in the Spinnaker A class in the Split Rock Race and runner-up in the Diamond Island Regatta.
Below: On the way back to Malletts Bay on Aug. 11, after taking part in the Diamond Island Regatta and Split Rock Race, Julie Trottier on Meridian sailed right into the middle of a rainbow.
ter of a neighborhood,” she said.
Experts tend to agree that now is the time to act: EAB has already killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America since it was first detected on the continent in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
But Vermont’s municipalities are often on their own — not only in figuring out what to do to address EAB, but also in funding those initiatives. Schadler said most towns have volunteer tree wardens or tree committees, but no full-time experts. She said those towns also have limited budgets that must cover the town’s entire vegetation management system, not just the protection of ash trees.
Schadler said her forestry program is the only one in the state distributing EAB-specific grants. But the $540,000 in U.S. Forest Service aid that it has given to towns since 2019 is “really just a drop in the bucket of what needs to be done,” she said, and isn’t available to private landowners who want to protect their ash trees from EAB.
‘Balancing strategies’
There are many strategies to address EAB, Schadler said. But each comes with costs — their price tag, yes, but also their effects on the environment and their impacts on community culture.
Burlington City Arborist V.J. Comai said his strategy for the more than 1,000 ash trees along the city’s roads and in its greenbelt and park spaces is “preemptive removal.”
Because the trees could damage cars, power lines, homes and more if they fall after being infested with EAB, Comai said, he doesn’t want to be “playing catch up” and would rather remove the trees before they are ever infested. They’ll likely all be removed within seven years, he said.
Starting in 2019, Comai said his team started planting a variety of tree species around the city’s ash trees — that way, when ash trees are taken down, a replacement tree is already in place.
“We could spend a lot of money retaining ash trees in a kind of monoculture, only to have some other pest come along that affects them,” he said. “So, we’re taking this opportunity to further diversify our canopy. We’re essentially hoping to better protect ourselves from the next species-specific insect or disease that comes along.”
But young, small trees can’t replace everything a mature ash tree provides, said Greg Ranallo, who owns Teachers Tree Service in Shelburne. Mature trees provide shade that lowers ambient temperature, add ambiance that raises property values, and store a large amount of carbon that helps in the
fight against climate change.
“We can’t just say goodbye to an entire species of trees all at once,” he said.
Ranallo said pesticide treatments, including those his company provides, can deter EAB while keeping ash trees standing. Many arborists have the technology to inject trees with insecticide, he said, which kills beetles that eat the bark or leaves. The treatment — if it is readministered every two to three years — can protect trees for their entire lifetime, he added.
Even so, Comai said, not every community is willing to put insecticides into its environment.
“In Burlington, attitudes towards the use of pesticides and chemicals are a little different than they are in other places. And I think there would have been some public relations issues surrounding that,” he said.
And neither strategy is cheap, Comai said, especially with “municipal budgets being as unpredictable as they are.” He said he can remove the average ash tree for $1,000 and plant and care for a new tree for $200. While pesticide injection prices vary by the size of the tree, the average tree would cost $300 for every treatment, he said — which “adds up fast” when treatments need to be given every few years.
And those prices can be significantly higher, Schadler said, depending on if a town has its own arborist, needs to hire out work, or has negotiated municipal contracts with treatment companies. Some towns, including Essex, have reduced costs by involving locals in EAB protection efforts: their “Adopt-a-Tree” program limits the cost of planting trees by assigning new trees to residents who are responsible for watering and monitoring them.
The truth is every strategy has its environmental drawbacks because they all manipulate ecosystems in some way, said May of the Xerces Society. Using insecticides can be especially dangerous, she said, because they can make their way into ash tree’s pollen and leaves and harm native bees and caterpillars of moths and butterflies.
“So, I think it’s a matter of balancing strategies,” May said. “We have to decide what costs we’re willing to deal with.”
Some towns are finding that balance, according to case studies collected by the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program. Northfield, for example, in 2020 treated trees deemed of high value to the community with insecticides while removing trees that could become a safety risk.
‘Boots on the ground’
Schadler said that, while towns have control over trees on town
Town of Charlotte
REQUEST FOR BIDS
August 12th, 2024
BID DEADLINE IS Monday, September 9th, 2024 @ 4:00 PM
land, they can’t control trees on private property, and they don’t have the resources to bring EAB strategies to trees in large forest areas.
That means it’s important for environmental experts to “get boots on the ground and really encourage entire communities to start thinking about how to approach this,” Schadler said.
One community-wide strategy, May said, is to coordinate the creation of “trap tree” areas. Trap trees are made by removing a ring of bark from ash trees, which makes them more attractive to EAB. The beetles will flock there, she said, and leave other trees alone.
Individuals can help limit the spread of EAB, too, she said, by not moving firewood and by reporting any signs of EAB to the Vermont Invasives website. Residents can also help by protecting ash trees from lawn mowers and weed-whackers — damaged ash trees are more attractive to EAB, May said.
Halman said the state is also working to address EAB in heavily forested areas that towns don’t have the resources to control. Since 2020, Vermont has worked with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service program to release parasite wasp species that attack EAB. The small, stingless wasps lay their eggs in EAB larvae, which “dramatically slows” how fast the beetle can reproduce and spread, he said. The parasites have already been released at six sites in Vermont, Halman said, with more locations to come.
Ultimately, Schadler said, it’s all about having a plan.
“If towns haven’t thought about this yet, it should be at the top of their list,” she said. “Everyone can do something.”
The Town of Charlotte is requesting bids for the removal and disposal of two clusters of approximately six (6) cottonwood trees, and several shrub trees, at the Charlotte Town Beach. These trees are located at the southernmost side of the court’s fence.
SCOPE OF WORK
1. Removal of two clusters of cottonwood trees and several smaller shrub trees.
2. Cordoning off the work zone, due to high patron traffic, and coordinating with the Recreation Commission to close the Tennis/ Pickle ball courts.
3. Cutting all tree stumps as low as practicable, including several previously high cut stumps.
4. Hauling away all associated debris, including wood chips.
INSURANCE REQUIREMENT
The selected bidder shall provide, prior to starting work, a certificate of insurance naming the Town of Charlotte as an additional insured with liability coverage of no less than $1,000,000. The Certificate must also include Workers Compensation Insurance, and Automobile Insurance for vehicles used to transport any necessary equipment/machinery.
BID
Bidder’s Name: ___________________________________
Bidder’s Address: _________________________________
Bidder’s Phone Number: __________________________
Bidder’s E-mail Address: ___________________________
Cost Estimate: $ __________________________________
Estimated Time of Completion (if approved on September 9th): ____________________________________________
For additional information, or to request a walkthrough of the site, contact either Zac Farnham- Haskel, at recreation@townofcharlotte. com, or Nate Bareham at townadmin@townofcharlotte.com.
PLEASE MAIL OR HAND DELIVER BID FOR RECEIPT PRIOR TO DEADLINE TO:
Nathaniel Bareham, Town Administrator, Charlotte Town Office, P.O. Box 119, Charlotte, VT 05445
THE TOWN OF CHARLOTTE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REJECT ANY OR ALL BIDS FOR ANY REASON, AND MAY NOT NECESSARILY SELECT THE LOWEST BID.
PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
Arborist Greg Ranallo shows an injection site where he recently treated a group of ash trees against the emerald ash borer in Shelburne.
continued from page 1
aging students to use phones during, for instance, lunch periods, because we didn’t want them talking and projecting and socializing while eating,” he said. “We noticed this greater dependence on phones, and we were focused on taking measures to help our students be present in academic spaces.”
He explained that studies clearly show cell phones and social media have negative impacts on mental health, particularly for students under 13. While the district recognizes that these phones are a part of society now, there is certainly room to learn how to better manage their use.
“The research is scary,” Bunting said. “But that’s really what our study committee is looking at. What are the recommendations we’re going to make to our board? From one end of the continuum, which is, we’re all-in on phone-free schools, or are we coming up with a more moderated approach?”
The school district’s approach is unique in that it plans to center this discussion around community input before implement-
ing a policy.
Bunting envisions the committee being comprised of representatives from the district’s central office, administration, faculty, parents and, most important, students. Bunting said he was surprised to hear more input from students requesting that the district implement stricter mandates.
“You also hear from students who’ve gone on ‘phone diets’ just how different and positive they feel when they’ve had some space from social media and some space from their phones,” he said.
The committee’s first charge, he said, is to review available research and observe the district’s own trends. He also said he anticipates site visits to other schools in the state and throughout New York that have gone phone-free.
“We’re trying to be pretty comprehensive in this work,” he said.
School board chair Meghan Metzler said schools and districts that have implemented phone-free policies this year, like Lamoille
NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO TOWN OF CHARLOTTE MOTOR VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC REGULATION ORDINANCE
The Selectboard of the Town of Charlotte does hereby ordain:
South Supervisory Union, Harwood Union High School and Thetford Academy, have taken up these actions by administrative decisions rather than school board decisions.
“So that’s something that we’re also thinking about,” she said. “Board work is designed to think about an issue, put it out for discussion, come back and then vote for it as an overall perspective. So, we’re also looking to determine, do we need to take board action? Do we need a board policy that’s specific to this or not? And I think that that’s part of what we’re trying to understand.”
She said the board has not convened about the issue yet, since this was a discussion that happened at policy committee meetings over the summer. Since the proposal is still in its earliest phases, she anticipates that this will be brought before the board at a September or October meeting.
Statewide
Pursuant to 23 V.S.A. §1007 and 24 V.S.A. §1976, the Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulation Ordinance adopted September 22, 1980, and as amended on September 11, 2000, February 11, 2002, June 15, 2009, April 11, 2011, November 14, 2011, April 22, 2013, April 14, 2014, September 9, 2019, and October 4, 2022 is hereby amended as follows:
Section l(A)(6) of said Ordinance is added so that Section l(A)(6) states as follows:
(A) A maximum speed limit of twenty-five (25) miles per hour: 6. On Route F-5 (Ferry Road) from the intersection with Greenbush Road extending in a westerly direction a distance of 0.4 miles to the railroad crossing.
Section 1 (D)(l) of said Ordinance is amended so that Section 1 (D)(l) states as follows:
(D) A maximum speed of forty (40) miles per hour: 1. 1. On Route F-5 (Ferry Road) from a point that is 0.4 miles west of the intersection with Greenbush Road extending westerly to the intersection with Lake Road.
Adopted this 12th day of August, 2024.
CHARLOTTE SELECTBOARD
s/s ______________________________
James Faulkner, Chair s/s ______________________________
Frank Tenney, ViceChair
s/s ______________________________
Lewis Mudge
s/s ______________________________
Kelly Devine s/s ______________________________
Natalie Kanner
Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. §§ 1972, 1973 this Amendment to the Town of Charlotte Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulation Ordinance shall become effective on October 3, 2024, unless a petition signed by not less than 5% of the qualified voters of the Town requesting a town meeting vote on the question of disapproving the amendment is filed with the Town Clerk or Selectboard on or before September 17, 2024.
For more information, contact Nathaniel Bareham, Town Administrator, at Charlotte Town Hall, 159 Ferry Road, P.O. Box 119, Charlotte, VT 05445; (802) 425-3071 ext. 5; townadmin@townofcharlotte.com.
The full text of the Town of Charlotte Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulation Ordinance may be viewed at the Town Clerk’s office or at www.charlottevt.org/ordinances-andpolicies.
On a statewide level, Angela Arsenault, a school board member and Williston’s representative to the statehouse, is a strong advocate for a policy like this. She even anticipates introducing a bill this year that focuses on exactly this issue. She pointed to a bill passed by the Senate education committee last year, S.284, that would set statewide phone-free school standards. Although the House Committee on Education has not yet taken it up, the bill Arsenault plans to introduce would call for every district in the state to develop and implement a phone-free, bell-to-bell policy.
“There’s an additional provision that would prohibit schools from communicating directly with students via social media, which is something that happens and shouldn’t,” she said.
Arsenault is also a member of the Vermont chapter of the national nonprofit Phone Free Schools Movement and works closely with national experts on research and data surrounding cell phone use by students.
“I think that the primary purpose for kids to be in school is to be educated, to gain social skills, to develop relationships and community and the personal devices are getting in the way of both of those objectives.”
She noted the book “Anxious Generation,” which the superintendent of Lamoille South Supervisory Union, Ryan Heraty, also urged parents to read in his letter to the community explaining the district’s new no-phones policy.
But Champlain Valley has first-hand experience with what the harm of social media can do. Arsenault noted, for example, how an app known as Fizz was introduced to the school last year and wreaked more havoc on the school community than Bunting had seen in nine years as the high school’s principal.
The private discussion and news app allowed students to post anonymously and quickly escalated from jokes and memes to public shaming of students and speculation PHONE
See PHONE on page 13
The Town of Hinesburg, Vermont seeks qualified applicants for the following positions:
Highway Foreperson
This is a supervisory position that is responsible for overseeing and participating in the maintenance of the town’s highway infrastructure. A valid VT issued CDL Class B license is required. Required skills include proficient operation of a road grader, excavator, front-end loader, backhoe, and tandem plow truck. Starting pay is $34.00 - $40.00 an hour depending upon qualifications.
Highway Maintainer
This is a semi-skilled position of moderate complexity in highway maintenance and equipment operation. A Highway Maintainer performs a wide variety of manual and automotive equipment operation tasks involved in municipal road maintenance. Work extends to responsibility for maintenance and servicing of assigned automotive equipment, requiring strong mechanical and trouble shooting skills. A valid Vermont issued Class B CDL is required. Starting pay is $25.00 - $28.00 an hour depending upon qualifications.
Both positions provide health, dental, vision and disability insurance; paid time off; pension plan; and 13 paid holidays. Detailed information and an application form can be found at www.hinesburg.org under the employment tab. Applications can be mailed or delivered to Todd Odit, Town Manager, 10632 Route 116 or emailed to todit@hinesburg.org.
The Town of Hinesburg offers a comprehensive benefits package and very competitive pay. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Applications will be reviewed as received and accepted until the position is filled.
PHONE
continued from page 12
about teachers’ sex lives, reported the Wall Street Journal about the high school in May in an article titled, “An Anonymous-Messaging App Upended This High School.”
“We have an example here in our own district with what happened with Fizz last year at CVSD,” Arsenault said. “Within 24 hours of that being introduced in the CVU community, that app had caused, by then-principal Bunting’s estimation, more harm than he had seen in recent memory. And part of that is that kids are able to access those online products even while they’re in school. There is no break.”
TAX RATE
continued from page 1
result in a tax bill increase of $26.10 per $100,000 of assessed value.
The most notable change in property taxes this year is the school tax rate, which, for residents, is going up nearly 20 percent mostly due to the changes in the state’s education funding formula that went into effect this year. The new homestead rate is up to $1.9957 which is an increase of $332.30 per $100,000 of assessed value.
Due to the increase in school tax rates, the town’s local agreement rate is also increasing from $0.0012 to $0. 0018.The local agreement rate covers what is due to the schools for veteran’s exemptions above $10,000.
Another problem, she said, is that while policies limiting the use of personal devices during instructional time are a stride in the right direction, it also places an incredible burden on teachers to enforce that policy.
Essentially, she said, “You’re asking them to fight against addiction.”
Although the district is still in the earliest discussions about a policy, Bunting anticipates the district’s current phone policies to remain in place. He expects the committee to come back to the board by December with a thorough recommendation.
“Further explained, eligible veterans receive a $10,000 reduction in their assessed value by state law,” town manager Todd Odit wrote in a memo to selectboard members on July 17. “Municipalities have the ability to increase that assessment exemption up to $40,000. However, when municipalities do so, they as a whole are liable for the school taxes individuals did not pay on that additional $30,000 exemption.”
Altogether, the combined municipal and education homestead tax rate is increasing by $0.3584 or 15.8 percent for a tax bill increase of $358.40 of assessed value. A home assessed at $400,000 can expect to pay $1,433.60.
service directory
To advertise in the service directory email: Advertising@thecitizenvt.com or call 985-3091
Peregrine falcon season ends, cliffs clear to hike
Hikers and rock climbers can return to Vermont cliffs now that peregrine falcon nesting season has ended, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
IN collaboration with Audubon Vermont, the department has confirmed that all the young falcons have learned to fly and should not be disturbed by human presence on the cliffs.
“The young peregrines have fledged, and nesting data suggest many of Vermont’s falcons had another successful year,” Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s nongame bird
biologist Jillian Kilborn said. “The falcon’s nesting success is due to a combination of factors, including good weather early in the nesting season and cooperation from hikers and rock climbers who observe a respectful distance from nesting falcons during this critical period. Peregrine nesting success would not be possible without more than 50 volunteers who monitor the nest sites statewide from March to the end of July.”
behalf of the Fish and Wildlife Department, biologists and volunteers monitored peregrine pairs that occupied at least 45 Vermont cliffs in early spring and summer.
The week-long bait drop is a cooperative effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to stop the spread of the potentially fatal disease.
According to Audubon biologist Margaret Fowle, who coordinates the monitoring effort on
continued from page 2 saliva. ways fatal treatment 100 percent a person So far have tested those have According animals mal behavior, an animal it. People animals
“We greatly appreciate the time and effort volunteers put into monitoring the population this year, and we thank landowners and recreationists for their cooperation in protecting nesting peregrines from human disturbance,” Fowle said.
Peregrine falcons were removed from the state’s Threatened and Endangered Species List in 2005.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its RABIES BAIT
PHOTO BY C. MERRILL
Vermont cliffs monitored by biologists and volunteers for nesting peregrine pairs this spring and summer are open for recreationists.
HONORING OUR VETERANS
