CVU seniors face threat of deportation
Students still plan to leave the U.S. despite federal stay
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Two Champlain Valley Union High School students who were ordered to leave the country by the end of the month or face deportation will still leave, despite a judge recently blocking the order, according to school officials.
Judge Indira Talwani, a federal judge in Boston, on Monday blocked an order from the Trump Administration that sought to end special humanitarian parole protections for immigrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti. The program grants temporary legal status to individuals for two years, allowing participants to work and apply for more permanent visa status while in the United States.
“This is only a temporary reprieve and does not change the fact that the program could still be terminated upon appeal. In light of this, the CVSD students are still leaving as planned,” the school’s student and community engagement facilitator, Christina Daudelin, said in an email Tuesday.
According to an earlier email sent to Champlain Valley School District staff and families last week, under the initial order from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the teens, who are originally from
See STUDENTS on page 12
In the
Flo Meiler setting track world records at 90
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Flo Meiler pointed with her foot to a line on the ground at the University of Vermont’s indoor track last Friday.
“I forgot my tape today, but this is usually where I jump from,” she said.
After marking her spot, Meiler walked away from the sand pit, further and further back, until she had enough room to run. The 90-year-old Shelburne resident then sped down the track, arms pumping, and with a hop, a skip and a jump, landed her triple jump in the sand.
Meiler isn’t just a casual hobbyist
NOW SERVING BREAKFAST
when it comes to track events — she’s still competing.
At last month’s Masters Indoor World Championships in Gainesville, Fla., Meiler brought home eight gold medals in her age
See MEILER on page 12
PHOTO BY ROB JEROME
Shelburne nonagenarian Flo Meiler a world track and field record with her 4’6” vault at the Masters World Championships last month in Gainesville, Fla.
Easter is April 20
National Martin Luther King Jr. tribute ends at Shelburne library
RHIANNON HUBBARD COMMUNITY NEWS SERVICE
The Obama White House, the National Civil Rights Museum and Little Rock Central High School: all have hosted bronze statues of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as part of a local man’s public art project. Now, 15 years and 17 sculptures later, the last statue in the project has found its final home in Shelburne.
In the main entryway of the Pierson Library, patrons are greeted by a bronze statue depicting two figures of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. The local artist, Chris Sharp, gave it to the town of Shelburne in June, which lent it to the Pierson Library to unveil in February.
“Art and symbols can make a difference, and public art symbolizes the values and beliefs that shape who and what we are,” Sharp said. “I believe the sculpture of Dr. King symbolizes many essential qualities in our community, and it has the power to educate and inspire children and the people of Shelburne.”
King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, as well as the construction of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.
When he heard the main sculptor for the project lived in China, he was inspired as an American to do his own tribute. Throughout 2011 and 2012, Sharp created 17 bronze sculptures, part of his own not-for-profit public art project to commemorate Dr. King’s legacy. He donated 16 of them to cultural and civil rights institutions across
anniversary of
Fifteen years ago, Sharp recalls listening to a National Public Radio story about the
50th
PHOTO BY RHIANNON HUBBARD
In the entryway of the Pierson Library, two bronze figures of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stand with the words “I have a dream…”
Defining DEI in Champlain Valley School District
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Bageshree Blasius and Christina Daudelin, staff members at Champlain Valley School District, only recently had their titles changed.
While they might be currently known as student and community engagement learning facilitators, for the last few years, the pair have been diversity equity and inclusion coaches. However, although their titles might be changing, according to the two women, the work will largely stay the same — work they say a lot of people misunderstand.
“We’re basically making sure that every student feels safe and like they belong, they feel included, they feel safe, and that their achievements are not limited by any identity” Blasius, who is also the Title IX coordinator for the district, said. “That goes for disability, it goes for race, it goes for
STATUE
continued from page 2
the U.S.
The 17th statue was used as a “traveling teaching copy,” Sharp said. It moved around the country, making stops at the Smithsonian and Boston University.
Now, statue No. 17 stands just through the main doors of the Pierson Library. The sculpture is composed of two figures of MLK cast in bronze. One is crouching in the foreground extending an arm outward. The other is behind it, raising an arm with three hands upward.
“I tried to portray his compassion and his miraculous ability to inspire change through oration,” Sharp said. “The crouching figure of Dr. King graciously extends a hand of guidance and support, and the standing figure is engaged in the passion of changing the world through sharing a dream of a brighter future.”
The right arm’s three hands represent Dr. King’s repetition of the phrase “I have a dream,” within his speech.
“He repeats it three, four, five times throughout the speech,” Sharp said. “Each time, he’s reaching higher and asking us to reach higher in our awareness and our resolve to make change.”
When Sharp decided to donate the statue to the town of Shelburne, it was Matthew Lawless’s inaugural week as Shelburne town manager. Despite being new to Shelburne, embracing and exhibiting the sculpture was an easy decision for Lawless.
“Public art is an expression of public values, and a piece like that was a good way to show our civic
socio-economic status. It’s every kid, and that’s what I think people don’t understand about DEI.”
On Monday, after having initially asked superintendents throughout the state to sign on to letters certifying compliance with President Trump’s April 3 order to remove DEI programs in order to receive federal funding in K-12 schools, Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders instead sent a letter to the federal Department of Education that offered a rebuttal.
“No federal or state law prohibits diversity, equity, or inclusion. The Request references ‘certain DEI practices’ and ‘illegal DEI,’ but neither term is defined in the Request, and no definition has been provided,” the letter read. “In Vermont, diversity, equity and inclusion practices are supportive of all students, and aim to create and sustain positive, welcoming learning environments.”
In refusing to comply, Vermont
joined at least 11 other states, including neighbors New York and Massachusetts, that are defying the federal order. The National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union also filed a lawsuit against the order in New Hampshire, which is scheduled for a hearing after deadline on April 17.
The work
According to Blasius and Daudelin, every day in their job is a little different. They run professional development for faculty and help shape inclusive curriculum. They also spend quite a bit of their time supporting faculty, staff, and students through restorative justice practices.
“Bageshree and I see every terrible thing that happens in our schools,” Daudelin said.
For example, if a child uses a slur at school, even if they don’t know what it means, Daudelin, Blasius or another coordinator is involved in resolving the issue, and helping the kids learn and heal from the situation.
value,” Lawless said. “With this particular piece, where we have a local artist with a work of national prominence as a donation to us, it was an easy thing to say yes to.”
The statue was unveiled to the public at the Pierson Library on Feb. 21. Lawless and Sharp spoke, as did Ava Nnochiri, a sixteenyear-old at Champlain Valley Union High School. She read the poem, “The Hill We Climb,” by Amanda Gorman, the same one Gorman recited at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
“I felt like this poem was the perfect one that correlated with the time we’re in right now, and what the statue represents,” Nnochiri said. “MLK always said that violence attracts the wrong attention, and with art and poetry, what you’re saying is being articulated in a peaceful way, so people will hear it better.”
The statue will stand in the library’s entryway until the Juneteenth holiday on June 19. The town’s plans for the statue after this have not been finalized.
By becoming part of the town, Sharp hopes the statue will serve as a permanent reminder of the values King represents.
“Moments like these speak not to me as the artist, but to the value of art,” Sharp said. “It connects people to kindness and the axiomatic moments of history that can’t be forgotten and that are absolutely necessary to remember.”
Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Shelburne News.
“One of our things that we always say to students is it is never our job to get you in trouble, and so if you are saying these things because you have heard them, but you really don’t know what they mean, you can ask us. You can ask us the most ridiculous, inappropriate questions, because it’s our job to help you figure it out, not to punish you,” Daudelin said.
Blasius, as the Title IX coordinator, is also involved in mediating sexual harassment issues or cases of gender discrimination that arise.
According to the pair, at the core of what they do, however, is connecting with students. Every week at Shelburne Community School, Daudelin takes a group of boys who are struggling to connect in the classroom, and who are marginalized in some way, out to play basketball together. She said it’s helping them know that there’s an adult they can trust in the building.
“And I’m getting really, really good at schooling middle school boys in H-O-R-S-E and P-I-G,” she said.
The students
Hailley Hem, a Champlain Valley Union High School sophomore, said when she first moved to Vermont from California in the second grade, the school put her in programming through its Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Center, which provides classes and support for students who speak another language — Hem’s parents are Chinese Cambodian, and she speaks Khmer at home.
Hem said the transition from California to Vermont was hard. She had previously been in a classroom full of Asian, Black, and Latino students. Now, there was hardly anyone else that looked like her.
“I see why they thought this program would benefit me, and it really did, since I got to be in a group with a lot of multicultural students and I’m pretty sure that would be under that category of DEI,” she said.
Now, Hem is a member of
See CVU on page 13
Residents sue town over wastewater update
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
A lawsuit filed last week may complicate planned updates to Shelburne’s wastewater treatment facilities.
Last November, Shelburne voters passed a $38 million bond to consolidate the town’s two wastewater treatment facilities — on Turtle Lane and Crown Road — into a single facility at the Crown Road location.
The updates are planned in three phases. The first, which is intended to break ground this year, consists of horizontal drilling to build a new 14-inch sewer main from the Turtle Lane facility to Crown Road along the Ti-Haul Trail.
The Turtle Lane site is set to become a pump station, pre-treating waste from the town system before passing it along to the Crown Road site for processing. The second and third phases, which are planned to happen simultaneously after the connection is completed, will increase the capacity of the Crown Road site and its outfall pipe to Lake Champlain.
The outfall pipe’s replacement and size are at the heart the complaint brought by Achim and Julie Schwetlick.
The Schwetlicks live on Mariners Cove in Shelburne and, according to the filing, there has
been an easement on the land allowing for the town’s wastewater line to run across it since 1966, before they bought the property. According to diagrams from Alrich and Elliot, an engineering firm hired to help with the consolidation project, the easement is approximately 30 feet across and runs through the woods, behind a small pond and out to the lake on the Schwetlicks’ property.
The complaint filed by the couple’s attorney, Pietro Lynn, claims the increased size and use of the new pipe would exceed the easement’s scope, which is restricted to “construction, installation, maintenance and repair of a sewer line across the property of the grantor.” The complaint outlines further restrictions in the easement that repairs to the line should “do as little damage as possible to the area” and “return the surface of the ground to its original condition.”
According to a memo sent by Aldrich and Elliot, because of the landscape, the new outfall pipe will require open trench excavation, unlike the new main along the Ti-Haul Trail. Additionally, the memo states that the outfall pipe, which dates to about 1970, would need to be replaced in the next few years anyway, whether or not the consolidation project moves forward.
The Schwetlicks first let the town know of their opposition to the plan in a December 2022
Shelburne News
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letter to the town. According to the letter, the Schwetlicks wanted the town to upgrade the facility at Turtle Lane, rather than consolidate to Crown Road. The letter raised the same issue with the easement outlined in the complaint filed last week.
“The Schwetlicks would oppose any changes to the existing and intended use under the terms of the easement deed. We expect that we would prevail in that litigation, and, in any event, the litigation would take years to resolve,” the letter reads.
Although the complaint says the reasons the town has chosen to move forward with consolidation are “unknown,” in an interview unrelated to this lawsuit, Chris Robinson, Shelburne’s wastewater supervisor, said there were significant challenges to continuing to maintain the Turtle Lane facility.
The Turtle Lane site discharges into a nearby brook. According to Robinson, if the town needed to expand the facility again, the brook could reach its capacity for discharge because of environmental regulations around water quality. He said at Crown Road, it’s not an issue because it discharges into Lake Champlain.
“We had a lot of constraints (at Turtle Lane), land-wise, compared to the other side of town. Here, everything around us is all wetlands. So, we are very limited on expansion, and I don’t always look at just this expansion, but where do we plan on being in 100
years from now?” Robinson said. According to emails sent between Robinson and the Schwetlicks, as well as other neighbors along Mariners Cove, the wastewater department has been communicating and getting feedback from residents throughout the planning process.
The town presented the Schwetlicks and their adjacent neighbors with another option: a shorter outfall pipe that would
run beneath the boundary of their properties, although, in the emails provided to Shelburne News through a public records request, neither property owner responded to that option.
While the town declined to comment on the litigation, town manager Matt Lawless said that because the suit pertains only to phase three of the update, the first phase of construction will likely still happen this year.
Total reported incidents: 128
Traffic stops: 1
Warnings: 1
Medical emergencies: 52
Mental health incidents: 8
Suspicious incidents: 10
Directed patrols: 59
Citizen assists: 3
Motor vehicle complaints: 3
Car crash: 4
Animal problem: 2
Theft: 2
Harassment: 2
Property damage: 1
Fraud: 2
Alarms: 18
Pending investigations: 5
911 hang-ups: 2
March 31 at 12:32 a.m., police mediated a verbal dispute at Harbor Place.
March 31 at 4:14 p.m., a caller at the Shelburne Shopping Park reported a fraud complaint.
April 1 at 7:11 p.m., a 911 caller reported a missing person on Harbor Road, and a statewide broadcast was issued.
April 2 at 7:27 a.m., a 911 on Shelburne Road caller reported receiving threatening, harassing, or annoying calls, letters or text messages. A harassment report was taken, and the case is pending further investigation.
April 3 at 9:05 p.m., police removed some debris on the roadway near Shagbark Lane.
April 3 at 12:56 a.m., police assisted with mediating a dispute on Shelburne Road.
April 6 at 3:12 p.m., police assisted in mediating a dispute on Long Meadow Drive.
April 7 at 8:26 a.m., a caller reported an animal bite on Caspian
See BLOTTER on page 7
OPINION
Detention of Tufts student a brazen attack on First Amendment
Guest Perspective
Josh Moore & Justin Silverman
On March 25, masked federal immigration authorities detained Tufts University Ph.D. student Rümeysa Öztürk for engaging in what Trump administration officials said were “activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans.”
Öztürk’s attorney, however, has said she is not aware of any criminal charges against the student and when asked to detail the specific activities warranting the student’s visa being revoked, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would not do so. Mean-
while, a Tufts spokesperson has said Öztürk is a student “in good standing.”
The only publicly known activity one might tie to Öztürk’s detention is an op-ed she penned for The Tufts Daily more than a year ago — a column critical of the Israel-Gaza war but one that university officials said did not violate campus policies on protests and expression.
If this is the basis for her detention, Öztürk’s current incarceration is a blatant disregard for the principles of free speech and a free press. It’s also a warning to student newsrooms that mere criticism of government can be punished despite protections for such speech entrenched in our country’s history and enshrined in
our constitution.
The Student Press Law Center and the New England First Amendment Coalition — joined by other journalism advocates such as Freedom of the Press Foundation and PEN America — are asking the Tufts administration to publicly demand that ICE release Öztürk; clarify that her detention undermines the university’s values; and reaffirm protections for international students’ free speech rights.
While Öztürk’s op-ed is critical of the Israel-Gaza war, many Americans across the political spectrum, regardless of where they were born, share similar concerns. Öztürk and her co-authors say nothing in the op-ed remotely supportive of Hamas or
Medical debt relief will help survivors of abuse with more economic security
Guest Perspective
Sarah Robinson
At the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, we support survivors of domestic and sexual violence, amplify their voices and build safer communities. We collectively represent 15 independent nonprofits that provide direct services to survivors and prevention programming in their communities.
S.27, a proposal to eliminate up to $100 million in medical debt for low-income Vermonters and exclude medical debt from credit reports, supports this work. Brought forward by Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Williston, and Treasurer Mike Pieciak, the bill is a critical step toward helping survivors achieve economic security, better health outcomes, and a safer future.
Economic security is a significant barrier to safety and healing for survivors. As healthcare costs rise in Vermont, survivors are more vulnerable to accruing medical debt as a direct result of abuse.
The National Institutes of Health estimates that the lifetime financial loss from intimate partner violence exceeds $100,000 per female victim, with healthcare expenses accounting for most of that cost. Research shows that survivors have higher health care costs, even years after escaping abuse.
An emergency room visit, or mental health care, can leave people burdened by debt through no fault of their own. That debt can damage their credit, making it harder to secure housing, find employment, and escape an abusive partner. Medical debt can also lead to worse health outcomes. Studies show that tens of thousands of Vermonters delay treatment out of fear of medical debt.
This can result in more serious health issues, higher future medical costs, and time away from
work. When someone is unable to pay their medical bills, everything else —including their safety — becomes less affordable.
Nothing should hold survivors back from moving forward with their lives. On behalf of the Vermont Network, we encourage the legislature to support S.27, an investment in Vermonters’ safety, health and prosperity.
Sarah Robinson is co-executive director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
terrorism. Instead, they focus on their university’s actions and call upon the administration to engage with and listen to its students. This is precisely the type of speech that should be welcomed and protected at universities.
The opinion pages of student newspapers have a long tradition of open dialogue and debate on the important issues of our time. Students must have the room to lawfully express themselves free from government interference. Rounding up a student for an article that she published is a clear attempt to silence speech and interfere with Öztürk’s First Amendment rights.
This alarming incident is the latest example of the Trump administration unlawfully targeting student speech. Mahmoud Khalil was arrested on March 8 for his peaceful protest and social media posts while attending Columbia University. Khalil’s case marked the beginning of a dangerous pattern of using immigration enforcement to punish dissent, a tactic straight out of the playbook of authoritarian regimes.
Our country must not follow the lead of authoritarian governments it has worked for decades to counteract by weaponizing visa status against criticism. When students face detention or deportation for lawful expression, it sends a message to all that the price of dissent is exile.
In response to Öztürk’s arrest and other detentions, international students are now removing social media posts and refraining
from political speech altogether. This is a violation of our First Amendment right to hear from and associate with noncitizen students, according to a lawsuit recently filed by several academic associations against federal officials.
The Trump administration’s ideological-deportation policy, they argue, makes it more difficult for them to learn from these students. Student speech is now chilled due to the “all-too-real possibility” that noncitizens “will be arrested, imprisoned, and deported for exercising rights that the Constitution guarantees.”
The First Amendment is an asset, not an inconvenience. Citizens and noncitizens alike are entitled to free speech. Institutions that value free speech rights don’t seek out opportunities to disregard them. Student visas may be the lowest hanging fruit for now, but those who revoke visas of op-ed writers are sure to seize upon any legal theory that might permit them to punish others with whom they disagree.
Academic freedom cannot thrive if students face deportation for participating in campus discourse and there is nothing more central to the American tradition of free speech on campus than student commentary on U.S. foreign policy.
Journalism is not a crime. Criticism is not a crime. They are instead essential parts of a healthy democracy, one that
See DETENTION on page 6
Get involved to shape our town’s community, economic development
Guest Perspective
Chunka Mui, Tom Denenberg, Carmone Austin & Alec Webb
Shelburne is special — rich in history, culture, natural beauty and community spirit. Over the past few months, as we’ve worked to launch Experience Shelburne, our town’s new community and economic development committee, we’ve been reminded again and again of just how much potential our town holds.
On behalf of the entire Experience Shelburne committee, we’re writing to share our progress and invite you to help shape the next chapter of Shelburne’s story.
Experience Shelburne begins with an optimistic and ambitious mission: to foster collaborative, inclusive and sustainable economic and community development that benefits residents, businesses and visitors alike. Guided by Shelburne’s core values, we will preserve and enhance our town’s unique character, community vitality and environmental integrity for future generations.
zational meetings, the discussions have reinforced our belief that Shelburne has both the resources and community spirit needed to thoughtfully manage growth. Our emerging focus areas include enhancing our public spaces and cultural attractions, supporting local businesses and attracting new ones aligned with our values, and launching new community events — all while advancing Shelburne’s broader strategic priorities, such as affordable housing, connectivity, conservation and fiscal vitality.
Let’s build a future we’ll be proud to pass along to our children and grandchildren.
We recognize that the concept of community and economic development can prompt questions. Change often leads us to reflect deeply on what we value. But we believe proactive, intentional development can nurture the kind of vibrant community we all desire — one where economic vitality enhances rather than compromises our heritage and environment.
We have tremendous local assets to help in this journey. Iconic businesses like Vermont Teddy Bear and Shelburne Country Store, and institutions like Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Craft School and Shelburne Farms not only attract visitors from around the globe but also enrich the daily lives of residents.
Beyond these landmarks, Shelburne is home to other vibrant local businesses, committed nonprofits, remarkable rural and natural beauty, and a talented, passionate community. These assets, working together, offer significant opportunities for balanced, mindful growth.
As we’ve gathered community members and held initial organi-
To succeed, we need your help. We’re inviting residents, business owners and anyone invested in Shelburne’s future to participate. There are many ways to get involved, as volunteers, committee members, sponsors or engaged community members simply sharing your voice. Your involvement, whether large or small, will make a meaningful difference.
If you’re inspired to lend your ideas, expertise or enthusiasm, please visit our website, ExperienceShelburne.org. There, you can take our community survey and express your interest to get involved. You can also sign up to stay informed about our ongoing progress. Your participation ensures that Shelburne’s future truly reflects the diverse voices, strengths and values of our community.
aspects we cherish while thoughtfully embracing new opportunities that strengthen our collective quality of life. Let’s build a future we’ll be proud to pass along to our children and grandchildren.
DETENTION
continued from page 5
Together, let’s seize this opportunity to shape our town’s evolution, preserving and enhancing the
we are seeing quickly erode. This effort to chill dissent may start with students, but it likely will not end there. If the federal government can punish a
Chunka Mui is chair of Experience Shelburne and a member of the Shelburne Selectboard. Tom Denenberg is vice chair of Experience Shelburne and director of the Shelburne Museum. Carmone
student for an op-ed in a campus newspaper, what will prevent it from doing so with professional journalists and others with whom it disagrees?
Josh Moore is the assistant director at the Student Press Law Center. Justin Silverman is executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition.
Austin is an Experience Shelburne board member and owner of Shelburne Country Store. Alec Webb is an Experience Shelburne board member and president of Shelburne Farms.
Name game: Carl Linnaeus, the father of taxonomy
ANDREA KNEPPER
UVM EXTENSION
Rudbeckia hirta. Solanum lycopersicum. Acer saccharum.
Have you ever seen these names on plant tags or seed packets and wondered where they came from? We can thank Carl Linnaeus for taxonomy, the study of categorizing and naming organisms, and binomial nomenclature, the precise, two-termed naming system we use today.
Carl Linnaeus was a Swedish professor, scientist and doctor who was born in 1707. From a young age, Linnaeus was fascinated by the plants growing in his father’s garden.
At the time, plants were scientifically named in Latin by describing their features. These names were often long and described multiple unique plant traits. Linnaeus was determined to learn as many as he could, sometimes neglecting his formal studies.
Linnaeus began studying medicine when he was 19 years old. Notable naturalists and bota-
BLOTTER
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Lane. The animal control officer was notified.
April 7 at 8:53 a.m., an injured skunk near Shelburne Road was located and killed.
April 7 at 2:02 p.m., Shelburne Fire assisted Vermont Air National Guard Fire with an aircraft emergency at Burlington International Airport. The units were canceled from the call, and no injuries were reported.
April 8 at 1:08 p.m., a fraud report on Cardinal Way is being investigated.
April 10 at 9:28 a.m., a caller reported a retail theft from Tractor Supply Co. A theft report was taken, and the case is pending further investigation.
April 10 at 5:10 p.m. a caller on Hillside Terrace reported a dispute with a neighbor over putting yard debris against her fence. The case is pending further investigation.
April 11 at 11:35 p.m., a walk-in reported receiving threatening messages. A Harassment Report was taken, and the case is pending further investigation.
April 11 at 4:23 p.m., Shelburne Fire Department assisted Vermont Air National Guard Fire with another aircraft emergency at Burlington International Airport. The units were canceled from the call, and no injuries were reported.
nists of the time noticed his interest and ability. They invited him to become a botany teaching assistant at Uppsala University. During his 20s, Linnaeus continued to study, travel and collect specimens.
While traveling and collecting detailed information on the natural world, Linnaeus completed his medical degree, practiced medicine and became a professor of botany.
Linnaeus proposed a system to classify and describe these specimens by sorting and relating them to other known organisms. He first described this system in his 1735 work, Systema Naturae.
According to this initial system, plants and animals were sorted into a kingdom, class, order, genus and species. These categories are ranked from most general to most specific. This is why we use the genus and species names to precisely identify organisms.
Over time, scientific discoveries have expanded this system to include the ranks of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. Discoveries have required the addition of kingdoms to include non-plant and animal living things, like bacteria, fungi and single-celled organisms.
We call this system of giving scientific names binomial nomenclature. “Binomial” means two names and “nomenclature” means naming system.
Scientists italicize the two terms in a scientific name. The first is the genus and is always capitalized. The second is the species.
Plants that are a specific variety have an additional name after this.
For example, Rudbeckia hirta var — hirta is the black-eyed Susan native to the eastern United States while Rudbeckia hirta var. floridana is a variety native to Florida. Sometimes, the variety name will appear in quotations instead.
Home gardeners can use scien-
tific names to confidently obtain the exact plants they need.
One year when I was selecting seeds for my garden, I was excited to see huckleberry seeds. Thinking about my travels on the west coast and experiences with huckleberry jam and pie, I ordered the seeds.
I planted the seeds and was truly disappointed by my results. I had to add a lot of sugar to make the jam palatable, and the flavor was quite different. When I looked more closely at the seed packet, I noticed that the botanical, or
scientific, name was actually Solanum scabrum, not the Vaccinium ovatum I was hoping for.
Next time you spot an interesting plant, take a closer look at its scientific name. This detail can ensure you get exactly what you expect. Thanks to Carl Linnaeus, we have a universal language to connect scientists and gardeners around the world.
Andrea Knepper is a UVM Extension Master Gardener from Bolton.
COURTESY PHOTO
A statue of a youthful Carl Linnaeus by American sculptor Robert Berks graces the Heritage Garden in the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Vermont Stage presents ‘[title of show]’
Jeff and Hunter, two self-confessed nobodies, make a pact: They will write an original musical and submit it to a festival. The catch? The deadline is in three weeks.
They gather their two actress friends, Susan and Heidi, and their accompanist and music director, Larry, on the keys. With the full team assembled, Jeff and Hunter hit another roadblock — what should they write about? They decide to follow the adage, “write what you know,” and set off on a unique musical adventure: writing a musi-
cal about writing a musical.
“[title of show]” — taken from the space on the festival’s application form which asks for the [title of show] — is a clever and lovable story about the harrowing and heartening work of making an idea come to life. The performance runs from April 30-May 18 at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, 60 Lake St., Burlington.
“This musical is such a funny and fun celebration of theatre and creation and friendship. It is exactly the kind of show that makes you laugh from its offbeat and silly dialogue and songs, and helps you take a break from the stresses of
life … and boy do we need that right now,” artistic director Cristina Alicea said.
Showtimes are Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $34-$59.
For more information about Vermont Stage’s season, visit vermontstage.org or call 802-8621497.
‘Muttville’ comedy show features rescued dogs
Johnny Peers and his personality-plus canines are coming to Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater, 76 Merchants Row, Middlebury, Sunday, April 27 at 4 p.m. Peers will lead more than a dozen dogs through challenging and hilarious tricks as he plays the straight man role.
A Ringling Brothers Clown College graduate, Peers has been working with dogs since he got his first puppy, Freckles, a beagle mix, from the Humane Society. Since their 1980 debut, the Muttville Comix have appeared on David Letterman, Primetime Live and Circus of the Stars, and at Disneyland, Busch Gardens, the Big Apple Circus, the Royal Hanneford Circus — even the White House.
The performance stars mostly dogs rescued from shelters or pounds, like Daphne, the world’s only skateboarding basset hound; Squeaky, the ladder-climbing fox terrier; Mr. Pepe, who only
responds to commands in Spanish; and Sir Winston, the pointer mix who only answers to “Sir.”
There will be photo ops and a meet and greet with the star canines after the show. Tickets: $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under and may be purchased at townhalltheater.org.
Social Band presents series of spring concerts
It’s the time of year when change comes apace, and Social Band will honor this springtime with songs that express the nuances of transformation and the cycles of life — whether it be lessons learned from growing plants or molting insects. Social Band will present its signature mix of choral music, from Josquin de Prez to new compositions, along with a refreshing dose of poetry, robust harmony, and singing camaraderie.
For Richmond, South Burlington and Charlotte concerts, suggested donation is $20.
Dates:
• Saturday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m., Richmond Free Library, 201 Bridge St., Richmond Sunday, April 27at 3 p.m., Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset St., South Burlington
• Saturday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m., Shelburne Town Hall, 5420 Shelburne Rd., Shelburne. This performance is free and open to the public.
• Sunday, May 4, at 3 p.m.,
COURTESY PHOTO
Cohnny Peers and his talented rescue dogs are coming to Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater,
Charlotte Congregational Church, 403 Church Hill Rd., Charlotte
Master gardener helpline for green thumb hopefuls
Gardening enthusiasts and homeowners can now receive gardening and backyard composting information and guidance with the spring reopening of the University of Vermont Extension Master Gardener Helpline.
The helpline provides free, reliable, research-based answers to questions about home gardening, lawn care, composting, integrated pest management and more.
Interested Vermonters can contact the helpline in two ways. They can submit questions with photos of plants, insects and diseases or upload soil test reports to the online portal at go.uvm.edu/ gardenhelpline.
Helpline volunteers also are available to answer calls at (802) 656-5421 on Thursdays from 9 a.m.-noon. Volunteers cannot provide personal site visits to home gardens.
Commercial growers of vegetables, berries, tree fruit and related crops who need assistance with identifying an insect pest or plant disease should contact the UVM Plant Diagnostic Clinic at uvm. edu/extension/pdc.
4-H seeks teens for new outdoor recreation program
University of Vermont Extension 4-H is launching a new program for Vermont high school students, ages 14-18, who love spending time in the outdoors and want to connect with other teens with similar interests.
The pilot program will be teen-led with participants making
the decisions about recreational and social outings, guest speakers for online and in-person programs and community service and job skill development opportunities. It will be split into two chapters, northern and southern Vermont, and is open to all high school students, not just 4-H’ers.
Interested teens are asked to complete a survey at go.uvm.edu/ outdoor-teens by May 9 to provide input and for a chance to win a hammock in a random drawing.
The survey will help gauge interest in how often participants would like to meet virtually and
in-person and the types of activities they would like to see offered, such as hiking and nature walks, environmental stewardship projects, camping trips and social gatherings including picnics and game nights. However, each chapter, once established, would make these decisions based on the members’ interests.
Teens in northern Vermont (Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orleans and Washington Counties) should contact Holly Ferris at holly.ferris@uvm. edu.
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Vernal pools nurseries for some, buffets for others
The Outside Story
Emily Haynes
When the winter snow melts and the spring rain begins, vernal pools appear on the landscape. These ephemeral wetlands form in depressions in forests or ridge lines and offer essential breeding habitat to amphibians and invertebrates, including wood frogs, spotted salamanders, and fairy shrimp. Because vernal pools dry up in high summer and are disconnected from other waterways, fish cannot survive in them – making them uniquely attractive to many amphibian and invertebrate species.
“It’s the lack of fish that allows them to treat it like a nursery with essentially no serious new aquatic predators,” said Kevin Tolan, staff biologist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and coordinator of the center’s vernal pool monitoring project.
in the vernal pools in which they were born.
A female spotted salamander can lay hundreds of eggs in one night. She lays her eggs in ovular masses that cling to sticks and grasses near the pool’s surface. These masses can look like strange, forgotten crafting projects: jumbles of googly-eyes chilled in jelly.
Spotted salamanders can grow up to 10 inches and live as long as 20 years. Wood frogs, another obligate species, typically live for only five years and will lay thousands of eggs in one sitting. This breeding strategy ensures species survival even if their brief lifespan includes dry years when the vernal pool doesn’t refill.
Trail cameras have captured these owls wading through pools and trapping amphibians under their talons.
Not all species that use vernal pools require them to survive, but some do. Creatures who depend on vernal pools are known as obligate species. These include spotted salamanders, whose charcoal-colored bodies are decorated head-to-tail with lemon yellow spots.
They spend nearly the entire year underground, tunneling beneath the frost line to survive the cold. On the first warm, wet nights of spring they emerge to breed
While invertebrates and amphibians that use vernal pools do not have to contend with fish, they do face the threat of many other predators. Raccoons, minks, and skunks will happily snack on egg masses. Tolan has even seen pet dogs chowing down on amphibian eggs.
“Anything will eat a little baby salamander,” he said.
Predation at vernal pools is, in part, due to the time of year when they occur on the landscape. In early spring, the ground is still thawing and there are few other
See OUTSIDE STORY on page 16
Shelburne Parks & Rec News
• Toddler Open Gym, Sunday, April 27, 9:30-11 a.m., Shelburne Town Gymnasium, for toddlers and preschoolers. Led by Aisha Mueller.
Come play and connect with others. Free, with no pre-registration necessary — just sign in at the door. A parent or caregiver must always be present. Scooters, bikes and ride-on toys are not permitted. There will be balls, hoops and tumbling mats to play with. Please wear indoor shoes or socks inside the gym, and no food. In case of inclement weather, call the office at 802-985-9551 to check for cancellations.
• Group Swim Lesson Program: In a new offering, the department partners with the Edge Sports & Fitness to offer preschool and learn-to-swim lessons. The pool is located at 75 Eastwood Drive in South Burlington and is 81 degrees. A parent or guardian accompanies the child for the in-water lessons.
May session dates: Sundays, May 4, 11, 18. Cost (three lessons): $70 resident, $80 nonresident. Registration deadline: April 25. June and July session dates
coming soon. Register through Shelburne Parks and Recreation.
• Summer camp spotlight on Baseball Camp. This camp will focus on fundamentals in all aspects of the game, including drills and activities to build skills in hitting, fielding and pitching. Both instructors played college baseball and are currently coaching middle school and college programs. Instructors are Nicky Elderton, Champlain Valley Union High School head coach, and Reece Tanguay, assistant coach at Westminster College. Session 1, middle school (entering grades 7-9 next fall), June 30-July 3, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon, at Harbor Road Field off Turtle Lane. Cost: $180. Registration deadline: June 9, 2025
Session 2, Little League (ages 8-12), July 7-11, 9 a.m.-noon at Shelburne Town Little League Field. Cost: $220. Maximum of 35 participants. Registration deadline: June 16
Check out all summer camps, youth and adult classes and upcoming special events at shelburnevt.org/160/Parks-Recreation. Call 802-985-9551 with questions.
News from Pierson Library
Here’s what’s going on in the coming week or so at Shelburne’s Pierson library, 5376 Shelburne Road.
• Life Drawing Practice, Saturday, April 19, 12:30-2:30 p.m. This program is an opportunity for artists and the artistically curious to gather with a clothed, live model and practice drawing from life. There will be no instructors for this session, but it is a good opportunity to hone and practice skills. Feel free to call ahead to register, or just drop in. Please bring your own drawing equipment, including board and easel if you have them.
• Earth Day: “Save the Monarch Butterflies” milkweed seed giveaway, Tuesday, April 22, all day (while supplies last). The iconic monarch butterfly is in decline — so much so that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing it as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Visit the library on Earth Day (April 22)
to pick up a free packet of milkweed seeds, a plant that is vital for the Monarch’s survival.
• Indoor mini golf, Thursday, April 24, 1-4 p.m. This spring break, Vermont Mini Golf is bringing the fun indoors. Grab your friends and family for a round on a nine-hole golf course set up in the Town Hall. Whether you’re a mini-golf pro or just here for the laughs, it’s the perfect way to spend an afternoon “putt”tering around. All ages are welcome, and no registration is needed — just come and play.
• “Living with Climate Chaos: Ecological Gardening” with Charlie Nardozzi, Thursday, April 24, 6:307:30 p.m. Gardening expert and host of Vermont Public’s “All Things Gardening,” Charlie Nardozzi will explore natural soil-building techniques, methods to support pollinators and beneficial insects, sustainable lawn care alternatives, and the benefits of native plants for birds and the environment.
PHOTO BY MIKE DEAN
South Burlington resident Mike Dean spied two bald eagles tussling for territory, flying above Shelburne Bay.
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category. She smoked the competition when it came to the triple jump, the hurdles and the pentathlon.
long jump, and that was 30 years ago, and I’m still going.”
Although she regularly competes in 10 or so events, she said the pole vault is her favorite, partly because she finds it the most challenging. Meiler likes a challenge.
Meiler’s competitive streak goes much farther back. Unlike other schools at the time — 20 years before Title IX would drastically increase girls’ access to sports — Meiler’s high school in upstate New York had a girls’ basketball team.
puts it in my luggage. ‘Good luck, and I’m so proud of you.’ My husband does that all the time,” she said.
In addition to her gold medal wins at the Masters championship, Meiler added another four world records to the 35 she had already amassed over the years. This time, she set the record for pentathlon, 60-meter hurdles (24.87 seconds), triple jump (14’9¼”), and pole vault (4’6”) for women ages 90-94.
Meiler didn’t initially set out to be a track champion — she didn’t even try her first event until she was in her 60s. The way she tells it, she was playing tennis with her husband when long-time South Burlington athletics coach, and track star in her own right, Barbara Jordan, approached her.
“She said, ‘Flo, I would like you to come and try the long jump when you’re done with tennis,’” Meiler said. “I went and tried the
“I went to school at St Mary’s Academy, and they had a boarding school also, and we happened to have the best girls’ basketball team in the area,” she said.
Meiler grew up on a dairy farm in Champlain, New York, where she said she built up her muscles doing chores. That strength served her in basketball, as well as in cheerleading, and then after high school, competitive waterskiing.
“We even put on ski shows, and I was part of a pyramid. I was on the bottom. We used to try to get the smallest girl we could find to put on our shoulders,” Meiler said.
These days, Meiler is something of a celebrity in the track world. When she goes to meets, she said, people are always coming up to her to take photos together. Lately, she’s been asking that people email her a copy of the photos they take with her – she wants to make a book full of them.
“It feels really warm when that many people come up to you and say, ‘Oh Flo, you are such an inspiration,’” she said.
It’s not just strangers. Meiler said that her husband of 64 years, Gene, always sneaks little notes into her bags when she goes away to a meet.
According to Meiler, not many people her age are interested in spending the amount of time that she does on exercise. She trains six days a week, often at UVM’s indoor track or at South Burlington High School. There’s a 15-minute warm up that she does at home. Then she spends another 15 minutes stretching at the track. There’s more warmup running. Then training for her events. In total, she spends about an hour and a half to two hours each time she trains.
Taking the time to warm up properly is important at her age, she said. Training and competing can take a toll on the body as you age.
Three years ago, she hit her left ankle on a hurdle. Her entire leg turned black and blue. It took her months to get back to the track, and even now, she still has to walk over the hurdles rather than jump.
“I always come back,” she said.
On Friday, she practiced her hammer throw, swinging a fivepound ball at the end of a wire around and around above her head before releasing it behind her into the net. Nearby, a couple of college athletes stretched and chatted. Sometimes, Meiler said, the UVM coach will invite her to practice with the girls.
Clearing up, Meiler piled her things into the same red wagon she said she used to pull her children around in when they were little. It might be old, she said, but it still gets the job done. MEILER
“He writes me a little note almost every time that I go and
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Nicaragua, had been told they had until the end of April to vacate the country or face deportation.
As with other immigrants across the country, this ended the term of their stay before the two years of the program.
Both students are seniors, and per the requirements of the humanitarian parole protection, were sponsored to move to the United States by a family member in the area. According to Daudelin, the district plans on helping the teens earn their diplomas before the end of the month and holding a private graduation ceremony for them this week.
Daudelin was there the day one of the students came in to register at the school. She also had one of them in a two-week course focused on social justice in the United States. In the year and a half they’ve been here, she’s seen them grow.
“I think the general feeling for
myself when I found out was ‘this is happening, there’s nothing we can do,’ and just sheer rage,” she said.
The email to staff and families, which was signed by superintendent Adam Bunting and union president Emily McLean “on behalf of many, many adults at CVSD,” argued that, in ending the program early and forcing their expulsion from the country, the Trump administration is ignoring regular immigration processes.
“These students are not political operatives. They are not criminals. They are not threats. They are young people who have found safety and meaning in our community. They’ve made friends, joined clubs, and played in the snow here for the first time. They’ve done what all teenagers do: tried to figure out who they are, where they
the high school’s Racial Alliance Committee. Both she and another member, Olivia Cieri, said they see how diversity and inclusion inform some of the things they’re learning in class, such as reading discussions of “The Color Purple” or “The Underground Railroad.”
“Having the space to talk about the history of America, and then also connect it to some of the things we see today, and some of the systemic issues that come from that, is important,” Cieri said.
Hem agreed, adding that talking about painful parts of history and the fiction that explores it teaches them how to have difficult discussions with each other – something she said is often missing from political conversations today.
“When we have stuff like this in our curriculum, it teaches us how to do it, and it helps encourage more open conversations in the future and hopefully helps us actually have open conversations with each other,” she said.
The district
According to superintendent Adam Bunting, the reason the school district is dropping the term “DEI” from its titles is not because it plans to change its values or
programming. Instead, he said, it’s a necessary broadening of scope. Due to budget constraints this year, the district is cutting their director of student wellness. Asma Abunaib, who has been the director of diversity and inclusion, is going to take on those duties as well, and become Director of Student and Community Engagement.
Additionally, DEI, he said, has become such a politicized term that no one knows what it means anymore. He prefers engagement.
“When I talk about student engagement, I am talking about inclusion, I’m talking about diversity, we’re talking about equity. It’s all of those things. How do we make our curriculum more accessible? How do people see themselves in the curricula?” Bunting said.
Although the district may be supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion programming, according to Daudelin, there’s still room for improvement. Daudelin emphasized that the greatest diversity in the district comes from differences in socio-economic backgrounds among its students and communities, and that comes with built in inequities across the schools.
While some community schools’ PTOs can fundraise tens
of thousands of dollars, she said, others can’t, which makes a difference when it comes to what teachers might be able to buy for their classrooms or the kinds of field trips students can take.
Hinesburg Community School,
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belong, what they care about,” the email read.
Champlain Valley is the largest school district in the state, but the sending towns are suburban and rural. The communities range in population from less than 800 in St. George to just over 10,000 in Williston.
“This isn’t just happening to college students in big cities,” the email continued. “It’s happening to teenagers who live and work in our community. It’s happening to young people who are doing everything we say we want from immigrants: integrating, contributing, showing up, learning, and caring.”
Sitting in her office last Thursday morning, Daudelin, whose email was included in the message
she said, doesn’t have an accessible playground, meaning that paraeducators are often shoveling snow away from the tennis courts because it’s the only place for students with wheelchairs to go.
“You talk about getting rid of
DEI, you’re not allowed to talk about DEI, you can’t be elevating anyone over another group. I think we would say no one is elevating anyone over anyone. We’re struggling to even level playing fields,” she said.
from the district, was inundated with messages from community members – most expressing their horror at the situation and asking what they could do.
Whether or not the order is overturned or upheld through an appeal, Daudelin hopes the community will act.
“We want people to contact their representatives and their senators and things like that, and make sure that our voices are being heard. But the most important thing right now for us is that we need our community to know this is happening. We need our students to know that they are our community,” she said.
all their local representatives. Like Daudelin, he said he has also been receiving an influx of messages from concerned residents.
“I see our community saying ‘Oh, this is about our kids.’ They’re saying our kids, whether they’re our own students or they’re students from abroad,” he said.
RABIES BAIT
Community members are planning for a series of sign brigades near the high school to protest federal policies that affect students, including immigration policies.
According to Bunting, the district has also heard from Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office as well as
“Area residents concerned about the threats to international students in Hinesburg will be making our opinions known and heard this week,” the announcement read. “All, including students and the CVU community, are welcome to join us!”
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.
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
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
OUTSIDE STORY
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sources of food. The pools offer a proteinpacked buffet to species that are awakening from winter dormancy or returning from seasonal migration, including black bears, some raptors and wading birds and several species of turtle.
“Even though they’re physically small compared to many other wetland types, because there’s so much activity in them at a time when the rest of the land is sparse, they can play an important role in early spring,” said Brett Amy Thelan, science director at the Harris Center for Conservation Education.
Solitary-sandpipers have been spotted feeding at vernal pools in the spring on their long migrations from Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. They hunt on their own, searching for crustaceans, insects, and amphibians. Broad-winged hawks are also known to hunt at vernal pools during their migration journeys from Central and South America. These crow-sized raptors love eating frogs, toads, and other amphibians, and will also eat crustaceans and insects. Great blue herons also feed at vernal pools in early spring.
Barred owls are one of the most prolific predators at vernal pools. Although these predators typically hunt from perches high up in the trees, they’re not averse to getting their feet wet.
“I’ve seen them hunting by going down into the water and shuffling through and picking salamanders in the shallows,”
Thelan said.
Trail cameras have captured these owls wading through pools and trapping amphibians under their talons. They’ll nibble on them with their sharp beaks and then fly off to finish their meal undisturbed.
Thelan leads salamander crossing brigades for the center, which involves spending many rainy nights in early spring along roadsides throughout New Hampshire’s Monadnock region, helping frogs and salamanders safely cross busy roads and monitoring the migrating populations.
“It is not uncommon to see a barred owl hunting by the side of the road on those nights – they’re keyed in,” she said.
Now is a great time to search your local forests for vernal pools because wood frogs are becoming active again. Listen for the sound of their throaty, squabbling chorus on a warm day and it will likely lead you to a vernal pool. You may even catch a predator stopping by for a tasty meal.
Emily Haynes is a writer currently living in Washington, D.C. An avid birder and hiker, she loves exploring the forests of the Northeast. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: nhcf.org.
ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL