The Other Paper - 5-30-24

UVM officials say rising costs killed project

Page 3

I-89

exit study starts

Changes would affect main highway access to S. Burlington and beyond

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

South Burlington residents and those passing through the city on a busy workday are all too familiar with the bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion near exit 14 on Interstate 89. This area is now the basis of a study called I-89 2050, which takes a long view of what this 37-mile stretch of highway could look in 25 years. But in the short term, regional planners have hyper-focused on one major

problem area: the exit 14 interchange.

“We are really thinking about this interchange as being a gateway and a hub of activity in the middle of one of our most populated areas in the state, and there’s a lot of development that’s being contemplated in the immediate area surrounding the interchange,” Karen Sentoff, a consultant with the transportation consulting firm VHB, said.

See STUDY on page 9

Musical sounds of summer get underway around the area

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Nothing says summer in Vermont like live music!

For Charlotte resident and the unofficial “fun guy” around town, Bill FraserHarris, grabbing your friends and family for a night of music in town is exactly what summer is all about. That’s also part of the reason that he started music at the beach, which has been happening at the Charlotte town beach for the past 12 years.

“The sun setting over the lake, a beverage of your choice in your hand and beautiful music in the background,” he said. “To me, that’s what summer in Vermont, or

summer in Charlotte, is all about.”

He said the event has grown in popularity in recent years, with sometimes nearly 200 people showing up to enjoy a peaceful Wednesday night on Lake Champlain. Most important, he said, the event costs nothing — but donations are encouraged.

Aside from some of the big-ticket venues like Higher Ground in South Burlington or the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex, towns in Chittenden County have set up their own summer music shindigs. There is no shortage of entertainment this summer season. In fact, the real struggle

See MUSIC on page 6

Rescuing

Recently, members of the South Burlington Fire Department underwent training on confined space rescues. The entire crew of the department have been working with their counterparts at Vermont Air National Guard Fire Department on the training. In these photos, members work in the pump station on Hinesburg Road. Faithful rescue mannequin “Randy” sustained a severe lower body injury at the bottom of the pit, which required members to provide emergency medical services, and then package and extricate him to safety. The department works with its mutual aid partners on simulated events like this because the real ones are so workforce intensive.

The Red Mill is a true family favorite, providing cold drinks and casual dining made with fresh local ingredients, all in a renovated old sawmill.

‘Randy’

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SOUTH BURLINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT

UVM halts housing project near Centennial Woods

COREY MCDONALD

VTDIGGER

The University of Vermont is stopping plans for a new undergraduate housing complex that would have accommodated about 540 students, citing soaring construction costs and a lack of available labor.

“With interest rates where they are, and the competition for labor in the Burlington area right now, the price tag was going to drive rents so it really wouldn’t have been affordable for students to live there,” Richard Cate, the university’s chief financial officer, said. “There’s no point in building when it’s not going to work for them.”

School officials informed the board of trustees of the decision during the board’s recent meeting, briefly mentioning the news in a press release last week.

The Catamount Woods project, first announced in August 2023, would have been built on what is currently a parking lot near the DoubleTree hotel at the southern edge of Centennial Woods — an extension eastward into South Burlington from the university’s main campus in Burlington.

The university signed an agreement with AAM 15 Management LLC that month to build the roughly $100 million complex, with the goal of housing students there by the fall of 2025.

The development had been making its way through South Burlington’s Development Review Board, with university and city officials hashing out zoning concerns around density and the number of units that could have been built on the property.

Those permitting considerations affected plans for the project, but “could have

been overcome over time,” Cate said. “That was not going to be the biggest issue by any means.”

Cate said university officials are looking into alternatives but have not yet decided what those might be — or where they could be built. He said he could not provide an estimate of how much the school had already spent on the project.

The decision to halt the project complicates the university’s goal of boosting on-campus student housing — an ongoing source of tension in the relationship between UVM and the city of Burlington.

City officials have previously expressed concerns that the school’s undergraduate students are occupying too much of the city’s short supply of housing stock, and that UVM’s rising enrollment has contributed to the city’s housing crisis.

A draft agreement, presented to the Burlington City Council in December, would commit the school to increasing on-campus housing if it enrolls more students, but the council has yet to vote on the measure.

Cate said university leaders have not discussed the decision to stop the Catamount Woods project with Burlington council members or with the city’s administration. A spokesperson for Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.

Another housing project, Catamount Run, is under construction in South Burlington’s city center. The project’s first phase is expected to open to students in the university’s graduate and professional programs, as well as university employees, this August.

• purifyinG our air anD water

preventinG fLooDinG • controLinG peStS anD inSectS • cooLinG our temperatureS • anD much much more if we DeStroy nature, then we wiLL have to pay for the free ServiceS it proviDeS.

2023 rendering of a proposed undergraduate housing project near Centennial Woods, which University of Vermont officials have said they are no longer pursuing. Image courtesy of the University of Vermont.

CRIME & COURTS

Vermont State Police is asking the public to identify the operator or owner of this motorcycle, seen traveling negligently near exit 13 on Interstate 89 in South Burlington. A trooper attempted to stop the motorcyclist, who acknowledged the trooper but then took off at a high rate of speed. Police did not pursue the cyclist. The red motorcycle did not have a registration plate. The operator was wearing a silver helmet, black and purple motorcycle jacket and dark pants. Anyone with information is asked to contact Vermont State Police at 802-878-7111, at cityprotect.com/forms/state.vt.us/anonymous or by texting keyword VTIPS to 274637.

Total incidents: 248

Agency / public assists: 18

Directed patrol: 8

Traffic stop: 21

Accident:

property damage: 15

Alarm: 11

Foot patrol: 26

Suspicious event: 6

Retail theft: 10

Motor vehicle complaint: 13

Welfare check: 10

911 hangup: 3

Trespass: 13

Domestic: 2

Disturbance: 12

Field contact: 4

Found/lost property: 6

Noise violation: 6

Leaving the scene: 5

Animal problem: 4

Larceny: other: 4

Fraud: 4

Threats: 3

Mental health: 3

quality hospice care for our community.

Saturday, June 8, 2024

Run/Walk: 9:00 am Malletts Bay School Register today: uvmhomehealth.org/run

Arrests:

May 9 at 7:19 p.m., police arrested Brendan Brooks of Milton for retail theft on Dorset Street.

May 14 at 5:57 p.m., police arrested Jacob A. Raymond, 33, of South Burlington, for lewd and lascivious conduct on Grandview Drive.

May 20 at 1:41 p.m., police arrested Amber J. Sanders, 39, no address provided, for retail theft on Dorset Street.

May 22 at 11:35 a.m., police arrested Olivia A. Hines, 30, of South Burlington, for violating conditions of release on Williston Road.

May 22 at 8:21 p.m., police arrested Zane D. Davison, 29, no address provided for two charges of violating conditions of release on Dorset Street.

May 23 at 11:03 a.m., police arrested Olivia A. Hines, 30, of South Burlington, for violating conditions of release on Williston Road.

May 23 at 10:22 p.m., police arrested Brian E. Roberts, 56, of South Burlington, for possession of methamphetamine and for possession of

cocaine on Shelburne Road.

May 24 at 12:19 p.m., police arrested Gregory W. Terry, 41, of Westford, on an in-state warrant on Williston Road.

May 25 at 1 a.m., police arrested a 17-year-old, no address provided, for driving under the influence, first offense, leaving the scene of an accident and negligent operation on Dorset Street.

Untimely deaths:

May 17 at 6:30 p.m., police responded to Williston Road for the death of Wayne Palmer, 89, of South Burlington. The medical examiner’s office is determining cause and manner of each death.

May 23 at 6:24 p.m., police responded to Harbor View Road for the death of Barbara Cox-Niquette, 91, of Georgia. The medical examiner’s office is determining cause and manner of each death.

Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney Office and can be amended or dropped.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF VERMONT STATE POLICE DEPARTMENT

OPINION

Legislature anticipates veto session on energy standard

From the Senate

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale

It was a privilege and pleasure, as always, to reconnect with constituents this past Memorial Day weekend. Often seen as the official kickoff of summer, it was a great way to honor our fallen heroes, spend time with family and celebrate the best of our communities. It was also a wonderful Dragon Day Parade in St. George, where their entire legislative delegation was present for the festivities.

The 2024 legislative session, along with the two-year legislative biennium, has now ended. We accomplished a great deal, from flood recovery and climate resilience to economic development and public safety. We will return to Montpelier on June 17 for a veto session, though we are likely to find out more this week about the legislation the governor has vetoed.

that we will be able to override the governor’s veto on these strong environmental protection and climate mitigation measures.

Notably, the governor has signed the budget into law, which contains critical investments in affordable housing, workforce development and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable. In his communication, he expressed his deep respect for retiring Sen. Jane Kitchel, chair of Senate appropriations and former secretary of human services. On both the responsible, balanced budget and the recognition of the huge loss of institutional knowledge with Kitchel’s departure, we are in full agreement.

So far, the governor has vetoed two pieces of environmental legislation — a ban on bee-threatening neonicotinoid pesticides in 2029 and a revamped renewable energy standard that would prioritize more investment in local energy production and jobs. These two bills received broad support in the Legislature this session and my hope is

As I write this, we do not know the Governor’s intentions on two landmark bills that originated in my committee — Act 250 reform and the kids code. Hopefully by the time you read this, we know more, and there is reason to believe that both will be signed into law or allowed to become law without a signature. If they are vetoed, I will work hard to ensure we have the two-thirds majority needed to override on these critical pieces of legislation. H.687, which represents meaningful compromise between economic and environmental stakeholders, provides greater protection for ecologically sensitive areas while relaxing state oversight in our population centers and employment corridors. H.121 contains data privacy measures that will protect Vermont consumers and joins a national effort to protect children from the predatory nature of social media. These two bills embody the best of our bipartisan and bicameral process and make change Vermonters have been counting on for decades.

I look forward to speaking with you about what we accomplished and what lies ahead. At 25 weeks pregnant and with a precious 1-year-old daughter, please just extend patience and grace with my response time.

Thank you for the privilege of serving and enjoy the warm weather.

Kesha Ram Hinsdale, a Democrat from Shelburne, serves the towns of South Burlington, Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Burlington, St. George, Underhill, Jericho, Richmond, Williston and Bolton in the Legislature.

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale

might be finding the time to get to all of them.

Here’s a glimpse at some of the fun going down in Chittenden County this summer.

SB Nite Out

One of South Burlington’s most anticipated events of the year is back for its eighth season. SB Nite Out this year features more than just grub and good tunes. From fire performances to pickleball clinics, each Thursday will be something a little different than the last. Cancel plans and head to Veterans Memorial Park every Thursday starting at 5 p.m.

June 20 - IncaHOOTS

June 27 - UltravioletCirque de Fuego performance

July 11 - Hitmen and SB Bikes Out

July 18 - The Devon McGarry Band

July 25 - A House on Fire with fireworks

Aug. 1 - Sticks & Stones and pickleball clinics

Aug. 8 - Quadra

Aug. 15 - Barbie-n-Bones and a back-to-school drive

Aug. 22 - Grippo Funk Band

Burlington City Arts Summer Concert Series

The BCA Summer Concert Series is an annual celebration of Vermont’s wide-ranging roster of local talent. Every Wednesday and Friday throughout the summer, the series provides a lunchtime concert from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in City Hall Park, energizing the downtown district with vibrancy while supporting local musicians.

Summer Concert Series, Shelburne Farms

The 27th annual summer concert series is back. Set up your lawn chair and blanket, bring a picnic dinner or enjoy food for sale on site at the Farm Barn. Kids love dancing on the lawn and visiting the animals in the chil-

dren’s farmyard. For safety, all children must be accompanied by an adult, and no dogs. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with music starting at 6:30 p.m.

July 10 - Smokey Newfield Project

CREMATION SERVICES

July 17 - Dave Keller Band

July 24 - Buckshot

July 30 - Finale with fireworks. Food trucks and picnicking open at 5 p.m. Concert starts at 7 p.m. and lasts until dusk. Fireworks after 9 p.m.

Concerts on the Green, Shelburne Museum

While most of the concerts are sold out, there are tickets still available for these shows available at shelburnemuseum.org

June 13 - Greensky Blue June 29 - Guster Sept. 1 - Goth Babe

Old Round Church, Richmond

A full season of summer and fall concerts at the Old Round Church is in the works, including both indoor and outdoor events. Suggested ticket donations at the door.

COURTESY PHOTO

June 1 - Forest Station, 7 p.m.

Aug. 24 - Social Band, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 21 - Mama Tried, 7:30 p.m.

Grange on the Green, Charlotte

2024 Concerts will be on Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. on the Charlotte Town Green (rain location: Charlotte Senior Center).

The Charlotte Grange invites friends and neighbors to enjoy four evenings of music and merriment on the green. Bring a picnic.

June 27 - Will Patton Quartet

July 11- The Buck Hollers

July 18 - Nick Carter and Carole Wise

July 25 - Forest Station and Friends

Music at the Beach, Charlotte

“Skylark,” musicians from the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, play Wednesdays, July 24 and 31, and Aug. 7 at the Charlotte town beach. Picnicking at 5 p.m. and music starts around 6 p.m. Free with season parking pass or paid day pass, but cash donations are encouraged.

Bring your friends and family and enjoy a summer sunset over Lake Champlain.

Summer Concerts in the Park, Hinesburg

There’s no need to leave town to hear great music, with a slew of talented performers right in Hinesburg. Enjoy this 25-year annual tradition put on by the Hinesburg Recreation Department.

Grab a blanket or chair, some snacks, and a few friends and enjoy a free concert in the park starting at 6:30 p.m.

July 10 - Rodney Putnam

July 17 - Lost Edges

July 24 - About Time

July 31 - Atlantic Crossing

Aug. 7 - Hinesburg Community Band

Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival

Join the chamber for nine days of exploration into how classical musicians celebrate their love of folk music from around the world.

Performances take place Aug. 17 - Aug. 25 across three stages: Elley-Long Music Center at St. Michael’s College, St. Paul’s Cathedral and All Souls Interfaith Gathering.

Wednesdays Grill and Chill, Essex

Beginning June 12 and running every Wednesday until August

14, Double E at the Essex Experience will be firing up the grill on the green from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Bring the family, bring a friend, or just bring your appetite for cool music on a hot night. No tickets needed.

June 12 - Al’s Pals; Bethany Conner opens

June 19 - Dave Keller

June 26 - Danny and the Parts

July 3 - The Full Cleveland

July 10 - Satyrdagg

July 17 - Good Gravy

July 24 - Lara Cwass Band

July 31 - Hard Scrabble

Aug. 7 - Dobbs’ Dead

Aug. 14 - End of Summer Bash

COURTESY PHOTO

First Friday kicks

7 with songstress Andriana Chobot and her band Bananas, offering

COMMUNITY

Community Notes

What Vermont eats:

From Europe to Burlington

The latest Vermont Historical Society Vermont Eats cultural event will focus on the food and communities that make up Vermont’s diverse history and story.

This year’s dinner is in partnership with Burlington’s Lost Mural Project and Ohavi Zedek Synagogue and will take place at the synagogue on Thursday, June 6, at 5:30 p.m. The event will feature Samuel D. Gruber as the evening’s keynote speaker, who will give a talk titled “Picture This: Art and Life for Vermont’s Jewish Immigrants.”

In the late 19th century, Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and elsewhere in Eastern Europe began to arrive in Burlington, where they formed a tight-knit community centered on a trio of synagogues in what’s now the Old North End. Known as Burlington’s Little Jerusalem, this community maintained many of the religious and cultural practices of the Old World until it began to drift apart around the time of World War II.

The community was home to a vibrant mural at the former Chai Adaopom synagogue. Created in 1910 by Ben Zion Black, the mural is a rare example of Eastern European folk art and was painstakingly restored in 2022.

In this talk, Gruber will discuss the life of the synagogue, and what the works can tell us about their makers and patrons. But we’ll look beyond the synagogue, to the taste of life of immigrant Jews in their homes and businesses: what they made, what they sold and what they ate.

Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the Vermont Historical Society’s annual fund and the Lost Mural Project. Tickets are $50 at vermonthistory.org/ vt-eats.

Shelburne Museum kicks Free First Friday

Free First Friday Eve is a summer tradition at Shelburne Museum. From June through August on the first Friday of the month, admission to the museum is free from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

It’s the perfect time to visit galleries, enjoy a picnic on the grounds, stroll through gardens and take in the splendor of a summer’s evening.

Musical performances include:

• June 7 — Andriana and the Bananas: Andriana Chobot, a Burlington-based sing-

WHY GO LOCAL?

Epic A.J. by Grayson Dailey

er-songwriter, offers indie-pop and heartrock sounds that ruminate in jazz, with her band the Bananas.

• July 5 — Mal Maiz blends traditional cumbia, Latin, reggae and Afro-Caribbean sounds.

• August 2 — Dwight + Nicole play American soul and blues.

For more information, visit shelburnemuseum.org.

Civil War reenactment takes place in Shelburne

Champlain Valley historical Civil War reenactors descend on Palmer’s Sugarhouse, 332 Shelburne-Hinesburg Road, Shelburne, on Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., as the 2nd Vermont Infantry and the 1st Vermont Cavalry host a living history weekend.

Learn about Vermonters serving in the Army and on the home front during the American Civil War. Demonstrations will be held throughout the day.

For more information, go to bit. ly/3WUE0uz or contact Michael Cairns at mcairns@uvm.edu or 802-310-3003.

Author, illustrator kicks off summer reading program

Vermont author and illustrator Amy Huntington will kick off the official start of South Burlington Public Library’s 2024

Summer Reading Program, “Adventure Begins at Your Library!” on Saturday, June 15, at 10:00 a.m.

She will share her experience and sketchbooks for the creation of her new book, “How to Make a Mountain: from Geologic Formation to Thriving Habitat in Just 9 Simple Steps and Only 100 Million Years!”

Huntington’s artwork has been exhibited in various New England galleries. She has written and illustrated numerous books. Participants can also register for the library’s summer reading challenges, add artwork to a Vermont mural and participate in several self-guided activities that explore the wonder and whimsy of Vermont.

‘Eat, Poop, Die’ author hosts book signing in SoBu

Biologist and author Joe Roman presents his new book “Eat, Poop, Die: How Animals Make Our World” at the South Burlington Public Library auditorium on Thursday, June 27, 5:30-6:45 p.m.

Roman is a conservation biologist, marine ecologist and “editor ’n’ chef” of eattheinvaders.org. Winner of the 2012 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award for “Listed: Dispatches from America’s Endangered Species Act,” Roman has written for the New York Times, Science, Audubon, New Scientist, Slate and other publications.

Shape the community’s character

Vermont Community Newspaper Group

Like many of the animals he studies, Roman is a free-range biologist. He has worked at Harvard University, Duke University Marine Lab, University of Iceland, University of Havana, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the University of Vermont, where he is a fellow and writer in residence at the Gund Institute for Environment.

The business next door donates nearly twice as much as big-box stores and online retailers to local non-profits, events and teams.

News from South Burlington Public Library

180 Market St., South Burlington, 802-846-4140, southburl ingtonlibrary.org for information about any programming, cancellations or in-person changes. Some events June change from in-person to virtual. Some events require preregistration.

Hours: Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Email sbplinfo@southburlingtonvt.gov.

KIDS & TEENS

Lego builders

Fridays in June, 3-4:30 p.m.

Projects geared to kids ages eight and up, or ages six and up with an adult helper. Each week, builders explore, create and participate in challenges.

Stressbusters!

Monday, June 3, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Attention teens: Leave your stress at school and come to the library for an afternoon of calming activites, music and crafts. Ages 13-18.

Musical storytime with Ms. Liz

Tuesday, June 4, 10:30-11 a.m.

For infants to age 4. Craftytown

Tuesday, June 4, 3-4:30 p.m.

Arts and craft fun. June 4: ribbon fairy wands. Music & movement

Thursday, June 6, 10:30-11:15 a.m.

Join Miss Emma as she leads singing, movement and jam sessions for kids from birth to age 5.

Read to a dog

Wednesday, June 12, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 26, 2-3 p.m.

Sign up for 10-minute slots to read to Emma by emailing sbplkids@southburlingtonvt.gov. Game changers

Tuesday, June 18 and 25, 1-2:30 p.m.

Join Valerie to play new and noteworthy board games, and old favorites. For grades four and up. No registration.

Family storytime

Tuesday, June 18 and 25, 10-11 a.m.

For infants to age 5. Stories, songs, rhymes and fingerplays.

Summer reading craftytown!

Wednesdays, June 19 and 26,

10-11:30 a.m.

Adventure Begins at your Library is this year’s summer reading theme. June 19: Participants will learn the significance of Juneteenth and will make and find out why Joe Frogger cookies are a memorable and delicious. June 26: Did you know there was a skeleton of a Beluga whale found in Charlotte? Master naturalist Fred Kosnitsky shares fun and fascinating facts about Vermont geology.

Babytime

Wednesday, June 19 and 26, 9:15-9:45 a.m.

For non-mobile infants and their caregivers. Board books, manipulatives and baby-appropriate toys will be available for exploration and play.

Middle school makers: Cooking

Thursday, June 20, 4-5:30 p.m.

Students in grades five to eight will be making strawberry muffins.

Teen kindness rocks

Thursday, June 20, 2-3 p.m.

Fun art project: painting rocks. Library provides the paint and rocks. Just bring your creativity.

Teen movie

Friday, June 28, 1 p.m. “Barbie.”

Stuffy sleepover

Friday, June 28, 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Bring your best stuffed animal friend to the library and leave them for a “stuffy” sleepover. On Saturday morning from 9:30-10:30 a.m. kids pick up their friends and see photos of their nighttime shenanigans. Juice, bagels and fruit.

ADULTS

Knit for your neighbors

Thursdays in June, 2-5 p.m.

Yarn, needles and crochet hooks supplied. Knit or crochet hats and scarves to help keep your neighbors warm. All finished projects will be donated to the South Burlington Food Shelf.

Chess club

Saturdays in June, 11 a.m.-2:45 p.m.

Ready for a serious game of chess? Join the Chittenden County Chess Club and other pawn pushers every Saturday.

Cookbook club

Tuesday, June 4, 5:30-6:45 p.m.

This month’s cookbook is “Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking” by Toni Tipton-Martin.

A James Beard Award winner, Tipton-Martin sheds new light on

African American cuisine. Sign up at the circulation desk or email sbplprograms@southburlingtonvt. gov. Books available at the library. Mandarin conversation circle

Tuesdays, June 4 and 18, 11 a.m.-noon

Drop-in. No registration. Tech help by appointment

Fridays, June 7 and 21, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Tuesdays, June 11 and 25, 1-4 p.m.

Sign up for a free 40-minute appointment to get some one-onone help and learn new skills.

English conversation circle

Mondays, June 10 and 24, noon-1 p.m.

English as a Second Language discussion group.

Poetry group

Tuesdays, June 11 and 25, 11 a.m.-noon

Share your poetry in a supportive, comfortable setting.

Morning book group

Thursday, June 13, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

This month’s selection is “Old in Art School” by Nell Painter. In-person or Zoom options.

Art of creating community through hip-hop

Monday, June 17, 6-7 p.m.

Juniper Creative Arts is a family collective of passionate artists, educators, storytellers and healing arts practitioners creating at the intersection of spirituality, identity, culture and community through ancestral practices and the lens of hip-hop culture. All ages.

Board games brunch

Saturday, June 22, 9:30 a.m.2:30 p.m.

Want to play board games with a fun, friendly crowd? This event is open to all ages, best for 18 and up. Join the Friendly Tabletop Gamers in the digital lab. Registration required.

Legislative forum

Monday, June 24, 6-8 p.m.

Join representatives Emilie Krasnow, Martin Lalonde, Kate Nugent, Noah Hyman and Brian Minier and senators Ginny Lyons, Kesha Ram Hinsdale and Tom Chittenden to discuss what’s being debated in the Statehouse.

Evening book group

Thursday, June 27, 6-7 p.m.

The June selection is “The House in the Cerulean Sea” by T.J. Klune. In-person and Zoom.

STUDY

continued from page 1

The exit 14 study will evaluate various interchange alternatives that address capacity, operational, accessibility and safety issues as identified in the larger I-89 2050 study. The final goal is to recommend a preferred interchange alternative to the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

The regional planning commission held a public kick-off in South Burlington last week to gauge where exactly resident concerns fall and hear feedback on what they’d like to see in the exit 14 area. Most residents at the meeting voiced concern over the area’s lack of bus lanes, congestion and the speed of vehicles merging from both the onand off-ramps.

“Even though we looked at the entire interstate, we did focus our energy on the exit 14 area because of congestion issues, delay issues, safety issues, especially the difficulty of bicycles and pedestrians to cross the interchange area. There are just a number of issues with this interchange,” Eleni Churchill, transportation program manager with Chittenden County Regional Planning and the project manager for the exit 14 study.

As population in South Burlington continues to grow, the team is actively monitoring just how the area’s traffic patterns are shifting. The team identified several areas as high-crash locations, with uncontrolled bicycle and pedestrian crossings and infrastructure, tight weaving sections of the interstate near exit 14 that are nearing capacity, along with deficient merging lengths.

Looking over a snapshot of the last five years, there have been a total of 369 crashes in that area, with some of the most serious happening as cars exit the highway going east toward Dorset Street.

While traffic on I-89 grew

nearly 12 percent between 2000 and 2019, the team evaluated significantly less movement throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the years that have followed. Similarly, morning and evening commute traffic patterns have changed as more people work from home and the typical 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. work model diminishes.

The group spearheading the studies are projecting and planning for a nearly 8 percent traffic growth rate between 2022 and 2042.

“We’re starting to see folks working from home half the day and then going to an office or a public meeting or whatever. It’s really busy from when school lets out at 2:50 p.m. through to 6 p.m. but we’re not getting that peak traffic and congestion period right at 5 p.m. like we had historically,” Sentoff said. “We are starting to see that spread over a longer period of time and more activity through the middle of the day.”

What’s interesting, she noted, is that there’s just about the same number of people coming off the interstate in South Burlington and Burlington in the morning as are coming in the evening.

Alternatives that have already been evaluated are an enhanced clover leaf to slow down motorists, and a diamond traffic concept, like what is seen at exit 12 coming into Williston.

“If you can picture the Williston exit where instead of having the loops when you get off you just get off on a straight shot,” said David Saladino, another consultant with VHB working on the study. “That diamond interchange is a very tight configuration, then you’d have all those circles freed up to do something else in those areas.”

Final recommendations are expected by winter following a final public meeting in early 2025.

Memorial Day

South Burlington man defies cancer, gives back

In December 2011, Eric Gilcris was diagnosed with grade 4 glioblastoma brain cancer and given 6 to 12 months to live. On Saturday, June 1, he will tee off at the Williston Country Club for his nonprofit’s 8th Annual Cancer Canknot Golf Classic.

versary coincides with Eric Gilcris’ 13th year living with glioblastoma and the nonprofit is growing.

“Cancer Canknot is more than our story,” Gilcris said. “It’s a mindset and a reminder to those fighting that cancer cannot take away what matters most.”

“Cancer

Gilcris is considered an extreme survivor, a term used to describe the less than 1 percent of patients who live with glioblastoma for 10 or more years. It’s a moniker Gilcris and his family welcome.

“The diagnosis was devastating. Nothing can prepare you for that,” Gilcris’ wife, Anna, said. “But the good that has come out of it is more than we ever could have dreamed.”

Canknot is more than our story. It’s a mindset and a reminder to those fighting that cancer cannot take away what matters most.”

— Eric Gilcris

Cancer Canknot is part of that good. Founded by the South Burlington couple in 2014, the organization is dedicated to supporting cancer patients and their families and has donated over $100,000 to the Dana Farber Cancer Research Center.

Cancer Canknot’s 10th anni-

That message has resonated with people locally and across the country, including members of the Vermont Lake Monsters, who recently lost their manager, Pete Wilk, to the same disease. The two organizations are partnering to host Cancer Canknot Night at Centennial Field on Thursday, June 27. In addition to the golf classic, the couple created jewelry and apparel lines to spread the Cancer Canknot message and authored “Bear Hugging and Cancer Crushing,” a children’s book inspired by conversations with their son.

For more information about the event, go to cancercanknot.org.

COURTESY PHOTO Eric Gilcris wears a Cancer Canknot shirt he designed. The nonprofit’s 8th Cancer Canknot Golf Classic is June 1.

South Burlington gathered in remembrance of all who have sacrificed for the country on Friday at Veterans Memorial Park. Members of the South Burlington High School choir, Father Justin Baker of Christ the King St. Anthony, Staff Master Sargent Darren Adams, members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Matt Van Wagner, and the Burlington Fire Department Honor Guard took part in the ceremony.

COURTESY PHOTOS

ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL

Aerial insectivores

On the wing and on the hunt

The Outside Story

Colby Galliher

When I worked at a barn one summer during college, I marveled at the swallows that nested in the structure’s eaves and corners. I watched the iridescent birds swoop, flutter and dart with amazing dexterity between the small spaces above the stalls. These acrobatic birds are aerial insectivores, a group that also includes other swallows, swifts, nightjars and the aptly named flycatchers.

While many of New England’s avian summer residents eat insects, most supplement their diets with other food sources. For aerial insectivores, insects are the primary item on the menu year-round — and they earn their dinner “on the wing.”

“There are a lot of insects up in the air space. We know that because birds are all the way up there feeding on them,” said Thomas Sherry, an avian ecologist and former professor at Tulane University who now lives in Vermont, where he’s writing a book on insectivores in the tropics. “Insects are moving around a lot for their own purposes, like mating and dispersal.”

Scientists refer to that patchy spread of insects throughout the ground-to-sky gradient as aerial plankton. Aerial insectivores must fly long distances to locate these groups of airborne insects, and then remain aloft to feed on them. Aerial insectivores are distinctly adapted with pointed wingtips and a large wing size relative to their body to help them reduce the amount of energy required to fly for such lengthy episodes.

“One of the most obvious adaptations for flight efficiency is pointed wingtips,”

Former Vermont Teddy Bear warehouse to close

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Just two months after the Vermont Teddy Bear Company sold the assets of its three apparel companies to New Jersey-based company PJ Acquisition LLC, the distribution center’s warehouse is set to close June 5, laying off roughly 30 employees.

The distribution center in Shelburne is a separate warehouse building just north of the iconic Vermont Teddy Bear Factory that brings hundreds of tourists to the Shelburne area every year. The factory will remain unaffected by the warehouse’s closure, and continue stuffing its plush toys, giving tours and hosting events.

“That’s all going to continue as everybody knows it to be,” Katie Langrock, senior vice president of operations for Vermont Teddy Bear since 2022, said.

Sherry said, noting that, unlike the rounded wingtips of many forest birds, a pointed wingtip “creates less drag on the wing by allowing easier air movement around the tips.”

Aerial insectivores must also be able to maneuver deftly in air to catch their mobile quarry. This is where proportionally large wings come into play.

“The wheeling and turning is facilitated by a relatively large wing area for the size of the bird. It catches the air and allows them to turn quickly,” Sherry said. This phenomenon is called “low-wing loading,” and is perhaps best demonstrated by the foraging flights of the common nighthawk, a type of nightjar.

Nighthawks are crepuscular, hunting at dawn and dusk, and must change direction constantly as they chase moths and other winged nocturnal insects. Sherry recalls watching groups of nighthawks migrating south along the Connecticut River before nightfall, following patches of flying ants and other invertebrates.

Beyond their unique wings, aerial insectivores benefit from additional adaptations that aid them in foraging. Richard Holmes, an emeritus professor and avian ecologist at Dartmouth College, explained that some aerial insectivores possess a ring of specialized feathers surrounding their beaks, called “rictal bristles,” which may serve to funnel prey into their mouths and protect their eyes in flight.

Other studies propose that these feathers help birds orient themselves in air. Flycatchers, meanwhile, have enhanced

designing (the pajamas) for years, and then we have offshore partners that make them and then we import them throughout the year,” she said.

Although certain aspects of the pajama company will leave Vermont, Langrock said that the company is currently planning to open an office on Pine Street in Burlington and has already hired over 20 people.

“The product development team, the sourcing team, the designers are all going to have an office in Burlington,” she said.

USA Brands president Matt Bigelow said that the Vermont Teddy Bear team was surprised to learn the news of the layoffs, but its company’s human resources department is helping those affected find new jobs.

“Vermont Teddy Bear as a tourist experience is not affected. Nothing is changing there.”

— Matt Lawless

PJ Acquisition, an affiliate of Lionel Capital, acquired the assets of the pajama companies PajamaGram, PajamaJeans and The 1 for U on April 3, the same time that the teddy bear-making side of Vermont Teddy Bear Company was sold to USA Brands, the owner of Vermont Flannel.

“One of the things I’m doing is I’m supporting both of the buyers as they get the companies up and running,” Langrock said. “We’re splitting it all up and making sure they have what they need to run their businesses.”

According to a May 16 letter sent to Shelburne town manager Matt Lawless and the state’s Department of Labor, PJ Acquisition was unable to negotiate a new lease for the warehouse location at 6653 Shelburne Road, owned by Miller Realty Group LLP, according to Shelburne’s 2023 grand list.

Layoffs for employees in accounting, human resources, contact center, inventory and information technology departments began May 23 and will end by June 5.

Although most of the distribution center was used for the apparel company, some of the warehouse was dedicated to the packing and shipping of the company’s teddy bears. Because of the closure, Vermont Teddy Bear moved its entire operation into the factory building, Langrock said.

The warehouse packing and shipping operation for the apparel companies is now being turned over a third-party logistics provider, she said.

“We have a product development team and designers that have been

As residents and neighbors heard the news, fears began circulating that the entire Vermont Teddy Bear Factory was shuttering, which is why town manager Matt Lawless spent much of the day Wednesday last week doing “damage control,” he said, repeating the mantra, “Vermont Teddy Bear as a tourist experience is not affected. Nothing is changing there.”

He said since the news broke, he’s already heard that some of affected employees in Shelburne had already found new jobs.

“With this warehousing and distribution type of job, that’s an in-demand sector. It’s the third largest job category in the Burlington metro area. There’s lots of demand for warehousing packaging, truck driving, all those logistics-type jobs,” he said, adding that with regional unemployment at 1.5 percent there are more open jobs than there are available workers. “The prospects of getting new jobs quickly are pretty good.”

The warehouse building itself is also something of a hot commodity, he noted. He anticipates that it won’t sit vacant for too long since there aren’t many buildings like it in the area.

“Part of my role is to provide a good explanation of what’s allowed by town zoning and try to matchmake and help a new business get in there as quickly as possible,” he said. “I want to help local businesses grow and maximize the economic impact of properties like that, and we’ve already been having some of those conversations.”

He also noted that the Shelburne Food Shelf remains open as a resource for those in Shelburne affected by the layoffs.

Barry N. Stone

Family man, businessman, community leader, athlete, Barry Stone, 89, died peacefully on Saturday, May 25, 2024, with his family by his side.

He is survived by his loving wife Carol, cherished daughter Judy Mallory and her husband, Ben and treasured grandsons, Mark and Andrew Mallory.

He was predeceased in 2016 by his devoted sister Pat Singer and tragically in 1984 by his adored son Jeff. Barry was forever sustained by his glorious memories of sharing Jeff’s amazing 25 years.

Barry will be remembered for his exceptional generosity, superb sense of humor and legendary storytelling. He was a sought-after master of ceremonies and public speaker who appeared frequently before local, state and national organizations.

Born in 1935, the son of Sidney and Helen Stone, Barry was raised in Woodmere, Long Island, New York. He graduated from Woodmere High School in 1952 and was honored as a charter member of the school’s Alumni Hall of Fame. He was a 1956 graduate of the University of Vermont where he was a varsity basketball player. He served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, which included a stint playing basketball on the Ft. Monmouth, N.J., team.

Barry and Carol were married in 1957 and celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary this past year.

Barry began his insurance business career in New York City. After 12 years of commuting by train from home in Westchester County to his Manhattan

office and then driving every winter weekend with his family to Stowe, Barry, Carol, Jeff and Judy moved to South Burlington in 1970.

He initially continued his life insurance career in Vermont through a valued affiliation with the Pomerleau Agency and in 1980 established the Barry Stone Agency. He achieved membership in Transamerica Life Insurance Company’s Leading Producer’s Club and was elected chairman of Transamerica’s 1990 national sales conference in Monterey, California. He attained the industry’s Life Member designation in the Million Dollar Round Table.

In the community, Barry served as chairman of the Chittenden County United Way campaign, chairman of the board of the Stern Center for Language and Learning, director of the Franklin Lamoille Bank, director of Banknorth Investment Management Group, president of the Burlington Rotary Club and president of the Burlington Tennis Club where he was the 1987 recipient of the club’s Burt Kusserow-Ellen Wilkins Award.

In 1995, he received the

PUBLIC HEARING SOUTH BURLINGTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD

The South Burlington Development Review Board will hold a public hearing in the South Burlington City Hall Auditorium, 180 Market Street, South Burlington, Vermont, or online or by phone, on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 7:00 P.M. to consider the following:

1. Master plan application #MP-24-02 of Burlington School District to amend a previously approved master plan for a 344,000 sf manufacturing and office building, a 37,800 sf office and retail building, a 15,600 sf commercial building, and a 85,000 sf flight instruction and airport use building on 40.43 acres. The amendment consists of modifying the access and circulation to an adjacent existing hangar, 154 Davinci Drive.

2. Site Plan application #SP-24-17 and conditional use application #CU-24-06 of SBRC Properties, LLC to amend a previously approved plan for an outdoor storage yard. The amendment consists of constructing a 1.02 acre paved parking lot and changing the use to commercial parking facility, 1877 Williston Road.

Board members will be participating in person. Applicants and members of the public may participate in person or remotely either by interactive online meeting or by telephone:

Interactive Online Meeting (audio & video): https://zoom.us/join By Telephone (audio only): (646) 931-3860 Meeting ID: 835 5255 6214

A copy of the application is available for public inspection by emailing Marla Keene, Development Review Planner, mkeene@southburlingtonvt.gov. May 30, 2024

Multiple Sclerosis Society Hope Award for outstanding community service.

Barry embraced a lifelong connection to his alma mater and served as chairman of the UVM regional board, chairman of the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame Selection committee, chairman of the UVM Athletic Council, founding executive committee member of the UVM Victory Club, member of the UVM Foundation Leadership Council and key fundraiser for many university projects.

He was a recipient of the UVM Distinguished Service Award and also received the UVM Athletic Department award for his contributions on behalf of his beloved UVM men’s basketball team. He was a member of several varsity basketball head coach search committees and readily gave his physical, emotional and financial support to generations of UVM basketball from the 1950s to the 2020s.

Barry’s deep involvement in sports led to his appointment as Vermont State chairman for the United States Olympic Committee. He later became Northeast Regional chairman with a seat on the USOC National Finance committee. He co-founded the USOC Olympic Ski Challenge at Stowe, which was recognized by the USOC as the most successful state-run Olympic team fundraiser in the nation during the 1990s.

Barry served two terms as chairman of the state of Vermont Sports Hall of Fame and, after his retirement from the board, was honored as the recipient of the David K. Hakins award and inducted into the state hall of fame. Along with his other many leadership positions, Barry served as chairman of the International Skiing History Association and received their Special Achievement Award in 2011. He was a long-time member of the National Voting Panel for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and was a Vermont delegate to USTA New England in the sport of tennis.

Barry and Carol were loyal Stowe skiers but also skied throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Barry’s passion was untracked deep powder snow. His favorite locale was British Columbia’s network of helicopter accessible remote lodges where he and his buddies each skied over one million vertical feet.

He made his final heli-skiing descent on his 80th birthday but continued lift served skiing until age 85. In 2000, he raced in the National Senior Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., and placed fourth

Bear sighting

a

last week grabbed this photograph of a bear near the

With trails and bushes nearby, Lagun urged caution when walking around the grounds, particularly in those areas. “While it’s indeed a rare sight, especially in our neighborhood, we must acknowledge that we live in an area rich with wilderness, and encounters with wildlife can occur,” Lagun said.

in the age 65 and over giant slalom and fifth in the slalom. He regularly raced in NASTAR and won gold medals in almost every senior age bracket. One of his proudest race results was in 1978 when Barry and his daughter Judy were bronze medalists in the Equitable National Father-Daughter Ski Championships in Snowbird, Utah.

Barry was a competitive tennis player. He held a USTA New England senior tournament ranking up to and including the age 80 and over division. His highest ranking was No. 4 in New England age 60 and over singles. In 1991, he was the singles silver medalist in the age 55 and over at the National Senior Games held in Syracuse, N.Y.

In 2005, he represented the United States in master’s tennis at the Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel. During the 1960s, he won several championships in the New York City suburbs and beginning in the 1970s, numerous Burlington Tennis Club championships in singles, doubles and in mixed doubles with his favorite partner, Carol.

Barry thrived doing group adventure planning. He and Carol loved skiing in the West with family and friends, especially Jeff and Judy, and in later

years with grandsons Mark and Andrew with whom he enjoyed a most exceptional bond. Many friends have great memories of skiing or bicycling with the Stones in the far reaches of the U.S., France, Austria, Switzerland and Spain, or whitewater rafting the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

Closer to home, they may have joined Barry and Carol on their hikes in Stowe up the Hellbrook trail to the summit of Mt. Mansfield or water skiing at their favorite spots on Lake Champlain.

Barry’s family sincerely thanks Dr. Frank Landry for many years of professional caring and personal friendship, and additionally numerous incredible caregivers at UVM Medical Center and the kind and caring staff at McClure Miller Respite House. If considering a donation in Barry’s memory, the family would most appreciate a gift to the Jeff Stone Memorial Fund, c/o the UVM Foundation, 411 Main St., Burlington VT 05401. A memorial service will be held in the early fall.

Arrangements are in the care of the Ready Funeral and Cremation Services. To send online condolences please visit readyfuneral.com

PHOTO BY KATYA LAGUN

Katya Lagun,

manager at Generac Power Systems on Hinesburg Road in South Burlington,

facility.

Barry N. Stone

Girls’ tennis handles Mt. Mansfield

Baseball

South Burlington 5, Colchester 4 (8): Sam Mazza-Bergeron drove in the winning run in the eighth inning and South Burlington beat Colchester 5-4 on Saturday, May 25.

Mazza-Bergeron won in relief, allowing one run in two innings.

The Wolves moved to 11-3.

Softball

Colchester 13, South Burlington 1 (5): The South Burlington softball team fell to Colchester in five innings on Saturday.

With the loss, the Wolves fell to 1-13.

South Burlington also lost to St. Johnsbury Friday, May 24.

Girls’ lacrosse

South Burlington 16, Middlebury 5: Sabrina Brunet scored five times to pace the South Burlington girls in a win over Middlebury Friday.

Rachel Kelley scored three times and had two assists for the Wolves, while Peyton Borick added a hat trick. Elise Smith and Lucie McCarney each tallied twice, while Victoria Bohlmann stopped nine shots.

The Wolves moved to 9-4.

Boys’ lacrosse

Middlebury 9, South Burlington 5: The boys lost their fifth game of the season, falling to Middlebury on Friday.

Will Goyette and Brady Sweet each had two goals for the Wolves in the loss.

South Burlington fell to 9-5 on the season.

Girls’ tennis

South Burlington 6, Mount Mansfield 1: South Burlington came out on top in a couple of three-set matches to beat Mount Mansfield in girls’ tennis on Friday.

Rosa DeGiulian won in three sets in singles and Bridget Simone and Grace Stein teamed up for a three-set win in doubles for the Wolves.

Evangeline Clifford and Laney Lamphier also won in doubles, while Emma Xia, Ella Maynard and Ella Stein each got wins in singles.

South Burlington is now 9-3.

Cast off: It’s free fishing day

Vermont’s annual, statewide summer free fishing day is Saturday, June 8, and it will be highlighted by a free family fishing festival in Grand Isle and the state’s regular bass fishing season’s opening day.

“Vermont’s free fishing day gives resident and nonresident anglers the opportunity to go fishing without a license for the day in Vermont lakes and streams,” Fish and Wildlife commissioner Christopher Herrick said. “It’s a great opportunity for an experienced angler to be a mentor to friends who have not gone fishing before. A day on the water could lead to a lifetime of great experiences and healthy local food.”

The day will be celebrated at the Grand Isle Family Fishing Festival at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station, 14 Bell Hill Road. The festival will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Designed for young or novice anglers and families, the event offers basic fishing instruction and the chance for kids to catch big trout in a hatchery pond. No prior fishing experience is needed, and Vermont

Fish and Wildlife will be supplying fishing rods, reels and bait for use by participants.

Vermont’s regular bass season also opens on June 8, marking the start of some

of the hottest bass fishing action in the northeast. The season opens each year on the second Saturday in June and extends through the last day of November.

Hart & Mead Energy and All Star Fuels in Hinesburg/Bristol area is looking for an individual with a clean CDL-B / Hazmat endorsement. Able to pass federally mandated drug

PHOTO BY DAN LOVELL

Vermont’s summer free fishing day and the Grand Isle Family Fishing Festival will be on June 8 this year. It’s also the opening day of Vermont’s bass fishing season.

Author talks about the mob, Stonewall at Pride event

The Duxbury Historical Society presents historical crime writer Alex Hortis, author of “The Mob and the City: The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York,” on Wednesday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Waterbury Congregational Church, 8 North Main St.

The Stonewall Uprising stands as a pivotal moment in history — a fierce response by the LGBTQ community to relentless police raids. On June 28, 1969, the New York City Police descended upon the Stonewall Inn, a beloved gathering spot. But this time the community fought back, igniting several nights of protest on the streets. The rebellion was a turning point in the fight for rights and gave rise to modern-

day Pride parades and festivals.

Yet, amid the well-known narrative lies a lesser-discussed chapter: the historical role of The Mafia, which happened to

own the Stonewall Inn.

Hortis, a constitutional lawyer and historian of crime, will delve into the intricate web of relationships, revealing how The Mafia unintentionally played a part in sparking the renowned Stonewall uprising.

The Burlington-based musical duo, The Champlain Shoregasm, will perform at 6 p.m. to welcome attendees.

The event, which celebrates Pride month, is free to the public. Donations are welcome and benefit the Duxbury Historical Society, which is restoring and preserving two historic buildings that will be used as a community meeting house and archives.

Reservations are recommended and are available online at duxburyvt.com.

AERIAL INSECTIVORES

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vision that allows them to track their minuscule targets. A 2016 study by researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden found that some flycatcher species’ ability to detect and follow movement is up to 25 percent better than that of other birds. Compared to many of their avian brethren, flycatchers effectively view the world (and their tiny, zipping meals) in slow motion.

Despite these adaptations, populations of many aerial insectivore species have decreased over the past half-century. These declines are largely due to habitat loss, pesticide use and a growing disparity in timing between when aerial insectivores’ prey hatches and when these birds migrate and arrive at their breeding grounds — a result of the changing climate.

But ornithologists point to the downward trend in insect populations as perhaps the key culprit in the decline of these birds. According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, common nighthawk and eastern whippoorwill declines are particularly steep, which the Cornell Lab

of Ornithology attributes to “the loss of open-understory forests” and pesticide-induced reductions in numbers of mosquitos and other nocturnal insects, among other factors. The populations of some swallows and flycatchers, meanwhile, appear to be stable or declining less precipitously.

We can support aerial insectivores by avoiding pesticide use, converting lawns to meadows, and gardening with native plants to bolster insect abundance. I hope to continue to see chimney swifts and swallows winding sinuous paths through the late-afternoon sky — on the wing and on the hunt for their next meal.

Colby Galliher is a writer who calls the woods, meadows, and rivers of New England home. To learn more about his work, visit colbygalliher.com. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: www.nhcf.org.

Alex Hortis