Despite garnering thousands of signatures, a petition submitted to have Lake Memphremagog designated a “lake in crisis” was rejected by the Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
State denies Memphremagog ‘lake in crisis’
Why turtles cross the road
Vermont’s turtles will be on the move this spring, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking for the public’s help in keeping them safe. Female turtles will be looking for places to deposit their eggs, sometimes choosing to lay them along the shoulders of roads, which can bring them into the path of motor vehicles.
Spearing and shooting fish a South Hero spring ritual
Islanders have been catching fish with spears and guns since those tools have been around. And while that may sound unorthodox to some, learning about these fishing techniques and the techniques used around them is quite intriguing.
Teen Challenge gives back on Green Up Day
On a cold, cloudy Saturday May 1, a group of women spread out across Hardwick’s Main Street picking up trash and exchanging banter. All members of Teen Challenge Vermont, an addiction treatment center in Johnson, they were more than excited to be outside helping the community.
Green groups appeal sinking of ferry
The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) and the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) have appealed a permit issued by the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) to allow the sinking of a 152-foot-long ferry near the Burlington waterfront.
Green Up Day Saturday, May 1
Green Up Day Vermont (GUV) invites Vermonters to participate in the annual pickup of trash alongside Vermont’s highways this Saturday, May 1. Click here for details about your town.
Fishing way up during pandemic
“We saw fishing participation increase substantially in Vermont last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as people found themselves with more free time,” said state fisheries biologist Shawn Good.
Electric fencing protects against chicken predation
Keeping a small flock of chickens at home to provide eggs and meat has become increasingly popular, but many first-time small-scale poultry farmers are discovering that several species of wildlife like the taste of chicken as much as we do. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department urges poultry owners to use electric fencing and follow other precautions to protect their birds from predation.
Plan to sink ferry worries lake activist
Due to reduced trans-lake commuter traffic, Lake Champlain Transport (LCT) plans to sink the 67-year-old ferry Adirondack outside Burlington Harbor – a move bitterly criticized by longtime lake water quality advocate James Ehlers.
Steelhead leap Willoughby Falls
One of the state’s premier wildlife watching opportunities is taking place in Vermont. The steelhead rainbow trout have started their upstream migration, leaping up waterfalls in a spectacular display of determination on their way to their spawning grounds.
Ice Out contest scores record guesses, cash prize
NEWPORT — Spring finally made its appearance in Newport this past Saturday, at 4:09 a.m. to be exact.
‘Surgical strike’ tornado hits Middlebury
A fast-moving EF1 level tornado roared through a suburban Middlebury neighborhood March 26 uprooting trees, knocking down power lines, and damaging several homes.
Unelected “Environmental Stewardship Board” would review hunting, fishing regs
A bill creating an unelected state board with oversight over the Vermont environment, including hunting and fishing, was scheduled for review this week by the House Natural Resources, Fish & Wildlife Committee.
Remove bird feeders to keep away bears
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says warm spring weather and melting snows will cause bears to come out of their winter dens in search of food. The department recommends taking down bird feeders by April 1 to avoid attracting bears.
Ice fishing conditions deteriorating
Vermont state law requires that ice fishing shanties be removed from the ice before the ice becomes unsafe or loses its ability to support the shanty out of the water, or before the last Sunday in March — the 28th this year — whichever comes first.
Meteor flashes over northern Vermont sky
A loud, fiery 10 lb. six-inch wide meteor flashed over Northeastern Vermont Sunday evening, according to NASA Meteor Watch. It took about 5-6 seconds to burn up, which made it easy to see. Its passing sounded “like big trucks crashing,” according to young eyewitnesses in Johnson.
“Turn the screws on….break their will,” Vermont Climate Council advised
Ismay’s said, “So let me say that again, 60% of our emissions that need to be reduced come from you, the person across the street, the senior on fixed income, right… there is no bad guy left, at least in Massachusetts to point the finger at, to turn the screws on, and you know, to break their will, so they stop emitting. That’s you. We have to break your will. Right, I can’t even say that publicly….”
Snow goose hunt starts March 11
“The breeding population of greater snow geese has grown from approximately 50,000 birds in the mid-1960s to 714,000 birds today,” said David Sausville, Vermont’s waterfowl project biologist. “This increase has resulted in damage to agricultural crops and marsh vegetation in staging and wintering areas from Quebec to North Carolina. Hunting pressure to date has aided in reducing the population from its high point of just over one million birds during the period of 2000-2010. The Atlantic Flyway has established a goal of 500,000 greater snow geese to bring populations in balance with their habitat and reduce crop depredation.”
2020 fishing license sales best in 28 years
Anglers spent an estimated 2.1 million days fishing in 2019, and fishing quality throughout the state was rated higher in 2019 than in 2009, according to a Vermont Fish & Wildlife fishing survey.
Deer season reaps 3.6 million servings of venison
Thanks to a best-ever bow season, the final tally for the 2020 deer season will be around 18,000 deer, the second-highest total since 2000. Those deer will provide approximately 3.6 million servings of local, nutritious venison.
VT hunters had record bear season
Preliminary numbers show that hunters took a record 914 black bears during the two-part early and late bear seasons. The previous highest harvest ever recorded in Vermont was 750 in 2019. Fish and Wildlife also says there were no hunting-related shooting incidents.
Frustrated landowner says he will clear cut proposed Hardwick cell tower site
Days after public outcry prompted AT&T to petition the Public Utility Commission to dismiss its bid for a tower on Buffalo Mountain, landowner Gary Bellavance posted to a forum: “I’ve decided to clear cut Buffalo mountain.” The Bellavance property, he said, spans 40 acres of the Mountain. He wrote “What bothered me most was the fact that people can tell you what to do and how you need to manage your land. This is land I pay taxes on.”
Roxbury fish hatchery rebuilt
The renovated facility will produce 25,000 pounds of fish — approximately 60,000 brook and rainbow trout annually for stocking in state waters. These fish will provide opportunities for anglers and play an important role in Vermont’s economy. Previous studies from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have shown the Roxbury Fish Culture Station has contributed about $2.4 million dollars in annual economic impact to the state.
Bullhead tumors topic for talk in Newport
Surveys found 20-30 percent of brown bullhead had skin lesions or tumors. The prevalence of lesions and tumors in wild fish has been used as an indicator of environmental quality for many decades.
Buy your hunter or angler a license gift certificate
Finding a gift that will continue to give for a full year is a challenge, but the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has a solution on their website — a license gift certificate for hunting and fishing licenses.
Beavers slain because bureaucrat feared blocked culvert
The demise of the semiaquatic rodents and the damage to their dam is the result of an onsite visit from a representative from Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, an entity which advises Vermont towns on land management.
Thankful for Vermont’s Wild Turkeys
One of our native wildlife species historically played an important role on Thanksgiving Day. North America’s native wild turkeys were the ancestors of the Thanksgiving turkey on our dinner table, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. reports.
