Help count Vermont’s wild turkeys

Effective July 1, Vermont 211 will no longer staff its telephone crisis hotline between 10 PM and 8 AM. New hours of operation will be 8 AM –10 PM daily.  

The United Ways of Vermont says it will redirect its resources to expand capacity during peak calling periods, which typically occur between 4-10 p.m. 

The organization’s CEO told the Times-Argus that Vermont 211 receives 20-25 calls per day during that period, while receiving just one or two after 10 PM, the Journal-Opinion reports.

In a news release, the United Ways of Vermont said there will still be 24/support available: 

● The searchable online resource directory at www.vermont211.org is available 24/7/365, allowing users to find services, hours, contact information, and eligibility requirements for thousands of Vermont programs.

● New technology updates to Vermont 211’s phone system this summer will allow callers who dial 211 during overnight hours to navigate an automated system to connect with emergency or crisis services or access basic resources.

● Vermonters seeking to apply for the General Assistance Emergency Housing voucher program will need to do so during business hours by calling Economic Services from 8 AM -4:30 PM or through phone contact with Vermont 211 staff from 4:30 PM -10 PM.

Broadband signup program to sunset – Vermont Community Broadband Board is urging eligible residents to take advantage of a program that will sunset in September. 

The Affordable Long Drop Program helps pay the cost of connecting homes to fiber broadband service. 

“A long drop is the connection that runs from broadband infrastructure along the road to a home or business,” stated the VCBB in a news release. 

Most providers cover the costs of standard installations, but customers may be responsible for additional costs when a connection is unusually long or requires specialized construction. The Affordable Long Drop Program helps reduce or eliminate those costs for eligible Vermonters.

“The program prioritizes support for manufactured home communities, low- and moderate-income households, and customers who have committed to broadband service but face unusually high connection costs,” the release states. – Journal-Opinion

Vermont Turkey brood survey starts July 1 – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking for your help in monitoring Vermont’s wild turkey population. The department runs an annual online survey during July and August for reporting turkey broods.

Starting July 1, if you see a flock of turkeys in Vermont, the department asks you to go to the turkey brood survey on its website to report your observation, including where and when you observed the turkeys with the number of adult and young turkeys you saw. 

“Information gathered from this survey helps us monitor long-term trends in the productivity of Vermont’s wild turkey population,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s turkey biologist Toni Mikula.  “It also helps us assess the impacts of spring weather on the survival of poults and adult turkeys which is an important in the management of turkeys.”

“We monitor and manage wild turkey numbers annually in order to maintain a healthy, abundant and sustainable population of these iconic and ecologically important birds throughout the state,” added Mikula.