Camouflage, and maple syrup in my coffee

Camouflage, and maple syrup in my coffee

Bradley Carleton, Contributor

My duck-hunting partner, John, hunkers down in the corner of the blind, savoring a cup of hot espresso from his aged thermos. I can smell the sweet smoky fragrance, and I pick up my own thermos to toast the season. Without speaking we clink cups. Mine is French roast with a spoonful of maple syrup. We grin like two 10-year-olds.

White-nose syndrome causes loss of millions

White-nose syndrome causes loss of millions

Meg Berlin, Contributor

Most of us who pay attention to the current state of bats have heard about white-nose syndrome and may also know that bats are vulnerable to this through their winter dwelling habitat, caves. According to Vermont Fish and Wildlife, “White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has resulted in the loss of more than 5.7 million bats in the northeastern United States since 2006. This disease has affected all six of Vermont’s cave bat species (bats that hibernate in caves and mines in the winter months). WNS is associated with a newly identified fungus that invades the skin and damages the tissue in hibernating bats.”

Extreme weed growth along shoreline

Extreme weed growth along shoreline

Linda Patterson

Property owners on Long Point in North Ferrisburgh decided to form a “Weed Committee” to study the problem. After many months of research into causes and weed-control methods, and after speaking with their neighbors and other lake associations, the committee decided to organize an education event to inform lake users about the weed problem.

Trees and trails on State Park Road

Trees and trails on State Park Road

Mark Dillenbeck, Tree Warden

The Charlotte Selectboard asked your Tree Warden to conduct a preliminary assessment of trees that would need to be removed to accommodate an eight-foot wide trail that starts four feet from the edge of the road and includes a two-foot recovery zone (14fourteen feet total from road edge). From the Mack Trail to the east end of the road there are approximately 47 trees that would need to be removed, including individual stems of multi-stem trees and close clusters.