So its mid-December in Vermont and already the snowpack is building. Every inch of frozen water that falls from the sky will test the ability of Vermont's wild turkey population to survive. Looking down the barrel of three months winter severity index, I've seen many in farmers fields. They brave the snow and exposure to pick at the undigested kernels that come out in the cow manure thats spread underneath.
They will have a long winter of digging ahead, whether in the forests for nuts, or fields for corn. Every inch that falls is an inch farther for a turkey from its source of food. The snow also makes them more suceptible to predators. They can't run well in deep snow, and need the running room to take off. Flight whether to a nearby roost or just to a new location, is how they escape.
So it looks like a long winter ahead for the turkeys. Hopefully a few find some feeders put out by kind folks. Beware the few that often find themselves wandering into roadways. This will be a winter that requires as many turkeys to survive as possible, in order to rebuild the population. Many will die in the snow.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Letter Found In Local Paper To The Point
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
Dear Editor,
This week I had the unfortunate event of being stuck in traffic on the Sandbar on the way to work. It's a rather beautiful place to get stuck, with the snow falling on recently frozen ice. Steam rising off the open lake right through the falling snow up into the clouds. An occasional gull, crow or diving duck would cross over the bridge in flight. All except for the line of cars front and back as far as the eye could see.
It got me thinking again about the many traffic chokepoints throughout Route 2 in the Islands. Places where there is no way around, like the Sandbar, the Drawbridge, City Beach/Birdland, the NH-Alburgh bridge, the ILM-Alburgh bridge. Accidents and traffic in these places impede the ability of first responders to provide mutual aid to other towns, and ambulances in getting to Burlington. Besides that a great number of us work in Chitttenden County, and that Sandbar is the lifeblood of Grand Isle Counties economy.
A few weeks ago my concern about the drawbridge and lack of public information led me to draft a letter to the Governor. He forwarded it to the Transportation Secretary who in turn forwarded it to the Project Manager of the drawbridge who finally answered. I was surprised that the state had considered running a ferry while the bridge was being repaired. Even more so that they considered closing the bridge, the very heart of our county, for the duration of the repairs.
A new legislative session is upon us, let our representation know that transportation in the Champlain Islands needs to be at the top of their agendas. Too many decisions are being made that directly affect us, without any public involvement. That it was considered to even temporarily divide our county into north and south should be a wake up call. Complain, please! To Representatives Johnson and Trombley, and Senator Mazza who chairs transportation. The Governor, the Lt. Governor, the Transportation Secretary, your neighbor, the local selectboard, and anyone who'll listen. Obviously unless we make noise we'll just be forgotten and the State will do whatever it wants, without input from Islanders.
Best Regards,
Jason M. Brisson
North Hero, Vt.
Thank You Mr. Brisson for the permission to post this on the site. Hopefully it will help bring awareness to this obviously important issue!
Dear Editor,
This week I had the unfortunate event of being stuck in traffic on the Sandbar on the way to work. It's a rather beautiful place to get stuck, with the snow falling on recently frozen ice. Steam rising off the open lake right through the falling snow up into the clouds. An occasional gull, crow or diving duck would cross over the bridge in flight. All except for the line of cars front and back as far as the eye could see.
It got me thinking again about the many traffic chokepoints throughout Route 2 in the Islands. Places where there is no way around, like the Sandbar, the Drawbridge, City Beach/Birdland, the NH-Alburgh bridge, the ILM-Alburgh bridge. Accidents and traffic in these places impede the ability of first responders to provide mutual aid to other towns, and ambulances in getting to Burlington. Besides that a great number of us work in Chitttenden County, and that Sandbar is the lifeblood of Grand Isle Counties economy.
A few weeks ago my concern about the drawbridge and lack of public information led me to draft a letter to the Governor. He forwarded it to the Transportation Secretary who in turn forwarded it to the Project Manager of the drawbridge who finally answered. I was surprised that the state had considered running a ferry while the bridge was being repaired. Even more so that they considered closing the bridge, the very heart of our county, for the duration of the repairs.
A new legislative session is upon us, let our representation know that transportation in the Champlain Islands needs to be at the top of their agendas. Too many decisions are being made that directly affect us, without any public involvement. That it was considered to even temporarily divide our county into north and south should be a wake up call. Complain, please! To Representatives Johnson and Trombley, and Senator Mazza who chairs transportation. The Governor, the Lt. Governor, the Transportation Secretary, your neighbor, the local selectboard, and anyone who'll listen. Obviously unless we make noise we'll just be forgotten and the State will do whatever it wants, without input from Islanders.
Best Regards,
Jason M. Brisson
North Hero, Vt.
Thank You Mr. Brisson for the permission to post this on the site. Hopefully it will help bring awareness to this obviously important issue!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Queer Deer Taken In Vermont
Breaking news from the tiny town of Isle La Motte in Grand Isle County, Vermont. Hermaphrodite deer shot during annual rifle season, two point rack in velvet. For those not in the know, that's an antlered doe. Deer had two points on one side, a main beam with an inch and a half kicker.
No joke here, if I hadn't seen it myself I'd never believed it. It was the queerest of creatures I've ever seen. An antlered doe, and chances are I'll never see one again. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Biologists estimate that out of twelve thousand deer in the Green Mountain State shot annually, only two are antlered does.
The lucky hunter was Joe St. Lawrence of Isle La Motte. He had been hunting in a treestand in a area with other relatives nearby. He saw the deer at 30 yards and realizing the long kicker on the main beam made it a legal deer, decided to shoot. Upon firing his gun an eight and a six pointer jumped up from nearby as well and ran.
Unable to find the deer on a primary search, Joe returned with relatives to look again. They found the deer, and to their astonishment saw velvet on the antler. It wasn't until a relative suggested that Joe to lift the leg that they realized the roughly 160 pound buck was really a doe. It had full female genitalia, and a dramatic overbite.
The deer also had a back leg that appeared to have been broken, as if hit by a car, and then healed straight. It made for an odd track that when combined with a curved hoove made a deep sliding groove. Joe recognized it immediately as a deer he had seen the tracks of in the area the preceding couple years.
Its interesting the odds of shooting a monster buck in Vermont are better than shooting an antlered doe.
No joke here, if I hadn't seen it myself I'd never believed it. It was the queerest of creatures I've ever seen. An antlered doe, and chances are I'll never see one again. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Biologists estimate that out of twelve thousand deer in the Green Mountain State shot annually, only two are antlered does.
The lucky hunter was Joe St. Lawrence of Isle La Motte. He had been hunting in a treestand in a area with other relatives nearby. He saw the deer at 30 yards and realizing the long kicker on the main beam made it a legal deer, decided to shoot. Upon firing his gun an eight and a six pointer jumped up from nearby as well and ran.
Unable to find the deer on a primary search, Joe returned with relatives to look again. They found the deer, and to their astonishment saw velvet on the antler. It wasn't until a relative suggested that Joe to lift the leg that they realized the roughly 160 pound buck was really a doe. It had full female genitalia, and a dramatic overbite.
The deer also had a back leg that appeared to have been broken, as if hit by a car, and then healed straight. It made for an odd track that when combined with a curved hoove made a deep sliding groove. Joe recognized it immediately as a deer he had seen the tracks of in the area the preceding couple years.
Its interesting the odds of shooting a monster buck in Vermont are better than shooting an antlered doe.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Mill River Falls State Something
Can you think of a place along Vermont's town of Georgias' shore where it’s forested and there are no cottages in sight? A place seemingly unspoiled by development where waterfalls lead to the shore of Lake Champlain . Somewhere you can stand in the shadows of tall trees while wetting your fishing line. I can, quite simply Mill River Falls is a natural paradise.
In the hundreds of times I’ve driven by it, I never really thought that much about the place. It was just always this bridge over the road that a bunch of people parked around. Occasionally I’d see a fishermen scoot across the road with a pole and bucket. It’s a relatively small area that contains a lake floodplain ecosystem, old river oxbows, mature trees, and about 1800 feet of shoreline. The Lake Champlain Land Trust press packet quotes Rod Vallee of Georgia as saying that “ Mill River Falls is one of the most important natural areas left in Georgia .”
Thanks to the diligent work of the LCLT and Georgia Conservation Commission the public will always be able to access this site. Future generations will forever be able to access this property as it is one of Vermont ’s newest additions to the list of state lands. “We had discussions with Anna Neville about conserving her property stretching back seven years before she generously donated her land to us in 2003,” states Chris Boget, assistant director of LCLT. He continues, “We retained a conservation easement and donated the land to the State of Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.” The Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation website lists the 35 acre parcel as Mill River Falls State Forest .
The area provides more than permanent recreational opportunities for paddlers, hikers, fishermen, and hunters on Lake Champlain . It is habitat for many different creatures at different times of the year. Mill River is one of only a few places where Steelhead, or lake dwelling Rainbow Trout, are known to spawn. Four rare plant and three rare fish species call the Mill River Falls home. Large dead snags provide nest sites for wood ducks and mergansers. The marshes in spring are productive fish spawning and feeding areas. Mill River Falls is abundant with wildlife habitat.
When I first visited the place, two fathers had spread their kids out on the banks with fishing poles. Rock Bass and Pumpkinseed were biting today, the crappie action hot the day before. I rounded a corner in the trail to see fresh deer tracks, and was overwhelmed by the bird calls in the canopy above. It seems the place has enough to please everyone, except for parking.
Right now everyone has to pull off on Mill River Road or next to the bridge. The LCLT website says that a sign and better parking are in the works. Access is a bit hidden, one has to walk a bit down the Pines Road a couple yards to access the trailhead on the right. What a splendid place for a short stroll it makes. Apparently the only question remaining with the property is what to call it.
The LCLT lists it as a natural area on it’s website. Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Forest, Parks, and Recreation lists it on their website as a state forest. I figured I’d ask whether it will be a state forest, park, or natural area. The folks at FPR told me to get in touch with their forester, the people at LCLT referred me to the same person. So I got in touch with Gary Sawyer the State Lands Stewardship Forester who said, “I don’t know what designation the Mill River Falls parcel will receive.” With natural beauty abound, Mill River Falls will forever remain publicly accessible, whether it be state forest, park, or natural area.
In the hundreds of times I’ve driven by it, I never really thought that much about the place. It was just always this bridge over the road that a bunch of people parked around. Occasionally I’d see a fishermen scoot across the road with a pole and bucket. It’s a relatively small area that contains a lake floodplain ecosystem, old river oxbows, mature trees, and about 1800 feet of shoreline. The Lake Champlain Land Trust press packet quotes Rod Vallee of Georgia as saying that “ Mill River Falls is one of the most important natural areas left in Georgia .”
Thanks to the diligent work of the LCLT and Georgia Conservation Commission the public will always be able to access this site. Future generations will forever be able to access this property as it is one of Vermont ’s newest additions to the list of state lands. “We had discussions with Anna Neville about conserving her property stretching back seven years before she generously donated her land to us in 2003,” states Chris Boget, assistant director of LCLT. He continues, “We retained a conservation easement and donated the land to the State of Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.” The Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation website lists the 35 acre parcel as Mill River Falls State Forest .
The area provides more than permanent recreational opportunities for paddlers, hikers, fishermen, and hunters on Lake Champlain . It is habitat for many different creatures at different times of the year. Mill River is one of only a few places where Steelhead, or lake dwelling Rainbow Trout, are known to spawn. Four rare plant and three rare fish species call the Mill River Falls home. Large dead snags provide nest sites for wood ducks and mergansers. The marshes in spring are productive fish spawning and feeding areas. Mill River Falls is abundant with wildlife habitat.
When I first visited the place, two fathers had spread their kids out on the banks with fishing poles. Rock Bass and Pumpkinseed were biting today, the crappie action hot the day before. I rounded a corner in the trail to see fresh deer tracks, and was overwhelmed by the bird calls in the canopy above. It seems the place has enough to please everyone, except for parking.
Right now everyone has to pull off on Mill River Road or next to the bridge. The LCLT website says that a sign and better parking are in the works. Access is a bit hidden, one has to walk a bit down the Pines Road a couple yards to access the trailhead on the right. What a splendid place for a short stroll it makes. Apparently the only question remaining with the property is what to call it.
The LCLT lists it as a natural area on it’s website. Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Forest, Parks, and Recreation lists it on their website as a state forest. I figured I’d ask whether it will be a state forest, park, or natural area. The folks at FPR told me to get in touch with their forester, the people at LCLT referred me to the same person. So I got in touch with Gary Sawyer the State Lands Stewardship Forester who said, “I don’t know what designation the Mill River Falls parcel will receive.” With natural beauty abound, Mill River Falls will forever remain publicly accessible, whether it be state forest, park, or natural area.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
The Fungus Among Us
So while I'm back at it, as fall progresses so does the annual mushroom season. You know, not the trippy kind, but the legal and legitimate edibles that you find growing in the woods. We've had a bit or rain as of late and it could stimulate a bunch of fruiting bodies. Do Not Eat Mushrooms.
Now I have no guilt harvesting and eating mushrooms because for me its like eating apples off a tree. The mycorhizae are like the underground tree, its not really destroying anything but seeds. I have a tendency to wander the forest and watch the ground as I walk a lot. I discovered fungi a few years ago. But to everyone else I say; Do Not Eat Mushrooms.
Fall is peak time for Oyster Mushrooms and Boletes, and especially my favorites; the puffball family. Do Not Eat Mushrooms. But I do.
Giant puffballs are those huge white semi-globes that pop up in fields and woodlands. If you cut across it entirely and its milky white, with NO YELLOW, I grill it. Cut it into huge steaks, but do not marinate, it ruins. Just grill it with a little steak seasoning though.
Gem-Studded Puffballs I usually find growing around rocks in colonies. They are again milky white, but shaped like a hot ait balloon from the side. Their tops are rough, and almost like they've been sprinkled with a white grit. Slice them up with a little butter and cook in a pan. My favorite is on the grill in aluminum foil.
Always check the stem, bottom, and wash the mushroom. Don't and you'll know why.
Do Not Eat Mushrooms.
Now I have no guilt harvesting and eating mushrooms because for me its like eating apples off a tree. The mycorhizae are like the underground tree, its not really destroying anything but seeds. I have a tendency to wander the forest and watch the ground as I walk a lot. I discovered fungi a few years ago. But to everyone else I say; Do Not Eat Mushrooms.
Fall is peak time for Oyster Mushrooms and Boletes, and especially my favorites; the puffball family. Do Not Eat Mushrooms. But I do.
Giant puffballs are those huge white semi-globes that pop up in fields and woodlands. If you cut across it entirely and its milky white, with NO YELLOW, I grill it. Cut it into huge steaks, but do not marinate, it ruins. Just grill it with a little steak seasoning though.
Gem-Studded Puffballs I usually find growing around rocks in colonies. They are again milky white, but shaped like a hot ait balloon from the side. Their tops are rough, and almost like they've been sprinkled with a white grit. Slice them up with a little butter and cook in a pan. My favorite is on the grill in aluminum foil.
Always check the stem, bottom, and wash the mushroom. Don't and you'll know why.
Do Not Eat Mushrooms.
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