“Guarding the Past – Protecting the Future!”
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Town Clerk Sandra Harris CVC/CMC 567 Governor Hunt Rd. Monday, July 5th the Town Offices will be closed for the July 4th Holiday - have a Safe and Happy Holiday.
Turtles and Other Wildlife are Not Pets
WATERBURY, VT – Wild animals do not make good pets. Some are dangerous when they reach maturity, almost all do not adjust well to captivity, and many populations of reptiles and amphibians, including turtles, are being threatened by people illegally collecting them in the wild.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says a recent newspaper advertisement promoting turtles as pets and showing a photo of a wood turtle could mislead people to think it is OK to keep a wood turtle. It is illegal in Vermont to catch or possess a wood turtle as well as other native turtles.
Vermont is home to seven species of turtles: spotted turtle (small with distinct yellow spots; endangered and known from just a handful of locations), spiny softshell (large, threatened, confined to Lake Champlain and lower portions of rivers that flow into Lake Champlain), map turtle (up to 10” and confined mainly to Lake Champlain), musk turtle (rarely seen lake or stream bottom walker), snapping turtle (large, prehistoric looking giant that can have a 18” shell and be 36” nose to tail tip; can live up to 100 years and lay up to 100 eggs per year), painted turtle (perhaps our most plentiful turtle, relatively small, smooth dark shell, and likely a mix of midland and eastern subspecies in Vermont), and last but certainly not least, the wood turtle.
The wood turtle averages about 7.5 inches in shell length, and it has reddish-orange skin on its neck and legs and a roughly textured shell. It is dependent on streams and small rivers where it spends the winter on the bottom. In warmer months it may travel 1000 or more feet from the stream to forage on land.
Adult wood turtles may live 60 years, but egg and hatchling survival is extremely low. Survival of older juveniles and adult breeders is key to maintaining this species. The wood turtle is rare throughout its range which includes Vermont.
Taking a turtle home removes it from its breeding population and reduces that population’s chances of replacing turtles that die. It takes many years for a turtle to mature and we need the older breeders to maintain populations. Only 2 percent of hatchling turtles may survive to become breeding adults, and wood turtles only lay an average of seven eggs each year.
Wood turtles have not fared well in the face of human development of the landscape. Habitat loss and alteration, isolation of populations from each other, road mortality, impacts from mowers, increase in turtle predators such as raccoons and skunks, and collection of wild turtles as pets have contributed to a region-wide decline in this species.
It is illegal to collect and possess native wildlife, including turtles, as pets. Yet, an illegal pet-trade still exists. Even animals reported to be “captive bred” are a problem because breeding stock comes out of the wild.
Don’t be part of the problem. Remember that wildlife are not pets. They belong in the wild. Enjoy Vermont’s natural heritage where it belongs -- in the wild. To learn more about wood turtles and other wildlife in Vermont, visit the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website “Critter Curriculum” at www.vtfishandwildlife.com/vtcritters. *********************************
. On September 19, 1928 President Coolidge left Washington for Vermont to view the damage and reconstruction work after the flood of 1927. On September 21st he gave a speech, the following is an excerpt from that speech.
My Fellow Vermonters: ..... ..... Vermont is a state I love. I could not look upon the peaks of Ascutney, Killington, Mansfield, and Equinox, without being moved in a way that no other scene could move me. It was here I first saw the light of day; here I received my bride, here my dead lie pillowed on the loviong breast of our eternal hills. I love Vermont because of her hills and valleys, here scenery and invigorating climate, but most of all because of her indomitable people. They are a race of pioneers who have almost beggared themselves to serve others. If the spirit of liberty should vanish in other parts of the Union, and support of our institutions should languish, it could all be replenished from the generous store held by the people of this brave little state of Vermont.
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VERMONT AGENCY OF NATURAL RESOURCES PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2010 Media Contact: Col. David LeCours
Greensboro Man Charged for Violations on State Property
WATERBURY, VT -- On the afternoon of June 22, State Game Warden Dennis Amsden received a report of a Jeep “mudding” on the Steam Mill Brook Wildlife Management Area near Coles Pond, in Walden, Vermont.
Warden Amsden went to the area and found vehicle operator, Jesse Read, Jr., 20 of Greensboro Bend operating a 4-wheel drive Jeep while his driver’s license was under suspension and without liability insurance. The vehicle was not registered and had unassigned license plates. Warden Amsden determined that Read had driven his Jeep onto different areas of Steam Mill Brook Wildlife Management Area, causing damage to trails.
The 10, 421-acre Steam Mill Brook Wildlife Management Area in Walden, Stannard, Wheelock, and Danville is state land managed by the Fish and Wildlife Department for its variety of wildlife habitats and as an area open to the public, especially for hunting, fishing, trapping and wildlife watching.
Read was charged with destruction of state property, unlawful mischief and several motor vehicle violations.
Upon conviction, the criminal charges of destruction of state property and unlawful mischief carry potential fines of up to $7500, up to five years in jail, and revocation of hunting, fishing and trapping licenses. Read can also be assessed restitution for the damages.
Anyone with information related to this case should contact Senior Game Warden Dennis Amsden, through the Vermont State Police Dispatch, at 802-748-3111.
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VERMONT AGENCY OF NATURAL RESOURCES PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: June 28, 2010
Kids, what are you doing next week?
WATERBURY, VT – It’s a holiday weekend! Time to enjoy a nice BBQ, fireworks and spend time with family, but what do you have planned after this weekend? Do you have an interest in conservation, fish and wildlife management and the outdoors? If so, come spend a week with conservation professionals such as game wardens, state foresters and state biologists at a Green Mountain Conservation Camp.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Camp Coordinator Amber van Zuilen says there are still openings for boys ages 12-14 during the July 5th-9th week at the Buck Lake Camp in Woodbury and the Kehoe Camp in Castleton.
Tuition is only $200 and covers lodging, food and a week filled with fun packed activities such as archery, canoeing, fishing, and hunter education.
Call 802-241-3700 or visit Fish and Wildlife online at www.vtfishandwildlife.com/camps.cfm to learn more about the Green Mountain Conservation Camps or to enroll, but do it soon. -30-
Note to Editors, News Directors: Amber van Zuilen can be interviewed at either of the phone numbers above, or you can visit the Buck Lake Conservation Camp to interview young campers and Amber on site this Tuesday or Wednesday between 10:00 and 3:00.
Vermont Master Angler Program Announced
WATERBURY, VT – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department recently unveiled a new angler incentive program to encourage fishing participation among children and adults as well as gather information on big fish caught in Vermont. The new “Master Angler Program” recognizes the accomplishments of anglers who catch trophy-sized fish from Vermont waters and celebrates that these fish have survived and grown to such large size.
“ Vermont has a wealth of waters with abundant fish populations that provide many opportunities to experience outstanding fishing,” said Shawn Good, one of the state fisheries biologists who helped design the program.
The program provides a list of 33 fish species that can be caught by hook and line. Minimum length benchmarks are established for each species. Fish exceeding those benchmarks are considered “trophy quality” and may be entered. There are two different length lists -- one for adults and one with lower minimum lengths for youths.
“Many anglers focus their efforts on just one or two species,” continued Good. “They may only fish for trout or bass. We hope that by highlighting and profiling Vermont’s many opportunities to catch a wide variety of fish species, the Master Angler Program will encourage anglers to learn more about our fish, their habits and their habitats, and then apply that knowledge to try to catch them.”
Unlike the previous "annual record fish program" that only recognized one fish of each species caught each year, this program allows many anglers to participate and receive recognition. By going to a length-based system, the Vermont Master Angler Program also allows and encourages the entry of "trophy" fish that are caught and released alive.
State Record Fish Program Changes The Vermont State Record Fish Program that has recognized the largest fish of various species caught in Vermont waters since 1969 also is being improved. Several new state fish records were established in recent years, including a 38.22-pound muskellunge, a 35.2-pound lake trout and a 3.53-pound black crappie.
“There are two significant changes to the State Record Fish Program,” said state fisheries biologist Jud Kratzer. “First, there is a defined list of species eligible for submission as state record entries. The eligible species are the same 33 species that are eligible for the Master Angler Program. Second, a department fisheries biologist must inspect the fish to verify the species and examine for evidence of cheating.”
Entries must still be made on a printed entry form provided by the department from their offices, at hatcheries and as a printable file on the department’s website.
While the newly established Master Angler Program allows for entries of caught and released fish, the State Record Fish Program still requires that the fish be harvested so that an accurate weight can be recorded on an inspected scale.
To learn more about the Vermont Master Angler Program, visit Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website at www.vtfishandwildlife.com/masterangler.cfm. To view Vermont’s record fish, visit http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/Fishing_frmRecords.cfm
Selectboard: The Board of Selectmen is committed to support the Departments and work together to cut costs, eliminate waste, and maintain or improve the quality of service, ongoing development of a management process so that employees are empowered to improve their work environment and to actively support appropriate wages for honest work.
Meetings: First & third MONDAYS at 6:30 P.M. unless otherwise noted.
Justices of the Peace
Septic Permits As of July 1, 2007, the state will take over all aspects of the wastewater and septic permitting process. Contact:
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