Natural Resources Protection: Recent Headlines

Recycle centers finding hazardous materials in bins

2008-11-26T21:01:47Z

The Brattleboro Reformer reports that "a disturbing trend has been plaguing recycling centers across Windham County - town recycling sites and Windham Solid Waste Management District have been coming across strange, potentially hazardous items left in recycling bins." Joe Kowalski, operations manager at Windham County Solid Waste Management, explained, "Deer guts are very popular this time of year, and we've also had live kittens dropped off in the recycling." Newfane has also experienced the problem. Recently officials found a portable spetic tank in a recycling bin. Notably, "people leaving inappropriate materials has become such a problem that waste management has considered installing more cameras."

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Byway gets trails grant

2008-11-26T20:02:26Z

The Brattleboro Reformer reports that "visitors to the Connecticut River Valley will soon have a series of historic interpretive trails to explore thanks to a $251,000 federal grant that was announced this week." Indeed, "the Connecticut River Joint Commissions, which manage the byway program on both sides of the Connecticut River, won the grant to develop a series of sightseer guides in Vermont and New Hampshire that will lead visitors to historic buildings and areas along the river." In response to the news Connecticut River Joint Commissions Executive Director Sharon Francis said, "We are thrilled to have been awarded this grant. We think it is our history that distinguishes this part of the country and we want to bring that history alive for the people who come here to visit." Francis added that "the money will be used to pay for the two-year project which will allow the joint commission staff to research the historic sites along the river and then develop maps and guides which will be available on the group's Web site."

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Deer sizes said up, Vt. hunters happy

2008-11-19T16:34:34Z

Vermont Public Radio reports that "officials say the first few days of the deer hunting season are showing some encouraging results." Indeed, "hunters say they are seeing bigger deer this year with some hunters attributing that to a recent restriction on taking young, spikehorn deer." According to state wildlife officials, "About 7,000 deer [are expected] to be taken this year, about on par with last year."

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In Lyndonville, waste paper backs up at recycling center

2008-11-19T14:41:37Z

Vermont Public Radio reports that "officials at the Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District say old newspapers and magazines waiting to be recycled paper are backing up, thanks to a steep drop in prices for them." Indeed, "truckloads of recyclables that once fetched $2,000 are now going for as little as $200 as the result of global economic uncertainty." In addition, the District said they are struggling to "even give the old paper away."

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Rutland County animal shelter stops taking cats

2008-11-19T14:41:11Z

Vermont Public Radio reports that the Rutland County Humane Society officialswill "no longer accept cats or kittens at their shelter" this winter because of "an overflow linked to the worsening economy." Indeed, the Pittsford shelter is"designed to hold about 90 cats" and currentlyhasabout 150. "That prompted executive director Gretchen Goodman to temporarily put a halt to cat adoptions Thursday." According to Goodman, "27 cats came into the shelter last weekend alone"and "the economic downturn is driving people to get rid of their pets."

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Vermont towns want big trucks off local roads

2008-11-19T14:27:52Z

Vermont Public Radio reports that eight Vermont towns have passed a Vermont League of Cities and Towns' resolution which calls on Congress to "increase the allowable weight limit for trucks on Vermont's interstate highways in hopes of ridding local roads of heavy trucks." The current weight limit prohibits trucks weighing more than 99,000 pounds from travelling on the interstate highways, causing them to use local roads instead. Michael Brown, Selectboard chairman of the town of Thetford, one of the towns that passed the resolution, said that "Thetford's roads are taking a bigger beating than they should because trucks weighing up to 99,000 pounds are allowed on them." Notably, "U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has reservations about the higher limits." He pointed out that the higher limit "could worsen damage on the highways."

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Fungus identified in bats with 'white-nose syndrome'

2008-10-31T15:11:35Z

Vermont Public Radio reports that "researchers have identified the fungus found on bats with white-nose syndrome." The fungus is a "previously undescribed type of Geomyces fungus that thrives in the cold" and was identified by David Blehert of the federal National Wildlife Health Center. Blehert "stressed that his research does not establish whether the fungus is definitely the cause of the widespread die-offs." Notably, White-nose syndrome has killed more than 100,000 bats, and has "been identified in 33 sites in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut over the past two winters."

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Related Thread

Mixer givers Vt. food producers a chance to find new markets

2008-10-31T14:51:18Z

The Burlington Free Press reports that Forty-three purveyors and 75 producers convened at the Three Stallion Inn late Wednesday morning to attend the the Vermont Food Matchmaker event. During the event, "a cowbell rang every 10 minutes, signaling a switch in which Vermont food producers would begin a sales pitch to representatives of stores, supermarkets, restaurants and resorts." By the end of the morning and afternoon "matchmaking sessions," each buyer saw up to 18 food producers. "Buyers covered a wide range, including college dining services, supermarket chains and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Some were stunned to see a representative of the Bentonville, Ark.-based discount store, which is often vilified by 'buy-local' advocates."

According to Scott McCormick, a market grocery manager for Wal-Mart, "The store is exploring selling maple products, apples, cheese and chocolates from Vermont producers as part of the souvenir section of its Vermont stores. The section could also include items made outside Vermont such as sweatshirts and shot glasses featuring scenes and logos from the Green Mountain State." He said he attended the event to "'to build better relationships with supplier' and let people know local Wal-Mart stores, with corporate approval, can sell Vermont-made products."

The event was sponsored by the Vermont Grocers' Association, Vermont Fresh Network and Vermont Hospitality Council.

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Vermont seeks mercury relief

2008-10-31T14:44:34Z

The Burlington Free Press reports that Vermontand six other Northeastern petitioned the federal government Tuesday "to take more steps to reduce mercury pollution of the region's lakes and rivers. The petition asks the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to step in to help with the problem of airborne mercury pollution that makes some locally caught fish unsafe to eat as part of a regular diet." For example, "in Vermont, pregnant women and young children are advised not to eat walleye, and to limit their meals of bass, pike, perch and most other freshwater fish. The Health Department recommends that everyone else should limit walleye consumption to no more than one meal a month, with fewer or no restrictions on other species." The target of the petition is "pollution emitted by Midwestern coal-burning power plants." This pollution "blows east and is deposited in water bodies where it accumulates in the flesh of fish."

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Champlain Canal focus of lake invaders

2008-10-31T14:32:10Z

The Burlington Free Press reports that "key groups will hold a public meeting next month to discuss the role of the Champlain Canal in the introduction of invasive species to Lake Champlain." According to experts, "The movement of water and boats through the canal is a likely path by which some invasive species have reached the lake. The canal links Champlain with the Hudson River." Fifty invasive species have made Lake Champlain their home and have"altered the lake ecosystem and cost millions of dollars in control efforts." Those invaders include zebra mussels, Eurasian water milfoil, white perch, alewives and water chestnuts. Notably, the Lake "the is home to fewer invasive species than surrounding water bodies. In the Great Lakes, 184 invasives have been catalogued, 87 in the St. Lawrence River and 91 in the Hudson River."

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