Williston
ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
PAID
Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Town, Catamount negotiate license renewal
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Climateresiliency trial set for Catamount
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
The original hope of the Catamount Outdoor Family Center when the Town of Williston acquired the property on which it operates was to sign a 25-year license to continue its recreational programming. Town leaders negotiated it down to five years. Now, the town, through its Catamount Community Forest Management Committee, is in discussions with the Catamount Outdoor Family Center’s Board of Directors about renewing the agreement. The Williston Conservation Commission and the outdoor center’s former owners, Jim and Lucy McCullough, have also weighed in. The contract expires next October, giving the parties more than a year of lead time. Consensus among all involved is that an agreement of more than five years is prudent. “The (forest management) committee is supportive of a longer period,” said Williston Conservation Planner Simon Myles. “I think it would provide more certainty for the outdoor center for things like equipment, but also allow them to make capital investments in the property safe in the knowledge that they wouldn’t get turfed out shortly after making see RENEWAL page 4
John Atkinson of Moretown started this week as executive director of the Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston. Atkinson has experience as a trail-builder and mountain biker in the Mad River Valley. COURTESY PHOTO BY JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR
New executive director takes the helm at Catamount BY JASON STARR Observer staff
On Monday, John Atkinson became the second executive director of the Catamount Outdoor Family Center, succeeding Kim Stinson as the leader of the nonprofit that offers outdoor programs, equipment rentals and
Charity Sale
25
Saturday, October 22nd
% OFF
STOREWIDE
trail maintenance on Williston’s Catamount Community Forest. A native of the Syracuse, N.Y., area who has called Vermont home for 30 years, Atkinson comes from a skiing and mountain biking background. He’s the former executive director of the Mad River Valley chapter of the Vermont Mountain Bike Associ-
ation and a longtime employee at Sugarbush ski area, where he held multiple positions, including camp director and photographer/videographer. Atkinson also freelances as a trail-builder and photographer. He currently lives in Moretown. see ATKINSON page 4
In a year’s time, the Catamount Community Forest will not only be a haven for hikers, bikers and nature lovers, it will also be a place to learn how scientists plan to manage forests for climate resiliency. As a test site for the international Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change project, about 25 acres in the northwest corner of the 400-acre forest will be altered to increase tree diversity. The work, led by Chittenden County Forester Ethan Tapper and UVM forestry program chair Tony D’Amato, will involve cutting and logging existing trees and planting new ones. Last Saturday, the pair hosted an informational walk of the site, where the trees that will be removed are already marked and informational signs have been placed. The walk attracted about 25 people and was the first of several free educational walks planned about the project, which is scheduled to begin next August. Through this type of public outreach over the coming year, Tapper hopes to allay concerns about logging in such a popular forest. Trails within the 25-acre test site will be closed next September and October. see CLIMATE page 7
Donate $10 to the Vermont Foodbank at Lenny’s today and get a reusable Canvas Tote Bag.
Save 25% storewide when you shop with your tote bag during Lenny’s Annual Charity Sale!
Barre, Williston, St. Albans, Plattsburgh M-F 10-6, Sat 10-5
Discount in store on in-stock, regular priced items only, can’t be applied to prior sales. Exclusions apply including Exclusive Darn Tough & Skida items, Yeti, Sitka & Gun Safes.
LennyShoe.com
Still Family. Still Local.