Sound artists
Arctic visitors
Storyteller helps others record their stories
Snowy owls might be plentiful visitors this winter
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Volume 51 Number 4
shelburnenews.com
January 27, 2022
In Shelburne
Snow sculpture
Beach house supporters hope voters approve bond SCOOTER MACMILLAN STAFF WRITER
systems and medical practice certifications. “You have to have duplicates, maintain it and pay licensing,” Reiss said. The Charlotte Family Health Center will become known as the Evergreen Family Health Group and the consolidated health practice will operate out of a new office being built in Williston.
Supporters of building a new Shelburne Beach House are feeling confident but not cocky about the chances a $350,000 bond vote will pass on Town Meeting Day. A campaign to raise $50,000 to kickstart the project has raised over $27,000. “This money will be used directly toward project costs as work on engineering and permitting begins this fiscal year,” chair of the Shelburne Parks and Recreation Committee Peggy Coutu, said. “I’m optimistic about the level of community support we’ve seen from residents and the number of people who have donated,” Betsy Cieplicki, director of the Shelburne Parks and Recreation Department, said. Cieplicki is hesitant to be too rosy in her predictions, not willing to presume whether verbal support and monetary donations will translate into votes. It is a good deal for voters that the selectboard opted for a bond vote on a separate ballot item rather than as part of the general budget, Cieplicki said, because the beach house’s cost will be spread over 20 years. Like the existing facility, the new beach house features changing rooms and restrooms. Whether voters approve the measure or not, it is a project that will happen sooner or later because the current beach house “is well past its prime,” said Jeff McBride
See HEALTH CENTER on page 2
See BEACH HOUSE on page 2
PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
A dusting of snow and frigid temperatures turn pine needles into frosty works of art.
Dream of Charlotte Family Health Center ends SCOOTER MACMILLAN STAFF WRITER
Dreams of the Charlotte Family Health Center locating in Charlotte are not only merely dead, but they are really most sincerely dead. After a years-long, and at times contentious, effort to build a medical facility in Charlotte, the medical practice is leaving its temporary space in Shelburne and consolidating with its other medical partners
in Williston. “We looked for every opportunity to stay in the Shelburne/ Charlotte area to remain convenient for our many local patients, but the ability to maintain a small independently owned office in Vermont’s health care environment is challenging,” Dr. Andrea Regan said. Charlotte Family Health Center joined Evergreen Family Health Partners in 2017. Maintaining small
independent offices has become difficult for other partners in their practice, Dr. Paul Reiss said. The Charlotte practice is one of three being consolidated into one office because of the pandemic and other factors in the current state of health care. Reiss said the major difficulty is the duplication of so many things in the different medical practices including labs, reception areas, waiting rooms, IT systems, phone
Page 2 • January 27, 2022 • Shelburne News
BEACH HOUSE
continued from page 1 of Sidehill Design Studio in Shelburne, the architect for the project. If the bond for the Shelburne Beach House is approved, the current beach house could still be used this summer, with the project quickly transitioning to construction at the end of the season. McBride said, “It’s not a huge scope of work, so we can definitely foresee being able to have it ready for the following season.” His design calls for a simple barn-shaped building with four unisex combination bathrooms and dressing rooms. The new building will be handicapped accessible in keeping with today’s standards. A common criticism of the current beach house is it’s dark inside, McBride said. His design includes metal siding to both let in indirect light while still providing privacy. Large sliding barn doors could be closed in windy weather to protect both ends of the covered entry and porch. His design is based upon the ubiquitous Shelburne barns that are part of Vermont’s architectural vernacular. In fact, it mirrors a barn that can be seen across a field from the beach. “I didn’t go crazy with complex windows and geometries and the like. I was just making a simple shape to be able to focus on the spaces inside having nice light and
COURTESY PHOTO
Architectural rendering from Sidehill Design Studio of the proposed Shelburne beach house.
usability,” McBride said. Like a barn it’s a “simple building that sits in a field and is quiet and beautiful.” All of McBride’s architectural work so far has been pro bono. He and his family moved to Shelburne from southern New
York seven years ago and they haven’t looked back. One of their favorite places is the town’s beach. He has a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old and the family regularly uses the beach and playground.
“Occasionally, we just go down there and sit by the shore. It has been a nice space for us to have,” McBride said. McBride’s architectural renderings with several design options can be seen at bit. ly/3G1g8cq.
tremendous growth for the medical practice, Reiss said. “We just need more space because of significant growth.” The Charlotte Family Health Center practiced in Charlotte for four decades. In 2017, the health center began looking for property where it could build a new facility to take the place of offices that were too small and unsafe at 527 Ferry Road, west of West Charlotte Village. Initially, the practice looked at piece of property at 140 Ferry Road in the center of the village across from town hall. When that property was ultimately deemed unsuitable
because of road frontage and other issues, the practice began negotiations to buy a piece of property, contigent upon getting proper zoning permits, at 251 Ferry Road, two lots west of the post office. This zoning effort met resistance with a petition last year being circulated to drum up opposition to the medical center being built there. Ultimately, the health center’s permit was approved but opponents appealed the decision. Before the appeal was decided, the practice announced it was halting plans to build
in Charlotte. The office in Shelburne Green Business Park was always meant to be temporary. Regan and other doctors said it was too small and not an appropriate site for practice’s permanent home. The new consolidated office in the White Cap Business Park is scheduled to open in the summer. “Medical practices do not often move. This is a huge undertaking, and we are approaching this transition with a very longterm perspective,” managing partner Dr. Michael Johnson said.
HEALTH CENTER continued from page 1
The larger health practice has four medical office sites now. Three of these offices are being combined into one new 18,000 square foot office in White Cap Business Park at 426 Industrial Avenue in Williston. The practice will maintain a separate medical office, Alder Brook Family Health on Essex Way in Essex. Another factor in the decision is that Evergreen Family Health Group has developed a sports medicine program, meaning the practice has added X-ray equipment in the last year. This expansion of services has meant
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Access CVU launches winter, spring semester The winter and spring semester of Access CVU, the community education based from Champlain Valley Union High School, is ready to launch. With over 180 classes, there’s something for everyone, from basketmaking and digital photography to cheesemaking, Zumba, yoga and language classes. Most classes meet in-person at the school except for a selection of online classes on Zoom. Some things of note: wooden bowl turning returns with four classes starting in February; new jewelry classes will focus on earrings, bracelets and necklaces; cooking classes expand with new
instructors and topics, including pho, French crepes and four Indian cooking classes; there are several new yoga classes such as Kaiut; and a monthly book club will cover a selection of titles from around the world. Check out cvsdvt.ce.eleyo. com for more information and to register for a class. There are senior discounts for those over 65. Need help getting signed up or getting setup for online learning? Have a question about a current class or a suggestion for a future class? Want to teach with us? Call 802-482-7194 or email access@ cvsdvt.org.
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COURTESY PHOTO
Students from the fall wooden cutting board class at Access CVU.
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Page 4 • January 27, 2022 • Shelburne News
Shelburne Police Blotter
Obituary Karen M. Blake Karen M. (Piller) Blake, 75, Gettysburg, Pa., formerly of St. Johnsbury, loving wife and mother of five children, died Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, at her home. She went home to her savior and will be reunited with Jeffrey Rodliff, beloved son, who predeceased her in 2005. She was also predeceased by her former husband, Stephen C. Rodliff in 1997. Karen was born on Nov. 26, 1946, in Philadelphia, to John and Helen Piller. She graduated from Frankford High School and enjoyed singing with the Ambassadors of Song, which toured throughout Europe. She also attended East Stroudsburg State College. Early in her career, she was a telephone operator, bank teller and taught at the St. Johnsbury School District, but most recently was a department manager at JC Penney’s store in St. Johnsbury. Karen is survived by her husband, Donald E. Blake.
Karen M. Blake
Karen and Donnie enjoyed traveling for the first 10 years of their life together. They would have celebrated 19 years together on April 19. Karen was a former member of the United Church of Christ in Lyndonville, before retiring and moving to North Carolina. She and Donnie spent seven years there before moving to Gettysburg in 2016. Karen always enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren and looked forward to visits on Easter
and Christmas, which was her favorite time of the year. She was an avid reader and was passionate about rescuing animals, particularly her two dogs, Cormac and Emily. Her dogs miss her already. In addition to her husband, Karen is survived by four children, Michael Diemer (Jill) of Shelburne, Kristin Walsh (Brendan) of Shelburne, Bethany Bedard (Shawn) of Kihei, Hawaii, and Daniel Rodliff (Kim) of Shelburne. She is also survived by nine grandchildren, Andre, Juliet, Mira, Jonathan, Tre, Tyler, Lili, Chase and Holden; two stepchildren, Miranda Blake-Olson (Landon) of Morgan, Utah, and Rebecca Butler (Jon) of Moultonborough, N.H.; as well as four step-grandchildren, Rhoades, Luke, Rowan and Roslyn. A celebration of Karen’s life will take place later in Vermont. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lyndonville animal shelter. Online obituary and condolences available at monahanfuneralhome.com.
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Incidents: Jan. 14 at 12:01 a.m., police left a message for a person whose debit card was found near Aubuchon Hardware. Jan. 14 at 12:44 a.m., when police visited a home on Shelburne Road where a 911 call and hang-up originated, they determined the call was the result of a verbal domestic dispute. No charges were filed. Jan. 14 at 11:49 a.m., a faulty ventilation fan was the culprit that summoned Shelburne Fire and Rescue and engines from Charlotte and South Burlington to a building at the Commons on Shelburne Road. Jan. 14 at 10:16 p.m., a person on Bay Road indicated on social media they might hurt themselves. Officers found they needed medical help and the University of Vermont Rescue took them to the hospital in Burlington. Jan. 15 at 8:25 p.m., police responded to another verbal disagreement, this time at a home on Martindale Road. Jan. 16 at 11:15 a.m., a woman left the Tractor Supply without paying for a chainsaw. Police are looking for her.
Jan. 16 at 2:26 p.m., a burst water pipe caused a fire alarm to go off at Vermont Day School. Jan. 16 at 4:08 p.m., another fire alarm went off at Rice Lumber, but there wasn’t any fire or smoke. Jan. 16 at 11:01 p.m., a large gathering in a room on Henry Street got too loud. After a conversation with police, they agreed to tone it down. Jan. 17 at 2:46 a.m., police found two people who had allegedly rummaged through a vehicle on Pine Haven Shores Lane. In the process of identifying them, officers found that one of them, Cody Paquette, 26, of South Burlington, had court-ordered, pre-trial conditions of release that included a curfew, so he was arrested for unlawful trespass and violating conditions of release. Jan. 18 at 10:23 a.m., it was the last straw for someone who reported a tractor-trailer for unloading hay and creating a traffic hazard on Dorset Street. But the hay haulers were gone when the police arrived. Jan. 18 at 10:57 a.m., police went to check on someone on Champlain Drive who missed an appointment the day before. They weren’t home, but snow had been shoveled off the steps. Jan. 18 at 3:44 p.m., a vehicle See BLOTTER on page 8
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Shelburne News • January 27, 2022 • Page 5
OPINION Teach race accurately, comprehensively, high schoolers say Guest Perspective Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network As schools across the country debate teaching about race in the classroom, there couldn’t be a more vital time to ensure all Vermont students are receiving an accurate and comprehensive education on race and racism. We are hopeful that Vermont’s legislators will undertake this task with us to promote anti-racist curriculum in schools. We are a group of students from the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network, a network dedicated to promoting anti-racism in schools through curriculum change, policy and awareness building. We endeavor to educate ourselves and others about race, power, privilege and oppression in order to foster a more inclusive and anti-racist community, starting with our schools. We strive to disrupt the racial hierarchy of our society, starting with our own group. Two of us met at the summer 2021 Governor’s Institute Global Issues and Youth Action immersion and worked alongside state Rep. Michelle Bos-Lun (Windham-4) to draft an anti-racism in education bill. After the immersion, more students joined through the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network. Over the course of the past six months, we have crafted a bill with the hopes that it will secure anti-racist education for all Vermont students. We worked closely with
Bos-Lun and had the support of Rep. Kevin Christie (Windam-4-2) and Rep. Elizabeth Burrows (Windsor-1) as we moved through the process. Our bill has 21 co-sponsors from every party in the House. As the session began, we students watched excitedly for the bill to be introduced. The bill will require standards in education designed to promote anti-racism in schools. Schools would become certified if they met certain guidelines for anti-racism, including addressing racist incidents, diversity in literature and anti-bias training for staff. By passing this bill, we can ensure that society becomes actively anti-racist. As the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network strongly believes, education is the key to changing society. If we make anti-racist schools, we will foster an anti-racist society. There couldn’t be a more pressing time to change society. Our network took a survey of approximately 300 students last year and found out that 78 percent of current Vermont high schoolers believe that they did not receive an accurate and full education on race in elementary school. Without the foundation of a racially conscious education, students will not be able to enter the increasingly diverse and multicultural society we live in. With 78 percent of students asking for more in their education, this bill is the perfect way to provide what students need. Middle and high school students in the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network
Jefferson thought Americans could recognize tyranny Poor Elijah’s Almanack Peter Berger Every evening Abby and her human patrol the half-acre of snow and trees that divide the house light from the outer darkness. Most nights Abby’s senses tell her danger is safely distant. Other nights the owl’s perch is closer, the fox crouches just beyond the brook and an unfamiliar trespasser huddles under the porch. Abby’s nose is to the ground, her pace is urgent and she’s barking. “It’s all right,” her human coos obliviously. “Are you nuts?” Abby marvels. “Can’t you smell that?” I’m Abby’s human. My woodland senses aren’t as acute as hers. I’m supposed to compensate by thinking rationally. Just as Abby is appalled at the dullness of my senses, I’m sadly amazed that so many of my countrymen seem unaware of how urgent and sinister our national peril is.
If you agree with me, I’m writing to fortify your resolve. If you think I’m an alarmist, I’m writing to alarm you. If you believe I’m wrong, but you love our country, I’m writing to persuade you. The country I’m talking about is undeniably imperfect. At times it’s been grievously imperfect. But it’s the country dedicated to the proposition that we’re all created equal and endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If that doesn’t describe your own best hope for the United States, your disagreement is with Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. If you revel in the prospect of American bloodshed or make your fortune undermining decency and mocking the law, if you value political gain above the lives of the unvaccinated mothers and fathers you deceive, I leave you to the justice and mercy of the author of your conscience. Some Americans note that many of See BERGER on page 6
feel similar about their experience in higher grades, as well: We don’t receive enough education around race in any grade. According to another survey our network sent out to current high school students, 94 percent of youth support this bill being passed. They support diverse, inclusive, anti-racist curriculum that will help us change society. If this bill passes, it will impact not only hundreds of students around the state, but it will be impacting our whole state and ensuring all students receive just and equitable opportunities. As the country navigates its way through discussions and arguments surrounding racial education, we hope Vermont can be a model to the nation for bipartisan support on inclusive curriculum and promoting anti-racism in the classroom.
We are not aiming to indoctrinate youth, and we are not aiming to be divisive. We want to bring people together under the common cause of building a better world through our schools. We hope you will join us in this mission. This commentary was written by 10 Vermont high school students who are part of the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network. They include: Minelle SarfoAdu, South Burlington High School; Addie Lentzner, Arlington Memorial High School, Alaena Hunt and Ella Murphy, Stowe High School; Katherine Hashem, Mount Mansfield Unified High School; Jenna Hirschman and Dahabo Abukar, Essex High School; Daniel Cha, Putney School; Brendan McLoughlin, Otter Valley Union High School; and Sydney Feltz, Colchester High School.
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Page 6 • January 27, 2022 • Shelburne News
Hallelujah! Vermont’s finally found its diamond mine Guest Perspective John McClaughry Some years ago, faced with the many competing spending demands before the Senate, I would say “all this state needs is a diamond mine.” That is, with an inexhaustible supply of dollars in the till, all worthwhile projects and programs could be funded — and a quite a few that weren’t worthwhile — without laying higher taxes on voters. Last week in his budget message Gov. Phil Scott announced that, in effect, Vermont has at last found its diamond mine. It arrived in the form of half a billion in unspent American Rescue Plan Act funds, plus another $2.2 billion in the Congressional infrastructure bill. In addition, despite COVID-19, our own tax base has produced a $320 million surplus across the three major funds. Did Congress discover a diamond mine, to be able to bestow this staggering benefaction on our little state? Not exactly. Congress has voted more than $10 trillion in deficits over the past 10 fiscal years, signed into law by presidents Trump and Biden. The 2020 Trump budget ran $3.16 trillion in the red, and the 2021 Biden budget added another $2.8 trillion. There’s no end in sight. One consequence of this fantastic deficit spending is a 7 percent rise of the Consumer Price Index over the 12 months
ending in December, the largest 12-month increase since June 1982. But let’s disregard that and look at the far happier Vermont budget situation. For Vermont, 2022 will be a once-in- a-lifetime historic moment. The governor proposed to pay off $52 million in state debt, provide a one-time $45 million property tax rebate, reduce tax rates on Social Security and military pension income, and increase the nation’s most generous earned income tax credit. Those proposals should be relatively noncontroversial. The debate will be over the distribution of the vast spending of this windfall. Once again, the governor focused on the lack of workers to take 23,000 good jobs going begging, even as in the past year our workforce shrank by 24,000. The governor wants lots more workforce training, and more money for health care workers, technical education centers, child care, housing subsidies, colleges and mental health. There are some important conclusions one can extract from the budget message. First is the governor’s commendable view of fiscal responsibility: we can’t commit a billion dollars to pay for continuing programs when there’s no assurance that we’ll have the money to keep those programs going once launched. That means that we can’t risk future tax increases. Second, the governor wants to
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address climate change but not by new taxes and mandates. His offer to the climate change advocates is $216 million to support home weatherization and community resiliency, an indistinct category that includes steps to reduce flood damage. This will certainly be a flash point with the Democratic legislators eager to fund their sweeping climate action plan. The climateers’ goal is driving down carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent by 2050, by inflicting higher gasoline and diesel prices on cars, trucks and buses, plus higher heating oil and gas prices paid by businesses and homeowners. That runs aground on the governor’s constant opposition to carbon taxes, and to “mandates that Vermonters can’t afford.” He’ll need to make that clear to his agency heads, who will be under pressure from the Vermont Climate Council majority to adopt burdensome rules — that legisla-
tors don’t want to vote on — to slay the climate beast. Third, while the governor vowed to commit the full $395 million required by the teachers’ and state employees’ retirement plans, he did not make any commitment to pouring maybe $200 million into the two funds to reduce the $5 billion actuarial deficit. The recent agreement between the two unions and the state, while not an optimal fix, is nonetheless a step in the right direction, and should have a strong claim on available funds. Finally, the governor’s budget proposals do not involve any significant structural changes in the way government systems work. There’s no welfare reform, no consolidation of the state’s five housing assistance programs, no relaxing of stringent land use regulations that defeat affordable housing, no proposed change in the health care system increasingly dominated by the high-over-
head University of Vermont health network, no concern for building a power transmission system to support the grand plan for electrifying everything, and no expansion of parental choice in education, that would make providers compete for customers, To be fair, the budget message is not the place to unveil any such transformative steps. What is long overdue in Vermont is a thorough-going performance review, that saved billions of tax dollars in Texas and Michigan. The Democrats proposed that in their 2004 platform, but it hasn’t been heard of since. There are plenty of ways to make state government more efficient and state economies more vigorous — perhaps enough to attract back those 24,000 missing workers. But Vermont is not looking for those ways.
were also lawyers trained to offer proof. Lincoln’s logic is as elegant and as powerful as his conjuring of our better angels. The founders published the Declaration of Independence to explain the revolution to the world and to the American people. That’s why in addition to its famous, lofty assertions of self-evident truths, unalienable rights and sacred honor, Jefferson offered a bill of indictment against the king as proof and as a reminder of the facts of the case. He presented those facts and made his appeal to what he hoped would be a “candid world,” by which he meant people who were open, impartial, honest and sincere. He was confident that a fair, unbiased, candid audience would be able to recognize tyranny and identify the tyrant. I won’t here recount the facts relevant to Jan. 6, to the months and years of deceit and incitement preceding the insurrection or to the simmering coup still imperiling our republic. I’ll instead ask you to consider what you see and hear around you. Noble truths possess the power to persuade us, but so do well-plotted, outrageous lies. Before you embrace the lie that the election was stolen, consider the unrefuted fact that no election count, recount or audit, whether conducted by Republicans, Democrats or both has uncovered any fraud that could overturn Biden’s election, including three recounts in Georgia alone.
Trump lost Georgia by 11,779 votes. In a recorded Jan. 2 phone call, Trump directed Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, a Trump supporter, to “find 11,780 votes.” When Raffensberger refused, on the grounds that the vote count was accurate, Trump threatened him with criminal prosecution. What does that sound like to you? Consider Trump advisor Bannon’s plan to launch “shock troops” to “man the government” and become “political appointees” after the 2024 election. Consider Bannon’s claim that 2022 Trump rallies are a prelude to unconstitutionally decertifying Biden’s election and removing him from office. Consider that Sen. Ted Cruz is talking seriously about secession. Consider that the evidence of a seditious plot is only mounting. Consider that one year after the insurrection, Trump is still spewing the same lies to poison the republic and he is getting his supporters to parrot his false claims. Abby isn’t always right, but she’s never been deliberately wrong. It’s time to give up what we want to believe and embrace instead what the facts compel us to believe. It’s time to be candid, to seek the truth, and when we find it, see it.
John McClaughry is vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute.
BERGER
continued from page 5 our founders were slaveholders. They assert that white supremacy is therefore our founding principle, to which they’re justified in remaining faithful. They’re wrong. Slavery and its lingering, attendant bigotry are our founding tragic flaw, against which we’ve struggled from our beginning. James Madison denounced slavery as “the most oppressive dominion ever exercised by man over man.” His Virginia neighbor Jefferson confessed that slavery left him trembling for his country because God’s “justice cannot sleep forever.” For Lincoln, the Civil War was God’s righteous consequence for slavery’s injustice. It is, as he said, for us the living to dedicate ourselves not to renewed iniquity, but rather to the unfinished work of securing both justice and union. Present-day Trumpist promoters and provocateurs attempt to divide us with exaggerated, manufactured, misrepresented incitements like critical race theory. There’s certainly room to disagree about legislation that addresses race, and political correctness annoys me, too. But after 246 years of slavery and a century and a half of painfully slow, incomplete progress toward equality under the law, a nation that isn’t purposefully addressing racial inequity, past and present, would have to be a stupid nation. Are we a stupid nation? Lincoln and Jefferson were masters of soaring prose, but they
Peter Berger has taught English and history for 30 years. He would be pleased to answer letters addressed to him in care of the editor.
Shelburne News • January 27, 2022 • Page 7
COMMUNITY Community Notes Author David Holmes offers take on being a Vermonter David Holmes discusses his recent book, “On Being a Vermonter and the Rise and Fall of the Holmes Farm, 1822-1923,” at the next Charlotte Senior Center Wednesday lecture on Feb. 2. The multi-generation Holmes farm was located just south of the Holmes Covered Bridge in Charlotte and featured one of New England’s largest apple orchards and the breeding and racing of Morgan horses. The farm ended with foreclosure after 101 years of existence. His book is the only case study of a Vermont farm over this span of time and describes an important chapter of Vermont and Charlotte history. Building on this history, the author also reflects on what it means to be a Vermonter, then and now. The free, in-person lectures start at 1 p.m. Questions? Leave a message at (802) 425-6345 or visit charlotteseniorcentervt. org. The next lecture is “The Sacred Hunter” with Bradley Carleton on Feb. 16.
Chittenden waste district offers free recycling series The Chittenden Solid Waste District is holding a virtual series on special recycling — stuff that can’t go in the trash, but also can’t go in the blue recycling bin. Tuesday, Feb. 15, 6-7 p.m.: Find out where all your stuff goes when the waste district is done with it, why it is important to sort unwanted stuff in the right bins, and how to make a difference in the community and classroom. Wednesday, Feb. 23, 6-7 p.m.: Where does your recycling go after it leaves your house? It goes to your local materials recovery facility to be sorted and sold. Take a behind-the-scenes look at how that happens and see why it’s important to recycle right. Tuesday, March 8, 6-6:30 p.m.: Join Recycle Rhonda and learn how to recycle those batteries and light bulbs that have laying around your house for years, and find out how some building supplies can be turned into something new. For Zoom links and to register, email Robin Orr at community@cswd.net.
St. Catherine of Siena holds Proposal 5 talk, program Lynne Caulfield will offer a talk entitled, “Proposal 5, Death of Conscience,” about current abortion laws and the ramifications of the Proposal 5 constitutional amendment for health care providers, women and the unborn, Friday, Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m., St. Catherine of Siena Parish, 72 Church St., Shelburne. Caulfield is a member of the Vermont Right to Life Committee, co-founder of the Pregnancy Resource Center in Brattleboro and served on the executive committee for
Vermont Alliance for Ethical Health care. Inclement weather date is Friday, Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m.
Catholic Church screens ‘Unplanned’ movie The film “Unplanned,” based on the memoir of Abby Johnson, a former clinic director for Planned Parenthood who is now an outspoken critic of abortion, will be screened at St. Catherine of Siena Parish, 72 Church St., Shelburne, on Friday, Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m. The movie will also be screened on Friday, Feb. 4 at 9:30 a.m., and Sunday, Feb. 20, at 2 p.m.
Nomination call goes out for Colleen Haag Award Every year, Shelburne celebrates and recognizes longtime town clerk Colleen Haag’s 35 years of professional service to the community through its Colleen Haag Public Service Award. The award recognizes someone who exemplifies “the spirit of public service, who has shared his or her time, talent and energy for the betterment of Shelburne, who inspires purpose and who drives lasting solutions — someone who makes a difference.” Nominations are being accepted now. Only Shelburne residents may nominate someone for the award. The nominee should be a resident of Shelburne, but as some Colleen Haag of Shelburne’s volunteers live in neighboring towns, exceptional volunteer service by those living outside the community will be considered. They should be someone who values and exemplifies the values of the community, who has volunteered their time, talent and energy for the betterment of the community, and who inspires purpose, drives lasting solutions and makes a difference. Send nominations via email or the U.S. mail to haagaward@gmail.com, or Haag Award Team, c/o Shelburne Town Manager, P.O. Box 88, Shelburne VT 05482. Deadline for submissions is Saturday, Feb. 12, and the award will be announced at March Town Meeting. The 2022 award team includes former recipients Jim Brangan, Gail Albert and Susan Stock.
Blue jean clad bankers raise thousands to fight cancer What started off as an employee’s request to end the last three Fridays in See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 8
COURTESY PHOTO
David Holmes discusses his book about Charlotte on Feb. 2 at the senior center. See note at left.
Page 8 • January 27, 2022 • Shelburne News
COMMUNITY NOTES continued from page 7
December in casual attire at Union Bank headquarters in Morrisville led bank president and CEO David Silverman to challenge the entire staff to voluntarily pay for their casual Fridays. “I told the team that I wanted to pose a challenge,” said Silverman. “Cancer is an evil disease that over the years has touched the lives of our teammates, as well as our families. I suggested to those who wished to participate in jeans days that they make a small donation to our local cancer charities, which the bank would match dollar for dollar.” By the last Friday in December, Union Bank employees raised over $3,700 to support six non-profits in Vermont and New Hampshire that support individuals and families coping with cancer. The money will be donated to the Lamoille Area Cancer Network, Sullycat Foundation, Funds-For-Families, Northeast Kingdom Cancer Network, Franklin County Area Cancer Network and the Make a Wish Foundation.
Champlain Valley preschool lottery is coming soon The Champlain Valley School District school-based early education programs are now accepting applications for a random preschool lottery drawing for the 2022-23 school year. The parttime, partial-day preschool classrooms are licensed early education programs that provide play-based, developmentally appropriate
environments for children in an inclusive setting. Curriculum is based on Vermont early learning standards and teaching strategies.Programs closely follow the school calendar. Students who will be age 3 or older by Sept. 1, but not yet 5 years old, are eligible to enter the lottery. Programs are in Williston, Hinesburg and Shelburne. All applications must be received by Friday, Feb. 4. Download an application at bit.ly/3KK7se2. Direct questions to Shelley Henson, director of early education, at shenson@cvsdvt.org.
UVM Extension hosts tree contest for kids Students in kindergarten through eighth grade, including homeschoolers, are invited to share their appreciation for forests and trees by creating an original story and artwork for the Growing Works of Art contest. The theme “Sharing your TREE-mendous story.” Students should write a short story (one to three paragraphs) about a meaningful experience or memory about trees, and then create a work of art to illustrate their story. Entries will be judged equally on creativity and originality and how well the story is told through writing and art. The deadline to enter is March 11. For more information and an official entry form fo to go.uvm. edu/growingart.
PHOTO BY SHAWN GOOD
Vermont’s free ice fishing day is Saturday, Jan. 29, and residents and nonresident anglers may ice fish on any Vermont water body that is open to ice fishing without a fishing license that day.
‘Give ice fishing a try,’ state urges As winter sets in, many Vermonters are preparing for one of the most popular cold weather pastimes in the state — ice fishing. Anglers spend more than 400,000 days each winter ice fishing in Vermont, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is encouraging more people to give it a try. “Ice fishing is generally more accessible than open water fishing,” fisheries biologist Shawn Good said. “Almost anyone can walk out on a frozen lake or pond and fish through the ice. Once you’re out there, there’s lots of room to spread out.” Ice fishing can also be more sociable than open water fishing,
with friends and family gathering on the ice for cookouts and winter fun along with the fishing. With an uptick in anglers trying the sport last year to get outside with friends during the pandemic, Good expects to see a lot of action on the ice this winter. “For many, it’s not just about the fish. Kids love ice fishing because they can run around and slide on the ice or play in the snow. I’ve seen families with grills, food and hot drinks having a great time. They set their tip-ups, build snowmen, play football and even skate in between bouts of fishing.” Ice fishing is inexpensive and simple to get started. “An auger used for cutting
holes in the ice is the most expensive piece of equipment you’ll need,” Good said. When you’ve had a successful outing, bringing home a meal of healthy, locally caught fresh fish is a delicious benefit. Videos from the department’s Vermont Wild Kitchen partnership are a great place to find fun recipes for fresh caught fish, like lake trout or crappie. “I think fish taste better in the winter,” Good said. “There’s something different about pulling a tasty perch, bluegill or bass from ice cold water. They tend to be firmer and have a milder taste than in the summer.”
examiner was notified, and no foul play is suspected. Jan. 19 at 10:36 a.m., several calls reported a man was being unruly at Kinney Drug after he was refused a refund. He was banned from the property. Jan. 19 at 11:40 a.m., someone called police to say they slid off Shelburne Road near VIP Tires and had called a tow truck. When police arrived, the driver was gone. The vehicle was completely off the road and not a traffic hazard. Jan. 19 at 5:21 p.m., a vehicle appeared undamaged after
sliding off the road on a sharp curve on Shelburne-Hinesburg Road. Jan. 20 at 7:33 a.m., there was a minor crash on Shelburne Road. After the drivers exchanged the necessary information, police didn’t file a formal crash report. Jan. 20 at 8:03 p.m., police stopped a person near the Lighting House who appeared to be avoiding them. They admitted to stealing from Kinney Drugs and returned the stolen items. They were banned from the property.
See ICE FISHING on page 9
BLOTTER
continued from page 4
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slid off Dorset Street. Passersby helped the driver get back on the road and the vehicle appeared undamaged. Jan. 18 at 7:03 p.m., a person at Harbor Place was reportedly suffering from a mental health crisis. Ultimately, they agreed to let police take them to the University of Vermont Medical Center. Jan. 19 at 12:20 a.m., an officer helped someone locked out of their vehicle on Henry Street. Jan. 19 at 9:18 a.m., Barbar Andic, 72, was found dead at the North Star Motel. The medical
Shelburne News • January 27, 2022 • Page 9
ICE FISHING
continued from page 8 Good said with a few basic precautions and common sense, ice fishing is safe. “A minimum of three to four inches of clear black ice is safe to walk on,” he said. “If you’re unsure about ice thickness in your area call your local bait and tackle shop. Experienced anglers know how to read the ice, so if you’re unsure, go where others are or have been.” Good said that with the mild winter so far this year, most anglers are finding that ice fishing opportunities have been restricted primarily to Vermont’s smaller ponds or higher elevation areas that have formed good ice. “Many large lakes still have not developed thick, solid black ice,” he said, noting that ice is not always uniform in thickness. Areas around pressure cracks or near stream or river inlets can be thinner and weaker than surrounding
ice. Good advises anglers to carry a set of ice picks, head out with a partner, and let someone know where you will be fishing, your access point and when you plan on returning home. Photo by Shawn Good
Free ice fishing Vermont’s free ice fishing day is Saturday, Jan. 29. “Ice fishing can be a great way to introduce people to how much fun fishing can be,” Vermont Fish and Wildlife commissioner Christopher Herrick said. “Showing youngsters or new adult anglers how to jig for perch or how to use tip-ups is rewarding, and it can provide an excellent meal of fresh fish.” Residents and nonresident anglers may ice fish on any Vermont waterbody that is open to ice fishing without a fishing license on Jan. 29.
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Nominate local tree champions for this year’s steward awards Do you know an individual or community group that has demonstrated a strong commitment to conserving, restoring or celebrating Vermont’s forests and trees? If so, consider nominating them for a 2022 Vermont Tree Steward Award. The awards are presented annually by the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program to promote the importance of forests and acknowledge those who work hard to care for and protect them. Winners will be announced in April and will be recognized at the 2022 Vermont Arbor Day conference. Nominations will be accept-
ed until March 31. Go to go to go.uvm.edu/tsa for details and the nomination form or to view a list of past award winners. Categories include: • Hamilton: This award, created in 2017, honors the late Dr. Larry Hamilton, a long-serving tree warden in Charlotte. It is given to a deserving tree warden who has significantly advanced the goals of urban and community forestry through effective conservation planning, successful forestry practices, increased citizen engagement and public education. • Leader: Nominees may be any individual who demonstrates strong leadership and
dedication to organizing and carrying out an urban or community forestry project through service to a community or organization. • Unsung hero: The award honors an individual and/or group for sustained efforts that go above and beyond to make a difference in a community’s urban and community forest. • Volunteer group/community: Any organization, team, ad/hoc group or community that has demonstrated a strong commitment to introducing or sustaining an urban and community forestry project in their community is eligible to be nominated for this award.
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Page 10 • January 27, 2022 • Shelburne News
Storyteller evolves to help others record their stories Voice in South Burlington, founded by Dan Levine, also of Shelburne. Such A Voice trains people Ask Mary Catherine Jones in voiceover, how to make demos to say “wander alarm activated” and other tricks of the talking for recording trade. several times. “I looked into it, pursued it and Each time she says it will be a bit different than the time before, came out with a great demo,” Jones but in every version her voice is said. “Then I had to actually market comforting but serious, immediate- myself and find work.” For years she worked for ly demanding attention while not engendering panic — the perfect Shadow Productions in Burlington. tone for a dementia ward security Much of that work was e-learning, creating online training courses system. Jones said recording those three for both national and local clients. words over and over were one E-learning continues to be one of of her weirdest experiences as a Jones’ main focuses. But now she does it at her home voiceover artist. But possibly even weirder was studio on Mt. Philo Road instead the time she had to burp on cue for of Burlington, because in January 2020 she bought Shadow an audiobook recording Productions and is foldof the children’s book ing it into Voice Over “Joyce of Westerfloyce: Vermont. The Story of the Tiny Jones thinks it’s Little Girl with the Tiny important to use a profesLittle Voice.” sional to record the narraFor 13 years Jones tion of online courses. has been in the voice“Professional courses over business, but recentneed professional narraly much of her time has tion,” she said. “We’ve been spent on the other side of the mic, record- Mary Catherine Jones all sat through some of those training courses ing and producing other with non-professional people reading. Jones owns Voice Over narration. They can be horrible Vermont, a recording studio she because you’re hearing the cat in the background or somebody just runs from her home in Shelburne. During the last two years she’s droning on and on.” She is also doing more audiorecorded around 20 audiobooks, some narrated by the authors them- book work. Should an author read their own selves and some by others. Her work as a voice-over artist work for the narration of an audio evolved from time 15 years ago book? Jones said it depends on the spent as the storytime lady at the kind of book. Memoirs, poetry, books on a Pierson Library in Shelburne and specific expertise like a biography, earlier in other locales. She fell into library story telling a history book “or the latest how to one day before moving to Shel- slim down in 30 days or rock your burne. As she was dropping off midlife,” Jones said. “The first her 4-year-old at school, a friend person I would look to would be who was the storyteller at the West the author.” Authors of whodunits or fantaLebanon, N.H., library, stopped Jones to tell her in a husky, barely sy novels probably aren’t the best audible whisper, “I can’t talk. Can choice to narrate their novels. “That requires a different skill set, often you come and read?” Jones agreed to come to the being able to create voices and set rescue. Sort of as an afterthought, stages,” she said. “It’s not just — get into a booth, she grabbed a couple of puppets at her home and took them to the close the door and talk. It’s a lot of library. During her storytelling work,” Jones said. Voice Over Vermont has debut, she held up the puppet of the little old lady who swallowed recorded several books by Hinesa fly, getting the assembled kids to burg author Bill Schubart. Some sing with her as the little old lady books he recorded himself and progressed from gulping down with some books the narration was outsourced. insects to scarfing large mammals. “He has a storyteller’s voice, Storytelling and singing became and he also writes in a style that is her shtick. “It was so much fun,” Jones conducive for him doing the readsaid. “Twenty years later, I final- ing,” Jones said. The exception was Schubart’s ly hung up the old lady and her books with lots of dialogue. Then animals.” After she and her family moved they’ve generally had someone else to Shelburne, she became the story- do the narration for those. One hour of recording takes time person at the library. One day while at the Pierson at least four hours of production someone admired her voice and work, Jones said, and a 50,000suggested she study with Such A word book will take at least five SCOOTER MACMILLAN STAFF WRITER
COURTESY PHOTOS
Above: Linda McGinnis of South Burlington, an actress and professional narrator, works on the recording of the audiobook version of “Pauper Auction,” a novel by New Hampshire author Mary Kronenwetter. Below: Some of the books Voice Over Vermont has recorded as audiobooks.
weeks. Following Jones’ dictum that memoirists often prove to be a good choice to read their own work, C. Jane Taylor opted to read her soon-to-be-published memoir
of a 10,000-mile, cross-country motorcycle ride to the West Coast and back to Vermont she and her husband took with their son after he graduated from college. “Spirit Traffic” will be published
as both a book and audiobook on April 19. “Mary Catherine has a delightful way of inspiring a reader so I realized, of course, I could read this with more confidence,” Taylor said.
Shelburne News • January 27, 2022 • Page 11
SPORTS Shelburne Parks & Rec News Me & My Guy Valentine dance Shelburne Rec has rescheduled its Me & My Guy Dance for Friday, April 1, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Dance ticket sales have been postponed until Jan. 18. Held at Shelburne town gym, there will be a photo booth, disco lights and music by Top Hat entertainment, treats and drinks and each girl gets a take-home memento. The dance is for girls in kindergarten through fifth grades and their special adult guy — dad, uncle, grandfather, neighbor, etc. Through Feb. 10, tickets are $20 per couple, $5 per additional person. The cost increases to $25 per couple for tickets sold the day of event. Tickets are for sale at the Shelburne Parks and Recreation Office using cash or check only. Office hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Can’t get to the office? Mail a check with the names of the people attending and your return address to: Shelburne Recreation, P.O. Box 88, Shelburne VT 05482. Call the office with questions at 802-985-9551.
Free senior walking program Stay active and healthy during the icy and cold winter months by walking in a safe and warm environment on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through March 25, 9-11 a.m. Bring a pair of clean, dry, soft-soled shoes with you and change before entering the gym. No registration is required. Shelburne residents only. Schedule is subject to change. Call 802-985-9551 for updated schedule or check the calendar on the gym door as there are blackout dates due to other scheduled events.
Gentle yoga Breathe, relax, stretch: Join instructor Kay Boyce for this gentle yoga class, with attention to correct alignment, breath work and stretches. Build strength, tone muscle and find new flexibility. This class is great for those new to yoga or who simply want to enhance their personal yoga practice. Bring your own yoga mat and a cotton blanket or large beach towel. There is a minimum of six participants and a maximum of 14. Session dates are on Thursdays, Feb. 24 to March 17, March 31 to May 5, and May 12 to June 16, 9-10 a.m., at the town gym. The fee for the four-week session is $50. ($60 for non-residents) and $65 for the six-week sessions ($75 for non-residents.) Find all programs at shelburnevt. org/160/parks-recreation.
PHOTO BY AL FREY
CVU goalie Grace Ferguson defends the net in a lost Jan. 22 against Essex.
With win over Mount Mansfield, girls basketball moves to 7-1 LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Girls’ hockey Essex 4, Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield 1: The Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield girls’ hockey team lost its second game in row, falling to Essex on Saturday, Jan. 22. Sabina Brochu had the lone goal for the CougarHawks, with Evie Mae Buford earning an assist. Grace Ferguson stopped 31 shots in goal for CVU-MMU, which falls to 5-3.
Gymnastics Essex 130.3, Champlain Valley 99.65: Ruby Opton was third in the all-around competition, but the Champlain Valley gymnastics team fell to Essex in dual meet on Friday.
Opton was second in the floor exercise and second in the beam as part of her all-around performance. Lamoille’s Kayla Meegan came in first in the all-around and Essex’s Anna Pringle Corcoran was second.
Addi Hunter had a double-double for the Redhawks with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Shelby Companion added nine points for CVU. With the win, the Redhawks move to 7-1.
Boys’ hockey
Boys’ basketball
Colchester 3, Champlain Valley 1: Colchester built up a two-goal lead through two periods and Champlain Valley fell to the Lakers on Saturday. Mason Fay had the goal for the Redhawks, who fell to 3-5-1. Jason Douglas made 25 saves in goal for CVU.
Champlain Valley 38, Burlington 32: The Champlain Valley boys’ basketball team used a 16-4 run in the second quarter to pull away for a win over Burlington on Friday, Jan. 21. Logan Vaughn led all scorers with 12 points for the Redhawks, who moved to 6-2 with the win. Alex Provost added eight points. It was the third win in a row for Champlain Valley, which beat Burr and Burton on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 69-32. Tucker Tharpe scored 15 points for CVU, while Vaughn added 11 points.
Girls’ basketball Champlain Valley 50, Mount Mansfield 38: Champlain Valley had a lead at halftime and did not relinquish it in a win over Mount Mansfield on Thursday, Jan. 20.
Page 12 • January 27, 2022 • Shelburne News
Hedgerows play key roles in landscapes Connect the Dots Jane Dorney Once the leaves were off the trees, I knew it was time to head out to my favorite high meadow to cut a few twigs of winterberry. Its bright red berries add some winter cheer to my kitchen table and my annual trip is a chance to see what’s happening in the hedgerow along the way. I headed up through the woods, crossed the hayfield, then started toward the hedgerow. The monochromatic hayfield underfoot contrasted with the hedgerow’s eclectic variety of young leafless brown and gray trees and shrubs, woven together with climbing vines. As I neared the hedgerow, I could see something much older peeking through the gaps in the thick vegetation — a broad stone wall. On the far side of the wall was an old pasture. In this group of features I could read parts of three centuries of shifting land uses that enriched my
journey. The tangle of hedgerow plants dominated the foreground, but the stone wall was the critical feature that anchored the interwoven stories. Sections of this stone wall were probably 200 years old, since this farm had been operating in the early 1800s. Typically, 19th-century walls were built around the edges of the cultivated fields using the stones heaved up out of the soil by the winter frost. Farmers moved the stones before their yearly plowing, so they didn’t harm their plow blades. The three-foot-tall wall was a barrier to my movements, so it was easy for me to remember their original role — they kept the farm animals out of the cultivated fields. The hedgerow plants were much younger than the wall. A lone, tall elm was probably the oldest. In the early farming days, the edge of the field along the wall was kept clean of seedling trees or shrubs by hand cutting or burning. This meant the wall
COURTESY PHOTO
Winterberry makes a colorful display in the winter landscape.
could be repaired as needed and made it easier for farmers to keep an eye on crops and livestock. But
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in the 20th century, this elm may have been intentionally left to create some shade for the cows in the pasture. The rest of the trees along the wall were a young mix of species, including birches, poplars, red maples and a volunteer apple. Most of them were pressed against the stone wall in the narrow zone the haying equipment couldn’t reach. As the 20th century progressed, the maintenance of walls was let go. The trees that sprouted were mostly wind dispersed species, but the deer prints and chewed fruit I saw near the volunteer apple tree reminded me that some of the trees were spread by mammals. I even had to step over the occasional coyote or fox scat. Shrubs and vines filled in between the trees and exerted their varied personalities. The brambles had already been picked clean by birds, but many other shrubs brought splashes of color with their vivid tones of late season berries contrasting with the neutral tones of leafless branches. Red rose hips held onto the tips of their twigs, dark blue wild grape bunches cascaded over other plants and nannyberry twigs sagged with their pendulous heads of indigo berries. A chipmunk with bulging cheeks poked its head up between some stones and I gave it a nod, realizing its predecessors may have brought the original shrubs’ seeds it was enjoying now. I kept walking along the wall toward the top of the high meadow where the woods began.
Here were the winterberry shrubs in their full glory. Winterberries are Vermont’s only native, deciduous holly. I cut a few berry-loaded twigs to take home, then turned to enjoy the view below. All the features were laid out together: the hayfield, the hedgerow and the old pasture in the foreground, and the patches of woods below and above. I realized that though the stone wall anchored the scene before me, the role it played had dramatically shifted through time. Instead of being an exclusionary barrier to farm animals, it had become an animal travel corridor providing food and cover. What I saw before me resonated with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s recent announcement that it was adding hedgerows to digital maps used for conservation planning. Research is showing that many animals use hedgerows as corridors to move between large blocks of intact forests, and researchers expect hedgerows to play an increasingly key role in the migration of animals as they adapt to climate change. It gave me a lot to think about as I wended my way home with my winterberry twigs in hand, soon to be placed in a vase on my kitchen table and enjoyed for months to come. Jane Dorney is a consulting geographer who does research and education projects to help people understand why the Vermont landscape looks like it does. See more at janedorney. com.
Shelburne News • January 27, 2022 • Page 13
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Shelburne News • January 27, 2022 • Page 15
CROSSWORD
ARIES
LEO
March 21 - April 20 Your affection for someone could affect your impression of a certain situation, Aries. You need to take a step back or remove yourself from the situation.
TAURUS
July 23 - Aug. 23 Sometimes you need to put passion ahead of stability, Leo. That means explore all possibilities when it comes to relationships. You may connect with someone unexpected.
VIRGO
April 21 - May 21 Someone in a position of authority may want to invest in your future, Taurus. Even though you may be flattered by the interest, you have to weigh all of your options.
GEMINI
Aug. 24 - Sept. 22 Virgo, you may be able to move through chores and other things on your to-do list quite quickly this week. That opens up opportunities for some rest and relaxation.
LIBRA
May 22 - June 21 You may learn something about a person if you’re willing to get involved in deep conversation, Gemini. Have a talk with someone you’re eager to get to know.
CANCER
Sept. 23 - Oct. 23 Libra, a chance to take a leadership role in your community is on the horizon. Take advantage of this unique opportunity and give it your all.
SCORPIO
June 22 - July 22 Cancer, a heavy load at work is manageable. Challenges keep you engaged and you thrive on the pressure. Enjoy the responsibility and all that comes with it.
Oct. 24 - Nov. 22 Scorpio, this week you may be pulled in two directions, but it’s nothing you haven’t handled in the past. Look to trusted confidantes for advice and even a little help, if necessary.
SUDOKU Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 23 - Dec. 21 Sagittarius, find some time to delve into your passions. Figure out what piques your interests and pursue it with your customary energy. Others will admire your enthusiasm.
CAPRICORN Dec. 22 - Jan. 20 Getting romance off the ground this week may seem like climbing Mount Everest, Capricorn. Mixed messages may cloud the waters. Keep finding a way to connect.
AQUARIUS Jan. 21 - Feb. 18 Aquarius, think about what you can bring to the table at work, and then promote your strengths to the higher-ups. They may be slow to come around but you’ll catch their attention.
PISCES Feb. 19 - March 20 Pisces, if you are feeling overworked, you may have to ask others to pitch in and take on a bigger share of the tasks at hand.
CLUES ACROSS 1. Brew 4. NY ballplayer 7. Rigid external covering in some animals 12. Promotional materials 15. More high-pitched 16. Widely cultivated cereal 18. Dormitory employee 19. Bad act 20. One’s mother 21. Scored perfectly 24. Space station 27. Exchange for money 30. Edible seaweed 31. Iranian city 33. Lakers’ crosstown rivals 34. Nothing 35. Spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation 37. __ student, learns healing 39. Military official (abbr.) 41. Matchstick games 42. Gasteyer and De Armas are two 44. Distant planet 47. A type of residue 48. Punk art icon Jimmy De__ 49. Millihenry
50. Canadian media firm 52. Type of withdrawal 53. Spicy 56. Dish of minced meat or fish 61. Noted previously 63. Happily 64. “Partridge” actress Susan 65. Not present CLUES DOWN 1. In a way, brought to an end 2. Scandalized actress Loughlin 3. This (Spanish) 4. Essay 5. Continuing indefinitely 6. Tool for lifting food 7. Partner to Adam 8. Dry white wine drink 9. Spanish be 10. Smaller quantity 11. Last or greatest in an indefinitely large series 12. (Scottish) island 13. Church officer 14. Large wrestler 17. Polite address for women
ANSWERS
22. Famed Susan Lucci character “__ Kane” 23. Mason __ Line 24. Disfigure 25. Asian nation 26. Rage (Span.) 28. Khoikhoin peoples 29. Opera solo 32. Database management system 36. Similar 38. Move up and down playfully 40. Alfalfa 43. Satisfied 44. Baseball official 45. Large, flightless bird of S. America 46. Money given in support 51. Flower cluster 54. Beginning military rank 55. Russian weight measurement 56. Explosive 57. An individual unit 58. Midskirt 59. Weapon featuring balls 60. Used of a number or amount not specified 62. Unit of measurement
Page 16 • January 27, 2022 • Shelburne News
Snowy owls could be plentiful this winter The Outside Story Meghan McCarthy McPhaul Here’s a quiz for Harry Potter fans: What kind of owl played Hedwig in the movies? If you guessed a snowy owl, you’re correct. With their bright yellow eyes, bulky-looking bodies and white feathers that cover everything from their beaks to their large feet, these owls strike an impressive pose. This winter, we may have a greater chance of glimpsing one of these amazing raptors from the far north. Although they breed high in the Arctic, many snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus) fly south for the winter, at least as far south as northern New England and New York. Occasionally a snowy finds its way to Great Britain. In some years, a greater number of snowy
ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL
owls migrate from the north and travel farther south than usual, known as an irruption. This winter is shaping up to be a snowy owl interruption.
“There clearly are more birds coming this year than we’ve seen in a few years,” said Kevin McGowan of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Although he noted
a general increase in the numbers of snowy owls that have been flying south over the past decade. “It seems they are coming further south on a more regular basis. I’ve seen a snowy owl 10 years in a row in upstate New York.” Snowy owls are the northern most breeding raptor in the world and are well adapted to the cold and harsh conditions of the tundra. While most snowies remain in the far north during the winter, hunting seabirds along the pack ice, the ones that venture south cause quite a stir. Irruptive winters tend to occur following summers of booming lemming populations in the tundra. One owl can eat upwards of 1,600 of the small rodents in a year, and owls adjust their clutch size based on the amount of food available to feed hungry owlets. “In low years, they’ll only lay maybe three eggs, and in really boom years they’ll lay up to eight eggs,” McGowan said. “Then you have eight baby owls, and then when those baby owls grow up, you have lots of competition.” That means more owls heading south in search of winter food. Adult females tend to stay closest to the breeding grounds, with males traveling a bit farther south, and young owls migrating the farthest. For an owl that was hatched and reared in the tundra, the southern realm is a strange and often dangerous place. “They have absolutely no idea what people are. They’ve never seen a car,” McGowan said. “They’re completely ignorant of what dangers there are.” “They don’t like the forest,” McGowan said. “They like to be
out in the open country where they can see all around them. And they like to sit up high. You’ll often see them on the tops of buildings and silos.” The snowy owl’s winter menu extends beyond rodents to include sea ducks and gulls. The owls can expand their hunting, McGowan said, in part because of their large feet and their wings, which are longer and narrower than those of most other owls. That wing shape allows snowy owls to fly fast enough to chase down their prey. Huge feet and large talons allow the owls to grasp mammals and birds that are far larger than lemmings. Those feet, and the rest of the owl’s head and body, are encompassed by thick layers of insulating feathers, which make snowies the heaviest owl species in North America, at around four pounds. For comparison, great horned owls weigh around three pounds, great gray owls, the tallest on the continent, are about two pounds and barred owls typically weigh less than two pounds. All those insulating feathers are part of what makes snowy owls so well-suited for life in the Arctic, but they can also cause the owls to overheat in warmer temperatures. McGowan notes that when the thermometer creeps above freezing, the owls will often sit on piles of snow to stay cool. Meghan McCarthy McPhaul is the assistant editor for Northern Woodlands. The illustration for this column is by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. More at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, nhcf.org.