Food for thought
Double down
Legislators and school officials talk over issues at breakfast
Redhawk alpine teams win back-to-back ski titles for boys and girls
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Volume 54 Number 11
shelburnenews.com
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March 13, 2025
Maple syrup makers deal with uncertainty LIBERTY DARR & BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITERS
Steven Palmer of Shelburne Sugarworks had already been in conversation with CDL, a Canadian company, about purchasing a new $30,000 reverse osmosis machine for his business when President Donald Trump announced his plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian imports. When Palmer heard about the tariffs, he knew he had to move fast. “When the tariff discussion started happening, I was on the phone with those guys going, ‘OK, listen, yeah, it’s like 8,000
or 9,000 additional dollars, right? It’s a big deal. So, let’s figure it out. Can you guys make sure you can get it down here before the tariffs go into effect?’” he recalled. Palmer was able to get his machine quickly, and before the start of sugaring season. The reverse osmosis machine is an essential part of Palmer’s operation. Through pressure, it removes about 75 percent of the water from raw sap before the boiling and evaporation process, drastically increasing See MAPLE SYRUP on page 10
Shelburne voters renew a commitment to open space BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Last week, more than 30 years after Shelburne’s Open Space Fund was created, voters once again overwhelmingly agreed to dedicate some of their tax dollars to the fund. The Town Meeting Day vote was 1347451, almost three quarters of voters saying yes to allocating $100,000. For land conservation proponents, this validates the town’s continued commitment to conserving open spaces. “It’s always a ballot item, so the people get to choose whether or not to spend that money. And every year it’s one of the top
one of the top ballot items,” Gail Albert, a long-serving member of the Natural Resources and Conservation Committee, said. Shelburne’s Open Space Fund was established in in the 1990’s as a way for the town to save up money to buy land for conservation. Since 1994, the fund has been used for 15 different land purchases, the largest of which, $250,000 to help buy and preserve farmland for Bread and Butter Farm, was allocated in 2009. Although Shelburne residents have shown they’re committed to keeping the See OPEN SPACE on page 3
PHOTO BY BRIANA BRADY
Matt Fisher of Shelburne Sugarworks keeps an eye on the syrup on Saturday, during the season’s first boil.
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