Presentation

Speaker: Lee Simard, Fisheries Biologist for VT Fish & Wildlife

Location: Upstairs at the Arlington Town Hall, Route 7A, Arlington VT

Date: November 15, 2018

Start and End Time: 7:00 PM-8:00 PM

Hosted by: The Batten Kill Watershed Alliance

Description:

The Batten Kill is one of Vermont’s pre-eminent wild trout streams and the status of its brown and brook trout populations have been closely monitored since the early 1980s.  A near collapse of the brown trout population in the Batten Kill in the 1990s prompted a set of studies which indicated a lack of instream cover was leading to low survival of midsize trout and likely contributed to the population decline.  A Batten Kill trout management plan was developed in 2006 incorporating findings from these studies and past sampling results to outline a series of actions designed to improve and sustain wild trout populations within the Batten Kill and its tributaries.  This presentation will provide an overview of the Batten Kill fishery and then will examine the Batten Kill trout management plan, how the plan has been implemented since its development, and what the next management steps are for the watershed.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife bear biologist, Forrest Hammond, will be presenting information on living with Vermont's black bears at Barrett Hall in South Stratford. The event is sponsored by the Lion's Club but open to the public.

100th Anniversary of Migratory Bird Treaty Act- You will be hearing a lot about the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) in 2018, because it marks the 100th anniversary of its passage in 1918. It is estimated that the act has saved the lives of millions of birds. Click here to read more about the Migratory Bird Treaty Act...

Location: Sandbar strip, Milton, VT 05468 across Rt 2 from the Sandbar State Park at 1 PM.

Landowners interested in managing their woodlots to improve wildlife habitat are invited to attend a free, two-hour workshop on Wednesday, September 26 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The presentation will be held at the Wardsboro Town Hall at 71 Main Street in Wardsboro, Vermont.

Presenters will discuss various goals landowners may have for their woodlot, such as improving wildlife habitat, timber quality, or aesthetic value. They will outline various strategies for managing woodlots and talk about the programs for assistance that are available to landowners. 

Partners and topics include forest management planning practices and considerations with Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation; managing for wildlife habitat and farm bill programs with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department; woods, wildlife, and warblers with Audubon Vermont; habitat for pollinators with Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department; and invasive species management with Land Stewardship, Inc. 

“There are a few simple things that landowners can do to improve wildlife habitat on their woodlot while still maintaining high-quality timber harvest opportunities and keeping the aesthetic beauty,” said Andrea Shortsleeve, habitat biologist for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. “We’ll give landowners ideas on what they can do themselves, as well as discussing opportunities for financing and technical assistance from state and federal programs.” 

The workshop is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation and the U.S. Forest Service. For more information, contact Matt DiBona at 302-943-3239 or

mdibona@nwtf.net. 

Chronic Wasting Disease: A Threat to New England Deer & Moose A Disease You Should Know About

Thursday, September 13
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Horse Meadow Senior Center

Click here to register. Registration is required by September 11. 

As they are throughout their range the white-tailed deer and the moose are familiar and much-valued features of the New England landscape. While the moose struggles to adapt to winter ticks and parasites another threat has emerged to the permanence of both of them in the form of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is one of a unique class of diseases called prion diseases, which affects only the deer family (deer, elk, moose and reindeer). It is a disease that is always fatal and against which there is no vaccination. The incubation period is months to years and currently the only test for the disease is postmortem. No immunity can develop, and all members of the deer family in New England are susceptible.

Once the disease arrives it never leaves, and will predictably spread, affecting increasing numbers of animals and will, over time, reduce populations. It can be transmitted both from animal to animal and through environmental sources. It is not currently known to exist in the New England states so particular attention will be paid to preventive measures and their implementation. We will explore both the unique biological and complex social implications of the disease as a means of informing wildlife management decisions and personal choices especially as they relate to prevention.

This course is directed at all who value the wildlife of the area, but especially hunters, sporting goods dealers, politicians, and wildlife managers.

Walt Cottrell holds degrees in wildlife biology, biological science, and veterinary medicine. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, formerly working in Maryland, Minnesota, and Vermont. He practiced traditional veterinary medicine in the upper valley from 1985-2005 when he became the wildlife veterinarian for the state of Pennsylvania. In 2013 he became the wildlife veterinarian for the Northeast Wildlife Disease Cooperative administered from Tufts University and is an instructor at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. He lives in Newbury, VT.

GEORGIA, Vt. – Vermonters of all ages are invited to attend a presentation about Vermont’s wildlife in a changing climate on Thursday, June 14, at 6:30 p.m.  The presentation will be given at the Georgia Public Library, 1697 Ethan Allen Highway, Georgia, Vermont 05454.

Tom Rogers will be presenting at the event.  Rogers is a biologist who has worked on a variety of conservation projects, researching zebras in Kenya, golden-winged warblers in New York, sage grouse and bald eagles in Wyoming, and grizzly bears in Montana.  Tom currently works in outreach for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, connecting the public with fish and wildlife through writing, speaking, and photography.

Through colorful photos and captivating stories, the audience will come away with a new understanding of how climate change is affecting wildlife.  Rogers will talk about what people can do to help conserve biodiversity in Vermont in the face of these new threats.

“From warmer, wetter winters to increasingly severe storms, wildlife faces a variety of challenges from a changing climate,” said Rogers.  “We’ll discuss how different species might continue to respond to many of these challenges and what conservationists are doing to address them.”

The talk is free and open to the public.