Workshop

Date: Saturday, June 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Meet at Vermont Department Fish and Wildlife District Office, 111 West Street, Essex Junction VT | Map

Vermonters interested in learning about available funding and practical techniques for managing their woodlot to improve wildlife habitat and forest health are invited to attend this FREE workshop. 
This workshop will provide guidance on applying for funding from Natural Resources Conservation Service cost-sharing programs—specifically the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)—for landowners and foresters. 

Participants will engage is a morning “classroom” session and an afternoon of visiting implemented EQIP projects in the field. 

Pre-registration is required. Please contact Chittenden County Forester Ethan Tapper at ethan.tapper@vermont.gov or (802)-585-9099 for more information, or to register for the event.   

Date: Friday, June 28 (rain date on June 29)
Time: 8pm to dusk
Location: Bomoseen State Park, 22 Cedar Mountain Rd, Fair Haven, VT | map

Come learn how you can get involved in this important citizen science effort to monitor endangered little brown bat colonies. Alyssa Bennett, small mammal biologist, will give a brief presentations on bats, followed by a volunteer training. Attendees will learn how to count bats as they exit structures.

Register today Registration is optional

Date: Friday, June 21 (rain date on June 22)
Time: 8pm to dusk
Location: Rokeby Museum, 4334 Rte. 7, Ferrisburgh, VT | map

Come learn how you can get involved in this important citizen science effort to monitor endangered little brown bat colonies. Alyssa Bennett, small mammal biologist, will give a brief presentations on bats, followed by a volunteer training. Attendees will learn how to count bats as they exit structures. 

Register Today (Registration is optional)

Date: Friday, June 14, 2019
Time: 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm
Location: Dead Creek Visitor Center, 966 VT-17, Addison, VT 05491 | Map

Mid-June is the peak of insect emergence, and biologist Mark Ferguson and Vermont State Game Warden Kelly Price will lead the group in insect observation using a variety of trapping methods.  In addition to collecting and observing insects on-site, Ferguson and Price will bring some of their collections for people to see.  Participants should bring a flashlight, tick protection and be dressed appropriately for the field.

Ferguson works for Vermont Fish & Wildlife on the conservation of Vermont’s rare, threatened and endangered insect species and is a knowledgeable expert on the fun and fascinating world of bugs.  Warden Price has travelled the world to observe and collect insects and has two species of insects named after him.

Register Now

Date: Sunday, August 11
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier
Difficulty: easy/moderate

New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS) sponsored course. This class offers varied habitats, from meadows to wetlands to forests, and learn how they create and contribute to an overarching ecosystem. There’s a fee, and participants need to register ahead at the NEWFS’ website.

learn more and register

Young people interested in hunting turkeys are encouraged to sign up for National Wild Turkey Federation’s 9th Annual Jake’s Day Event today!

The event will take place Saturday, April 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Waterbury Fish & Game Club.

The event costs $10.00 per youth and includes lunch and a t-shirt, as well a youth membership. There will be activities throughout the day for youths, including prizes, target practice, and a demonstration of how to properly preserve turkey tails. 

Please pre-register by April 5 by contacting Ron Lafreniere at ronlafreniere@outdrs.net

The event is sponsored by the ‘Lake Champlain Longbeards’ group and is open to any youth aged 17 or younger. 

Vermonters are invited to learn about how citizen science is employed to help with wildlife conservation in Vermont on Thursday, April 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area Conference Room in Addison, Vermont. This ‘Citizen Science 101’ presentation is free and open to the public and is limited to the first 50 people who register via email. 

The presentation will be led by Erin Talmage, Director of the Birds of Vermont Museum, and Amy Alfieri who manages Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area and Visitor Center.  Talmage will discuss the history and importance of citizen science and how the information collected can be used for conservation.  Alfieri will discuss citizen science opportunities through the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

Click here to find out more...

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and the BattenKill Watershed Comprehensive Invasive Species Management Association are co-hosting a workshop for landowners on combating invasive plants on Saturday, April 27 at 9:30 a.m. in Manchester, Vermont. The workshop is free and open to the public and will last two to three hours. 

Biologist Travis Hart will present at the event.  He will highlight how to identify invasive plants in the region and give landowners tips on what to do if these plants are found on their property.  They will also discuss the impact that these plants can have on wildlife habitat.  The group will meet at the Burr and Burton Academy student parking lot on West Union Street in Manchester and walk over to the Equinox Preserve.

Click here to find out more...

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is offering a New Instructor Training Course for people interested in volunteering to teach Hunter Education courses in Vermont.

The training will take place Saturday, March 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Vermont Fish & Wildlife office, 111 West Street, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Policies and procedures, field techniques and teaching methods will be covered to give instructors the tools to teach future hunters how to have a safe and enjoyable experience.

Applicants are required to pass a background check with a Vermont State Game Warden and apprentice-teach with a chief instructor before they will receive their full State of Vermont Hunter Education Instructor certification. 

 “Our hunter education instructors are all volunteers, donating their time to pass on a cherished Vermont tradition,” said Pellegrini.  “The hours our instructors put in will leverage federal dollars that enable the Hunter Education Program to function.”

Those planning to attend should sign up online at https://tinyurl.com/InstructorTraining2019 or call 802-828-1193 prior to the course date.

Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request.  Requests should be made as early as possible.  Please call the office staff at 802-828-1193 (voice) or 1-800-253-0191 (TTY).

VTF&W photo by Jason Morin

Vermont Fish & Wildlife is conducting a Hunter Education Instructor Training March 23 at the Fish & Wildlife office in Essex Junction. 

CASTLETON, Vt. –Vermont wildlife photographer Brian Machanic will present ‘The Art in Birding’ at the Kehoe Education Center in Castleton, Vermont on Sunday, April 28 at 10:00 a.m. The presentation will be followed by a one-hour bird walk at the new Bonsawino Wildlife Management Area adjacent to the education center.

Machanic is a native Vermonter who has had a passion for wildlife since childhood and has been an avid naturalist and photographer his whole life.  He began selling scenic and wildlife images 30 years ago at his Nature’s Eye Studio in Charlotte and has published photos and stories in regional and national magazines. Machanic recently published his first book, entitled This Book Is for The Birds.

“During my presentation, viewers will get an up-close look at the beauty and unique attributes of various species through an exploration of a large portfolio of avian images – no binoculars or spotting scopes required!” said Machanic. 

Following Machanic’s presentation, participants will have an opportunity to take a one-hour field walk on the wildlife management area. Ali Thomas of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department will lead the field walk and help participants identify some of the amazing birds that can be found there. 

The event is limited to the first 25 participants. To register, contact Ali Thomas at alison.thomas@vermont.govor 802-371-9975.