The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department in conjunction with the New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Rooted in Vermont, a program of the Vermont Farm to Plate Network, is hosting “Harvest Stories: Hunting, Fishing and Foraging in the Green Mountain State,” a storytelling event at Zero Gravity Brewery in Burlington on December 3. The storytelling begins at 6 p.m. and concludes at 8 p.m.
“Storytelling, especially about and around food, is one of the most important human traditions and it is deeply rooted in Vermont,” said Shane Rogers, Rooted in Vermont Project Manager. “Storytelling is how we connect with each other through shared experiences and feelings.”
The evening will feature four stories from Vermonters about their wild food experiences in state. The storytellers will include an avid hunter and retired Vermont Game Warden, a wild food forager, a backyard sugarmaker, and a newly-minted angler. Following the featured storytellers, audience members will be invited to put their name in a hat to have the opportunity to tell their story about hunting, fishing or foraging in front of the audience. Each speaker will have around five minutes to tell their story.
“Hunting, fishing and foraging experiences bridge generations, cultures and landscapes,” said Joshua Morse with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. “When we have opportunities to share them, the experiences hunters, anglers and foragers have can be a point of common ground.”
According to the event organizers, the goal of the evening is highlighting the intersection of hunting, fishing and foraging as a sources of accessible and sustainable food as well as to celebrate all of the rich stories that come from these activities -- and to welcome new voices in these communities to share the stage with established ones.
“December is a great time to host a storytelling event – rifle season will have just wrapped up in Vermont, and fall mushrooms will still be fresh in foragers’ memories,” said Alison Thomas, Education Program Manager at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. “Others might tell a story about the anticipation of muzzleloader or ice fishing season. I can’t wait to hear what folks decide to share.”
The event is free to attend, but audience members must be 21 years of age or older.