YOUTH NEWS
Racial equityMONTPELIER — Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network’s Day of Racial Equity will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. onSept. 30, at the State House in Montpelier.
Featured are workshops, live music, conversations with legislators and guest speakers. Attendees are requested to register at vsarn.org
COLLEGE NEWS
Student honoredMONTPELIER — Community College of Vermont-Montpelier student Maia Mencucci is one of 207 Phi Theta Kappa members named a 2022 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
She is pursuing a degree in environmental science.
After graduating from CCV, Mencucci plans to continue her education in Vermont and pursue a writing or English degree, with the hopes of working in environmental journalism.
VLGS names directorSOUTH ROYALTON — Vermont Law & Graduate School has named environmental attorney and legal educator Michael Harris as associate professor of law and director of the Environmental Advocacy Clinic.
Before joining VLGS, Harris was an assistant professor of law and director of the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law from 2008-14. He was director of the wildlife law program for Friends of Animals, an international animal advocacy group, 2013-22.
He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court; the 9th, 10th and D.C. Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals; U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia, District of Colorado, and the Eastern Districts of California; and has appeared in courts nationwide on behalf of environmental advocates.
AROUND TOWN
PLACE eventsMONTPELIER — Montpelier PLACE (or Place-based Landscape Analysis & Community Engagement) is a series of community events celebrating the sites and stories in Montpelier’s heritage and ecology.
All events will be updated on North Branch Nature Center’s PLACE website at northbranchnaturecenter.org/place
Sept. 25: Bees Knees Brunch and Sip (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Barr Hill Distillery, Montpelier)
Oct. 5: Harvest Meal (4 to 6:30 p.m. at FEAST Farm)
Oct. 22: History on the Land (9 to 11 a.m. at Hubbard Park)
Oct. 29: Ecology of Hubbard Park (10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hubbard Park)
Nov. 9: Montpelier’s Built Environment (6:30 to 8 p.m. at Kellogg-Hubbard Library)
Nov. 18 and 19: Montpelier Underfoot (7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 18, and 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 19, at North Branch Nature Center)
Dec. 2: River Art Walk (4 to 8 p.m. at TBD)
AROUND VERMONT
Photo contestIn recognition of Sen. Patrick Leahy’s long-standing commitment to Lake Champlain and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the Lake Champlain Basin Program is holding the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Photo Contest.
Photos may be submitted on Twitter, Instagram or using the submission form on the LCBP website. All photos must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 28.
For contest rules, submission form, and a gallery of submissions, visit lcbp.org/photo-contest
Suicide preventionThe Vermont Suicide Prevention Center, a public-private partnership of the Center for Health and Learning and the Vermont Agency of Human Services, invites all to register to attend the 2022 Vermont Suicide Prevention Symposium occurring virtually at the end of Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month on Thursday, Sept. 29. Visit vermontsuicidepreventionsymposium.org to register.
Northeast Kingdom resident Terri Lavely, a member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention VT Chapter board, field advocate, trainer and walk chair, will be a featured keynote speaker.
From 2000 to 2016, suicide rates increased by more than 30% across the United States, and Vermont saw the second-highest increase (46.5%) in the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fatal Injury Report of 2018 and the AFSP Vermont State Fact Sheet (2018), suicide is the eighth leading cause of death across all age groups in the state of Vermont.
Poetry contestThe Sundog Poetry Book Award contest is open now until Sept. 30 for submissions from all Vermont-based poets who have not published a first or second book.
The winning poet will receive a cash prize of $500, 50 copies of the book, and assistance with promotion. Manuscripts should be between 48 and 64 pages.
Proof of Vermont residency will be requested along with a $20 application fee.
For more information, visit www.sundogpoetry.org/sundog-book-award
Bird migrationAs birds are flocking to their wintering grounds, the National Audubon Society and nine partner organizations announced the Bird Migration Explorer, a state-of-the-art digital platform that reveals migration data consolidated for 458 bird species found in the United States and Canada.
The free, interactive platform, available in English and Spanish, allows users to see the most complete data collected on migratory species in their neighborhoods and where those birds go throughout the year.
To learn about migratory birds, the journeys they make, and the challenges they experience along the way, visit www.birdmigrationexplorer.org
VTF&W
Permit winnersDeer hunters who applied for a Vermont muzzleloader season antlerless deer permit by the Aug. 3 deadline can now go to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) to see if they won a permit.
Bird huntingVermont’s hunting season for ruffed grouse, or “partridge,” is Sept. 24 to Dec. 31; daily limit is four grouse with a possession limit of eight.
The Vermont woodcock hunting season is Sept. 24 to Nov. 7; the daily limit is three woodcock with a possession limit of nine.
For more information, visit www.vtfishandwildlife.com
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Women’s conferenceRANDOLPH — Registration closes Sept. 22 for the free 25th Annual Women’s Economic Opportunity Conference on Oct. 1 at Vermont Technical College in Randolph, hosted by Patrick and Marcelle Leahy.
Learn about the workshops: sen.gov/YZKX. See the full agenda: sen.gov/XYJL. Register: sen.gov/VWN3
Rodriguez wins awardIRASBURG — Vermont Land Trust announced Jennifer Rodriguez, of Triple J Pastures in Irasburg, has won the 2022 Eric Rozendaal Memorial Award. Rodriguez received the $5,000 award in recognition of outstanding service to community, land stewardship, and innovation at the land trust’s annual member meeting in Waitsfield.
Rodriguez started Triple J Pastures in 2018 with her spouse, John Belanger, when they moved to Vermont from the Boston area after years working in the restaurant industry. They produce eggs, whole chickens and turkeys, pork, lamb, beef and seasonal vegetables. She is a first-generation American with a Dominican mother and Puerto Rican father.
Triple J Pastures are regular vendors at the Waitsfield and Stowe farmers markets. They also sell online, from a farm stand, and recently obtained a home catering license.
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