Vermont - page 2

A proposed Rule Governing the Importation of Untreated Firewood into the State of Vermont has been filed with the Secretary of State. The proposed rule, as filed, is open for public comment until Friday, Jan. 15, 2016.

The purpose of the rule is to protect forest health by slowing the long-distance movement of wood-borne invasive forest pests, such as Asian longhorned beetle and emerald ash borer, and preventing the spread of pests into Vermont.

The enabling legislation requires the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to adopt regulations on importing untreated firewood. The proposed rule prohibits the importation of untreated firewood into Vermont.

The definition of firewood states that it is wood processed for burning and less than 48 inches in length, but does not include wood chips, pellets, pulpwood or wood for manufacturing purposes.

It allows treated firewood to enter the state if it is treated to the USDA standard of 160° F (71.1° C) for at least 75 minutes at a certified treatment facility and is accompanied by certification of treatment.

By written request, the Commissioner of Forests, Parks & Recreation may waive this prohibition under conditions that ensure that the firewood poses minimal threat to forest health. Violations may result in confiscation of firewood and/or a civil citation.

The rules are to take effect on May 1, 2016.

Questions or written comments can be addressed to Barbara Schultz, Forest Health Program manager, at barbara.schultz@vermont.gov.

NEWPORT — Normally, December 1 is the recommended start date for feeding birds in Vermont, but this year’s lack of snow is keeping some bears from going into their winter dens. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is now urging people to wait for colder weather and snow before putting up their bird feeders in order to avoid attracting bears.

“An abundance of beechnuts and apples coupled with our lack of snow cover this year have resulted in male bears staying active, rather than denning for the winter,” said Forrest Hammond, Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s bear biologist.

Fish & Wildlife suggests Vermonters wait for six or more inches of snow that lasts before putting out bird feeders, especially if you have been visited in the past by bears or if there are sightings of bears in your neighborhood.

Due to lack of snow and frozen ground, birds are able to forage in fields and forests for their natural foods anyway.

“Female bears normally go into their dens before males,” Hammond said. “Males tend to enter their dens in response to most of their foods being unavailable to them rather than to cold temperatures. Without snow covering the ground some males are still foraging for nuts and apples.”

A 2011 federal survey revealed that people spend more than $280 million annually to watch wildlife in the state. Feeding birds at home is considered the primary wildlife watching activity.

NEWPORT — A common plant found along roadsides and open areas may not appear harmful, but the Health Department is warning Vermonters that its sap contains a chemical that causes serious skin reactions when exposed to sunlight.

The sap, or juice, inside the stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits of the wild parsnip, also called “poison parsnip,” contains chemicals called psoralens. Contact with the sap causes a chemical burn in the presence of sunlight, a condition known as phytophotodermatitis.

The sap is exposed when the plant is cut or knocked down. Skin reactions begin about 24 to 48 hours after contact with the sap and sunlight and include redness, burns similar to second-degree sunburns, painful rashes, and raised blisters.

Giant hogweed also contains the same chemicals.

Wild parsnip is an invasive species that can grow almost anywhere but prefers disturbed areas like roadsides and open areas. The plant is a member of the carrot family reaching heights of two to four feet with leaves that resemble celery leaves and yellow flowers that look similar to Queen Anne’s Lace.

The Vermont Department of Health advises people to avoid skin and eye contact with wild parsnip sap.

If you need to work with the plant:

Wear clothing that covers your arms and legs.
Wash clothes that come in contact with the sap.
Work with the plant on cloudy days, and always wash your skin immediately after coming in contact with the sap.
If you are using string trimmers or power mowers in areas where this plant grows, wear eye/face protection, in addition to long pants, long sleeves, and gloves.

If you get sap on your skin:

Wash the skin thoroughly with soap and water as soon as possible.
Protect the exposed skin from sunlight for at least 48 hours.
If you experience a skin reaction, call your health care provider.

MONTPELIER — The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources recently added nine species to the list of state threatened and endangered species. The listing included four plants, three bumble bees, one amphibian, and one bird.

Three pollinators listed were the rusty-patched bumble bee, yellow-banded bumble bee, and Ashton cuckoo bumble bee. Pollinators such as bees, moths, and butterflies are critically important to Vermont’s agriculture, but many are in decline nationwide. According to a survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, beekeepers reported losing 42 percent of their honeybee colonies between April 2014 and April 2015.

Vermont’s bumble bee species appear to be in decline due to a parasite infestation. Another concern for pollinator conservation is the widespread use of a group of systemic insecticides referred to as ‘neonicotinoids.’ These pesticides are used on agricultural crops, and are also used in concentrated doses on home gardens, lawns, and ornamental trees. Several types of neonicotinoids are highly toxic to bees, in addition to making them more susceptible to parasites and pathogens.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is currently considering legislation that would limit the use of these chemicals.

“Pollinators are essential to our farms and also to our meadows and wild orchards,” said Deb Markowitz, Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. “Adding them to the endangered species list is only one of many steps we can take to help protect them. Additional techniques, such as integrated pest management and planting more native flowering plants, are others.”

The bumble bee listings do not come with restrictions against currently legal activities such as applying pesticides in accordance with state and federal regulations, although the Secretary may notify a landowner that a permit is required in cases where one of these bumble bee species is likely present.

More information on pollinators, including a list of pesticides for homeowners to avoid, is available on The Xerces Society’s website at www.xerces.org.

In addition to pollinators, the Fowler’s toad and rusty blackbird were listed as endangered in Vermont.

The Fowler’s toad is dependent on scoured sand banks along the Connecticut River, a limited habitat type in Vermont, and has always been extremely rare in Vermont. However, the toad had been detected in the state with infrequent regularity until 2007 when the toad was last heard.

Rusty blackbird populations have declined regionally by more than 90 percent during the past five decades, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Vermont is at the southern edge of the bird’s boreal forest breeding habitat.

Four plant species were also listed as endangered in Vermont. These include the dwarf birch, tulip tree, whorled milkweed, and green mountain quillwort. These plants were previously not thought to exist in the wild in Vermont, but single specimens or single populations of all four species were found recently in the state.

“While we are delighted to have located these rare species, their endangered status reminds us that many of these plants can only survive where there is habitat to support them,” said Markowitz. “We are fortunate in our state that Vermonters value the bees, birds, and plants that enrich our experience of nature and have worked to conserve lands so that future generations might enjoy them as well. It is critical that we continue to protect not only endangered species but the places where they thrive.”

Vermont currently has 51 state threatened and endangered animals, and 163 state threatened and endangered plants. Three well known birds were removed from the list in 2005, the peregrine falcon, osprey, and common loon, following the birds’ recovery as a result of conservation efforts.

DERBY — Shaw’s announced that Niagara Bottling is issuing a voluntary recall of certain bottled water products, including Natural Spring Water sold under the Shaw’s brand name, due to concerns that one of Niagara’s spring sources is contaminated with E. coli.

E. coli bacteria were found in the water supply on June 10, 2015. No illnesses have been reported to date. The recall affects multiple retailers in the region and was issued out of an abundance of caution. 

People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk if contaminated water is consumed. People with specific health concerns should consult their physician if they have questions.

Presence of E. coli bacteria indicate that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.

The following bottled water products sold at Shaw’s in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont have been recalled.

The recalled products have Best By dates of 08DEC2016 through 16DEC2016 (December 8, 2016 through December 16, 2016).

SHAW’S Natural Spring  Water (24) PACK
16.9oz Bottles
UPC Number on Case Packaging – 4567421415
UPC Number on Individual Bottles – 4567452952

SHAWS  Natural Spring Water (35) PACK
16.9oz Bottles
UPC Number on Case Packaging – 4567453026
UPC Number on Individual Bottles – 4567452952

SHAWS Natural Spring Water
(12) PACK
8.0oz Bottles
UPC Number on Case Packaging – 4567452217
UPC Number on Individual Bottles – 4567452217

Consumers who purchased these products should discard them or return them for a full refund. These products have been removed from sale.

For more information, please call Niagara Bottling, LLC Consumer Service, (877) 487-7873.

NEWPORT — Vermont is the healthiest state for seniors, rising from fourth place last year, according to the third edition of United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings Senior Report.

Vermont ranked among the top 10 states in 21 of 43 overall measurements that included behaviors, community & environment, policy, clinical care, and outcomes. New Hampshire ranks second, improving one spot from last year. Minnesota fell to third after being ranked first for two years in a row, while Hawaii (4) and Utah (5) round out the top five states.

“Vermont’s seniors should be congratulated for doing a lot of things well to stay healthy, such as low rates of physical inactivity, hospital readmissions, and half of all our seniors rank their health as either very good or excellent,” said Health Commissioner Harry Chen, MD. “As always, there are also areas we need to improve such as a high prevalence of chronic drinking, low hospice care use, and a high rate of falls.”

Louisiana ranks 50th as the least healthy state for older adults, followed by Mississippi (49), Kentucky (48), Arkansas (47) and Oklahoma (46).

Vermont’s strengths include low intensive care unit (ICU) use and ready availability of home-delivered meals. This is due, in part, to the efforts of the state’s area agencies on aging, according to Susan Wehry, MD, commissioner of the Department of Disabilities, Aging & Independent Living. Vermont also has the nation’s best Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment, which demonstrates that seniors are aware of and using the program.

“Increasing participation in the supplemental nutrition program for those over 60 who live in poverty has been a top priority of the Agency of Human Services,” said Commissioner Wehry, “and to now rank number one for participation is a huge accomplishment. I’m grateful to all our partners who helped us achieve this milestone. Vermont has always been a tight-knit community state. We take care of each other, and we take care of our seniors.”

The Departments of Health, and Disabilities, Aging & Independent Living began collaboration on a screening and brief intervention, referral substance abuse project (SBIRT) targeting older adults to help address chronic drinking among seniors in Vermont.

Nationally, Dr. Chen said the fact that more seniors received the flu vaccine compared to last year, rising from 60.1 percent of seniors in 2014 to 62.8 percent this year is encouraging, because they are particularly susceptible to flu and flu-related complications.

“Every Vermont senior should get vaccinated against the flu,” Dr. Chen said. Vermont ranked 18th for flu vaccines for seniors at 65 percent.

NEWPORT — As motorists take to the roads this Memorial Day holiday, Vermont law enforcement officers are urging everyone to buckle up. Beginning May 18 through the 31, law enforcement officials will be out in full force, taking part in the 2015 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization and cracking down on motorists who are not belted.

“Our officers are prepared to ticket anyone who is not wearing their seat belt, including drivers that have neglected to properly buckle their children,” Sgt. Allen A Fortin, Northern Click It or Ticket Task Force Leader said.

At 6:00 p.m. on May 18, Vermont law enforcement will join law enforcement agencies across the Eastern United States in mobilizing the Click It or Ticket, “Border to Border” Operation. Law enforcement agencies will join forces to provide increased seat belt enforcement at state borders, sending a zero tolerance message to the public.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 9,580 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2013 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. And unbelted fatalities are more prevalent at night than during the daytime: 59 percent of those killed in 2013 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. unbelted at the time of the crash.

Tragically, these national statistics are mirrored locally. In Vermont, many more unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants were killed at night, compared to those tragedies that occurred during the day.

Even though this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 18-31, officers will continue to be enforcing seat belt laws year-round.

NEWPORT — On Saturday, May 9, the 23rd annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive for the benefit of local food shelves was held across the nation. The national figures are not in yet, but typically over 74 million pounds of food are collected.

In the Green Mountain United Way (GMUW) five-county service area, nearly 19,000 pounds of non-perishables were donated with over 2,200 pounds coming from Orleans and Essex county’s very generous residents.

These 2,200 pounds were distributed to the Orleans Food Shelf, the Jay Food Shelf, NEKCA (Newport, Island Pond and Canaan) and the United Church of Newport.

In total, the 19,000 pounds of food from the GMUW five counties were distributed to 24 different food shelves.

This is the largest national food drive that occurs on the second Saturday in May each year.

May is strategically chosen by the NALC as a time when food pantries everywhere are near empty after the long winter.

MORRISVILLE — The Northeastern Vermont Development Association has officially been granted approval to expand its Foreign Trade Zone service area to include all of Lamoille County. NVDA first received its FTZ designation from the US Department of Commerce in March, 2013.

NVDA has since worked with the Lamoille Economic Development Corporation to make the FTZ program available to a greater number of Vermont businesses.

Businesses and industries within Lamoille, Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties that import foreign goods or components into the region are now eligible to apply for reductions or eliminations in tariffs, duties and custom fees. 



NVDA and LEDC are available to meet with businesses interested in the program to discuss FTZ opportunities and benefits.

For more information or to schedule a visit you should contact:

David Snedeker at dsnedeker@nvda.net
John Mandeville at john@lamoilleeconomy.org

NEWPORT — The independent Vermont senator Bernie Sanders announced this morning that he is running for president. Sanders made the announcement in an email he sent to supporters and the media early Thursday morning. He will be running as a Democrat, and will provide Hillary Rodham Clinton with her first rival for the party’s nomination.

BELOW IS A COPY OF THE EMAIL THAT SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS SENT TO HIS SUPPORTERS

I am writing to inform you that I will be a candidate for President of the United States. I ask for your support.

Add your name to support my campaign.

For many months I have been traveling from coast to coast across our country, and have had the opportunity to meet with thousands of good, hard-working, and remarkable people. Like you and me, they are deeply concerned about the future of our country.

They wonder why they are working longer hours for lower wages. They worry about whether their kids will be able to afford college or get decent jobs. They fear that they may not have the savings to retire with dignity and security.

The challenges facing our country are enormous.

It’s not just that, for forty years, the middle class has been disappearing. It’s that 99% of all new income is going to the top 1%, and the grotesque level of wealth and income inequality today is worse than at any time since the late 1920s. The people at the top are grabbing all the new wealth and income for themselves, and the rest of America is being squeezed and left behind.

The disastrous decisions of the Supreme Court in the Citizens United case and in other related decisions are undermining the very foundations of American democracy, as billionaires rig the system by using their Super PACs to buy politicians and elections.

And the peril of global climate change, with catastrophic consequences, is the central challenge of our times and our planet.

The middle class in America is at a tipping point. It will not last another generation if we don’t boldly change course now.

After a year of travel, discussion and dialogue, I have decided to be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president. But let’s be clear. This campaign is not about Bernie Sanders. It’s about a grassroots movement of Americans standing up and saying: “Enough is enough. This country and our government belong to all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.”

Our movement needs people like you involved to help it succeed. Add your name now to say you support my campaign for president.

I run not to oppose any man or woman, but to propose new and far-reaching policies to deal with the crises of our times. And I run because I know we must change course now, or risk losing the future for so many to the interests of so few.

A successful national campaign is a massive undertaking, especially when we will be heavily outspent. It will require the active participation of millions of Americans in every community in our country. In fact, it will require nothing less than a political revolution which combats the demoralization and alienation of so many of our people from the political process.

Let me be very honest. It may be too late to stop the billionaire class from trying to buy the Presidency and Congress. The forces of greed already may be too powerful.

But we owe it to our children and grandchildren to try. We owe it to them to make the fight and, through the power of our numbers, turn back this assault on the foundation of our democracy and our future.

We are at a moment of truth. We need to face up to the reality of where we are as a nation, and we need a mass movement of people to fight for change.

I believe America is ready for a new path to the future.

On May 26th I will formally launch our campaign at the City Hall in Burlington, Vermont, where I served as Mayor.

I ask you to join with me in our campaign for President of the United States.

Sincerely,

Senator Bernie Sanders

The slide blocked the travel lane and part of the passing lane. Crews responded and set up signs keeping the road open to one lane.

Nobody was injured during the incident.

“We were going by northbound and saw it let go,” Janis Carrier, who witnessed the slide wrote. “Immediately called VSP. Very glad we were on the other side of the interstate and that no cars were present when that ledge let go. It was a big cloud of smoke through the air.”

Rockslides can be some of the most dangerous forms of deformation because of the way that large rocks are traveling quickly down slope; this large material can cause massive damage to anything in its path.

MONTPELIER – Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder unveiled a new report to the legislature last week that addresses the fragmentation of Vermont’s forests and makes recommendations for how to protect their integrity. The study shows that Vermont is losing forestland, while existing forests are being broken into fragmented parcels.

Last year, the legislature asked the commissioner to prepare the report.

The report describes forest fragmentation as:

“The breaking of large, contiguous forested areas into smaller pieces of forest, typically by roads, agriculture, utility corridors, subdivisions or other human development. It usually occurs incrementally, beginning with cleared swaths or pockets of non-forest within an otherwise unbroken expanse of tree cover. Then, over time, those non-forest pockets tend to multiply and expand and eventually the forest is fragmented and reduced to scattered, disconnected forest islands.”

It states that the general effect of fragmentation is the reduction in overall forest health. It also degrades habitat quality, leading to long-term loss of biodiversity, increases in invasive plants, pests, and pathogens, and reduction in water quality.

Snyder called on lawmakers to come back with plans to address what policy changes are needed locally, regionally, and statewide to protect forest health and integrity. He also gave the following suggestions:

Educate and engage Vermont landowners, schoolchildren, municipalities and land-use decision makers (e.g. realtors and developers) about the economic and ecological benefits of large forest blocks and the connectivity among smaller forest blocks.

Continue to invest in land conservation and strategically target investments to focus on areas that have the greatest ecological and economic values and are most at risk.

Support existing landowners to keep their land forested and to encourage new growth in existing settlements and near existing roadways to avoid incursions into high value forest blocks.

Consider additional tools for local governments and the state to discourage development that converts blocks of forest to other uses and requires mitigation when such development occurs.

Ensure that forest landowners can get value from their forested land through sustainable forestry practices and develop and create markets for Vermont forest products.

At the same time, many Vermont conservation, forestry, and recreation organizations noted the critical importance of Vermont’s forests and presented the legislature with a letter calling for a stakeholder process to develop recommendations to maintain the integrity of Vermont’s forests into the future. 
  
Representatives from several Vermont conservation organizations offered the following comments relative to the report’s release:

Audubon Vermont

“Forests are the reason Vermont has some of the highest diversity of breeding birds in the country. It is no wonder then that Vermont leads the nation in wildlife watching adding $288 million to our economy. Audubon members are concerned that forest birds have declined by 32%, due in part to the loss of forest habitat. We believe that Vermonters’ collective creativity can come up with effective ways to stem the declines in both birds and the forests they breed in.” — Jim Shallow, managing director of Audubon Vermont.

The Nature Conservancy of Vermont

“Intact, connected forests are integral to a thriving Vermont economy, healthy wildlife habitat, climate resiliency and recreation. Through science, policy, and land protection, The Nature Conservancy represents Vermonters who know that our forested connections are critical to sustaining a rich diversity of wildlife that’s essential to our culture and economy. We strongly endorse a stakeholder process so that Vermonters have an opportunity to share their ideas about protecting the forests that belongs to all of us.” — Heather Furman, Vermont state director of The Nature Conservancy.
 
The Trust for Public Land

“Vermont’s forests are the backbone of the rural landscape and tourism economy of our state, including such powerful places at the Long Trail, Camel’s Hump State Park, The Green Mountain National Forest, and many, many more.  Our forests provide outdoor classrooms for our children, places to hunt, fish, and hike, and jobs for thousands of people, all of which are threatened or altered by fragmentation.  The Trust for Public Land looks forward to continuing to work with Commissioner Snyder, the legislature, and other partners to protect Vermont’s forests, for now and future generations.” — Rodger Krussman, Vermont state director for The Trust for Public Land.
 
Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club

“Forest fragmentation is one of the greatest threats to the economic and ecological health of Vermont’s forests. The natural legacy we leave future generations of Vermonters depends on the steps we take now to develop sound policies that protect our forestlands.” — Rachel Stevens, chair of the Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club Forest and Wildlife Committee
 
Vermont Land Trust

“Forest owners share a personal commitment to enduring, responsible land management and they know well how their stewardship contributes to our economy, to environmental health, and to our citizens’ chance to enjoy the outdoors. If the forests that are not yet conserved lose their integrity, we worry about the impact on the woodland we have worked so hard to protect over the last 38 years.” — Gil Livingston, president of the Vermont land Trust.

Vermont Natural Resources Council

“Our forests define our state and provide an underpinning to our economic and environmental wellbeing. Quite simply, the importance of our forests cannot be overstated, but increasing land fragmentation is compromising their integrity. Today, sixty diverse organizations and individuals representing conservation, forestry, and recreation interests voiced their support for Vermont’s forests. It is time to be proactive, and we thank Commissioner Snyder and the legislature for working to keep our forests healthy and intact into the future.” — Jamey Fidel, forest and wildlife program director, Vermont Natural Resources Council

SPRINGFIELD — The Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit say that they have secured an arrest warrant for a man they believe is connected to a recent shooting death in Springfield. The investigation team says that Allen Smith, 30, of Springfield, is being sought for 2nd degree murder charges relating to the death of Wesley Wing, also of Springfield. The shooting took place on April 18, 2015.

On Monday the Vermont investigation team joined forces with New Hampshire’s Keene Police Department as the investigation led them to that area as a possible location of Smith.

A search warrant was executed at a residence in Keene, but police say Smith had fled the area previously.

At that time the 2011 black Infinity allegedly operated by Smith during the shooting was seized by the Keene Police Department.

It has been learned that Smith is now operating a white 2004 Buick Rendezvous bearing NH registration 3364095.

The vehicle also has a pink “NY” symbol on the rear window and a “zebra heart” decal on the left rear passenger side window.

Smith is last believed to be wearing blue jeans/black shirt/grey and lime running shoes/NY Yankees hat with lime green/white lettering.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Springfield Police Department at 802-885-2113, any Vermont State Police barracks, or 911.

BURLINGTON – The Vermont Department of Health is notifying Vermonters about a voluntary recall of Sabra Dipping Co., LLC Classic Hummus due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

There have been no reports of illness related to the product, which is sold in Vermont.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in pregnant women, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Healthy children and adults can also become infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For a full list of the products being recalled that were distributed to retail outlets, including food service accounts and supermarket visit: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm441863.htm