OutdoorsVT 11-13-09

New forest boss

Marr takes the reins

The Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests has a new supervisor - at least temporarily - and she's thrilled to be here.

  Jer Marr is serving a stint as the acting forest supervisor following the departure of Meg Mitchell, who left in October to be the supervisor on the Willamette National Forest in western Oregon.
 
  Marr is currently the deputy forest supervisor in West Virginia on the Monongahela National Forest, where her management responsibilities cover about 1 million acres of public land.
 
  She started in her position as the acting supervisor for the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests in October and will be on the job until a permanent supervisor is named, which should be early next year.
 
  "February is a good goal," Marr said. "My job is to pave the way for the forest supervisor who comes here."
 
  That will include carrying on the partnerships the Forest Service has built with local and state governmental agencies, land management organizations and private landowners.
 
  "We work with a lot of partners," Marr said. "Here at the Green Mountain National Forest we can't go it alone."
 
  Marr said maintaining those partnerships will be a focus of what she does during her short tenure.
 
  "We're going to keep going with business as usual," Marr said. "We're going to keep working on all the projects. For as long as I'm here, we'll keep moving along together."
 
  Marr's full name is Jerri Marr, but she prefers Jer.
 
  She earned a bachelor's of science degree in Forestry and Natural Resource Management in 1992 from the University of Tennessee while working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she has worked for 24 years.
 
  She joined the Forest Service two weeks out of high school and worked her way through college.
 
  "The job (gave) me a firsthand look at the type of careers (available) and I fell in love with it, pretty much, that first summer," Marr said.
 
  Despite growing up in cities like the Bronx, N.Y., and Memphis as a young girl, Marr spent summers camping and attending natural resource leadership camps and judging competitions.
 
  Over her 24 years with the Forest Service, she has worked as a forester, public affairs specialist, liaison officer, and as a district ranger before becoming the deputy forest supervisor on the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia.
 
  Those jobs have taken her coast to coast including stops in Alabama, Florida, Oregon, Washington, California, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and, now, Vermont.
 
  Listening to Marr talk about public lands and the joy she gets in helping to manage hundreds of thousands of acres of public land, she starts to sound a little like she's channeling Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States who is widely considered one of the greatest conservation leaders in our country's history.
 
  Roosevelt is credited with preserving more than 230 million acres of land including places like Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite, not to mention the creation of the national forest reserve system, which later became the U.S. Forest Service.
 
  The work conducted under Roosevelt's leadership is generally considered to be one of the greatest gifts this country ever gave itself.
 
  "I have a great admiration for the decisions he made along the way," Marr said, adding credit for everyone else who added to Roosevelt's legacy along the way. "I can truly appreciate the gift that they gave us."
 
  But protecting that gift is the work of land management agencies today and in the future.
 
  That's a duty Marr said she sees as an honor.
 
  "One of the greatest privileges we have is to be public servants," Marr said. "I think it's a wonderful gift that we have our natural resources."
 
  But, she points out the country needs a new generation of public lands managers.
 
  "For these lands to be as pristine and beautiful as they are, we're going to need natural resource managers in the future," Marr said.
 
  Marr told a story about talking to students and trying to make them understand the value of the national forests in this country.
 
  "I tell them I manage their inheritance," Marr said. "The natural resources we have inherited are an incredible gift."
 
  Like others passionate about the outdoors, Marr knows that getting kids into the outdoors is important.
 
  "As an agency we're working hard. We're talking about putting kids in the woods and getting them back to nature."
 
  Getting back to nature won't be a problem for Marr in Vermont and that's something she's excited about.
 
  Marr is excited to be in the Green Mountain State and looks forward to winter arriving.
 
  She said she regularly comes to New England to vacation every year and it reminds her of West Virginia.
 
  "I love it," Marr said. "I love the New England area."
 
  The cold weather and snow that is never far away in this part of the world at this time of year will be a welcome scene for Marr.
 
  "I'm an avid winter sports enthusiast," she said. "I love winter recreation."
 
  She's also a photographer.
 
  "New England and especially Vermont has some of the most beautiful country I've seen," Marr said.
 
  Darren Marcy is a local outdoor enthusiast. His Web site is www.DarrenMarcy.com. E-mail him at darren@darrenmarcy.com.

OutdoorsVT 10-30-09

Another No. 1

Local ski area snags top slot for families

Another national list has been released and another Vermont location has been honored by taking the top spot.

  This time it is the Jackson Gore Inn at Okemo Mountain Resort that snagged the No. 1 spot in "Parents" magazine.
 
  I almost missed the press release from Okemo a couple weeks back because of the onslaught of "hole-in-one" announcements and other things. Finally, as I weeded out old e-mail, I saw the subject line and took a closer look.
 
  The publication chose the top 10 Best Snow Resorts for Families.
 
  Another Vermont property - the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe - came in at No. 7 on the list, and another resort in our neck of the woods - Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H. - is fourth on the list.
 
  When I was a single guy, I never cared much about what an area offered outside of my reason for heading there.
 
  If I was going skiing, I really only cared that there was snow and how much a lift ticket was going to cost. Whether the place I was staying had amenities just didn't matter. As long as there was a mattress to rest my weary bones, I was happy.
 
  Now married and with kids, planning a family getaway requires a month and all those things that never mattered are at the top of the list.
 
  "Parents" magazine knows that there are millions of families just like mine and keeping the kids happy on any type of adventure - whether for a day or a week - will go a long ways toward keeping the parents happy as well.
 
  Ski areas and surrounding resorts have also figured this out in the last decade or two and the list of options available to families is always expanding.
 
  There were more than 100 contenders trying to make the list.
 
  The magazine's survey reached out to tourism boards in places "where snow is plentiful, to research inns, lodges and resorts that not only welcome families with open arms, but cater to their needs."
 
  "Parents" narrowed the list of candidates by evaluating what family-friendly activities an area offered as well as those opportunities that are available at nearby ski areas.
 
  Some of the amenities the magazine looked for were quality ski lessons for young children, standard room size, child-care services, kids' clubs or supervised play areas, and price.
 
  "At 'Parents' we know that a winter vacation is a real treat, but tight budgets and the challenge of finding a kid-friendly destination can make planning a trip tricky," said Dana Points, editor-in-chief of "Parents" magazine, in a release. "The 10 affordable resorts on our list have thought of absolutely everything families could want while on vacation. Whether you're interested in skiing or s'more-making, an ice rink or a heated pool, there is something for everyone at Parents' top picks."
 
  My only concern with this list of 10 resorts is the price.
 
  On its Web site, "Parents" says all of the resorts offer accommodations "costing less than $250 per night for a room that sleeps two adults and two small kids or $400 for an all-inclusive."
 
  Now, I know I picked the wrong career. Journalists' pay is somewhere between "little" and "not very much."
 
  But how many families are looking for a vacation that comes with a $250-per-night price tag?
 
  Maybe next time, "Parents" magazine will look at the top 10 best snow resorts for families that regular people can afford.
 
  But that's just me.
  
  Darren Marcy is a local outdoor enthusiast. His Web site is www.DarrenMarcy.com. E-mail him at darren@darrenmarcy.com.

Letter advocates killing hunters

The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press ran a letter by a man that calls for the killing of hunters.

In his letter, Ethan A.H. Sims of Shelburne, writes about the opening of moose season in Vermont. Then he writes, "I suggest that before the next annual killing season, other residents be awarded legal permits to kill hunters who will be out to kill these beautiful, non-destructive animals. Or the government could just rule out of all this primitive killing."

Everybody has the right to his or her opinion and I certainly don't hold it against Mr. Sims for being an anti-hunter. I think he's misguided and we are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to our beliefs on hunting, but he still has a right to his opinion.

What floors me, however, is that the Free Press chose to run this letter. Granted they issued an apology online and the letter has been removed from the paper's Web site. But how did it make the page in the first place?

Editorial page editor Aki Soga wrote on the Free Press' Web site, "that violates the standards of the Free Press by advocating for violence against hunters. The letter has been taken down. We apologize for our error in judgement."

Wow!

F&W reminds hunters of importation rules

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department wants hunters to remember the rules regulating the importation of deer or elk from states or Canadian provinces that have have positive chronic wasting disease tests.

Any hunter who travels outside of Vermont to hunt deer or elk to a CWD-positive state need to remember that no animal can be brought back into Vermont from one of the positive states or provinces with the following exceptions:

• Meat that is cut up, packaged and labeled with hunting license information and not mixed with other deer or elk during processing.

• Meat that is boneless.

• Hides or capes with no part of the head attached.

• Clean skull-cap with antlers attached.

• Antlers with no other meat or tissue attached.

• Finished taxidermy heads.

• Upper canine teeth with no tissue attached.

CWD is a disease of the brain and nervous system in deer and elk that is extremely infective and very difficult -- if not impossible -- to get rid of.

CWD has not been found in Vermont. The states and provinces that have had populations that have tested positive include: Alberta, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

A fine of up to $1,000 and loss of hunting and fishing licenses for one year are applicable for each deer or elk imported illegally.

For the latest information on CWD, check: www.vtfishandwildlife.com and www.cwd-info.org.

Turkey hunter shot

Vermont State Police and Fish & Wildlife Department game wardens responded to a report of the shooting of a hunter just after 8 a.m. Sunday in Bradford.

According to a news release, Ryan Terrill, 22, of Bradford was shot while sitting just inside the woodline near a cornfield. Terrill was fully camouflaged when Richard Sylvester, 49, of Topsham came walking from the road along the wood line.

Authorities said he shot at what he thought was a turkey, hitting Terrill.

Terrill suffered birdshot wounds to the left side of his torso and head. He was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for treatment. His immediate condition was not known.

Authorities said Sylvester attended to Terrill before going to a nearby home to call for help, then returned to again aid Terrill.

The case is being investigated by wardens and State Police detectives and the case will be reviewed by the Orange County State's Attorney once the investigation is complete.

OutdoorsVT 10-23-09

The bear and the phone

Using technology to fend off a black bear

When Kris Rowley was confronted by a bear while hiking this summer she didn't exactly go "MacGyver" on the ursine beast, although the man handy at getting himself out of pickles with little or no tools at his disposal would have been proud nonetheless.

  Instead of whipping up a stun gun from pine cones and chewing gum, or devising a live bear trap by digging a hole with her compass lens before luring the toothy critter by dipping her shoelace into a honeycomb and dangling it over the trap, she - instead - went high tech.
 
  She threw her cell phone at the bear.
 
  Apparently the previously unreported iPhone app worked. She survived by running away while the bear scrolled through photos of her family and vacation.
 
  Whew!
 
  Another bear mauling averted.
 
  It makes sense that Rowley would resort to technology to diffuse a tense standoff with an angry bear bent on mauling someone ... anyone ... it encountered.
 
  She is the certified information security officer for the state of Vermont.
 
  Whether confronted with hackers trying to break into Gov. James Douglas' e-mail account, a nasty virus that attempts to download everybody's social security numbers from their state tax documents, or a black bear on a hiking trail, she resorts to technology.
 
  The incident was widely publicized, even going as far as being featured by Stephen Colbert, who called bears "godless killing machines."
 
  In her defense, Rowley apparently didn't pull out her cell-phone weapon as a first resort.
 
  She checked for her pepper spray. Then she went for her 12-gauge shotgun loaded with slugs and buckshot. Finding neither, she resorted to her phone.
 
  The idea of calling the bear police must have slipped her mind during the frenzied rush to save herself. She had plenty of time as the bear was checking its pockets for salt and pepper.
 
  So she chucked the phone at the bear.
 
  The bear fell down laughing, then started nosing through her contacts list and checking her call log to see if they had any mutual friends.
 
  While the bear was temporarily distracted, Rowley backed out of the area and beat feet for home, unaware that she wouldn't be able to call in the incident without her phone.
 
  The bear, meanwhile, continued to go through her phone, apparently looking for a honey app, or maybe a way to search for hot bears in the local forest. Eventually, it gave up and went home where it used its home computer to log on to www.YogiBear.com and www.UrsusSingles.com.
 
  (Editor's note: Careful, this is a family newspaper.)
 
  OK, so I made all of that up. Except for the part about Rowley hiking, meeting a bear, throwing her cell phone, and Stephen Colbert, calling bears "godless killing machines."
 
  But then again, you already knew that.
 
  The facts remain.
 
  A Vermont woman ended a semi-tense bear encounter by tossing her iPhone at it.
 
  And why not? It's not like she could get a cell signal. This is Vermont, after all.
 
  Most likely, and I'm sure Rowley knows this, the encounter would have probably ended the same way whether she tossed her technological device or not.
 
  I say "I'm sure Rowley knows this," because I didn't get a chance to talk to her. Unfortunately, she was out of the office when I called and didn't get back to me in time for this column.
 
  That might have something to do with the fact that bozos like me continue to make up dumb stuff about her encounter with a bear and writing even dumber columns and blog posts about it.
 
  It's a hard job, but someone has to do it.
 
  The real situation, while exciting for Rowley - and possibly the bear - probably played out in a much less exciting string of events.
 
  Most likely, the event lasted but seconds and the bear was probably more confused than anything.
 
  Confused or not, the bear reportedly sauntered to within about 10 yards of Rowley, despite the fact she was backing away.
 
  The cell phone flinging is probably something Rowley would like to have back - especially considering the cost of a new iPhone.
 
  (Insert your own jokes here about Apple, the Blackberry, AT&T, cell-phone addiction, the cost of cell service and whatever other shots you'd like to take. I won't stand in your way.)
 
  After taking a baseball bat back to the scene of the phone-napping, and finding her chewed and clawed iPhone, Rowley had to go shopping.
 
  (Editor's note: No jokes about women shopping please, this is a gender-friendly column.)
 
  Not surprisingly, the "a bear ate my iPhone" didn't play at the store and Rowley was out the cost of a new phone, which makes my prepaid $20 phone look like a bargain. But then again, my phone doesn't have a bear protection app built in.
 
  The story has grown legs in many circles. Techies love the fact it was an iPhone. Outdoor folks love the idea of meeting a bear on a trail and ending the encounter in a way they've never heard before.
 
  (Editor's note: How about you write something about the outdoors here, CritterBoy.)
 
  Fine.
 
  It is estimated that there are between 4,600 and 5,700 black bears in Vermont and the population has been growing.
 
  Despite more bears in the woods and an increase in people seeking recreation in the outdoors, encounters between people and bears are extremely rare.
 
  So what should you do if you meet a bear on the trail or see a bear while in the woods?
 
  First, stay calm. With very few exceptions, meeting a bear on the trail will result in the bear turning tail and disappearing before you can even realize just how lucky you just became.
 
  If the bear doesn't disappear, stand your ground or back away slowly while talking to the bear. Most of the time, if a bear doesn't run away, it's simply confused as to what it's seeing and hearing your voice will convince the bear you are not something it wants to tangle with.
 
  If you are wearing a pack, take it off and drop it, giving the bear something to distract its attention. And please tell me you're not carrying food. If you are, it now belongs to the bear.
 
  In the exceedingly rare event of an attack, fight back. Use any weapon you can get your hands on and aim for the eyes and nose.
 
  Interestingly, according to the North American Bear Center, one of the biggest misconceptions about black bears is that a person is at great risk of an attack by a sow with cubs.
 
  According to the center, that is actually a grizzly bear trait and most charges by a black bear sow with cubs are bluffs that end with the mother bear and cubs leaving the area or climbing a tree to safety.
 
  That would be your cue to leave.
 
  (Editor's note: Thanks. Finally.)
 
  Whether or not you throw your cell phone before leaving is up to you.
  
  Darren Marcy is a local outdoor enthusiast. His Web site is www.DarrenMarcy.com. E-mail him at darren@darrenmarcy.com.

Skiing! Boarding! Seriously?

Yep, Mount Snow took advantage of October's cold weather to put down a layer of the white stuff and took advantage of it last weekend by turning the lifts to raise funds for the Deerfield Valley Food Pantry.

More than 800 people showed up as the mountain was able to donate more than $5,000 and 1,500 food items to the pantry.

Won't be long before the snow flies for real and lifts throughout Vermont and the Northeast will be hauling people to the top of area resorts.

Dog River trout regs evaluated

From the Fish & Wildlife Department:

A public meeting to discuss a proposed trout fishing regulation change will be held by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Riverton Fire House on Route 12 in Riverton.

The Dog River has long been considered one of Vermont’s best wild trout streams with a reputation for abundant wild rainbow trout and large brown trout. Electrofishing surveys and angler creel surveys conducted by Fish & Wildlife through the 1990s confirmed this reputation by revealing high trout densities, excellent natural reproduction, good growth rates and angler catch rates.

Rainbow trout have not been stocked in the Dog River since 1961 and all stocking in the Dog River and its tributaries was discontinued in 1992. Trout population surveys conducted on the lower Dog River annually since 1991, however, show there has been a significant decline in the number of trout over six inches in recent years. Many anglers have expressed concern about a decline in fishing quality. At the same time, some anglers and game wardens have reported large wild rainbow trout and brown trout being harvested annually, particularly in the spring.

A temporary catch and release or “no-kill” regulation is proposed to reduce the harvest of wild trout in an attempt to stabilize or increase fish population densities. Other potential limiting factors also will be examined, and habitat improvements will be made.

The restriction of fishing to the use of artificial flies and lures is based on extensive studies which have shown that trout caught with natural baits have a much higher mortality rate after being released.

The proposed regulation would be on the Dog River from the Route 12 Bridge in West Berlin (Riverton) to the Junction Road Bridge in Montpelier Fishing would be by artificial flies and lures. All fish caught would be released immediately.

The regulation would be in effect from April 10, 2010 to October 31, 2015.

For further information contact: Rich Kirn, Fisheries Biologist; Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife at rich.kirn@state.vt.us or (802) 485-7566.

Kadamus gets three-year deferred sentence

The Associated Press is reporting that a man who shot and killed his son while turkey hunting last spring will not serve any jail time.

Kevin J. Kadamus, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in August received a three-year deferred sentence. He will not serve any jail time if he keeps his record clean for those three years.

He has also been ordered not to hunt or possess weapons for 10 years and he must complete 150 hours of community service.

Kadamus, of Lyndon, Vt., shot and killed his son, Jacob Kadamus, 17, while the two were turkey hunting May 1. The investigation revealed that Jacob Kadamus was moving from the location where he set up and his father shot into the bushes where his son was moving.

Burlington television station WCAX reported Judge Howard Vanbenthuysen as saying that no punishment could match the one that Kevin Kadamus has inflicted on himself and that the shooting was a momentary lapse in judgement that had the most horrible of results.

OutdoorsVT 10-16-09

Building trails

Symposium offers skills, knowledge

Building, maintaining and managing trails isn't easy or cheap. There's the need to organize a group of people to perform the back-breaking labor whether it's putting in a trail, or maintaining one that needs work. Then there are the ever present needs for materials and tools that require money, which is always in short supply.

  So whether you or your group is looking to build a section of trail, or simply maintain one that is already on the ground, it makes sense to learn how to do it right.
 
  It also wouldn't hurt to figure out ways to obtain funding to help defray the expenses a little.
 
  The Vermont Trails and Greenways Council's third annual Vermont Trails Symposium will send you home with a better knowledge of both issues.
 
  The symposium will be held at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 24 at the Kehoe Education Center at Lake Bomoseen.
 
  Aimed at trail managers, trail builders, land managers and trail enthusiasts, the seminar will feature workshops on a variety of topics including trail permitting, design, fundraising and maintenance.
 
  "The symposium will be a great opportunity to learn how to get connected with organizations supporting our state's trail systems, and build the skills necessary to start new projects in your community," said Danny Hale, chairman of the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council, in a news release.
 
  The event will last all day with workshops slated from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Following dinner, evening activities include "A Walk on the Wild Side," and a mixer and project share.
 
  Some workshops will take place at the same time, but each will be offered in the morning and afternoon preventing participants from missing any of the offerings.
 
  The Vermont Trails and Greenways Council, established by statute, plans for the future of Vermont's recreational activities, promotes the development and maintenance of trails, coordinates public and private trail efforts, encourages education programs, and recommends how funds will be allocated for Vermont's trail-funding programs.
 
  A greenway is a natural corridor established to promote conservation along natural corridors or that link conserved areas.
 
  Deciding where money will be allocated is one of the key duties the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council.
 
  Walter Opuszynski, of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, serves as the secretary of the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council.
 
  Opuszynski said federal and state money dedicated to recreation is allocated through grants, but there is never enough to go around.
 
  "There's always much more need and demand for the money then there is money," Opuszynski said. "So there has to be a process to see how the money gets allocated."
 
  This is the third year for the symposium.
 
  Opuszynski said there were about 25 people the first year in Richmond, followed by 45 people last year at the event held at the Groton State Forest.
 
  He said he expects about 50 people to attend this year, but had no numbers on registered attendees yet.
 
  "We've been slowly increasing as word is getting out there," Opuszynski said.
 
  The increased interest is likely a result of a growing demand for recreation trails and ways to fund them.
 
  The Vermont Trails and Greenways Council is an interesting group in that it works for both motorized and nonmotorized recreation groups, along with community organizations and public land managers among others.
 
  Some of the funding the group divvies up comes from a tax on fuels used by four-wheelers, snowmobiles and such machines.
 
  Yet, the money is used for trails benefiting everyone.
 
  According to the council's bylaws, the group has representatives from various factions of the recreation community.
 
  "Just about any user group you can think of," Opuszynski said. "Early on, there was more nonmotorized than motorized. But it is becoming more diverse. We try to represent every user group around the table."
 
  The agenda for the seminar shows some of that diversity with presenters from the Vermont All-Terrain Vehicles Sportsman's Association, the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation, Northern Forest Canoe Trail and Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.
 
  Attendees will learn skills and strategies for building and maintaining trails that will help those trails survive the ravages of Mother Nature.
 
  "Sometimes you can design a trail, or build trail structures that won't need maintenance for 15 years, or build a trail that won't be as prone to erosion," Opuszynski said, adding that if a trail isn't constructed properly, erosion could wipe away all the hard work.
 
  "You'll lose your trail and at the same time you're adding sediment to the watershed," Opuszynski said.
 
  While the program sounds like it is aimed at those who build trails, Opuszynski said it is aimed at a wider audience.
 
  "Everybody from local conservation commissions who are building trails in their town, to people who work on the Long Trail, to people who manage land," Opuszynski said.
 
  For more information, log on to www.vermonttrailsandgreenways.org or call Walter Opuszynski, at 498-4506.
 
 
 
  Darren Marcy is a local outdoor enthusiast. His Web site is www.DarrenMarcy.com. E-mail him at darren@darrenmarcy.com.