Guv tabs Sarah Clark for FPR

From the Office of the Governor:

Governor Douglas Appoints Sarah Clark Commissioner of Forest, Parks & Recreation

Governor Jim Douglas today announced the appointment of Sarah Clark as Commissioner of the Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation (FPR) in the Agency of Natural Resource.  Clark, who has served as the Financial Manager for FPR for the past two years, replaces outgoing Commissioner Jason Gibbs.

Weekend offers chance to learn outdoor skills

The 13th annual Becoming an Outdoor Family weekend offers a chance to be introduced to the outdoors or to learn new skills for those who are already outdoor enthusiasts.

  The June 4-6 event offers attendees the chance to learn a variety of skills ranging from shooting, fishing and camping to photography, cooking and nature writing.
 

What's in a name? Pine Hill ...

Spirited discussion erupts over name of local trail system

The first time I heard of a collection of trails in northwest Rutland it was called Pine Hill Park. From that point forward it's always been Pine Hill Park, with an occasional "at Giorgetti Park" thrown in for good measure.

That isn't a given anymore.

An idea has been floated to encompass "Pine Hill Park," and "Giorgetti Park" under the name of Giorgetti Park. The Pine Hill Trails would be part of Giorgetti Park.

The idea, however, hasn't proven to be very popular with some people.

Better titles for columns

I'm tired of titling my columns I post here with the "OutdoorsVT: 4-30-10" title. Just seems kind of lame.

From now on I'll give you something with a little more description.

Not that you really care, but there you go.

Turkeys not just for hunters

Hunters will be hitting the woods in search of the wild turkey. But bird watchers, photographers and others who don't hunt don't have to be left out of one of the best shows the wild woods has to offer.

Until you've seen a tom turkey in full strut, it's hard to fully appreciate the wild turkey.

Just as males of other species put on displays in an attempt to attract a mate, toms go all out in an effort to woo a receptive hen.

OutdoorsVT: 4-23-10

Free fun

Preserving our national treasures

Happy day after Earth Day to you. I hope you had a very earthy day for the 40th anniversary celebration.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar took advantage of the day to announce free admission to national parks and wildlife refuges for June 5-6, Aug. 14-15 and Sept. 25, which is National Public Lands Day.

While the announcement was timed to coincide with Earth Day, it is also being hailed as a celebration of the launch of President Barack Obama's America's Great Outdoors initiative, which was announced a week ago.

The dates in June, August and September are in addition to National Park Week, which began Monday and concludes Sunday.

There is only one national park and two wildlife refuges in the Green Mountain State — none of the three charges access fees.

Pine Hill trails work day

The first work day will be held at 9 a.m. Sunday on the Pine Hill trails in Giorgetti Park.

Work will include raking leaves, spreading mulch, work on trails and garbage collection.

Bring rakes, shovels and gloves if you have them, and long pants, long sleeves and bug spray suggested.

Mud season upon us

It's a difficult time of the year for those looking forward to logging some trail miles but still grounded by the mud.

The seasonal goo is in full swing and land management agencies are encouraging hikers to stay off of the high-country trails and stick to the lower-elevation tracks instead.

When a trail is firm, walking on the surface does minimal damage. But when that same trail is ankle deep, slogging through it can cause increased erosion risk and compact the soil.

In addition, some hikers try to avoid the mud and walk around them, widening the trail and trampling vegetation.

Higher elevation trails dry later in the year and, combined with the higher organic content, stay wet later in the spring.

Even trails that are dry at the trailhead will become wet as you head up, becoming muddy. If you start out on a trail and find it turns wet as you hike, turn around and find another trek.

It's the right thing to do this time of the year.

Most advice is to stay off high-elevation trails until Memorial Day.

But that doesn't mean you can't hike.

Just stick to the lowland trails for the next month and a half.

Vermont State Parks offer many options for hikers but many of the parks' trails are closed to hikers during mud season.

The state closes all trails on state land including Camels Hump and Mount Mansfield from mid-April to Memorial Day weekend.

The best way to find out if your favorite hike is open is to call the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation at 241-3655, or the state park itself to see if the trail is in good shape.

The Green Mountain Club also offers a collection of trails that are generally good this time of the year. A visit to www.greenmountainclub.org will help you find some destinations.

The GMC also offers spring hiking recommendations for mud season.

If you encounter a muddy spot on a trail, but the trail itself is OK, walk through the mud, not around it.

Hike at lower elevations in hardwood forests with southern exposure, which tend to dry out first. Avoid spruce-fir forests at higher elevations.

Avoid Stratton Mountain, Killington Peak, Lincoln Ridge and Jay Peak.

OutdoorsVT: 4-16-10

Meet the new boss

Supervisor begins tenure with Green Mountain National Forest

The Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forest has a new supervisor.

Colleen Pelles Madrid began work Monday at the Rutland headquarters for the forest.

Madrid replaces Jer Marr, who had been serving as the acting forest supervisor since October.

Marr, the deputy forest supervisor of the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia, filled the gap following the October departure of Meg Mitchell, who left to take on the job of supervising the Willamette National Forest in western Oregon.

Madrid will supervise the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes national forests, which include the 400,000-acre Green Mountain National Forest in southwestern and central Vermont, along with the 16,212-acre Finger Lakes National Forest between Syracuse, N.Y., and Rochester, N.Y.

According to a news release from the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forest, Madrid came to Vermont from Arizona, where she was the district ranger on the Cave Creek Ranger District for four years. She was also the district ranger on the Zigzag Ranger District in Oregon for six years.

She has experience living and working in rural communities in Oregon, Utah and California as well as metropolitan areas in Arizona.

After beginning her career as a biologist, Madrid worked as a Forest Service liaison to the California Department of Fish and Game, a forest biologist and regional wildlife program manager before becoming a ranger on the Tonto National, and then, most recently, on the Tonto National Forest.

She earned a degree from the University of California Davis and a master's degree from San Jose State University.

According to the release, Madrid has a passion for environmental issues and has worked collaboratively to meet conservation challenges and believes in public participation in natural resource management.

Contact Darren by e-mail at darren@darrenmarcyoutdoors.com or through his Web site at www.DarrenMarcyOutdoors.com.

Fish H8 Me™

Read about a strange invasive fish that recently came out of Lake Champlain.

This report is from a blog I enjoy checking out called Fish H8 Me.

Read the report about the fish here: Fish H8 Me.