By: Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department
One of the great wildlife migrations is happening right now in Vermont, and it’s taking place right at our feet.
You may have already heard the spring peepers or wood frogs calling in your backyard. Or perhaps you’ve noticed salamanders crawling over rocks in a nearby stream. Amphibians are on the move, but their spring breeding migration can too often become deadly.
The Vermont departments of Fish & Wildlife, and Forests, Parks, & Recreation are holding a public meeting to discuss future management and use of a group of conserved lands in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.
The meeting will discuss the Bill Sladyk Wildlife Management Area, Black Turn Brook State Forest, and Averill Mountain Wildlife Management Area, primarily in the towns of Norton and Holland. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Town of Brighton Elementary School, 825 Railroad Street, Island Pond, Vermont.
The emerald ash borer (EAB), which is responsible for the death of millions of ash trees around the country has now been discovered in 4 Vermont towns, Barre, Groton, Plainfield and Orange, covering 3 counties. The news has many public and industry officials around the state preparing for what's to come.
At a press conference this afternoon in Randolph, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) outlined three actions he is taking to assist the effort to contain the spread of the destructive emerald ash borer in Vermont. The beetle, first discovered in the United States in 2002, targets and kills ash trees by depriving them of their nutrition sources.
Welch was joined at the press conference by Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Anson Tebbetts and state forestry leaders.
The 2017 Vermont Forest Insect & Disease Conditions Report is now available. The detailed report provides documents survey results and observations by Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) staff in the calendar year. The report also details weather, phenology, forest insects, forest diseases, animal damage, invasive plants, and trends in forest health.
In Vermont and across New England and northern New York, many economically and culturally important tree species and forest communities will face increasing threats under warmer and more variable conditions, according to a new assessment of the vulnerability of the region’s forests to climate change led by the USDA Forest Service.
Do you love your woodland? Enjoy seeing birds and other wildlife and want to learn how a healthy forest can enhance wildlife habitat, provide recreational and timber benefits? Are you interested in reaching out to others in your community? Answer YES?
The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation (VTFPR) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Foods & Markets (VAAFM) report that emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive forest insect from Asia, has been detected in Vermont. Officials with the USDA Animal & Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed the identification of a beetle recently found in northern Orange County, Vermont. The insect was reported through the vtinvasives.org website.
Hunters, landowners and anyone else interested in deer and moose should plan on attending one of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife public hearings being held in March and May.
The hearings will include results of Vermont’s 2017 deer and moose seasons and prospects for hunting next fall as well as an opportunity for people to provide their observations and opinions regarding deer and moose.
The hearings will also include a review of the proposed 2018 moose hunting season and an opportunity for the public to comment.
Vermont Woodlands Association booth was voted Best in Show for Education at the Vermont Farm Show! Congratulations to the VWA team!