Community News: Vermont

Jeb Wallace-Brodeur / Staff Photo
SAXTONS RIVER, Vt. — The Vermont Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Vermont Planners Association, the American Institute of Architects Vermont, and the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program have selected the Saxtons River Park for a 2021 Vermont Public Places: Honor Award, their highest award.

The award recognizes Vermont’s exemplary public spaces, the corridors that connect them, and networks of public spaces that have been defined or enriched by planning or design, as well as regulations that promote positive public uses and benefits.

In honor of this special achievement, the park designers, planners and those who made the park a reality have been invited to an Awards Ceremony hosted via Zoom on Tuesday, June 8, from 7 to 8 p.m.

“We are very proud and so happy that our community and its hard work are being recognized,” said park designer Julie Moir Messervy of JMMDS. “So many people in the village worked for years to create this wonderful space.”

The park was completed in 2019 on the site of a contaminated gas station with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency and was the former location of a number of mills along the Saxtons River.

CAVENDISH, Vt. — The Cavendish Association of Trails has scheduled a guided nature walk on Hardy Hill, an in-progress hiking trail located in Cavendish. The walk will take place on Saturday,

June 12, starting at 10 a.m., hosted by the land owner, Pieter Van Schaik.

Trail parking will be located at East Road and Susannah Johnson Lane in Cavendish, just west of Caton

Place Campground. The walk will last about two hours, and light refreshments will be served.

Reserve your spot by emailing [email protected] to say how many people will be walking.

The Cavendish Association of Trails is part of the Cavendish Community and Conservation

Association. For more information about CCCA please visit CavendishCCCA.org or

email [email protected]

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says deer fawns are being born this time of year and asks that people avoid disturbing or picking them up.

Most deer fawns are born in late May and the first and second weeks of June, according to Vermont deer biologist Nick Fortin.

Fortin says it is best to keep your distance because the fawn’s mother is almost always nearby. When people see a small fawn alone, they often mistakenly assume it is helpless, lost or needing to be rescued.

Fawns do not attempt to evade predators during their first few weeks, instead relying on camouflage and stillness to remain undetected. During these times, fawns learn critical survival skills from their mothers. Bringing a fawn into a human environment results in separation from its mother, and it usually results in a sad ending for the animal.

For the safety of all wildlife, taking a wild animal into captivity is illegal in Vermont.

“It’s in the best interest of Vermonters and the wildlife that live here, for all of us to maintain a respectful distance and help keep wildlife wild,” added Fortin.

CHESTER, Vt. — On Saturday, June 26, from 12 to 3 p.m., Heritage Deli & Bakery, in collaboration with the Chester-Andover Family Center, will kick off “Heritage Cares” Outdoor Music Series featuring “Lucky Soul.”

The event will take place on the grounds of the Heritage Deli and Bakery at 642 VT-103 across from the VFW in Chester.

The Chester-Andover Family Center and Heritage Deli are planning a fun afternoon, including games, crafts and more. Admission to the event is free, and all activities are by donation.

For more information about the services provided by the CAFC, or for volunteering inquiries, call the Family Center at 802-875-3236 or visit www.chester-andoverfamilycenter.org

MONTPELIER, Vt. — An Efficiency Vermont program aimed at helping customers lower energy costs while reducing the number of inefficient appliances plugged into Vermont’s electric grid makes its return.

The offer is available to Vermonters with secondary refrigerators and freezers, as well as old window air conditioners and dehumidifiers.

“Last year appliance recycling was a popular program for our customers, making it safe and easy for them to participate without having to leave home in the midst of the COVID-19 quarantine,” said Carol Weston, director of Efficiency Vermont. “We’ve decided to bring this limited-time program back again this year, and we hope to make it an annual event to encourage customers to get rid of old appliances to reduce their energy costs, free up space, and put some cash in their pockets.”

This service is available for a limited time, while program funding lasts. All recycled units should be in working condition and owned by the customer. There is a limit of four units per household. Pick up is free. Each unit will be tested at the recycling facility to verify they are in working order. A check will be sent to the customer based on the type of working appliance recycled. Efficiency Vermont will provide the following payments to customers who recycle working appliances: $50 check for refrigerators and freezers; $20 check for window air conditioners and dehumidifiers.

Contactless pickups are available by request, in which case appliances can be left in an open garage, in a driveway, on a porch, or in any other accessible location that doesn’t require the driver to enter a home.

The offer is available to customers throughout Vermont by signing up online. Pick-up dates will occur from June 1 through July 31 and will vary by region. Customers will see available pick-up dates based on their ZIP code when they sign up online at www.efficiencyvermont.com/recycle. Customers without internet access can call ARCA directly at 888-998-6323 to sign up by phone.