United Way of Addison County is hosting two days of information sharing and training next week in a seminar called “Poverty and Economic Inequality: What does it mean for prevention?” The event will be held March 19 and 20, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Middlebury Inn. It is free, but organizers are asking those planning to attend to RSVP to: [email protected].
We know that poverty affects our communities and negatively affects health outcomes. Many of us might be one paycheck away from that struggle ourselves. We also know that substance use touches people of all socio-economic incomes, yet has the largest impact on people with the least amount of financial resources. How can outreach and prevention be more effective in this unequal context? In this training you will take time to better understand the unequal economy that we are all living in and then particularly how that inequality affects people living in poverty.
 
The work of two Addison County residents will be on display in a show called “Artists to Watch,” a survey of contemporary Vermont art in two exhibitions and in print. The exhibit, sponsored by the Vermont Arts Council and Kasini House, opened last Friday at the Council’s Spotlight Gallery in Montpelier and runs through April 29. See the work of Sherri Rigby of Ferrisburgh and Pamela Smith of Bristol. Rigby studied at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and received a BA in Studio Art from the University of Vermont. Her work has been shown both nationally and internationally. Smith is a self-taught painter. Five of her Madonnas, life-size papier mache sculptures, are part of the permanent collection at the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, where one was recently featured in the exhibit “YUMMM! The History, Fantasy, and Future of Food.”
 
Gardening expert and author Charlie Nardozzi will show you how to adapt the classic English Cottage Garden to our Vermont backyard in a talk next Tuesday, March 20, at the Congregational Church of Middlebury, Union Hall Conference Room. Learn how to grow low-maintenance and native plants and shrubs to create the “bone” of your garden. Select perennials and annuals to get that cottage feel, and provide a haven for pollinators and beneficial insects. Charlie will talk about year-around maintenance, best fertilizing practices, pruning shrubs, dividing plants and more. The free presentation starts at 1 p.m. and is sponsored by the Middlebury Garden Club. More info at middleburygardenclub.org.
 
If you’re interested in Camel’s Hump you may wish to weigh in on the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources’ new draft plan for managing Vermont’s most iconic mountain. The agency is accepting comment on the plan, which calls for focused expansion of hiking, mountain biking and cross-country ski trail networks, as well as the potential management of localized backcountry ski glades. At the same time, the plan restricts rock climbing in a small portion of the natural area to protect a unique community of cliff-dwelling plants. Read the plan online at goo.gl/PchBei. Written comments will be accepted through Friday, April 13, and can be submitted electronically to [email protected] or through the mail to the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, 111 West Street, Essex Junction, VT 05452-4695.
 
Bridport farmer Ben Gleason will be among the speakers at the 14th annual Vermont Grain Growers Conference in Essex on March 22. The owner of Gleason’s Grains, Gleason will share his three decades of experience growing and milling grains in Vermont. The deadline to register is March 16. Conference details and online registration can be found at regonline.com/grainconference.