This spring, celebrate your love for birds and nature by participating in the Audubon Vermont Birdathon on Saturday, May 22. You’ll raise much-needed funds for conservation while taking part in one of America’s most popular — and growing — pastimes. There’s no better time for watching (and counting) birds than spring. That’s when migratory species, decked out in brilliant breeding plumage, return to their nesting grounds — and even year-round resident species sport their brightest feathers.  Birdathon is one of Audubon Vermont’s biggest fundraisers of the year. This year’s goal is $30,000. If you’d like to participate in Birdathon, log on to vt.audubon.org.
With the recent marking of Earth Week and Green Up Day coming up this Saturday, the Addison County Solid Waste Management District has assembled some educational webinars and workshops dealing with important strategies to reduce our waste stream. For example, learn the nitty gritty of blue-bin recycling at tinyurl.com/d7t9rty8. Turn your kitchen waste into a nutrient rich humus for your garden through a virtual, workshop at tinyurl.com/x9ts6f8y. Turn out for the 51st annual Green Up Day on Saturday, May 1, and look for your town coordinator and bag pick-up/drop-off information, at tinyurl.com/y4mvwkdd. Also, take a few moments to fill out this survey to help the Agency of Natural Resources gain a deeper understanding of the perception of food waste in Vermont: tinyurl.com/2eea8sp7.
United Way of Addison County honors local high school seniors annually through its “Live United Volunteer Scholarship Award.”  Thanks to a generous donor, three students are chosen each year for the scholarship, which recognizes those who volunteer in their community and who are interested in advancing their education. This award comes with a $1,000 cash award for each student, to be used for post-graduation education. If you know a high school senior who volunteers and should apply for this scholarship, encourage them to check out tinyurl.com/e7u227rn. Applications are due to UWAC by May 7.
Successful hunters in Vermont’s May 1-31 spring turkey season must, by law, report their turkey within 48 hours to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. And hunters should remember they can do it conveniently online through vtfishandwildlife.com, as well as at local big game reporting stations. The information needed to report turkeys online is the same as what has been traditionally collected at big game reporting stations including license, tag and contact information, harvest details, and biological measurements. There are a few things hunters can do in advance to make submitting a report easier, such as having their conservation ID number handy (located on their license), knowing what town and Wildlife Management Unit the bird was harvested in, and completing all the necessary measurements — such as beard and spur lengths, and weight.  Although not required, the department also requests that hunters use the online reporting tool to upload a digital photo showing the bird’s beard and properly tagged leg. Hunters who provide a valid email address will receive a confirmation email when they successfully submit a turkey harvest report using this new online reporting tool.
The Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame is celebrating 19 years of honoring farmers, producers and people dedicated to supporting Vermont’s working landscape. The organization is currently entertaining nominees in three categories: Emerging Leaders, Ag Innovators, and The Lifetime Achievement Award. Consider yourself invited to nominate a leader in Vermont agriculture for the 2021 awards.  To be eligible, the person has to be significantly contributing to farming in Vermont — whether they own or work on a farm, or provide direct support. Individuals, partners, families and collectives — including members of the farmworker community — are candidates, all vital to growing Vermont’s food, fiber and fuel.