Kayakers sharpen skills in the Mt. Abe pool

BRISTOL — On a recent Wednesday night, Paul Carlile of Burlington sat in his blue whitewater kayak in the swimming pool at Mount Abraham Union High School, nose plugs engaged and ready to demonstrate the perfect roll. Designed to help whitewater kayakers navigate the sort of steep, technical stream that runs cold and fast from Vermont’s Green Mountains in the spring, his boat showed the signs of wear and love. A network of scratches ran along its sides, battle scars from past adventures running streams at h … (read more)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new federal rule signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 23 has the potential to strip away longstanding environmental protections for streams and wetlands nationwide. Barring a legal challenge, the new rule will go into effect March … (read more)

In December a coalition of 14 states sued the Environmental Protection Agency over its rollback of the Waters of the United States Rule, which was modified last month when President Trump signed the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (see related story). Th … (read more)

KILLINGTON — From Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, some of the top ski racers in the world will head to Vermont to compete at the HomeLight Killington Cup, a stop on the FIS Ski Women’s World Cup tour. In 2018, the event drew 39,000 spectators and Killington Mountain R … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — Migrant farmworkers in Vermont are more likely to be food insecure than most Vermonters, but the reasons why are not as simple as having too few financial resources. A host of factors, among them long hours and a constant and justified fear o … (read more)

PANTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week launched a multi-year study to examine how much conservation projects are improving water quality in two Addison County watersheds. The project, funded at $2 million through the Natural Resources Conse … (read more)

EAST MIDDLEBURY — As the sun was coming up on Oct. 1, Kevin Russell embarked on a journey by foot and bike across Addison County. He aimed to hike the 44.3-mile stretch of the North Country Trail, which winds its way on a proposed route through the Champl … (read more)

WATERBURY — A group of farmers, agricultural organizations and state and federal regulators last week began developing a plan for paying Vermont farmers to implement conservation projects on their land.  The case for this is simple:  Vermont has 1.2 milli … (read more)

WEYBRIDGE — “Day after day, we get up and go to the barn to make no money,” Roger Scholten told state officials and legislators at his farm in Weybridge on Sept. 18. “I lie awake at night thinking about how I felt 15 years ago, before I made the move to g … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — Addison County farmers have seen a rainy and consistently wet spring and summer result in a late corn harvest. Now some of those farmers are looking to the skies again — this time for help in planting a cover crop this fall. This past Tuesday … (read more)

BRISTOL — When Four Hills Farm business manager Chanin Hill married Brian Hill 26 years ago, the Hill family farm, which sits at the base of the Hogback Mountains on Burpee Road in Bristol, was home to about 260 Holstein and Jersey cows. Since then a lot … (read more)

ST. ALBANS — A large group of local dairy farmers who voted to merge their Vermont milk marketing and processing cooperative with a national competitor are now waiting to see if the move will pay off.  Their hope is that the bigger operation will enable V … (read more)

SALISBURY — An effort to petition Vermont environmental officials to award the state’s highest protections to the Otter Creek Wetland Complex has shifted course, according to Heidi Willis, chair of the Otter Creek Reclassification Steering Committee. The … (read more)

BRIDPORT — On Aug. 28, Marie Audet of Blue Spruce Farm in Bridport will be inducted into the Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame. Audet is being honored for her work as an agricultural innovator and for “bringing new energy, ideas and opportunities to Vermo … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — A local study shows that in the weeks just before and just after giving birth, mothers may experience mood disorders such as depression and anxiety related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum recovery more often than caregivers had though … (read more)