Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area Wildlife Day

I went to the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area today for their Wildlife Day. The celebration included many workshops such as a bird banding demonstration, soap carving for kids, turkey hunting techniques, working retrievers, nature walks, bluebird box building and snow goose viewing. Although the sky was overcast it was a great day to be outdoors.

Dead Creek WMA (wildlife management area) is well-known for bird watching especially the spring and fall migration of ducks and geese, with thousands taking a break from their journeys in the fields and wetlands of the 2,858 acre WMA. It is located in the towns of Addison, Panton and Bridport, and “has seven impoundments that create cattail dominated wetlands. Water levels are actively managed. Surrounding uplands are a mix of active agricultural lands, old fields and clayplain oak-hickory forests. Hunting, fishing and trapping are allowed on portions. Access to sections of the WMA is regulated because the area is primarily a waterfowl refuge. Dead Creek WMA is owned by the State of Vermont and managed by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.”

So today was a good day to learn more about the refuge and visit with other organizations that protect or educate about wildlife. Some of the displays included The Birds of Vermont Museum, the VT Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, a nature artist, fly-tying demonstration, Jim and Chris Andrew’s reptiles and amphibians and The Nature Conservancy’s Wise on Weeds program.  The amphibian and reptile display was a great draw, especially for children because they had many species of turtle shells to look at, and showed a DVD of Rattlers, Peepers & Snappers, an entertaining and informative guide to all the amphibians and reptiles that breed in New England. I thought Rattlers was a very well-conceived and produced program and highly recommend it. You can purchase a copy at www. rpsdvd.com

The Nature Conservancy’s Wise on Weeds program is working with two important groups in Vermont, the Champlain Basin Invasive Plant Partnership which has a focus on land management, and the Vermont Invasive Exotic Plant Committee which provides coordination and guidance on invasive plant issues. The goal of these groups is to control and prevent the spread of invasive plants in Vermont such as Japanese Knotweed, Garlic Mustard, Common Reed and Oriental Bittersweet. The Wise on Weeds program helps people identify invasive plant species and offers volunteer opportunities for control and removal in infested areas. I volunteered to work at the display today to answer questions about invasive plants and how to control them. Many people stopped to ask questions and were surprised to learn how many of the ornamental plants in their yards were considered invasive. Good thing there was a fact sheet available with native and non-invasive plant alternatives to choose from.

After watching The National Parks: America’s Best Idea series on PBS all week, I became even more appreciative of all the parks, refuges and WMA’s  in Vermont. So visit a park or refuge, enjoy all they have to offer and support their preservation.

Sorting through the energy information glut

As a member of my town’s energy committee, I have the opportunity to discuss energy-related issues with committee members that may impact our community in positive ways. A recently completed project entailed reviewing the 2006 Essex town plan and adding language that reflects the contributions the energy committee will make in coming years. It is also the best opportunity to document the importance of considering energy use and increases in efficiency at all phases of town management. Now to get the town residents and officials to read it…

A task that I perform as a committee member is to track any news related to energy efficiency in Vermont or nationally, and distribute it the committee members. There is so much going on related to energy right now, and there are many stories from the practical to the very far out in terms of efficiency and generating carbon-neutral and/or renewal energy. A few of those stories are gathered below:

• Vermont state park bathrooms go green – I imagined something really gross oozing from the toilets when I first read the headline, but this story is about solar hot water systems being installed at bathrooms and bathhouses at state park campgrounds around Vermont. It is predicted that going solar in state park restrooms will save the state money and create jobs too. Link to the full article: http://www.wptz.com/money/20376178/detail.htm

• Forget gas, batteries — pee is new power source - Continuing with the bathroom humor theme, this article is about generating energy from pee: in other words urine-powered cars, homes and personal electronic devices (eww). The MSNBC website writes that “using a nickel-based electrode, the scientists can create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that could be burned or used in fuel cells. ‘One cow can provide enough energy to supply hot water for 19 houses,’ said Gerardine Botte, a professor at Ohio University developing the technology. ‘Soldiers in the field could carry their own fuel.’ ” Link to the full article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31805166/

• Northeast Pennsylvania power-line project has solar power lesson – This article discusses another possibility for generating local power by installing solar panels on telephone poles. A New Jersey utility company wants to run a massive power line through several counties in Pennsylvania and plans to “install electricity-generating solar panels on 200,000 utility poles within its service territory. The project, approved last week by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, will make the Garden State second only to California in generation of solar power.” Link to full article: http://www.thedailyreview.com/opinion/northeast_pennsylvania_power-line_project_has_solar_power_lesson

• In zero net energy buildings, electricity is ‘free’ – Imagine never having to pay utility bills for your home, and actually making money from energy your home produces. This article describes the “zero net energy building (ZEB)”: these buildings, such as a house “are hyper-efficient, using a combination of passive solar, added insulation, high-efficiency windows, natural ventilation, LED lighting and other techniques and equipment to consume the least amount of energy possible. They’re often designed to make use of energy gained from other sources – for example, drawing heat from refrigerator exhaust or even the body heat of occupants.” Very cool indeed! Link to the full article: http://www.mnn.com/the-home/building-renovating/stories/in-zero-net-energy-buildings-electricity-is-free

• Cap and Trade in Perspective: Carbon Trading in the Northeast – If you are befuddled by the term “cap and trade” and how it regulates CO2 emissions, this article does a great job of explaining a very complicated program and what the hopes are for its success. Link to full article: http://solveclimate.com/blog/20090811/cap-and-trade-perspective-carbon-trading-northeast

As I said before, there is so much information about this topic that it can be overwhelming. If you are working in the energy efficiency field, add a link or two in the comments to this post to keep us informed.

The Nature of a Good Person

I haven’t been posting regularly to my blog or Twitter account because of an event that I am still trying to comprehend: the death of my mother. She passed away suddenly on June 17 surrounded by several of my siblings and other relatives, but I missed her last living moments while driving my car, racing to be by her side before it happened.

Mom, Dad and pet Lucky

Although my mom had lived a long life, at 88 years old she was still very healthy, showed no signs of illness and recently had a positive check-up with her doctor. What completely caught my family off guard and shocked us all was a “wish come true” for mom: she wanted to live long and die fast, did not want to linger or be kept alive by machines and explicitly said so in her living will. The suddenness of her death is difficult for me to accept, but I am relieved she did not suffer and that her life ended in a dignified way.

This post may not seem topical for a blog about the nature and environment in Vermont, but the relevance is in the term “nature”. My mom was a “good-natured” person who equally loved and accepted all her children and grandchildren. She was a devoted and loving wife to my father for over 60 years, a mother, grandmother, a caring and helpful soul to those less fortunate, a good neighbor, patriotic citizen, religious (but not fanatical), a walking dictionary, gardener, lover of animals and nature, an excellent cook, baker and master crossword puzzler; she was a bottomless well of patience but refused to take bull—- from anyone. Her name was Aneila (she pronounced it a-neel-ya: the Polish pronunciation is an-yell-a, and means heavenly messenger or angel).  My mom’s parents emigrated from Poland in the early 1900’s, eventually established a farm in Pennsylvania and had six children. She was the last of her siblings to pass away.

My mom and dad were the parents of 10 children with myself being the youngest, and from their children came many grand, great-grand and great-great grandchildren. I have several fond memories of my childhood surrounded by family: every holiday with my siblings—and as they married with their children also—my parent’s house would be loud with kids and adults talking, laughing, telling stories, eating and playing. My mom would prepare holiday dinners that were delicious and incomparable to anything I have had since those days. Holidays were special but we spent lots of other time with my parents because they instilled in us the importance of staying close and supporting one another as a family.

I eventually moved away for college, did some traveling, and made my permanent home in Vermont. Wherever I roamed or however difficult life could be, I always carried a sense of security with me that my mom (and dad) would always love and accept me; it is what got me through some of the most trying times in my life. Now without her (or my dad) I feel such a sense of loss, like a part of me is missing. However, what is not missing is the strength of character she gave me and it will get me through the sadness.