YOUTH NEWS
4-H opportunities
Oct. 1 marked the start of a new 4-H year, bringing new opportunities for youths, ages 5-18 and for adult volunteers. Many 4-H clubs will enroll new members as they gear up for the forthcoming project year. Current members will be able to sign up for projects ranging from livestock, clothing and culinary to robotics, photography and crafts. Adults will have the opportunity to organize and lead new clubs, as well as support 4-H programming and events. Vermont 4-H also continues to add new staff to support 4-H programming. For more information, call 800-571-0668.
AROUND TOWN
Access Hub
MONTPELIER — Washington County Mental Health Services announced the opening of The Access Hub, a program to support people in crisis with immediate, accessible and flexible services.
The Access Hub team responds holistically to mental health needs, including peer counseling, mental health care, nursing care and referrals. The team provides support, assessment, brief treatment, safety planning and connection to additional services. Individuals age 18 and older are welcome, without requiring a formal referral. Whether you’re a mental health provider, a first responder, part of a community agency, or a concerned family member, you can support someone in accessing The Access Hub. Alternatively, individuals seeking assistance can choose to come in on their own. To ensure the team is prepared to provide the best support, they request you call ahead so staff can be ready to greet you.
Located at 34 Barre St. (with an entrance on Downing Street) in Montpelier, The Access Hub will share space with Sunrise Wellness Center. Services are available 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday for the month of October with hours of operation expanding in November. For more information, visit www.wcmhs.org or call 802-301-3200, or email theaccesshub@wcmhs.org.
Wheels for Warmth
The annual tire recycle and resale event collects tires from statewide to be either recycled or sold. If tires cannot be re-sold, those tires are recycled at $5 fee per tire, $10 fee per truck tire. Proceeds go to emergency heating assistance throughout Vermont provided by Capstone Community Action, BROC Community Action and Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity.
Tires will be collected from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, and Friday, Oct. 27, at Vermont Granite Museum, Barre; Casella Construction, Mendon; Casella Waste Systems, Williston; and from 1 to 5 p.m. at Stowe Events Field, Stowe.
Tires will be sold from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 28, at Vermont Granite Museum in Barre and Casella Construction in Mendon.
For more information, visit wheelsforwarmth.org or facebook.com/wheelsforwarmth and Instagram: @WheelsForWarmth.
Planting trees
MONTPELIER — This month, Friends of the Winooski River will plant over 3,000 trees and shrubs upstream of Montpelier to help reduce flooding, improve water quality, and restore steam and forest habitat.
A young forest will be planted in place of a 7.5-acre open field on a private property in East Montpelier. Like this fall’s project, the other plantings completed this year include along Thatcher Brook in Waterbury, the Little River in Stowe, and on two hillsides in Cabot and East Montpelier. All are expected to reduce the flow of stormwater to the Winooski. Planting trees has other benefits as well, including stabilizing streambanks and taking carbon dioxide out of the air. All of the projects use a combination of trees and shrub species that are native to Vermont.
AROUND VT
Leave No Trace
CHARLOTTE — The Leave No Trace organization has selected Mount Philo State Park as a 2023 Spotlight site. From Oct. 13 to 15, a Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Team will be at the state park to work with the community and local land agencies to deliver Leave No Trace education as well as to partner on restoration and stewardship projects. The following events are free and open to the public; visit lnt.org/event for more information.
9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, Stewardship Event — Invasive Species Removal: Volunteer day and stewardship projects include removing invasive species to help conserve native plants and vegetation. Volunteers will learn more about how to protect this park. Meet at the park Summit Lodge project hub.
8 to 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, Guided Historical Hike — Hike and learn about the cultural and natural history of the park and Leave No Trace principles. All skill levels are welcome for this 2-mile, moderate hike.
VTF&W
Deer health
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reminds hunters of a regulation designed to help keep Vermont deer healthy by banning the use of any deer lure containing deer urine or other deer bodily fluids.
The infectious agent of chronic wasting disease (CWD), 100% fatal to deer and moose, is a mutant protein or “prion” that can be passed in urine. Prions can bind to soils and remain infectious for many years. Nearly all urine-based lures are produced in captive deer facilities, where CWD is most likely to occur. There is no accepted way to test live animals, and infected animals can spread CWD for years before showing any symptoms. No amount of testing or special certification program can eliminate the risk of spreading CWD through urine lures. It causes irreversible population declines and has been impossible to eliminate once it becomes established in a population. CWD has not been detected in Vermont.
BUSINESS
Grain workshop
PAWLET — Farmers considering integrating corn, grain or soybean production into their farming operation are invited to attend a free workshop, with free lunch, from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 8, at Woodlawn Farmstead in Pawlet.
Farm owners Seth and Kate Leach will talk about their investment in grain infrastructure and the benefits from adding this enterprise to their dairy operation. Whitney Hull and Jeremy Russo from UVM Extension’s Agricultural Business team will discuss how growing grains impact input costs, cow health and milk production. Heather Darby and Jeff Sanders, UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils team, will discuss agronomic practices to follow when growing grains and the benefits to soil health. Participants also will hear from representatives of Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, and Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, about funding opportunities relating to water quality impacts.
Visit go.uvm.edu/grain to register. The deadline to register is Nov. 6. If requiring a disability-related accommodation to participate, call 802-279-7517 or email whitney.hull@uvm.edu by Oct. 18.
Do you have an item you would like to see in Community News? A milestone? A public announcement? A short news release about something entertaining going on in your town? Simply email the information to us at news@timesargus.com. Be sure to put For Community News in the subject line. (Note: We do reserve the right to edit for length.)
