During the spring fish spawning season, the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reminds Vermonters that permitted lake encroachment construction projects (like shoreline stabilization or projects that disturb the lakebed) in public lakes and ponds are typically not allowed from March 15 to July 1. Examples of lake encroachment construction projects that are not allowed during…

By Deborah J. Benoit It’s finally spring (never mind any snow still on the ground). Daffodils have emerged, their buds anxious to open. Soon tulips (Tulipa), perhaps the most anticipated flowers of spring, will grace front yards and town squares.  Tulips are so plentiful that sometimes we take their presence for granted. They’re common flowers,…

  Proceeds benefit the Springfield Humane Society  Saturday, April 29, at 3 p.m.—SPRINGFIELD— Head to the Great Hall in Springfield this Saturday from 3-7 p.m., to enjoy art, live music, entertainment, appetizers, beverages, and learn about the Springfield Humane Society’s mission, present state, and future.  “We speak for those who cannot speak for themselves,” the…

Submissions are open for all categories The guys who brought you the first ever Vermont Comedy Festival this past December are at it again with the first ever Vermont Film Festival. The comedy fest will be an annual thing and the hope for this is to follow the same blueprint. I sat down with founders/comedians…

By Elsie Lynn Parini/Addison County Independent There was a moment when Fran Bull decided to be an artist: “I remember sitting on a commuter train back in the ’70s, traveling from Setauket, Long Island, to New York City,” Bull explains in her online biography. “I was in my late 20s, a person of many interests,…

The Future of Vermont action team is launching a statewide youth opportunity initiative, facilitated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development, to embark on a deep engagement process to draw input from youth, community members, parents, advocates, municipal leaders, educators, school administrators, business owners, policy experts, and others to identify strategies and action to advance…

By Glenn Heitsmith  Okemo Mountain Ski Resort buttons up its winter business on Sunday, April 16,  with a strong snowpack and equally impressive customer satisfaction numbers. As guest speaker for the April 4 meeting of the Ludlow Rotary Club, Okemo GM and Vice President Bruce Schmidt described a “tale of two seasons.”  Snowfall for the…

Set in remote County Donegal in Ireland in 1936, Friel’s memory play is placed in the small cottage of the five Mundy sisters, their fallen priest brother, and a wayward Welshman on two days in August at the harvest festival of Lughnasa. Their story is told through the adult eyes of 7 year-old Michael. The…

Saturday, April 15 — GRANVILLE— On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., do something nice for yourself and help out your furry, four-legged friends. Come on out to the “Hello Spring” fair at the Granville Town Hall, 4157 Route 100N, Granville, Vermont.  This is a fundraiser to benefit Homeward Bound, the Humane Society in Addison County, featuring…

By Karen D. Lorentz When you find yourself talking to a monkey and answering his questions, you know that there’s still a “kid” in you even if you are a senior! And that makes it easy to understand why kids gravitate to this puppet named Hairball.  It jokes around with them, often asking if they…

Friday, April 7 at 6 p.m.—QUECHEE—Each year thousands of animals that prefer dark, narrow spaces for nesting and roosting become entrapped and die in vertical open pipes found in vault toilets, the self-contained restrooms found in many of America’s wilderness areas. Teton Raptor Center’s Poo-Poo Project was created to address this problem by covering vault…

Tuesday, April 11 at 7 p.m.—CHITTENDEN—On Tuesday evening, April 11, Sarah Skinner, M.S., Archeologist for the Green Mountain National Forest, will present a program for the Chittenden Historical Society on heritage sites of historical interest within the Telephone Gap area.  The Telephone Gap project encompasses the towns of towns of Chittenden, Goshen, Killington, Mendon, Pittsfield,…

Recreational fishing is enjoyed by millions of people. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that there was an 8% increase in anglers between 2011 and 2017. Expenditures by anglers nationwide rose 2% during the same time, from $45 billion to $46.1 billion.  As more people stay closer to home, they’re eager to engage in…

By Nadie VanZandt Do you spend a lot of effort to get rid of the moss you find in your lawn? Knowing the benefits of moss may convince you otherwise. Mosses belong to the bryophyte group of the plant kingdom. At 450 million years old, they are the oldest recorded living plants on earth and…

By Andrea Knepper What could be better than fresh greens during the dreary winter months? What if you grew and harvested them yourself?  Growing microgreens in your home is easy, cost-effective and satisfying. All you need is some soil, seeds and a sunny spot.  Microgreens are immature plants that can be ready to harvest in…