The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VTF&W) recommends Vermonters wait to put up bird feeders until Dec. 1 to avoid attracting bears. “Winter bird feeding is a good way to attract birds arriving from Canada, including evening grosbeaks and purple finches, as well as resident birds including northern cardinals and black-capped chickadees,” said Doug Morin,…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger People are declining job offers in the state because they can’t find housing. Homelessness is rising. Vermont has the lowest rental vacancy rate in the nation. Lawmakers who pounded the pavement throughout the summer and fall ahead of the November elections say Vermonters sent a clear message: Housing must be at the top…

Lord Snowdemort, Snowbe Bryant and many more newly named snow plows will join the 163 previously named plows on the roads in Vermont’s upcoming blizzards. Imaginative students once again came to the aid of the Agency of Transportation in the second year of its popular “Name a Plow Program” to help devise nicknames for plows…

Tuesday, Nov. 29 — SOUTH ROYALTON — The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. has scheduled a public information meeting on draft changes to the state’s trapping regulations. The meeting will be held at White River Valley High School, 223 S. Windsor St. in South Royalton, from 6:30 - 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The draft…

Vermont will receive $4 million from a multistate settlement with Google over its location tracking practices related to Google account settings. The settlement also requires Google to be more transparent with consumers about its practices, including giving users detailed information about the types of location data Google collects and how it’s used. The multistate settlement…

To help ensure Vermonters who are homeless and don’t have adequate financial resources can seek temporary housing in hotels and motels during harsh winter weather, the Dept. for Children and Families has announced the seasonal policy for emergency shelter. As outlined in the 2022-23 Adverse Weather Conditions Policy: Between Dec. 15, 2022-March 15, 2023: Expanded eligibility…

As Vermonters receives the first snowflakes of the season, new national and state data shows that Vermont continues to lead the nation in outdoor recreation as a key linchpin of the state’s economy. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) released data on the economic impact of outdoor recreation in…

One of our native wildlife species historically played an important role on Thanksgiving Day. North America’s native wild turkeys were the ancestors of the Thanksgiving turkey on our dinner table. Originally found only in the wild, turkeys now exist as meat-producing domesticated derivatives —the broad breasted white, broad breasted bronze, white Holland, bourbon red, and…

By Jim Harrison Voters overwhelmingly re-elected moderate Republican Phil Scott to a fourth term as Vermont's Governor. Scott had the largest victory margin of any Vermont Governor since the mid 60s with his 72% to 24% over Democrat Brenda Siegel. While some may think that was a mandate for his policies, think again. The Democrat…

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department announced on Tuesday, Nov. 15 that the purple crowberry (Empetrum atropurpureum), a diminutive alpine shrub last documented in Vermont in 1908, has been rediscovered on Mt. Mansfield. “This is an extraordinary find,” said Bob Popp, a botanist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. “The purple crowberry is easily overlooked alongside the closely related and…

By Tik Root/VTDigger When Rae Garcia moved to Burlington for work earlier this year, she knew she would be entering a frenzied housing rental market. But what she didn’t see coming was the deluge of application fees. “Every place has asked for one,” said Garcia, 42, explaining that the rental applications she submitted have ranged…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger Hopefully you spent last weekend raking leaves and taking down the Halloween decorations, as temperatures hit unseasonably high levels with low- to mid-70s across central Vermont. It was the latest in a string of unseasonably warm days in Vermont over the past two weeks. On Oct. 26, Burlington reported a daily average…

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reported, Nov. 4, that several important fall foods for wildlife are less abundant this year, following the bountiful 2021 fall season. Fish and Wildlife biologists survey oak and beech stands around the state each fall season to assess how plentiful these important foods are for wildlife. Last year both…

Saturday, Nov. 12 — STATEWIDE — Hunters are gearing up for the start of Vermont’s traditionally popular 16-day regular deer season that begins Saturday, Nov. 12 and ends Sunday, Nov. 27. A hunter may take one legal buck during this season if they did not already take one during the archery deer season. The definition of…

Study identifies the best and worst states for millennials across seven key factors Millennials have quickly become the leading generation of the United States over the past few years. This generation, born from 1981 to 1996, will become leaders in the workplace, and the biggest contributors to the economy. They will also continue to be…