State: Help protect loons and their young

A nesting loon on Green River Reservoir in Hyde Park, Vermont. (VTF&W photo by Tom Rogers)

Few birding experiences rival hearing the haunting call of the loon or seeing them glide by in protected coves on a lake.  However, for the birds’ protection, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking boaters and anglers to enjoy loons from a safe distance this summer.

“Loons were removed from Vermont’s endangered species list in 2005, but they face continued threats from human disturbance during the breeding season and ingestion of fishing gear,” said Doug Morin, wildlife biologist with Vermont Fish and Wildlife.

“Many areas where loons nest on Vermont’s lakes are surrounded by signs reminding people to give loons the space they need, but not all nesting areas are marked,” Morin added. “We’re asking people to enjoy loons from a distance rather than approaching them, whether you are in a boat or on shore.” 

Morin also reminded people to avoid lead fishing tackle.  Every year Vermont loons die from lead poisoning after swallowing fishing tackle. Lead sinkers weighing one-half ounce or less are prohibited in Vermont, but larger tackle­­­ still has the capacity to slough off lead into the environment over time. Morin also recommended that anglers be careful to not attract loons to their bait and lures, and especially to not leave any fishing line behind, as it can entangle and kill loons. 

Eric Hanson oversees the Loon Conservation Project for the Vermont Center for Ecostudies in partnership with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.  He and his colleagues monitor Vermont’s loon population and have put out game cameras around loon nests to monitor the behavior of people around them.  Hanson said most people are respectful of nesting loons and give them space, but people sometimes inadvertently harm loons without meaning to.

“Loon chicks can be difficult to see, so we ask motorboaters to note where loon families are and to avoid those areas,” Hanson said.  “We also ask that motorboaters obey ‘no wake’ laws within 200 feet of shorelines because boat wakes can flood and destroy shoreline loon nests.” 

As Vermont’s loon population continues to increase and canoeing and kayaking continues to become more popular, there is greater potential for people to come into conflict with loons. Hanson reminded boaters to avoid pursuing loons in a canoe or kayak, especially loons with young. 

“Occasionally a loon will be curious and approach people and if that happens, just enjoy it,” Hanson said.  “However, loons that are constantly swimming away from you are stressed and may abandon their young if they feel they are in danger.”

Hanson also urged shoreline property owners to maintain appropriate habitat for loons, including a forested area along shorelines where loons can nest.  Having shrubs and trees instead of lawns along shorelines also improves water quality which is essential for healthy lakes and loons.

Volunteers interested in monitoring loons for the Loon Conservation Project should contact Hanson at loon@vtecostudies.org.  Volunteers can monitor lakes all summer long with a focus on lakes with loon pairs and nesting. 

Volunteers can also survey one or two lakes on Loonwatch Day, being held on July 16 this year, between 8 and 9 a.m.  The goal is to survey all lakes greater than 20 acres at the same time, which provides a population count and checks on small lakes that are surveyed less often during the rest of year.  

— Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department 

Editor’s Note: Omni Reporter will return after the July Fourth holiday weekend. Happy Fourth, everyone!

A land of great connections

The historic marker for renowned poet Robert Frost along Route 125 in Ripton, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Vermont is a small state, but with a certain greatness to offer. That quality shows up many times in moments of natural grandeur, captured in a photo or video, and other times it has to do with great talents choosing to grace these mountains and valleys. 

Driving back home from a visit to Middlebury, Vermont, today, we passed through Ripton where world-famous poet Robert Frost spent the summer and fall from 1939 until his death in 1963. His writing cabin, a National Historic Landmark, is on a 150-acre farm nestled in the scenic Green Mountains off Route 125. Over the years, he often shared his expertise with the students at Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English and its Writers’ Conference. What an experience that must have been for those young writers. 

Along Route 125, we stopped to take the above photo of the historic marker honoring Frost and his longtime connection to Vermont. The marker quotes the former Vermont Poet Laureate: 

Breathes there a bard who isn’t moved

When he finds his verse is understood

And not entirely disapproved

By his Country and his Neighborhood!

Reading Frost’s own words, and seeing his name honored there, I could not help but think that spot was the perfect place for this recognition. He lived here and shared his craft with aspiring writers, of course, but at the same time, these mountains assuredly brought some comfort and ease to his work. The Green Mountains, by their very presence, embrace the mind and paint natural scenes which give solace to thought and inspiration to the thinker. Looking out my window to see sunlit trees and a gentle blue Vermont sky, this expression of grace is like fresh water to grow new ideas, and this landscape remains an inspiration for artists of all kinds.

Indeed, when seeing Robert Frost’s name Saturday afternoon, and the trees towering behind the site, it represented the perfect combination of a beautiful landscape and a writer very much at home within it. That’s a familiar feeling for me, and it’s a joy to share the abundant inspiration gleaned from the wide world of nature. Like life itself, nature is always beaming with renewal and hope, whether the skies are cloudy or sunny. It’s a world always ready to inspire, and that goodness doesn’t diminish — it’s alive, and it’s here to uplift us all.

— Gareth Henderson

The road of kindness

The cornfield by the Cooperstown KOA Journey in New York. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

A pleasant, cool breeze, sprawling corn fields, the clip-clop of a horse-and-buggy rolling along in the distance — all these things were part of the scenic environment that waited for us on Saturday morning.

It's day 2 of our family road trip, which started in Maine, came through Massachusetts yesterday, and stayed the night in upstate New York. We spent the night in our tents at the Cooperstown KOA Journey in Richfield Springs. Waking up this morning, you can imagine, I went straight for the camera to capture the fields which buffered the lower end of the campground. The higher side of the property abuts an oat farm. It came as no surprise to find that this KOA used to be part of a 280-acre farm formed back in the 1800s — it became a campground in 1974.

This morning, several other people were out on the lawn with their cameras, too. You can't let the moment pass you by on a partly-sunny day, when the light could disappear in seconds.

What a stark contrast between the clogged-up traffic that led us to Interstate 90, and the majestic treasure nature greeted us with this morning. Life is indeed a show of contrasts, however one constant theme throughout our trip so far, is the fact that people are kind and they want to help. Humanity is grounded in expressions of love and grace. Arriving at the KOA late at night, we took a couple wrong turns on the way to our tent site (though the map we had was a good one). It didn't take long before several folks saw our plight, left their campfire and came over to patiently re-direct us. It was a pleasant, fun interaction, among people who were just loving the chance to enjoy the outdoors for a while.

And that's a theme these days. The year 2019 was a record-breaker for campgrounds, and this summer has even surpassed that industry-wide by 30 to 60% depending on location, according to Kate Kemker, co-owner of the Cooperstown KOA Journey.

"Everyone who can get out, is getting out," she said. "It's a great time to own a campground."

It's a great time to enjoy the wonders of nature, as well. We will enjoy seeing the upcoming vistas, the learning, and other new friends we’ll get to experience on the road.

— Gareth Henderson

The beauty of contrasts

Pico Mountain in Killington, Vermont, last weekend. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Driving home from my daughter’s cross-country skiing race last Sunday, the sun kept illuminating the landscape everywhere we looked. It was one of the more stunning drives we’ve taken. Quite honestly, there was a beautiful photo opportunity every 15 minutes. But we couldn’t have stopped that often — it wouldn’t have been a popular idea after a long day. 

But we did manage to stop a couple of times, and one of the results was a photo of Pico Mountain, gleaming under the sharp, winter sunlight, mingling with the colors of nature. To me, such contrasts are like gold. Old man winter is a master of contrasts, and the snow is his medium. Very few things are more beautiful than the frozen, snow-filled land nestled beneath a blue sky. The trees enhance that contrast, with their pine-greens and stick-brown hues adding variation. The dark purple colors you sometimes get in the distance are a particular treat. 

The best part of this work is, there’s no telling what contrast you’ll see next. No matter how many times you capture nature through photos, it always seems ready to show you something new. It could be a slight variation on a scene you’ve witnessed before, or it may be a new, awe-inspiring landscape of light and shadow.

This shows that, around every corner, life could be holding something special that will inspire you to keep working at your craft and striving to be your best. It behooves us to keep our minds open to those moments, and to keep the lens of our creativity ready, so we don’t miss out on the good that awaits us. Approaching life with a calm but focused awareness helps us recognize such opportunities and embrace them. That’s how we welcome progress into our lives, even if the opportunity is unexpected. While staying practical, we should also allow room for spontaneity in our thinking, and let new ideas rise to the surface of our minds. With that approach, we free ourselves to welcome new possibilities, and we inspire others to do the same.

— Gareth Henderson

Green Mountain grandeur

Farmland along Route 17 in New Haven, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Nature is good at reminding us that we’re part of the vast ecosystem of life. There is so much it richly shares with us, well beyond the borders of our own experience.

That reminder hit home for me on Saturday, when my daughter and I traveled north on I-89 to Huntington, Vermont, for her first cross-country skiing time trial of the season. Now that I work from home, and with travel activities obviously being limited over the past year, we haven't driven past large, consecutive, amazing views of farmland for long stretches of time, as we did Saturday. So, that was a welcome change, and a special treat.

On the way back, we meant to head through Waterbury, but, somewhere along the way I missed a turn and drove the long road into Bristol, and then into New Haven. And I was glad I did — we were treated to stunning views of local farms, the surrounding lands and the mountains beyond. The tapestry of nature was welcoming us to take in more scenery, and I couldn't resist hopping out of the car and capturing it on the camera. One example is the photo above, along Route 17 in New Haven, a tiny, rural community with just under 2,000 people. The grandeur of Vermont is the main feature, but this moment also portrays the combined experience of man and nature, co-existing harmoniously in this precious landscape.

The peaceful scene was a return to something I felt early last year, as daily life quickly turned into a home-based routine. I felt a gradual, beautiful renewal of my connection with nature because I was reconnecting with it, being out in it more often. Seeing so many vast expanses in one afternoon this past weekend was like reconnecting with an old friend, the state I love. Whenever the time is right, I look forward to such a drive again. Seeing so many expressions of nature is a blessing, and a reminder of how vast the world is.

Those kinds of moments take us out of ourselves long enough to remember we're part of an existence that's much greater than just us. Truly we are connected with each other, not separate, and it benefits us to move forward with an open mind and a gentle heart. Nature represents that openness and peace like nothing else can, and we must embrace those qualities and reflect them back to the world. Through that, we forge stronger, more loving connections with each other, and can genuinely share the benefits of our collective greatness — a greatness our majestic valleys and mountains so powerfully exemplify.

— Gareth Henderson

Finding our truth in nature

The afternoon sun shines through the woods by Cloudland Road in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Nature has been a steadfast support for many people this year. As so much has changed in the world, the basic elements of the natural environment endure, along with that constant sense of peace the outdoors provides. This has been a meaningful and healing refuge for people amid challenging times.

That refuge has never been more relevant for people's lives than right now, especially with COVID-19 relief from Washington up in the air — again. In various ways in 2020, the national news hits home locally like it never has before. But in Vermont and elsewhere in New England, the winter landscape provides a number of opportunities to head out into nature and forget the worries of the world. That kind of relief is always available, right outside our doors, and it goes well beyond the confines of the material landscape.

The abundantly harmonious, peaceful atmosphere of nature is an essential resource. It not only helps dissolve our worries, but nature's peace is part of the bedrock of our existence. It points to a certain permanence we might take for granted, but is foundational to our well-being. It's truly wonderful to know the beautiful landscapes we enjoy have similar, harmonizing, grounding impacts for everyone. These impacts are not isolated; they unify us.

The near future will once again bring challenges, some we perhaps can predict, others we couldn't possibly see coming. But what is for certain, is that we have a shared existence, one in which we all have access to the same amount of good, which we can readily share with one another through kindness. Similarly, the natural environment is something we also share, a grand ecosystem that supports all of us. And we have countless opportunities to enjoy it, and learn from it. Let’s remain open to opportunities to learn from each other as well, as we move through this season of celebration. So many times in 2020, we’ve lifted each other up, and we know there is a lot more that brings us together, than separates us. Now is the time to hold courageously to that truth.

— Gareth Henderson

Taking a deeper look

The Ottauquechee River under snow and ice in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

What’s obvious to the eyes is often not the entire reality, and nature has a way of reminding us of that concept. If the surface level seems to speak volumes, you can bet there are more details below it to aid understanding. 

A stunning example of this caught my eye on Saturday, when driving along Route 4 in Woodstock, Vermont. The snow and ice blanketing the surface of the Ottauquechee River captured the sun, creating a brilliant, white expanse. Viewed outside of context, the beautiful scene in the photo could pass for a snow-covered field, bordered by trees and brush. But instead the picture carries one of nature’s deceptions: a river disguised by winter and topped by snow, looking for a moment like something totally different. 

We usually find that what’s happening at the surface is only part of the story in any situation. That concept applies broadly to 2020, a year with such unique challenges. So many times, the layers at the surface seem to complete the narrative, but they don’t. Below the surface of the pandemic, where contagion and fear threaten, a collective perseverance empowers those on the frontlines. Below the surface of the economic downturn, people have rallied around suffering businesses. As hopelessness confronts us, a neighbor steps up to help another neighbor in need. Some volunteer for their local food bank or help a friend shovel snow. 

Examples of unselfish efforts to help others are abundant. On the cold, icy surface where obstacles spring up, you wouldn’t necessarily see the layers of good people are expressing. But the hard work and good deeds are continually making a difference in people’s lives, and it’s the greatest inspiration to know that such love and care embrace the world, even during tough times. If we strive to reflect those qualities, we can help others see goodness where it seemed hidden from view. Sometimes, all it takes is a deeper look. 

— Gareth Henderson

Reflecting with the rain

The Ottauquechee River on a dreary day along River Road in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Some days feel like they're charging ahead, others have you along for a gentle stroll. The steady November rain made Monday feel like the latter. The soothing noise of the pitter-patter outside on the house and the porch was a constant companion, a soothing rhythm that slowed the day down, just a little. Just enough to experience the day itself with no other trappings, just nature's music.

The last eight months, with their abundance of time spent at home, have taught us to reflect more on life, and focus on what matters most. Weather patterns themselves don't always make that list, but nature's serenity often inspires us to take a moment to think. Broadening our thought beyond our four walls is essential, and I remember many times when hiking, for example, did that for me. Monday's rainfall did, too.

That night, I walked to my front door after being outside for a few moments. Then I turned and saw fog gathering outside, illuminated by nearby lights. The blending of that fog and the ongoing rain — that was a magical late-fall moment. We don't have too many of those left in 2020, but I value those kinds of moments every time. We're better when we slow down and notice what's around us a little more. That kind of reflection is always worth it. Amid a very gray day, it reminded me that you can find a glimmer of light even in the darkest times. What we dwell on, is up to us.

— Gareth Henderson

Life outside

Many parts of our lives happen inside four walls. But outside, the natural world keeps on ticking, and it’s always waiting to dazzle us. 

Indeed, the natural beauty that surrounds us and adds so richly to our lives, keeps many of us here in Vermont. In the Green Mountains, we’re blessed with numerous ways to enjoy the outdoors. Chief among them: the 272-mile Long Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and countless mountains to explore. I’ve seen some hikers making their way through the region already — another sign of increasing summer activity. (The Green Mountain Club, which oversees the Long Trail, regularly recommends hikes ranging from easy to difficult.) Swimming, biking, kayaking have all been on the rise as well, as more people get outside and more visitors drop in. 

There’s also a certain calm-amid-the-storm factor when it comes to being outside these days. We’ve all experienced it to some degree. With the turbulence out in the world, we need the re-centering effect nature can provide; its calming, focused presence gives us peace. And the more we embrace it, the stronger we’ll be, when we take that calmness back to the rest of our lives. 

I was reminded of this recently, when I took my first bike ride in months (yep, I was way overdue). Riding through Woodstock Village, with that refreshing air hitting my face, the beautiful scenes around the downtown re-charged me and I realized how much I’d missed enjoying the grandeur that surrounds us every day. Sometimes, we realize a little more what we have here. 

That ride reminded me that those opportunities to get outside are ones to cherish, and not ones to take for granted. Seeking those moments more often is a good goal to take with us. Life is better when we do.

— Gareth Henderson