News 2008-04-02 Andanh.com

Bus passengers injured in I-89 accident Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:10:00 EST
Eight passengers were injured, two of them seriously, when their tour bus slid and overturned Monday morning on icebound Interstate 89 near Highgate.

Former Democratic Party chairwoman Coffin dies Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:02:00 EST
Violet Coffin led the state Democratic Party from 1985 to 1993, following a career as a political activist.

South Burlington charter panel to hold forum Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:32:00 EST
The South Burlington City Charter Review Committee will hold the first of two public forums to discuss proposed changes to the city's governing document at 7 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall.

Crew faces challenges before hitting water Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
Crew is a club sport at UVM. Scholarships? Yeah, right. Financial aid? Boosters? Get a life.

Finland held up as model Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
Sen. Bernie Sanders hosts town meeting with Finnish Ambassador Pekka Lintu.

Franklin County feral cats run wild Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
Feral cats are a problem throughout Franklin County, those who work with the animals say. And the problem is growing worse, in part because nobody has stepped up to address it.

Music, health find common cause at Common Ground Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
High schoolers at St. Albans' Common Ground youth center have harnessed networking skills and music-business savvy with social change. The combination fuels PeaceJam.

Peace walk hits 1,000 miles Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
Ruah Swennerfelt, 60, and Louis Cox, 64, of Charlotte reached mile 1,000 of their 1,400-mile Peace for Earth Walk on Friday, arriving in Big Sur, Calif.

Rooney trial moved to Rutland Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:46:00 EST
The murder trial of the suspect in the Michelle Gardner-Quinn slaying will begin next month in Rutland County.

Artists' April Fools Action Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:26:00 EST
New statues secretly installed at UVM

Good riddance! Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:44:00 EST
Hate to see it leave or love to watch it go? What some of us think of winter.

McQueen to return as Winooski chief Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:48:00 EST
Winooski Police Chief Steve McQueen has been reinstated to his job and will begin work again Wednesday at 8 a.m., said Pietro Lynn, McQueen's attorney.

The Book on 'Lamentations' Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:10:00 EST
As a sculptor of metal, Judith Brown reveled in classical forms of many kinds, from the graceful shapes of Greek and Roman antiquity to the hoods of Volkswagen beetles.

Massive land tract is for sale Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:36:00 EST
Nearly 135 square miles of Vermont forest, more land than Grand Isle County, will go on sale today. The price: $26 million.

Winter 2008: A eulogy of frigid figures Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:17:00 EST
Record Book This winter placed Burlington's top frozen four for snowfall: (1) 145.3 inches, 1970-71 (2) 132.0 inches, 1886-87 (3) 122.5 inches, 2000-01 (4) 119.5 inches, 2007-08 Whiteouts Top 5 snowiest days this winter in Burlington (1) 11.9 inches, Dec. 16 (2) 11.3 inches, Feb. 6 (3) 7.4 inches, Feb. 27 (4) 7.2 inches, Dec. 31 (5) 5.5 inches, Feb. 7 Resort Report Ski areas reported snowfall this winter. (in inches) Jay: 391 Stowe: 362 Sugarbush: 281 Killington: 279 Bolton: 316 More to come? April normal snowfall: 4.2 inches Snowiest April: 21.3 inches, 1983. May normal snowfall: 0.1 inches Snowiest May: 3.9 inches, 1966 All stats source is National Weather Service , South Burlington, except for the data on ski areas, which came from the ski areas.

Parking ban brings in typical haul Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:59:00 EST
Hundreds ticketed, towed in seven winter bans in Burlington

Okemo reports security breach Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:34:00 EST
Hackers gained access to credit data

SBA announces business award winners Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:40:00 EST
Sharon Gutwin is Vermont Small Business Person of the Year

Weston wins bid for Five Corners Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:52:00 EST
Company bid $1,522,825 to take on upgrade

Today's recipe Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:41:00 EST
Recipes with 'zest!'

April Fools! Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
There's spinach in your brownies

Love and death in Baghdad Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EST
Rice graduate recounts story in new book

Table Talk: When the Sweet Tooth Fairy strikes Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
And now, despite my admirable vegetarian/whole grain/leafy green/low-fat diet, the craving has surfaced.

Horoscope Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
Here are today's predictions

First with Kids: Bunk beds Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:46:00 EST
Safety tips to consider before buying

April Family Calendar Mon, 31 Mar 2008 06:33:00 EST
Click here to download and print; Web resources, too

Life imitates MasterCard commercial Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:56:00 EST
The joy of washable markers

Editorial: Let Democratic race play itself out to end Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:43:00 EST
Americans ought to be rejoicing again that the spirit of competitiveness is back in politics.

My Turn: Vermont needs honest budget Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:59:00 EST
Vermont needs more than misleading claims and a kindly public persona.

Letters to the Editor Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
The Free Press publishes thousands of letters to the editor every year. Here are today's letters:

Blakely an AP honorable mention All-American Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:09:00 EST
Forward just the fourth Cat so honored

College Honors Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
Vermont college athletes honored

Vermont scores Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
Monday's results and Tuesday's schedule

Shhh. It's an A-minus Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
When a schoolchild doesn't get a report card signed, the school typically follows up with a phone call home. After all, it usually means the student is failing and the administrators need to tell the parents. ...

Energy for future tops breakfast chat Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
Two speakers at the head of Vermont's energy debates gave legislators and listeners plenty to chew on Monday. ... - By BRENT CURTIS Herald Staff

Midday bus runs to begin April 15 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
Midday bus service between Rutland and Middlebury starts April 15. ... - By GORDON DRITSCHILO Herald Staff

Woman accused of DUI, assault Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
Vermont State Police said a drunken driver fought with two officers who tried to arrest her. ... - By GORDON DRITSCHILO Herald Staff

Wallingford man suspected of Killington car break-ins Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
A Wallingford man is facing 12 charges in connection with a weekend series of car break-ins in area parking lots. ... - By GORDON DRITSCHILO Herald Staff

Rutlander denies forging brother's checks Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
A Rutland woman is facing five felony charges over $120 in allegedly forged checks. ... - By GORDON DRITSCHILO Herald Staff

Police suspect man who crashed of DUI Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:33:00 EST
Police believe alcohol was a factor in an automobile accident that sent a Salisbury man to the hospital with facial injuries Saturday morning. ...

Yankee meeting set for today in Rutland Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
The Vermont Department of Public Service is holding a public meeting in Rutland to gather information regarding the continued operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon. ...

College hosts drug, alcohol use forum Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
The College of St. Joseph in Rutland is hosting a program today on teenage alcohol and drug use. ...

Tapping Rutland's aquifer: Group eyes water-bottling plant for city Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:21:00 EST
Rutland Town and Rutland City officials, along with a group of business entrepreneurs, are hoping to tap the economic potential of a huge aquifer under land just south of Park Street. ... - By BRENT CURTIS Herald Staff

Future MVPs Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:28:00 EST
Youngsters participate in the Rutland Recreation Department's Pre-Season Baseball Camp for 5-8 year olds at the Dana Recreation Center Monday evening in Rutland. ...

School Board OKs architecture talks Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:56:00 EST
SPRINGFIELD -- On Monday night the School Board moved one step closer to consolidating the town's elementary schools when it voted to begin negotiations to develop architectural plans to provide the space necessary for the consolidation to move forward. Once again by a 3 to 2 vote, the board moved to authorize the district's administration and legal council to negotiate the terms of an agreement with Dore & Whittier Architects Inc. to develop planning and revisions of Elm Hill and Union Street elementary schools and to submit a contract to the board for architectural services. Board members Larry Kraft and Sam Coleman voted against the motion. Prior to the vote, Kraft expressed the reasons behind his opposition to the motion to develop architectural plans for consolidation. First, Kraft said, it is not a good idea to commit any more money to Elm Hill as long as there is a pending injunction. Elm Hill neighbor Carrie Patch has filed an injunction against the district on the grounds the property the school sits upon has a covenant restricting the property for residential use. For the time being, the injunction has made future construction plans for the school uncertain. Second, Kraft expressed reservations about using bond money approved by voters for three schools to be used for the expansion of two schools. In November 2006, residents approved a $32.8 million bond to make improvements to Park Street, Union Street and Elm Hill elementary schools. Kraft said any change to the intent of that bond vote should be once again presented to the voters. Student representative Glenn Bogardus asked Lee Dore of Dore & Whittier how much more it would cost for the architectural firm to draft consolidation plans. Dore told the board it was too early to make even a preliminary estimate because it was still unclear which direction the board wanted to go. Among the many things that are still unknown, Dore noted, is the permit process for the expansion of Elm Hill and Union Street schools. The preliminary concept, Dore said, calls for a small expansion of Union Street, with most of Park Street's students relocating to Elm Hill. Dore said the board has not made it clear which programs would be moved into Park Street School. "If we don't go to contract and explore this, we'll never know," said School Board Chairwoman Judy Edwards. On March 24, by a 3 to 2 vote, the board approved a motion to proceed with a plan to consolidate the town's elementary schools to two kindergarten through fourth-grade schools and to move Park Street's fifth-graders to Riverside Middle School. While the future of Park Street was the central topic of the March 24 meeting, the board failed to adopt a motion to address the school's deterioration. In November 2006, residents approved a $32.8 million bond to make improvements to Park Street, Union Street and Elm Hill elementary schools. The bond amount was the result of the recommendations of several building committees, the first of which recommended $45 million in repairs for the three schools. Superintendent Dr. Frank S. Perotti has previously said that Park Street School alone needs nearly $30 million in repairs to bring it up to code. When the school bond was scaled down, most of the cuts came at the expense of Park Street, which is currently ear-marked to receive $13.5 million for repairs, Perotti has previously said. Adding to the school's woes is the voters' rejection at Town Meeting in March of a $1.8 million appropriation to fix the school's plumbing. Park Street School Principal Joan Nagle has said the school's failing plumbing has caused the ceilings in two classrooms to collapse this year. Nagle has previously said it makes no sense to spend $13.5 million on repairs if the plumbing is going to go unfixed. On Monday, the board voted to cease all plans related to the defeated plumbing project. Contact Josh O'Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com. ... - By JOSH O'GORMAN Herald Staff

Web hackers strike again : Okemo credit card data compromised in computer breach Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:57:00 EST
Okemo Mountain Resort is the latest target of an Internet thief who gained access to customer credit card information. The Ludlow ski area announced Monday that its computer network was breached in February by an intruder who gained "potential access to credit card data including cardholder names, account numbers and expiration dates," Okemo said in a statement. Okemo spokeswoman Bonnie MacPherson said Monday the company is not aware of any customers subjected to fraud as a result of the breach. "We are not aware of any and that's part of why this announcement is being made, to make people aware so they'll take precautions since we just completed this forensic investigation and review," MacPherson said. "We now feel we are fully informed so we could go public with this." The data breach occurred during a 16-day period between Feb. 7 and Feb. 22, involving 28,168 card transactions. Okemo noted that the actual number of credit card holders is likely smaller because of multiple transactions. MacPherson said the company learned of the data breach at the end of February. She declined to say how the resort became aware that its computer system had been compromised. She said the data breach could also potentially affect debit card holders if they used their card as a credit card. The incident affects customers in any number of states and foreign countries who used their credit cards at Okemo during the above time periods, MacPherson said. Okemo officials said they hired a data security and forensics expert who also determined that credit cards used between January and March 2006 were compromised as well. The latter involved as many as 18,401 individual credit cards. MacPherson said many of those cards had expired. She also said the data break-in was isolated to Okemo and did not involve customer credit cards used at its two other resorts, Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire or Crested Butte in Colorado. MacPherson said the resort notified the Vermont Attorney General's Office, Visa, MasterCard and American Express of the data breach. She said federal law enforcement and regulatory agencies are also involved. "As a result of this, we've increased the firewall capability and added some software and taken some additional precautions," she said. It's the second high-profile data breach in New England involving credit or debit card numbers. Maine-based Hannaford supermarkets announced last month that 4.2 million credit and debit card numbers were compromised. There have been at least 1,800 reported cases of fraud associated with that data theft. Vermont Assistant Attorney General Julie Brill said Okemo officials notified her office of the data breach on Monday. While Vermont law requires that a business or state agency notify consumers within 10 days of the discovery of a breach where personal information is compromised, the law also said notification be made "in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay," that is consistent with law enforcement needs. Brill repeated that consumers should check their credit card statements for suspicious charges and notify their credit card company immediately. She also said consumers are well protected from fraudulent charges. "Typically speaking, the charges are taken off their card. The consumer is not responsible for them," said Brill, who works in the Consumer Protection Division. "Also, banks and the payment card system, like Visa and MasterCard, usually monitor this situation pretty closely." Okemo said it does not have adequate information to contact cardholders directly. However, the resort said banks, which issued the credit cards, will be provided information necessary to notify affected cardholders. The resort said it will provide updates on its Web site at www.okemo.com. For more information or assistance, cardholders can call (866) 756-5366 or write Okemo Mountain Resort, 77 Okemo Ridge Road, Ludlow, VT 05149. Individuals are entitled to free credit reports and may also place a fraud alert or security freeze on their credit reports and file with the following credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, (800) 685-1111 Experian, (888) 397-3742 TransUnion, (800) 916-8800 Contact Bruce Edwards at bruce.edwards@rutlandherald.com. ... - By BRUCE EDWARDS Herald Staff

Activists, officials weigh Entergy plan Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
BRATTLEBORO -- Anti-nuclear activists urged state and local regulators to think creatively when evaluating Entergy Nuclear's proposed new corporate restructuring, which would leave the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant isolated from any of its corporate parent's assets or liabilities. The proposed restructuring, which would create a new company called, appropriately, NewCo., would be split off from Entergy Corp., the nuclear plant's direct corporate parent, and create nuclear companies centered around its Northeast and southern holdings. Vermont Yankee would be grouped with the Pilgrim nuclear plant in Massachusetts, Indian Point and Fitzpatrick in New York, and Entergy's latest nuclear acquisition, the Palisades reactor in Michigan. "This is a completely new ballgame and new rules," said Claire Chang, an anti-nuclear activist from Gill, Mass., which is within the plant's 10-mile emergency zone. The restructuring has been regarded with some skepticism in the Statehouse, as legislators view the plan as a way of protecting Entergy's stockholders from any liabilities of the Vermont reactor. Thomas Buchanan, the chairman of the Windham Regional Commission's energy committee, which sponsored Monday's hearing, said the commission was well aware of the opportunity, as was the Vermont Legislature and the Department of Public Service. The Senate Finance Committee has already approved legislation which would tie any approval of the creation of the new ownership with a guarantee of the plant's decommissioning fund. The fund stands at $440 million, but that is far below the full amount that is needed to decommission or dismantle the Vernon reactor. When the reactor was built in the late 1960s, the owners promised to return the Vernon site to a "green field," a promise that under Entergy's scenario would be delayed more than 20 years. Entergy Nuclear plans on mothballing Vermont Yankee for years, until the decommissioning trust fund grows big enough to finance a full decommissioning, a plan that has many people concerned in both the area and the Statehouse. Sarah Hofmann, director of public advocacy for the Department of Public Service, said that if the funds in the decommissioning fund are inadequate, the state will go back to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and point out the financial miscalculations. Hofmann said the state had hired out-of-state experts to evaluate the Entergy Nuclear plan to determine whether the plan had any benefits for Vermont ratepayers. Hofmann said the state had hired Levitran and Associates of Boston to do the financial analysis of the Entergy Nuclear plan. When Entergy bought Vermont Yankee in 2002 from its New England utility owners, the state required that Entergy establish a $60 million letter of credit that would act as a financial bridge to the decommissioning fund, in the event of an unexpected permanent shut down. At the time, Hofmann said, the $60 million represented six months of Vermont Yankee's operating expenses. Several questions for Entergy Nuclear executives focused on the liability of the parent company for any serious problems at Vermont Yankee. But Wanda Curry, an Entergy executive from New Orleans, said that Entergy wasn't currently liable for such problems, and the full financial responsibility now rests for Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee. The Public Service Board will hold a hearing on the proposed new restructuring next week on April 8 at the Vernon Elementary School. Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com. ... - By SUSAN SMALLHEER Herald Staff

Abuser to serve time in prison Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
BENNINGTON -- A judge, who imposed a plea-bargained sentence of five to 15 years against a Division Street man for a domestic abuse charge, said she had regrets about being limited by the agreement after hearing his victim's tale of a shattered life. Jermaine W. Hines, 32, pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree aggravated domestic assault in January. Hines was sentenced on Monday after making a request to withdraw his guilty plea and then withdrawing that request. In an affidavit, Bennington Police Cpl. James Gulley Jr. said the assault was reported on Oct. 3, 2007, by a man who lived in the same apartment as Hines and the woman he assaulted. The roommate said he heard the woman crying out and other sounds that made him think she was being thrown around the bathroom. Gulley said when officers arrived at the apartment, Hines and the woman said there had been no fight but police saw the woman's nose was bleeding. According to Gulley, when police interviewed them separately, the woman claimed she had caused her own nose to bleed by putting in a nose ring incorrectly, then began crying and begged police to leave while Hines gave three different stories about the cause of the woman's bleeding nose. On Monday, the woman read a statement in the Bennington County District Court room before Hines was sentenced. The woman said Hines' "street name" was "Finesse" which she said was appropriate because he could be charming and articulate. The woman said Hines pursued a relationship with her after she was injured in an accident which cut her off from many of her social contacts, in part, she said, because he knew she had a $20,000 insurance settlement coming. "He was relentless and I was lonely. ... He convinced me to put my money in his account. I was young, foolish and in love and I put my trust in the wrong person," she said. According to the woman, the relationship lasted for about three years during which Hines cut her off from family and friends while physically and mentally abusing her. Although family members tried to help her leave the relationship, the woman said she was always convinced to return by Finesse's poetry and promises. Over time, the woman said she realized Hines was "highly dangerous" and she began to "completely believe his promises to kill me and harm my family." The woman said she had already realized she needed to escape Hines when the October arrest provided the safety she needed. "Despite the way I behaved, Finesse underestimated my strength of will and desire to be with my family," she said. The woman, who cried through much of her statement, said she believed Hines should be imprisoned as long as possible because she believed he was a threat to her and was likely to find another female victim. Hines, who showed little reaction as the woman read her statement, apologized to her, wished her well and promised to complete programming in prison in order "to become a productive member of society." Bennington County District Court Judge Katherine Hayes said she was concerned the sentence reached during the plea agreement may not be "sufficiently severe" based on the woman's statement but said she feared that if she didn't abide by the agreement, Hines would withdraw his plea which could force the woman to take part in a trial. Hayes said she hoped the woman's statement about Hines' inability to feel love or compassion were incorrect. "I hope she's gotten that part wrong. Because if she's right, at the end of this sentence, we're all at risk," she said. For more information about domestic violence, contact the Rutland County Women's Network and Shelter at 775-6788; via crisis line at 775-3232 or 228-7395, or online at www.rcwn.org or in Bennington County contact the Project Against Violent Encounters at their hotline at 442-2111. Contact Patrick McArdle at patrick.mcardle@rutlandherald.com. ... - By PATRICK McARDLE Herald Staff

Chestnuts used to restore landscape Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
PIONEER, Tenn. -- In a double-barreled approach to environmental restoration, Appalachian mountains scarred by strip-mining are being planted with American chestnut trees, a species that has been all but wiped out in the U.S. by a fungus. For the past 30 years or so, federal regulations essentially said that once a forested mountainside was scraped open and the coal extracted, mine companies had to smooth the soil over and seed it with grass. But recently, federal regulators have begun promoting the planting of chestnuts and other hardwoods to improve drainage, reduce erosion and return the landscape to a more natural state. The project has the added advantage of helping to bring the American chestnut back from the brink of extinction. American chestnuts "were a critical part of the forest and they are gone now, for all intents and purpose," said John Johnson, a former leader in the militant environmentalist group Earth First! and now an employee and student in the University of Tennessee forestry program. "So this in a way is like double research -- like, how to bring chestnuts back and how to reclaim these sites." Earlier this month, 60 volunteers in a public-private partnership clambered over a coalfield on Zeb Mountain, 50 miles north of Knoxville, and planted chestnut seeds. The same thing will be done in the coming weeks in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia. The Zeb Mountain planting was so popular, volunteers had to be turned away. Students, retirees, mining regulators, mine operators, researchers and conservationists participated. They left muddy, wet and enthusiastic after planting more than 200 germinated nuts over a two-acre plot of rocks, boulders and sandstone. "I was just so excited to be part of it," said Jeff Gately, a senior in civil engineering at the University of Tennessee. "I just thoroughly enjoyed it, just being a part of something that could help reclamation in the future." In pioneer days, American chestnuts towered 100 feet over the American landscape, providing timber, oil for tanning hides and food for people and wildlife. But a still-lingering blight wiped out 3.5 billion chestnuts from Maine to Mississippi during the first half of the 20th century. With any luck, the seeds on Zeb Mountain will be 3- to 5-foot saplings next year. But the trees are still susceptible to blight, and Barry Thacker, an environmental engineer and organizer of the Zeb Mountain planting, said they will probably live for only 10 or 15 years. But by then, scientists hope to have developed a blight-resistant hybrid. Marshal Case, president and chief executive of the Vermont-based American Chestnut Foundation, a partner in the venture, said he has long dreamed of seeing chestnuts planted on reclaimed mine sites in Appalachia, for this was where America's great chestnut forests used to be. "It just seemed like it would be a natural for us. We could do a lot of things, including healing the land," he said. The American chestnut "is a legacy of hope now. People are getting the idea that this tree has a tremendous future for the landscape in the Eastern forest." Nearly 2.7 million acres of strip-mined land will need restoration in coming years, according to the Interior Department. Case said at least 300,000 acres could be suitable for chestnuts and other hardwoods. The project got its start in 2004, when regulators and university researchers in Appalachia and the mid-Atlantic states formed a network to push for the planting of chestnuts. It joined forces with the American Chestnut Foundation, and the idea soon gained backing from the U.S. Office of Surface Mining and the U.S. Forest Service. The Office of Surface Mining has given nearly $100,000 for chestnut research, and the American Chestnut Foundation is providing $1.8 million. It is supplying the seeds and operating a research nursery in Virginia. Tree scientists know that American chestnuts actually grow better in loose, rubble-strewn soil than they do in compacted earth. But mine companies that took pride in their ability to turn coalfields into rolling meadows initially resisted the idea of leaving mountainsides ungroomed, even though the practice could save them money. "They said, 'Absolutely no. It is not the way we do things,'" Thacker said. "But, boy, you mention the idea of restoring the American chestnut and it is a whole different ballgame because of the history that is there and the desire, if you will, to return to our roots. Once they realized they could be part of restoring the American chestnut, they changed their minds." Dan Roling, president and chief executive of Knoxville-based National Coal Corp., which owns the 2,000-acre Zeb Mountain mine, agreed: "Everything we have been seeing across the country in reforestation suggests this is the way to go." ... - By DUNCAN MANSFIELD The Associated Press

Future of watershed talks open to public Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST
ROCHESTER -- The Green Mountain National Forest will hold a series of public meetings to solicit input on the future use of the Upper White River watershed. The Upper White River Integrated Resource Project will bring a new vision to how the land is utilized, said Melissa Reichert, forest planner for Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forest. Reichert said the meetings would focus on heritage, natural resources and transportation, recreation and wilderness. "We look at a fairly large area and work with the communities to identify possible projects," Reichert said. "It's an opportunity to take a holistic view of the wilderness." The meetings will be held between 6 and 8 p.m. at Green Mountain National Forest's District Office in Rochester. The first meeting, which will focus on heritage, will be held on April 7. The second meeting, which will focus on natural resources, will be April 9 and the last meeting, focusing on transportation, recreation and wilderness, will be held on April 17. The Upper White River watershed is composed of 36,365 acres, located primarily in Granville and Hancock, with small portions in Ripton, Braintree and Rochester, Reichert said. The majority of the land, 23,063 acres, belongs to the U.S. Forest Service, with the balance of the land in private hands, Reichert said. Reichert said the Green Mountain National Forest would like to integrate private lands in the land use plans as well. "Instead of saying we only want to focus on Green Mountain lands, we want to think about adjacent land too," Reichert said. The plan is an attempt to reverse some of the negative effects of logging and agriculture, Reichert said. "Most of the streams and rivers that we have, have suffered from the way the land was used in the past," Reichert said. During the heritage meeting, discussion will focus on old farms that formerly utilized the land. Reichert said there is significant archaeological interest in the excavation of old farmhouses. In addition to the surrounding land, the river itself has been impacted by human use in the past, Reichert said. Logging has resulted in the loss of woody debris -- large tress that fall into the river and create wildlife habitats, Reichert said. The river itself was dredged in the past for gravel and in some places was even straightened, Reichert said. The overall effect has been a reduction in the indigenous brown brook trout population, an issue likely to be raised by anglers during the natural resource and recreation meetings. The White River, which is part of the Connecticut River Basin, is also part of a larger project to restore the Atlantic salmon, Reichert said. At one time, the salmon would swim up the Connecticut River and its tributaries to spawn, but a series of dams along the Connecticut River has long prevented them from doing so, Reichert said. Other meeting objectives include discussion of wilderness access, both for trails and for roads. With 13,302 acres of the land included in the project in private hands, Reichert said she hopes to work with towns to discuss road and culvert improvements and the decommissioning of old roads. Contact Josh O'Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com. ... - By JOSH O'GORMAN Herald Staff

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