Letters: Park Volunteers Needed, Frank Thornton, Waldorf Rummage Sale, Art Show Silent Auction for Irene Relief, Hunting
October 6, 2011, page 3.....

Fall Work Days at the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge

Fall volunteer work days at the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge are coming up. We plan these work days for cool, bug-free weather so that work is more enjoyable. In the past volunteers have done a tremendous amount of work in the park. It is really a nice way to give back to the park if you enjoy going there to hike, bird-watch, and check out the view at the top.
Audubon has done quite a bit of work there this fall, and you will notice some clearings and a trail to a meadow designated as a “shrubland nesting bird habitat.” These are priority birds that are losing their nesting area. These include: American woodcock, brown thrasher, Eastern towhee, willow flycatcher, golden wing warbler, blue-winged warbler, field sparrow, and Northern oriole. This is part of the Champlain bird initiative.
Projects for this fall will include some work on the shrubland bird area. We will remove invasives from around large trees. These are areas that the mechanical brush remover couldn’t do. Then a conservation mix of grass seed will be scattered about. We will continue our invasive work along the trail to the first bridge from the Greenbush Road parking lot. We have made a lot of progress on this part of the trail, and it will be gratifying to complete this section. We will finish nailing roofing shingles to the bog bridges to prevent slipping. We have received a lot of comments that these are really helpful. Woodchips always need to be replenished on the trail.
Park workdays are Sunday, October 16 and 23, from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. We will meet at the Greenbush Road parking area. Contact Sue Smith to sign up or ask for more information.

Sue Smith, 425-2732
ssmith@gmavt.net
----------------

Thank you to the community for Waldorf School sale success

Thank you to everyone in the community who came out and supported Lake Champlain Waldorf School’s rummage sale on Saturday, September 24. We would like to give a warm thank you to all the volunteers who helped plan the event, set up, work and clean up after the event. If you attended the rummage sale this year, you understand the amount of “stuff” that we had for sale in the school! It’s truly amazing to see so many people roll up their sleeves with smiles on their faces. A special thank you also goes out to all the people who generously donated the items for the sale.
As always, we could not have the success we do with our fundraisers without all the support we receive from our local communities. So, thank you to the crowds that came to the sale this past Saturday. Folks lined up all the way around the school (longest line we’ve ever had) to enter the sale at 9 a.m. sharp. They were serenaded Waldorf-style by two grade school musicians who played violin to the crowd.
We were able to raise more than $10,000. All of the proceeds from the rummage sale support the school’s scholarship fund.

Brenda Baker
Communications Coordinator,
Lake Champlain Waldorf School
-----------------
Frank Thornton remembered

The town should appreciate the recent tribute to Frank Thornton that appeared in the Burlington Free Press.
His knowledge – scientific, historic and civic – was outstanding. The many hours spent going through old town records tracing old roads when they were laid out was invaluable when E911 was established; and the work was all nearly done when the Legislature required the research done by the towns.
He was one of the better Selectmen that I worked with while Town Clerk.

Hazel W. Prindle
-------------------------
Successful Art Show Silent Auction benefits Irene relief

A special thanks to Keilani Lime, Jesssica Apsler, and Jake Goss for the successful Art Show Silent Auction sponsored by and held at the Campus Rehab Gym on South Union Street in Burlington, Friday evening, September 16. Quickly organizing the event in two weeks and getting 11 Vermont artists to donate works, they managed to collect $600 over their $1,000 goal. All monies were donated to the Vermont Disaster Relief fund, Vermont Food Bank and The Waterbury Firefighters Association.
Vermont singer songwriter Sarah Wallis, her brother Peter, (both 8th generation Vermonters) and band mate graciously donated their time with an incredible performance. They know first hand the impact of Tropical Storm Irene. Living in the Rutland area they had been cut off from the studio where they were recording their second CD because of washed-out roads. “This is a way I thought we could help,” expressed Sarah after a long night and many sets. It was a wonderful night brought about by a great community. Thank you to all who came and supported this great cause. Vermont Lives!

Karin Lime