Thetford Town Newsletter

No. 39                                                                                                                                                     May 2007

SELECTBOARD NOTES

Thetford Listers Expanded Office Hours
The office hours for the town Listers have been increased. The new hours are:
Monday & Tuesday 8:30 am - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. April through November
For further information you may contact the Listers at  785-2922 extension 4.
Town Roads Posted
Town roads are no longer posted though heavy vehicle operators are urged to use caution.  Please heed the speed limits posted. If you have any questions you may contact Road Foreman Doug Stone at the Town Highway Department, 785-4679.
Sayre Bridge Restoration
The Sayre Bridge Restoration on Tucker Hill Road has been approved and fully funded by federal and state sources. The bridge will be redecked and resided necessitating its closing from now until late September. The town is working with the state to enhance pedestrian and vehicular safety features.

 

 

LATHAM LIBRARY

***Travelog*** May 31st, 7pm Latham Library

Madagascar's Marvels, a talk by Tracy Bach
From the bustle of capital Antananarivo on the high plain, to the arid climate and rocky outcrops of Isalo National Park in the southwest, to the golden bamboo lemurs found only in the rainforest of Ranomafana National Park, tour Madagascar and enjoy its endemic species and charms.
Submitted by Gina Sonne

 

 

PEABODY LIBRARY

Learn to be a Localvore! Wed. May 30th at 7:00 PM
A localvore is someone committed to eating and learning about foods grown within 100-mile radius of their community.  (A hundred-mile radius from the Upper Valley covers all of Vermont and New Hampshire, and even a bit of northern Massachusetts!)
Why eat locally? Eating locally benefits local farmers and the local economy; it is more sustainable and self-sufficient; food is fresher and more flavorful.
Come hear Pat McGovern, founding member of the Upper Valley Localvores, and learn more about local resources for vegetables, meats and dairy products throughout all seasons of the year...and get ideas and recipes for using these products.
Peabody Library is located on Route 113 in Post Mills.

Submitted by Margo Nutt

 

 

GREEN UP DAY – SATURDAY, MAY 5TH

If you would like to help, please contact Sally Eshleman,    785-4639 or Gina Sonne 785-4220.

 

 
TA NOTES

*Thetford Academy students Charley and Peter Ferguson, Ian Flett, Tyler Murdoch, and Alex Finley returned recently from a church rebuilding trip to the deep South. These kids gave up their vacations to help reconstruct a rural church in Little River, Alabama, that was burned in 1997 in an outbreak of racially-motivated violence. The trip was a remarkable experience: it included a worship service that was absolutely *nothing* like a New England church service; working side- by-side with people who have every reason to distrust white people; and being part of an unfamiliar culture for a short time - including a catfish fry in a rural cafe by an alligator-infested river.


*TA students Sam and Josh Clark, and Charley and Peter Ferguson, members of the Green Mountain Morris Dancing team, performed at the New England Folk Festival on Sunday, April 22nd, in Mansfield, Mass.


*May 2 marked the 9th annual Operation Day's Work at TA. Students this year raised money to support The Human Capital Foundation's Selmata Children's Home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Thanks to all community members who supported the project by hiring TA students.


*Parent Orientation for the New Grade 9 (Class of 2011) will be held at 6:30 pm on May 7. A similar orientation for parents of the New Grade 7 (Class of 2013) will be held at 6:30 pm on May 14.


*May offers multiple opportunities for culture at TA.  The spring drama production, a collection of short plays by Samuel Beckett and others, will be presented May 11, 12, and 13. "Secret Garden," the spring musical, will be offered May 17, 18, and 19. Finally, the spring instrumental Concert will be held May 24.  Please watch the Green and local newspapers for more info about times and locations.
Mark your calendars now and plan to get tickets early; these events are always popular and sell out early.

*Graduation for the Class of 2007 will be Friday, June 8.  Once again we are hoping to celebrate outside, so start now to think sun for our soon- to-be graduates and their families and friends.

 

Submitted by Wendy Cole

 

 

RECYCLING CENTER UPDATE 

Summer hours begin May 27th, 8AM-Noon.

Be prepared for a new traffic plan to begin on May 27th.  We will become one-way around the ramps and building.  The direction of one little section, in the front of the center, parallel to Rte 113, will be reversed. Cars will be heading from the exit toward the entrance only. Maps and details will be handed out over Saturdays in May. 

 

Trash Stickers Update: In May, Karin Bonnett is resigning from selling stickers and we thank her for her dedicated service to the town.  Trash tickets will be sold at Thetford Village Store for $3.85 per trash bag as of May 12.

 

Submitted by Frank Bonnett and Tracy Borst

 

 

TOWN of THETFORD's TREASURE ISLAND

Treasure Island is gearing up for another fun summer season!

 

Please join us for a community work day Green-Up Day, Saturday, May 5 at 10AM.  Bring a rake and gloves. Children are welcome!

 

Swimming Lesson registration takes place Saturday, May 12 from 10-12PM at Town Hall, and Wednesday, May 16 from 3-6PM in the TES lobby.  Children must be age 4 & up, and there is a $10 fee for lessons. 

 

Season Passes are available now at the Thetford Town Offices.  The cost is $50 for Thetford families, and $30 for Thetford individuals.  Purchase a season pass BEFORE JUNE 1 and receive a $10 discount on a family pass, and $5 on an individual pass.  Tennis passes are also available.

 

For any Treasure Island questions or for more information, contact us at 333-9016, or call the Thetford Town Offices at 785-2922. 

 

See you at the beach! 

 

Submitted by Scott and Ann O'Hearn 

 

 

RMCA 2007 EVENTS

Another season of potlucks on the 3rd Sunday of each month starts again May 20 at 6pm. 

Please remember to bring your own dishes, silverware and cup as well as food to share. 

Following dinner on the 20th, Tii  McLane will give a slide show of the month-long trip she and Katie Botsford, both from S. Strafford, took to Benin and the school cistern project they funded and oversaw.  

Two more Mostly Waltz (and a little swing) dance times have been scheduled for Sunday, May 6,

3-5:30PM and Saturday May 19th 7-9:30. Bring CD's, clean smooth soled shoes, water and donations for the hall. Call Gina Sonne for more information or to help out - 785-4220.

If you would like to use the Rice's Mills Community Center for a function, or a class or to organize an event in conjunction with one of our potlucks, please contact Bob Walker at bobwalker@valley.net or 785-4126. 

 

 

TA BOARD OF TRUSTEES NOTES
Each June, several TA Trustees finish their terms on our board. The Nominating Committee invites anyone interested in contributing to the welfare of the Academy to contact us regarding these positions.

 

We seek people who have a passion for enriching and enhancing the lives of our communities' children. Our board is made up of community members who have a variety of skills, talents and interests. We are concerned with issues such as program, personnel, student life, buildings and grounds, finance, marketing, fund-raising, and public relations. You may contact any member of our committee with questions. We will be happy to explain what it means to serve as a Trustee and the process for becoming a candidate. 

 

Thank you.
Scooter Hathorn, 333-9176 or Wendy Wells, 785-3127

 

 

THETFORD CONSERVATION COMMISSION

 

CONSERVATION COMMISSION STROLL

*Second Saturday Stroll * Saturday May 12th at 9:00am
A 2 Mile hike on the Thetford Hill Woodland led by Heinz Trebitz.

 

The Thetford Hill Woodland is privately property, owned by Lilla Willey, and conserved through the Upper Valley Land Trust.

Starting from Thetford Academy, we'll hike on trails through Thetford Hill State Forest to the top of "The Glebe" and the Woodlands. We will return past a small pond and, by a different route, to Thetford Academy. Approximate hiking time: 1.5-2 hours. Moderately strenuous (some hills and rough footing, we'll wait for stragglers).

CONDITIONS: it may be muddy - bring sturdy boots. Black flies may be just out - bring repellent.
MEETING TIME AND PARKING: TA, Sat. May 12, 9am
Coming from Thetford Center take the last entrance to the Academy on the right (past the main entrance to Anderson Hall). Drive to the very back of the parking lot and park adjacent to the maintenance shed.
INFORMATION: Call Heinz Trebitz at 802-785-2129

 

Submitted by Heather Carlos

The Woodcock

If you stand in the open fields on the Post Mills Natural Area on an April evening, chances are that you will hear one of the signature bird songs of spring. But this is no melodic warble. Listen for a nasal, buzzy 'peent, peent' from the darkening sky as a male woodcock performs his courtship display.  If you are lucky you may see the male take his upward-spiraling flight and then drop like a falling leaf, all the time making his rasping call. The rush of air over the outer three primary feathers in the wings adds a twittering sound to the display.

Although female woodcocks gather to watch the aerial dances and then pick a mate, it is unlikely that you will see them. On the ground, woodcocks are hard to spot. These birds, about 8-10 inches long, are superbly camouflaged with brown, black and buff patterns.  Their bodies are stocky and short-legged but their most distinguishing features are large eyes positioned near the top of the head and a 3-inch, slender bill, both typical of shore birds.  In fact the woodcock is a shore bird that has adapted to life inland.


Woodcocks inhabit wet locations where there are dense, scrubby thickets and nearby open areas. They rely on thick cover and their camouflage coloration to escape from predators and short powerful wings to maneuver through tangled vegetation. Their long bills are equipped with a flexible tip plus a hard tongue, a superb adaptation for probing soft ground and grasping earthworms that make up almost 80 percent of their diet. Woodcocks have been observed to rock back and forth, treading heavily with one foot, possibly sending vibrations through the soil and causing earthworms to move.  At dusk and dawn woodcocks leave their protective thickets to forage, roost or mate in fields and clearings.

After mating the female woodcock lays her eggs in a shallow scrape in the ground, in the cover of young forests. The chicks hatch after about three weeks and, like other ground-nesting birds, are mobile soon after. They are fed by the female for the first few days of life as initially they cannot feed themselves. Male woodcocks do not participate in rearing their young.

Woodcocks breed primarily in the northeastern states and winter in the southern part of this range, plus Florida, the Gulf Coast and eastern Texas.  They are a popular game bird and are hunted in the fall during migration. Because they are a migratory bird species, hunters are asked to register with the federal Harvest Information Program that helps the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitor the harvest of migratory bird species.

About 2 million woodcock are harvested annually. The Breeding Bird Survey shows that woodcock have declined in number by about 1 percent per year since 1966.  However it is thought that this is not due to hunting but to loss of both summer and winter habitat. Urbanization of habitat, forest management practices that favor mature trees rather than stands of young saplings and suppression of forest fires that rejuvenate forests are among the reasons.

On the Post Mills Natural Area the conservation commission is working to maintain the woodcock habitat.  The fields are periodically mowed to keep them open for the bird's aerial display and foraging. Mowing is done after August to avoid mortality of ground-nesting birds. We are also restoring the overly mature and dying alder thicket by a rotating pattern of patch-cutting. Cutting alders stimulates sprouting of new growth and will maintain the cover necessary for woodcock.

More information on woodcock biology and conservation may be found at: <<< http://www.woodcocklimited.org/about_woodcock.htm >>>>


Nest boxes and Predators

Among all birds, the bluebird must be close to, if not at the top of the popularity list. Unfortunately these lovely birds have declined for various reasons, one being competition for nest sites with the introduced European starling and house sparrow.  An awareness of this plight has led to much interest in providing artificial nest boxes with an entry hole that is too small for starlings.

Another threat to successful breeding by bluebirds and cavity-nesting birds in general is nest predation.   Squirrels, mice, crows, ravens, cats and raccoons are some of the guilty parties. The raccoon is a common predator of artificial nest boxes and natural cavities that is favored by human fragmentation of forest habitat.   Raccoons are able climbers with a keen sense of smell. They have front legs about 10-11 inches long and dexterous paws to reach inside holes or even unlatch the side or top of a box. Nest boxes with entrances made deeper by adding 1 1/4 inches of wood can stop raccoons from raiding the contents. This also prevents starlings from reaching in and pecking nestlings or eggs. 

Mounting nest boxes on poles that are hard to climb is also a predator deterrent. Gas pipes with an internal diameter of 1 1/2 inches make good mounting poles.  As additional protection, especially if the nest box is mounted on a fence post, one can apply a liberal coating of automotive chassis grease, laid on thickly like cake frosting in a 12 inch band beginning12 inches below the nest box.   Barriers or 'baffles' mounted below the nest box are another way to fend off predators. There are various designs, one is to enclose the pole under the nest box with a 2 foot length of 4 inch diameter stove pipe or plastic sewer pipe.  Large animals cannot climb around this and a wooden plug at the top end of the pipe will block out mice.  A 36 inch wide, cone-shaped baffle of sheet metal is also effective and can be made from a circle of 18 inches radius by cutting out a 'pie slice.' 

While starlings can be excluded by a small entry hole, this does not keep out the equally aggressive house sparrow.  These birds mostly live near human habitation. If house sparrows are a problem, placing nest boxes far from buildings will reduce the likelihood of box appropriation by these birds.  Since they do not migrate, house sparrows take the best nest sites early in the season and this timing can be used to advantage. If nest box holes are plugged in early spring, house sparrows may make nests elsewhere and the holes can be unplugged when bluebirds arrive.  


Bird Language and Loves

The much-overdue onset of spring brings with it dramatic changes in bird behavior.  The chickadees that overwintered near our house have changed their tune, filling the air with loud calls of 'Fee-bee-ee.'  As soon as one calls, another replies.  The musical back-and-forth is repeated over and over, and for good reason. The male birds are proclaiming their territories. This important message is just one of about fifteen different calls in the vocabulary of chickadees, and biologists have managed to interpret eight of their 'words.'

Chickadees mate for life and 'Fee-bee-ee is also a 'love' call to maintain the bond between the male and female. 

These birds have a social structure, that is established when they flock together in winter and they observe this pecking order during the rest of the year. The call that sounds approximately like 'tseedl-deet' or 'se--tseedl-deet' is given by a bird higher in the order to warn off a bird of lower status. It would mean something like "Buzz off" or "This is MY food."  The chatter call, something like a rapid-fire 'chi-chi-chi-chi' is given by the dominant bird when it has successfully driven off the other, and would mean something like "That'll teach you!" The familiar 'Chickadee-dee-dee' call is often used to signal danger. In this case the number of 'dees' increases in proportion to the severity of the threat. Thus large predatory birds that are not nimble enough to catch a chickadee get about five 'dees.' whereas small predatory birds that are a real threat get up to 23 'dees.'  I notice that I get about five 'dees' when I approach too closely.   The 'chickadee-dee' call is also used repeatedly when the birds discover a predator and gang up to mob it. A short 'czeet' whistle may serve to keep members of a flock together ("Here I am.")

Female chickadees utter a repeated, buzzy 'dee-dee-dee' to attract a mate during breeding season and to maintain the pair bond. They also listen attentively to the singing contests between their mate and a rival male. The outcome of these musical duels is highly significant and woe betide the male who loses.  His spouse will quietly slip away, usually at early dawn, and will mate with the winner. After this quick tryst, which lasts about 30 seconds, she returns as if nothing happened and continues to stay with her mate. Although the chicks in the nest may thus be the offspring of more than one father, the male seems oblivious to this. 

Although chickadees mate for life, divorce is not unheard of.  Even birds like to climb the social ladder, it would seem. At the head of the chickadee flock is the alpha male and his mate the alpha female. Next in rank are the beta male and beta female, and so on.  The flock may also include some unpaired birds. If the alpha female dies, the beta female deserts her mate and pairs with the alpha male, thus gaining rank. The beta male may pair with an unpaired female if one is available. If the alpha male dies, the beta male usually moves up to take his place, and his mate. This social climbing has many advantages. Lower-ranking birds defer to alpha birds and allow them to get the best forage and the best nest sites.  Furthermore, since the alpha male wins more singing contests he fathers chicks 'out of wedlock' as well as with his mate and thus spreads his genes more widely.  

Submitted by Li Shen
Thetford Conservation Commission

 

 

THETFORD BOY SCOUT TROOP #772

 

The rank of Eagle Scout is the highest most coveted rank in Scouting, the last major step in the advancement program.  Less than 1 out of 50 scouts in the United States reach this rank.  To become an Eagle Scout, a Scout must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, including 12 which are required.  He must serve actively in a troop leadership position for a period of six months after achieving each of the ranks of Star and Life Scout.  While a Life Scout he must plan, develop and carry out a service project helpful to his community in a manner worthy of an Eagle Scout.  This plan must meet criteria and be approved by the Eagle Board of Review before he can begin on the project.  A Scout must demonstrate that he lives by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in his daily life.  Finally, he must appear before a Board of Review.

 

Over the past year the following young men have attained this rank: Daniel Huff, Will Meglathery and Andrew Harhen all of Thetford Center and Jared Pero of West Fairlee.

 

On Friday, February 9, 2007 these four members of our Troop will travel to the Vermont State House in Montpelier to attend the Green Mountain Council's Eagle Scout Recognition Day.  Our hearty congratulations and best wishes for the future for each of these scouts!

 

With the completion of this last step, Troop 772 had officially disbanded.  If anyone is interested in starting this group up in the future, please contact Green Mountain Council.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Bill Huff

Assistant Scoutmaster

 

(My apologies – This should have appeared in the Town Report. Tracy Borst)

 

 

CALL FOR ENTRIES! GROUP EXHIBITION OF THETFORD ARTISTS AND ART EXHIBIT AT THE THETFORD HILL FAIR

 

Thetford Visual Artists *** 3rd annual group exhibition of Thetford artists *** June- August 2007 *** Latham memorial library art gallery

 

This is an exciting opportunity for Artists of all levels of experience to exhibit with friends and neighbors, meet new people, and learn something about people you already know.

 

Drop off:                                Monday, June 4, 2-7 pm

Opening:                                Friday, June 8, 5 -7 pm

Take down and pick up:         Friday, august 24, 10am -5 pm

 

(The fine print):

  • There is a $5 entry fee this year to help defray costs of printing, promotion, and refreshments.
  • Postcards will be available at drop off.
  • 1-2 pieces per artists not to exceed 36”x36” each.
  • Artist may make prints, unframed work, and cards available for sale.
  • This show is sell-as-you go – pieces may be sold and picked up by buyer at anytime.  It will be up to individual artists to replace items sold for the duration of the exhibit.
  • Latham Library does not take a commission on work sold.  Individual donations are gladly accepted.
  • Drop off and pick up may also be made by arrangement.
  • We ask that exhibitors be residents of Thetford.

 

Contact Marla Ianello by May 5 if you would like to be part of this exciting exhibit: marla.ianello@netzero.net  785-2912

 

 

THETFORD HILL FAIR

Saturday, July 21 ** On the Green, Thetford Hill, VT ** 11 am – 4 pm

 

WHAT: I have reserved 10 8’x3’ tables under 5 10’x10’ easy-up tents.

Tents will be set up the evening before, and will be available as early Saturday morning as you wish to come.  Chairs will be provided; the rest of the display and set up is left to you and your creativity!

 

COST: The $50 rent is per table.  Some artists expressed an interest in sharing a table.  If you have your partner, please send one check with both names noted on the memo line.  If you would like to share a table, but don’t have a partner, let me know, and send just $25. 

 

Checks should be mailed and made payable to Thetford Hill Improvement Society, c/o Marla Ianello, 1408 Route 113, East Thetford, VT 05043

 

Other events taking place at this fair are: concessions booths, book sale, antique and collectibles, tea garden, rummage, plant sale, baked goods.  At 3 pm there will be a chicken bbq followed (we hope) by live entertainment – definitely a full day!

 

Contact me if you have any questions! 785-2912 or marla.ianello@netzero.net Thanks, Marla

 

 

Green Mountain Loan Fund

Is Your Home In Need Of Essential Repairs?

If you…

• live in Orange, Washington, or Lamoille County

• live in a single family home or owner-occupied property up to 4 units

• meet income eligibility requirements*

...you may be eligible for an affordable loan to address health and safety concerns, correct code violations, or make access modifications for elderly or disabled

Call for more information today!

 

Central VT Community Land Trust (802) 476-4493 x215

*Orange county family of 4 = $45,520 yearly;Family of 2 = $36,416 yearly; Family of 1 = $31,864 yearly income

Central VT Community Land Trust

NeighborWorks® HomeOwnership Center

107 N. Main Street, Barre, Vermont 05641

 

Submitted by Bettie Barnes

 

 

RECLAIMING THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF MOTHER’S DAY

In 1870, Julia Ward Howe started Mother's Day to unite mothers for peace and the wellbeing of ALL children. Her cry for action is still relevant in 2007. We, mothers, realize that we live in a world that does not prioritize or protect our children's wellbeing. This will not change until we, mothers and motherers (others who want to protect and nurture our children), gather our courage and commit ourselves to speak out for the world's children, as if they were all our own.

 

When nearly half of the world's children live in poverty, it's time for mothers to go public. On this Mother's Day, May 13, 2007, "Strafford Mothers Acting Up" will host the first Mother's Day parade in the spirit of Mother's Day as it was originally envisioned in 1870. The purpose of this "grand procession" is to educate and inspire our local communities to move from concern to action on issues confronting children worldwide. Remember, the political, environmental, economic and social/cultural forces that we read about in the news are actually shaping our children's lives. The lives of our children are intertwined with the lives of the children next door and across the globe. It's time for mothers to stretch wide our capable and loving arms, to make our voices heard and to bring our values and skills into the public arena, where policies are made. Children's wellbeing is at the top of every mother's agenda. It's time to bring it to the top of our political agenda.

With mothers and motherers from Los Angeles to New York City, we will march in celebration of a better world for our children. Beginning at noon at the United Church of Strafford, our parade will process around the Strafford common and will culminate with an assembly on the common, with speakers including former Vermont governor Madeleine Kunin. Come women, come men! Bring flags, posters, photos of children and banners with streamers. Come on stilts, in hats, and with children in wagons, tricycles or strollers. Colorful, joyful, uplifting attire is encouraged!

 

For more information, call Barbara Mason (Thetford) 802-333-9315 or Danette Harris (Strafford)at 802-765-4312 or go to www.mothersactingup.org.

 

 

THETFORD TOWN NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION INFORMATION 

The deadline for submissions is the 20th of each month. Send news including contact name and telephone number to Cathee Clement at 785-2668 or turtlepond@netzero.net.

Please list Thetford Town Newsletter in the subject line.