HALIFAX-I was so pleased to see that Sens. Hashim and Harrison voted to support S.258, An act relating to the management of fish and wildlife. This common-sense bill would make wildlife management decisions in Vermont more democratic, fair, and humane.
Updating the constituency of the Fish and Wildlife Board would make it more democratic. Especially when the agency is funded significantly by the General Fund, and their mandate is to manage wildlife for all Vermonters, the board should have broader representation, rather than be controlled by hunters and trappers. The amended bill doesn't exclude hunters, trappers, or anglers; it simply requires "balanced viewpoints" and training of board members. Those requirements don't seem unreasonable to me, as a tax-paying Vermonter who cares deeply about wildlife but who doesn't kill animals.
Furthermore, the agency is staffed by well-educated wildlife scientists who should have more authority than they currently do. Changing the rulemaking from the board to the agency would shift the balance of power in an appropriate way.
If this legislation passes, baiting and hounding of coyotes would not be allowed. Those practices are not ethical forms of hunting; there is no element of fair chase. Furthermore, hounding is cruel and barbaric; there have been many cases of hounds running across posted property in pursuit of coyotes, harassing people, pets, and livestock.
Most people care about wildlife and assume that the Vermont Fish and Wildlife (VFW) department is working to protect all wildlife on behalf of all Vermonters. Some biologists are doing important work, but other folks at VFW are working only on behalf of hunters, trappers, and anglers. VFW should...
I would like to offer some fact-checking and editing assistance to the folks who created the “Hate does not grow well in the rocky soil of Vermont” banner displayed at the recent WeCAN event in Brattleboro. First, the fact-checking: I think the statement, as currently phrased, is demonstrably untrue.
We at the Guilford Historical Society express our gratitude for all the pies, baked goods, plants, and donations that made our May 21 annual Plant and Bake Sale such a huge success. It takes many helpers to mark the plants and baked goods, to lug the plants in and out from the donors' and customers' vehicles, to run the cash box, to attend planning meetings, to make dozens of phone calls, and to put up the tents and later take...