April 2020 Email: boltongazette@gmavt.net Volume #8 Issue #4

THE BOLTON Gazette The Town of Bolton, Vermont

“The Land of bouLders and bears” 3045 Theodore Roosevelt Highway, Bolton VT 05676

Yep, iT’s spring, & that means mud season…vexing Bolton-ites since 1763!

“The first day of spring is one thing, and

the first spring day is another. The

difference between them is sometimes as

great as a month.” ~ Henry Van Dyke

“Spring makes everything look filthy.”

~ Katherine Whitehorn

“Go on through the mud they said, it ain’t that deep, they said, just stay out of them bad ruts, they said!”

“I told you we should have taken the

horse and buggy, but would you listen to

me? Nooooooo!”

Town office operations – COVID-19

The Bolton Town Office continues to be closed to the public until further notice.

Requests for copies of tax bills and tax status reports, lister cards, and documents with book and page numbers provided will all be handled electronically. We will respond to those requests via phone and email to the best of our ability during regular business hours; Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. To reach the Town Office, call (802) 434-5075 or 434-3064 ext. 221 or 222 or email: clerkbolton@gmavt.net or assistbolton@gmavt.net

Tax payments, dog license renewals, zoning applications and other payments and applications can be mailed, left in the drop box (even if we are here the office will be locked), or scanned and emailed if applicable. As noted above, the $5 late fee for dog licensing has been waived until May 1, 2020 by the Select Board.

We encourage everyone to continue to follow recommendations from the VT Department of Health and CDC. Thank you for your patience and understanding – these are unusual circumstances for us all, and we’re all in this together.

April 2020 Page 2

CLerk’s Corner continued on Page 4

Phoebe hanging at home!

Phoebe’s kids’ quesTion

of the month!

I’ve been hanging around at home, like my humans have

been! Did you know that dogs are considered family

members, and that we should also practice “social

distancing” from other people? I’m not sure what that

means, but I stay on my leash all the time and only wag

my tail at people. And I’ve been healing from some eye

surgery, and have to wear the “cone of uncertainty.”

Sigh. But here’s something interesting I learned while

I’ve been at home: if I didn’t have a home in Bolton in

1849, do you think there was any place that I could stay?

Find out in next month’s issue! WOOF! Woof!!

Last month’s answer: What do you think? Did Bolton

Valley build the first ski trails in Bolton? If you said

“yes,” you are…wrong! A man named Edward Bryant

began buying land in Bolton way back in 1922, over

10,000 acres! That’s a lot! He also loved to ski so he

cut two ski trails on his land; Heavenly Highway (still

around today!) and Bolton Mountain Trail, and invited

friends to come skiing, on their 7-foot skis that they

strapped on! See Mr. Bryant’s ski trail map on page 13!

CLerk’s Corner Amy Grover * Town Clerk & Treasurer clerkbolton@gmavt.net

Have you registered your dog? If you have registered your dog, thank you! If you

have not, this is your reminder that Vermont law

requires that dogs be licensed annually by April 1st. Please note: although the Bolton Select Board cannot

change the April 1, 2020 date, due to COVID-19, they

have waived the $5 late fee through May 1, 2020, and

we are happy to issue licenses by mail. See more

information on registering your dog, including the

2020 fee schedule at:

http://boltonvt.com/animal-control/

april 2020 Page 3

Smilie school, CameL’s hump middLe sChooL & MMUUSD News We are sure that you are aware that on March 26, 2020, Governor Scott ordered all Vermont

schools to stay closed (suspending all in-person classes) for the remainder of the 2019-2020

school year in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. We want to thank all of the MMUUSD

administration, staff, support staff, and board members who are working tirelessly to fully support

all of our MMUUSD students in these challenging circumstances. We also want to thank all of

the MMUUSD students and their families who, in turn, are supporting our district. Thank you all.

From Superintendent John Alberghini:

March 26, 2020 Dear MMUUSD School Community,

This is a brief message, but I want to get this information to you as soon as possible. Governor Scott just announced that all Vermont schools shall remain dismissed for in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. His decision is intended to protect Vermonters and move beyond the COVID-19 crisis as quickly as possible. To view Governor Scott’s full press release, please go HERE. This is a significant decision and one that will be unsettling to many students and families. I want to assure everyone that we will work through this together and focus on the needs of students and families. As I’ve mentioned in previous correspondence, our administrative team has been developing plans in the event of an extended closure. We will be sharing these plans soon.

I am certain you have many questions and we will offer additional information as soon

as possible. Tonight, please give your child(ren) a big hug and reassure them that everything is going to be okay. Best regards, John R. Alberghini

april 2020 page 4 CLerk’s corner continued From Page 2

Bolton Up and Down Town Club Senior Dinner Please note: the April Senior Dinner has been canceled due to

COVID-19 guidance measures. We hope we’ll be able to come

back together to share dinner in May.

reminder for the Wheeler trust scholarship

The Wheeler Trust Scholarship application deadline

has been extended to May 30, 2020. Over seen by the

Board of Civil Authority, the Wheeler Trust

Scholarship annually awards funds to two – five full

time college students from Bolton. For the last several

years, the numbers of applicants have exceeded the number of scholarships available, and

awarding the scholarships has been very challenging given the large number of highly

qualified and deserving applicants. Unfortunately, the BCA is bound by the rules of the

Wheeler Trust, and cannot award more than five scholarships, making the process very

competitive. See the town website or call the Town Office for the full guidelines on

applying.

Are you the owner of unclaimed property? Vermont State Treasurer, Beth Pearce, has sent out her

annual reminder that the State of Vermont is acting as

the custodian of unclaimed proeprty to safeguard that

property until the assets can be claimed by the rightful

owners or heirs.

What is unclaimed property? Unclaimed property can

take many forms such as forgotten bank accounts,

uncashed pay checks, and unclaimed security deposits. It's most often in the form of

money, but it can also be stocks, mutual funds, and the contents of safe deposit boxes.

The property comes from many sources--called holders--such as banks, credit unions,

corporations, utilities, insurance agencies, retailers, and governmental agencies

throughout the United States.

This year there are still nearly 300 names on the unclaimed property list from

Bolton - is your name, the name of a family member, or a friend’s name on the list?

Call the Town Office to ask, or find out at:

http://secure2.vermonttreasurer.gov/legacywebsite/www.vermonttreasurer.gov/uncl

aimed-property.html

April 2020 page 5

Into the woods by ethan tapper Managing Forests in a Changing Climate

It’s happening,

and we expect it

to get worse.

Climate change

poses existential risks to our

communities, our quality of life, and the

ecosystems that provide the air, water

and natural resources that we need to

live. Forests are both an asset in

mitigating climate change and deeply

threatened by it; natural disturbances of

increased severity and frequency,

changing growing seasons and invasive

exotic plants, pests and pathogens are

among the threats to our forests linked to

climate change. Managing our forests for

the future requires us both to buffer them

from the effects of climate change and to

manage them to mitigate these effects to

the greatest extent possible.

One of the ways that forests act as a

climate change asset is by sequestering

and storing carbon. While the forest

carbon cycle is too complex to fully

describe here, trees and plants essentially

suck (“sequester”) carbon dioxide out of

the atmosphere, turning (“storing”) it

into living tissue through the amazing

process of photosynthesis. When trees

die, much of that carbon remains stored

in their dead trunks and branches,

eventually becoming incorporated into

the soil and feeding future generations of

trees, plants and microorganisms. In

temperate forests like ours, this soil

carbon “bank” accounts for up to 60% of

a forest’s total carbon storage.

While they cannot sequester all the

carbon that we emit, forests globally can

absorb and store a lot of it, mitigating

some of the effects of climate change.

In climate-focused forest management,

we strive to encourage “resilient”

forests. These are forests which have the

tools to stay healthy and functional

amidst great stress, such as is threatened

by climate change. Given their carbon-

sequestering ways, it may seem counter-

intuitive to cut trees, but responsible

forest management can improve a

forest’s resilience over the long-term,

mostly by making it more diverse. In

addition to providing better wildlife

habitat and being more like old growth

forests, diverse forests store more carbon

and are buffered against large-scale

disturbances, which can cause large

amounts of forest carbon to be re-

released into the atmosphere.

In a changing climate, it is tempting to

think solely about quantity --- how much

carbon forests can sequester and store ---

but we should also consider the quality

of our forests. Forests are massively

complicated, inter-connected systems,

and non-tree parts of them, including

wildlife, invertebrates and fungi perform

critical ecological functions which keep

them healthy, resilient and functional.

These elements, which rely on healthy

forests for habitat, are also under threat.

Continued next page

April 2020 page 6

Forest management, in addition to trying

to sequester and store as much carbon as

possible, should seek to encourage the

health of whole forest ecosystems,

including, but not limited to, trees and

carbon. In some cases, like in the

creation of critical early successional

(“young forest”) habitat, this may mean

not maximizing carbon sequestration on

every acre of land.

As we talk about managing forests in a

changing climate, we should recognize

that resource extraction and usage is a

huge underlying cause of climate change

and its attendant effects. As they

sequester and store carbon, actively-

managed forests can also produce a

local, renewable resource – wood. Wood

provides quantitative climate benefits –

storing more than its dry weight in

carbon dioxide and often locking this

carbon up for decades or centuries. It

also provides qualitative benefits,

supporting our working landscape, local

economies and communities, and our

neighbors who harvest, process and

build with local wood. Using local

renewable resources generally lowers

associated environmental impacts and

allows us to “own” our consumption,

rather than displacing these impacts

elsewhere. Engaging with the true cost

of our resources is critical to helping us

to make better choices for our climate

and our world.

Finally, protecting the health of our

forests is useless if we can’t protect

forests themselves. The conversion of

forests to other uses is perhaps as great

of a threat as climate change itself, and

one that, as it increases, decreases

forests’ ability to be a climate change

asset. Forests cannot store carbon,

provide wildlife habitat, clean our air

and water, or do anything else if they are

paved over or split into tiny,

disconnected fragments. As we

recognize the benefits of forests, we

should also consider the way that we

develop our communities,

acknowledging the positive role that

forests play in our climate future by

preventing forest fragmentation and loss.

Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County

Forester. He can be reached at

ethan.tapper@vermont.gov, (802)-585-

9099 or at his office at 111 West Street,

Essex Junction.

April 2020 page 7

2020 Census - SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Jeanne Zimmerman

It starts with each of us doing our part. And how we do this is by completing the 2020 Census questionnaire. You can complete it online or by phone. It is easy, safe and takes around 10 minutes to complete. Completing the questionnaire allows you to influence the amount of money that comes to Vermont for many of our essential programs...programs that benefit our health and safety, that pay for our roads, for local government, schools, hospitals, and so much more... All households should have received a mailing with a 12-digit Census ID to go online and complete the questionnaire. However, you can complete the questionnaire at any time without the census ID by going to the official Census website: www.2020Census.gov When you get started you will see a link: “If you don’t have a Census ID, click here”. The next screen will ask you for your physical address and from there you can complete the questionnaire.

If you prefer not to use the internet, this is the first time we can complete the questionnaire by phone! You can call: 844-330-2020 to get help in English. There are an additional 13 other language options for completing the questionnaire as well. If you have questions, or need help, please call the 2020 Census office in Burlington at 802-557-6707 (we are teleworking to be safe and well and will respond to your calls), or you are welcome to email me at jeanne.l.zimmerman@2020census.gov and I’ll get back to you with an answer. Thank you!

Vermont Department of Taxes Issues 2020 Tax Season Guidance in Response to COVID-19 Emergency

The Vermont Department of Taxes continues to carefully monitor the evolving situation related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Department is working closely with the office of Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont legislature, following changes at the federal level, and adhering to guidance from the Vermont Department Health. Please see the Department’s information on relief for Vermont taxpayers at tax.vermont.gov/coronavirus. Please check this link periodically as the guidance may change. You may also follow the Vermont Department of Taxes on Facebook and Twitter.

April 2020 page 8

Outdoor Recreation in Vermont: Healthy Options During COVID-19

ELLE CASEY – VERMONT AGENCY OF NATURAL RESOURCES

MONTPELIER - During the current COVID-19 public health crisis, getting outdoors close to home and connecting with nature is an excellent way to help maintain our mental and physical health. Engaging in our favorite outdoor recreation activity – hiking, camping, fishing, biking, hunting or walking in nature – does wonders for our health and well-being. No matter how you enjoy the outdoors, we urge you to practice effective “social distancing” and other measures to help stop

the spread of COVID-19 and keep you, your family and your community safe. “As more parts of Vermont see closures and recommendations for social distancing, we all need to find ways to manage the stress and uncertainty. A daily walk, run or hike can provide real benefits to your physical and mental health. Just practice social distancing while doing your favorite activity,” said Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder. The Governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” still allows us to enjoy Vermont’s outdoors. Here are tips to stay safe outdoors during this public health emergency:

• Enjoy nature close to home. Walk on your street or a local wood lot as opposed to hopping in the car to visit a favorite spot. Take advantage of nearby fishing holes and bird watching spots, and if you must drive someplace to enjoy nature, drive by yourself or with immediate family members only and try to limit your trip to 10 miles or less.

• Don’t crowd. Stay at least 6 feet away from others when in a public setting, including the outdoors. Outdoor crowing isn’t any better than indoor crowding. Just because you’re outside doesn’t mean it’s safe unless you are continuing to practice good personal hygiene and appropriate social distancing.

• Go out only if you’re feeling healthy. • Wash hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. If those aren’t

available, use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol. • Avoid surfaces that are touched often, such as doorknobs, handrails, and

playground equipment. • Please leash your dog! They are members of your household and need to keep

their social distance as well (and most standard leashes are 6 feet in length). • Engage in low-risk activities: now is not the time to try something extreme and

end up in the hospital, taxing an already overburdened health care system. Continued next page

APRIL 2020 PAGE 9 For those currently being asked to telework or otherwise stay close to home, we encourage you to take a little time to check out nearby trails, plan future adventures by exploring our website, read our mud season guidance. You can keep up to date on fishing and hunting opportunities which are available at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website or Facebook page, and you can purchase a hunting or fishing licenses online. You can also join the Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge, which provides additional ideas for outdoor activities and is a great way for kids to learn about their environment. Although facilities like restrooms at many areas are currently closed, people are still welcome to enjoy state parks, state forests and wildlife management areas. We do ask that you follow commonsense behaviors including honoring all signage, treating public areas with respect and giving people space at gathering points like parking areas. It is also Mud Season, so we ask for your help in avoiding our shared trails when they are wet and highly vulnerable to real and lasting damage. At this point, Vermont State Parks are planning to be fully operational later this spring and early summer according to the regular schedule. Some modifications to programs and services may be expected to ensure the safety and health of park visitors and staff. Check the website www.vtstateparks.com for regular updates.

• For more info on COVID-19 and related guidelines, visit: https://www.healthvermont.gov/response/infectious-disease/2019-novel-coronavirus

• For outdoor recreation COVID-19 related links, visit: https://fpr.vermont.gov/recreation/outdoor-recreation-and-covid-19.

• For information on wildlife based recreational opportunities, visit: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/

While this unprecedented situation unfolds in Vermont, we are faced with many changes in our daily lives. The short- and long-term impacts to Vermonters and our economy remain to be seen, but one thing is certain: safely getting outdoors has never been more important.

Critical Need for Blood - You Can Help! You can schedule an appointment (online or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS) to give

blood or platelets to help patients in need at two upcoming ARC blood drives in our area:

Wednesday, April 8 at the Richmond Congregational Church from noon – 6 p.m. and

Friday, April 10 at the American Legion in Waterbury from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. The ARC

is also seeking volunteers to help make blood drives successful as many of their volunteers are

older and may opt to sit these events out to reduce their exposure.

The ARC has implemented new safety protocols for all their blood drives, uses social distancing

guidelines, and drives are deemed essential activities under Governor Scott's "stay home, stay

safe" policy.

Thank you to Amy Turner for reaching out to the Red Cross to inquire how Bolton could help –

their suggestion was to support these two scheduled blood drives in our area.

April 2020 page 10

TheY’re baaaaCk!

On a lighter note! Monitoring by Audubon Vermont staff and

volunteers has indicated that there again appears to be a pair of

Peregrine Falcons occupying “Notch Road Upper Upper

West.” These are the cliffs that are closely adjacent to Notch

Road, and accessible from the Preston Pond Trail. This site

was first occupied in 2000, and last year the nesting pair

fledged 3 young. March through July is the typical period that

Peregrine Falcons are most sensitive to human disturbance, so

as in the past, cliff closure signs have been placed in the area,

and monitoring will continue throughout the breeding season.

Thank you in advance for respecting and obeying the closure area and supporting these efforts to

look after the wellbeing of Vermont’s Peregrine Falcons.

Bear alert! Bears will soon be coming out of their winter dens in search of

food, or may already be “up!” We always seem to have

numerous hungry bears on the prowl here in Bolton in the

spring (after all, Bolton is the “Land of Boulders and Bears!”)

and numerous complaints from residents about bears getting

into their trash. The VT Fish and Wildlife Department is

advising residents (by April 1st) to: take down birdfeeders

(bears love suet and sunflower seeds) secure your outdoor;

grills, trash, and pet food, AND to keep chicks and honey bees

secure with an electric fence or other bear proof enclosure. Please help to avoid creating

“nuisance bears” and avoid attracting bears to your property by taking these steps. “A FED

BEAR IS A DEAD BEAR.” Find out more: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/node/256

Green Up Day 2020 – 50th Anniversary With the way our world has changed over the past couple weeks it is

important and also nearly impossible to gauge what will happen over the next month. We above all else want Vermonters and all people to be safe while trying to offer a touch of normalcy to keep us all sane and doing good in our communities.

Deciding the fate of our 50th Anniversary Green Up Day was no easy task and all the feedback we received proved that it takes more

than a village - it takes a state, to come together to show how important community and clean environments are to all of us. To that end, we are postponing Green Up Day 2020 from Saturday May 2nd to Saturday May 30th. Stay tuned for developing information about Green Up Day 2020 as we ramp up our communications and launch an updated App for iPhones and Androids. Continued next page

april 2020 page 11 Lastly, I will leave you with something to think about which may be scarier than Coronavirus. What if we just let Green Up Day go and not do it? We would have to look at roadsides covered in trash day after day, we would be discouraged and feel disconnected from what once was a caring community, and most of all there would be no sense of pride in where we live to pass on to our next generations. Green Up Day is more than just a day. It is a sense of commitment to where we live and each other, it is about healthy surroundings, and it is about connecting our communities with a goal for common greatness. Let’s be safe, do whatever we can in a safe way, and live with a Green Up Day spirit year-round. Kate Alberghini, Executive Director, Green Up Vermont Please note: Holding Bolton’s traditional Green Up Day BBQ is undetermined at this time. Stay tuned as we get closer to the May 30th date. Thank you.

updaTe from boLTon’s pLanning and Zoning administrator

Due to the current closure of the Town Office to the public, in-person help for

permitting your building project is on hold. However, I remain available to assist you

by phone at: (802) 434-5075 x 225 and by email: zoningbolton@gmavt.net

Zoning permit applications can be downloaded from the website, printed, filled out, and then mailed in with

your permit fees, or deposited in the drop box at The town Office. If you don’t have access to a working

printer, call the Town Office: we can mail the application forms to you. (your completed permit

applications can also be scanned at home & emailed. But payment of fees by check is required to start

processing your application.) Please allow extra time for review & approval. Access permit applications

here: http://boltonvt.com/documents/zoning-permit-applications/

If you’re not sure if you need a zoning permit, which permit is needed, or what to include on your

application, start with our zoning FAQ’s:

http://boltonvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Zoning-Permit-FAQs-for-Bolton.pdf

If you’re unsure about fees, what rules apply to your project, need help to complete the application or

anything else about the process, call or email. We are here to help, and will respond soon!

Larry Lewack, Planning & Zoning Administrator

iT’s finaLLY here! After waiting for a full 10+ months, with a few “bumps”

along the way, the town has finally accepted delivery of

the 2020 International 4 x 4 Landscape Truck which was

approved by voters at Town Meeting in 2019. The

Highway Crew has promised that they won’t get it dirty

– for at least one day! OK, maybe half a day. Well,

maybe 1 hour!

april 2020 page 12

wanT To heLp…need some help?

With the recent restrictions put in place to combat the spread of COVID-

19, many Bolton residents have been asking how they can be of

assistance to other residents. The Bolton Community Network and Leslie

Pelch (thank you!) have spearheaded an effort to connect volunteer

“deliverers” with folks that are homebound for any reason.

Please note, this outreach is not operated by the Town of Bolton. The

Town assumes no responsibility for this service, the volunteers, or those

served by volunteers. It is provided here simply as a way for neighbors to

connect with neighbors in this time of need.

How to sign up as a volunteer or request assistance: There are two Google Sheets, one to sign up as a volunteer, one to request a delivery of groceries

or other essentials:

Request assistance: https://forms.gle/Jxa2ippyjHdeHpPg7 Volunteer signup: click here You can also connect to volunteer or request assistance by emailing help@boltonvt.com

If you do not have internet access or prefer paper, just call the Town Office and we can facilitate

signing you up to volunteer or signing you up to receive assistance.

Volunteers are required to sign a volunteer waiver form and submit it to the Town Office prior to

volunteering, and there are very specific protocols from the Vermont Department of Health for

volunteer deliveries, find out more here:

http://boltonvt.com/covid-19/

THE FINAL INSTALLMENT OF PROPERTY TAXES

IS DUE ON MONDAY, MAY 18, 2020 Reminder: late payments of the final installment of property taxes

incur an immediate 8% delinquent penalty + 1% interest. There is no

grace period. Federal postmarks of May 18, 2020, not metered

postmarks, are accepted as on time.

Bolton gazette information

Reminder: The deadline for submissions is the 15th of the month for the next month’s edition. To

OPT IN to receive the Bolton Gazette electronically and in color (help the town save $ on paper

and postage costs!) email boltongazette@gmavt.net

We welcome all submissions, in any format: stories, news, events, art, poetry, photographs. Drop

submissions at the town office or, you’ve got it, email them to boltongazette@gmavt.net!

april 2020 page 13

Learn more about Edward

Bryant and the history of

skiing in Bolton:

https://boltonfriends.org/