Vermont State Parks

I saw a red fox hunting mice in a snowy field in Allis State Park recently. I was out for a trail run in the snowy woods, and popped out into a meadow area. I caught the fox by surprise; it hid behind some winter weeds, and then made a mad dash for nearby woods. Later, at a tracking workshop, I learned that red foxes not only use their keen sense of hearing to hunt for mice underneath the surface of the snow, but they also use Earth’s magnetic field to increase the accuracy of their pounces on prey. When foxes pounce in the Northeastern direction, they are successful in catching a mouse 73% of the time. In other directions the success rate is 18%. It was very exciting to see that red fox, and even more interesting to learn more about them soon afterwards.  (Here are the details on that interesting research: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/01/11/foxes-use-the-earths-magnetic-field-as-a-targeting-system/#.VrIns9IrLcs ) This was an adventure of le...

Start the New Year on the right foot with a hike in a Vermont State Park. Join a free, guided, easy, family hikes taking place in state parks and forests throughout the state. Hike leaders include professional guides and outdoor educators, sharing their knowledge and love of the Vermont outdoors. Don't need a guide? Then get outside at the state park or forest of your choice. They are always available and close by to all of us. Entry is free and you will discover a whole new world in the winter. Bring the whole family! Dress for the weather; bring snowshoes if there is a lot of snow. Bring some beverages and snacks. Dogs are welcome (on leash) unless otherwise noted. You don't need to pre-register, just show up. To check the status of the hikes call 802-249-1230. Update messages will be posted on December 31st and January 1st. Check out our website at www.vtstateparks.com  and our Facebook and Twitter feeds for more information and more hikes as they are added. Underhill S...

Baltimore, Md. Each year the federal community service program, AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) based in Baltimore, MD, names one project sponsor, the “Project Sponsor of the Year.” This year’s award winner is Vermont State Parks. On Thursday, November 12, 2015, Reuben Allen, Regional Ranger Supervisor, received the Project Sponsor of the Year Award on behalf of Vermont State Parks, during the awards ceremony at the Baltimore campus. In the narrative for the nomination of Vermont State Parks, a sentence reads, “this project and this individual (Reuben Allen), deserve the highest recognition from AmeriCorps NCCC for their relentless presence and care to keep the work available and meaningful.” AmeriCorps NCCC, is a full-time, team-based, residential, national service program, modelled after the U.S. military and the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, which put young men to work during the Great Depression. For the Project Sponsor of the Year Awar...

A co-worker found an old issue of Vermont Life magazine while cleaning out his parents' house and brought it in to show us. Of particular interest was the article on the 1967 Lumberjack Roundup, included below for your enjoyment. The event drew thousands of people each year to Branbury State Park  and included rousing activities such as the Greased Pole Climb, Watermelon Scramble, and of course sawing, chopping, felling, hewing and birling (balancing on a floating log) competitions. There was even a "Round Up Queen" contest. Not long after the 1967 Vermont Life issue surfaced, we found a letter in the Forests & Parks archives on that old, transparent kind of typewriter paper. The memo (also included below for your enjoyment), dated April 6, 1961, was addressed to District County Foresters informing them of the newly relaxed Round Up Queen contestant eligibility requirements ..."Previously, contestants were selected from the winners of similar contests, whic...

Either way you do it: Whether you want to work off some calories after a large and satisfying Thanksgiving Day meal, or you want to work up an appetite for the feast to come, here are some easy rambles that are great for the whole family.  Each of these hikes are loop trails that circumnavigate ponds or small lakes. With the leaves off the trees you can see farther into the woods than in the summer time, and wildlife love the edge habitat the ponds create. Combine great wildlife viewing with little or no elevation change -- you've got yourself the perfect apres-meal adventure. Osmore Pond Loop Trail Groton State Forest Peachman, Vermont 2 miles, 2 hours. Effort Rating: Easy. This scenic loop begins at the Osmore Pond picnic shelter. The trail veers south, away from the pond's edge. It passes under a power line just before the junction with the Little Deer Trail (0.6 miles). Continuing around the pond, the trail crosses Hosmer Brook and heads no...

Greetings time travelers! This Throwback Thursday, we’re taking you back. Way, way back (Ok, not THAT far). Recently, a long-time camper reached out to us with an amazing State Park related memento from her father, and correctly thought we might like to have it. This special piece of memorabilia dates from the opening night of Lake Carmi State Park , on June 29, 1963. Her father, Gordon Bown, and family, camped at the park that first year, at site #14. On opening night, he went through the campground and collected signatures from campers at the 32 original sites (and where they traveled from)- all on a piece of birch bark from the park. The heading reads  LAKE CARMI STATE PARK Opening night campers  29 June 1963 MR. CORLISS B. CENTABAR Caretaker  On the reverse side of the well-traveled frame is a hand-written note, detailing its creation and journey: Lake Carmi State Park  Campers’ Roll on birch bark made by Gordon Bown. Birch ...

News Release — Vermont Land Trust October 29, 2015 Contacts: Michael Snyder, FPR Commissioner, (802) 828-1534, Michael.Snyder@vermont.gov Elise Annes, VP for Community Relations, VLT, (802) 262-1206 or (802) 522-9855, Elise@vlt.org Deb Markowitz, ANR Secretary, (802) 828-1294, Deb.Markowitz@vermont.gov Dotty Schnure, GMP spokesperson, (802) 655-8418, Dorothy.Schnure@greenmountainpower.com CABOT and MARSHFIELD, VT – The people of Vermont will now forever have access to one of the state’s most popular and well-loved recreation areas in Central Vermont—the Molly’s Falls Pond property, known by many as the “Marshfield Reservoir”. The Vermont Land Trust today announced the sale of 1,029 acres to the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation. Now called Molly’s Falls Pond State Park, the property boasts a 402-acre reservoir, roughly 35,000 feet of undeveloped shoreline, and over 600 acres of forestland. It is a popular spot for boaters and anglers and has a fishing access area a...