HatchSpace seeks volunteers for community woodworking project
PUTNEY - HatchSpace, Brattleboro's community woodworking facility, is looking for assistance with a special service project to benefit the Putney Central School.
Volunteers will work alongside skilled woodworkers to build classroom worktables. Light carpentry skills appreciated but not necessary. They are aiming for an Aug. 1 start date, with day and evening work sessions to last for about two weeks. This will be a fun and instructive experience. Contact Karen Cornish at [email protected] for more information.
Also, you can make a donation for materials and supplies. Putney Central School has set up a GoFundMe site at gofundme.com/f/makerspace-table.
Bellows Falls Fish Ladder hosts 'peecycling party'
BELLOWS FALLS - The Rich Earth Institute (recently featured in The New York Times) is launching a new urine recycling hub in Rockingham.
“Human urine contains a wealth of vital plant nutrients,” according to staff at Rich Earth. “When we flush these precious elements downstream, they contribute to nutrient pollution, harmful algal blooms, and mass fish kills. Instead, by collecting your urine (or liquid gold), your 'waste' can become a valuable resource. With your help, Rich Earth can provide pasteurized urine as a sustainable fertilizer for local farms.”
Rich Earth and The Nature Museum of Grafton will be at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder, 17 Bridge Street, on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., for a day of fun and learning about urine recycling and how you can get involved.
Watch out for cyanobacteria blooms in lakes, ponds this summer
BURLINGTON - With summer in full swing, cyanobacteria blooms are appearing in Vermont's lakes and ponds. Also known as blue-green algae, they can produce toxins that can make you and your pets sick, so if you see them, it's best to stay away.
Blooms are usually green or blue-green and can make the water look like pea soup or spilled paint, but they can be other colors and consistencies, too.
Swimming or wading in water with a cyanobacteria bloom may cause skin rashes, diarrhea, a sore throat, stomach problems, or more serious health concerns. Kids and pets are more likely to play in or drink the water, so be sure to keep them away from the shoreline or water if you think you see a bloom.
To see where blooms have recently been reported, view photos and a video of what cyanobacteria blooms look like, or to report suspected blooms to the Vermont Health Department, visit healthvermont.gov/cyanobacteria.
Protect grassland birds by mowing later
WATERBURY - Bobolinks, meadowlarks, Savannah sparrows, and grasshopper sparrows enrich our summers with their songs, but some of these species are in decline due to the loss of appropriate grassland habitat.
Landowners can make a difference by altering the times of year they mow fields. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is encouraging landowners to help promote these beloved species by waiting a little longer to mow and give these birds a chance to complete their nesting season.
“People maintain fields and meadows in Vermont for a variety of reasons, from commercial hayfields and grazing pastures, to simple aesthetic beauty,” said Doug Morin, biologist for the Fish & Wildlife Department, said in a news release. “Mowing is the most common way to maintain grasses, but if mowed early in the summer, grassland birds will lose their nests and chicks."
Bobolinks build nests among the grasses and wildflowers of fields and meadows. When bobolinks are present, other grassland bird species such as Savannah sparrows and grasshopper sparrows, may also be nesting among the grasses. Deer fawns, wild turkey chicks, and other animals take refuge in the grass and are also at risk by mowing too early.
According to Morin, landowners who mow their fields for aesthetic reasons can maintain these fields and accommodate nesting birds simply by cutting later in the summer, preferably after Aug. 15.
Moore Free Library seeks book donations
NEWFANE - The Friends of the Moore Free Library are now welcoming donations of books and media. Items will be accepted at the library at 23 West Street, on Monday, Aug. 1, 4 to 6 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 6, 9 a.m. to noon.
Donations will be reviewed as you wait, so that you can find another home for the ones they cannot take. Donations are accepted with the understanding that they may be discarded, given away, or sold for fundraising. All items donated must be clean and in good condition.
They will not accept books that are damaged, from a smoke-filled atmosphere, or that have mold or mildew. Also not accepted are incomplete sets of multi-volume works; blank books and journals; bibles, missals, and prayer books; computer and technical manuals; magazines and periodicals; Readers' Digest condensed books; reference books and textbooks; self-help books; and travel, restaurant, and hotel guides more than two years old.