Northern Forest Canoe Trail Auction

Countdown to Bidding!

NFCT’s 5^th Annual Online Auction starts next Wednesday, November 4, at 8 am! This year’s auction runs from November 4 – December 4, and we are now quite confident that it’s our most rockin’ auction ever, thanks to our amazing donors.

Here’s what we recommend to get ready:

● Visit the auction site and register as a bidder

● Check out the catalog and identify your fave items

● Consider donating an item or experience (we will be accepting donations through November 20)

We just learned that 2009 through paddler Gil Whitney, NFCT's first kayak through paddler, and his wife Kathy lost their hand-built home in Lakeville, Maine to a fire this week. No one was injured, but they truly lost everything. Our hearts go out to them, and as a small way to help we will direct all of the proceeds from our NFCT Complete Package auction item to Gil and Kathy.

Please note: We will send our regular monthly NFCT e-Bulletin on the auction start date, next Wednesday, and after that, you will receive auction-related emails through the cMarket auction platform.

Share NFCT’s 5^th Annual Online Auction with family and friends.

Mail

Northern Forest Canoe Trail

PO Box 565

Waitsfield, VT 05673

Tel

802.496.2285

Email

info@NorthernForestCanoeTrail.org

Web

www.NorthernForestCanoeTrail.org

Groups, ANR squabble over dam releases

By CHRIS GAROFOLO - Brattleboro Reformer

BRATTLEBORO - It will take more than a life jacket and paddle to navigate through the choppy waters ahead for local whitewater groups and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.

Boating and rafting organizations have gone after the agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for curtailing the local economy by lessening the water releases from the Ball Mountain Dam in Jamaica. But the corps and ANR are on the defensive, saying the goal is to minimize any adverse effects to aquatic habitats downstream, not to make the waters inaccessible to recreational users.

Every year, the Corps schedules two separate flow releases - one in April and the other in September - on the West River for hundreds of rafters, kayakers, canoeists and other whitewater zealots. The events generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in the region, according to an economic impact study sponsored by American Whitewater and other advocacy groups.

Kevin Colburn, national stewardship director with American Whitewater, said altering the release schedule will have a negative impact on local restaurants, inns and rafting ventures during an already difficult economic span.

"We have heard that tourism in Vermont has been affected by higher fuel costs and reduced spending," he said. "These are not the economic times for local businesses to get hit with the withdrawal of a huge stimulus from such a large event."

Colburn and other groups authored a media release Monday morning to review the local financial repercussions by the "closure of scheduled releases." The release does not include a rebuttal from the ACOE or the ANR.

Whitewater enthusiasts cried foul after the engineers announced changes to the spring release times in October 2008, sparking outrage in the kayaking and rafting blogs.

For almost three decades, the engineers have released the water on the last weekend in April, but pushed it ahead of schedule two weeks to assist in the survival of the salmon smolt migration. The decision was made jointly by both the state and federal Fish and Wildlife Services, as well as the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission to set the winter conservation pool requirement at 25 feet to allow an appropriate level for traveling downstream.

In a letter to whitewater organizations, ACOE Construction/Operations chief Richard C. Carlson said the decision was based on studies demonstrating the water temperature changes indicate that delaying the release would have unfavorable effects on the smolt migration.

Brian Fitzgerald, an ANR ecologist based in Waterbury, said the move "created quite a lot of excitement in the whitewater rafting community last spring." Severe miscommunication prevented the agency and the advocacy groups from properly scheduling a date suitable for everyone, but the Corps put out a notice at least two years ago that the releases were being shifted two weeks ahead of time, he said.

Bruce Williams, the Corps' district natural resource manager, said the groups were offered three scenarios, but were not satisfied with any of the options.

Colburn told the Reformer last November the issue is more about the mechanics of the dam, noting the primary factor for controlling the timing of the spring release is to elevate levels for migration rather than the flows of the river from the Ball Mountain Dam.

Both sides have also butted heads over the autumn release for years.

The September release was decreased to one day in 2003 to reduce the environmental impact by setting new ramping standards. Before that time, the fall release consisted of two days and a flurry of recreational activity in the region.

Those changes, according to Fitzgerald, are the result of a lengthy conversation with the ACOE, the agency and fish and wildlife services about the dam operations' effect on aquatic life and habitat.

"There's a good body of information of scientific literature about the sudden unnatural changes in flow, both sudden increases and sudden decreases," said Fitzgerald. Boaters would have to produce some creditable data to accommodate their desires, he added.

But Charles Still of Friends of the West River said the ANR has not completed studies on the occasional scheduled releases for the river in question. Pressured to cite examples, the agency shared studies done on similar rivers with daily variation in flow, he said.

Still, a member of both Friends and American Whitewater, requested the ACOE studies that aided in the release changes, but said the groups have not received a response.

"Nobody wants to do anything that will hurt the environment in any way, especially the kayakers," Still said in a previous interview, but the spring release does bring thousands of people to the West River for the big event.

Paddlers typically enjoy the water pressure at 1,500 cubic feet per second, but Williams said that is too much for a release any longer than a single day. To potentially move back to a two-day event, ACOE could have smaller releases over a lengthier duration.

"The only way it could be pushed into a longer event is to reduce the outflow throughout the entire event," said Williams. "I think that would allow for a longer race event."

Still said the fall release, which once hosted the Olympic kayaking trials, is based on weather, because a heavy rain or flood could cause the ACOE to make a similar size release during the groups' preferred times. "This past weekend, Oct. 25, saw a huge rain event where the flow rapidly ramped on the river, periodic cycle of increased flow down any river basin is a normal event."

According to the Friends of the West River, even Gov. James Douglas has thrown in his two cents.

The governor said in a Sept. 30 letter to the organization, "although it can be difficult to satisfy the various interests who care deeply about an issue such as this, I will continue to ask the professionals at the Agency of Natural Resources to carefully examine the science and thoughtfully consider the inputs of all interested parties."

Advocate groups are working to restore the scheduled flows, but stated clearly in an Oct. 26 release that their attempts are ignored, but the ACOE usually meets annually with members to hear concerns about the whitewater releases.

"Hopefully we can meet with them and find a time that's suitable for everybody," said Williams. The Corps is not looking to stop anybody from using the river recreationally, but to find a compromise that works for both sides, he added.

Chris Garofolo can be reached at cgarofolo@reformer.com or 802-254-2311 ext. 275.

The Turning of the Seasons

This is the latest from the Northern Forest Canoe Trail

From Paddling Season…to Auction Season

There’s snow dusting the mountains, and frost in the morning air. Some of the best paddling days of the season may lie ahead…but the mind does stray from paddling to colder weather pursuits. Such as our 5^th Annual Online Auction! This year’s auction runs from November 4 – December 4, and we humbly think it may be our most rockin’ auction ever, thanks to our terrific set of donors. Here’s a brief peak inside the catalog:

• Boats: A headline craft this year is a one-of-a-kind Wenonah Champlain 18-foot Canoe with the NFCT logo on the front tank. Also included on our roster of boats: a Jackson Mini Tripper Kayak, an Ultimate 12 Angler with Rudder, an Advanced Elements DragonFly2XC, and a Lincoln Chebeague Kayak.

• Gear and Goods: From Paddle Gear, to Outdoor Wear, to items that help with Getting There,Hydration, and Navigation. So much to choose from for holiday gifts for yourself and others. Did we mention Coffee? All proceeds benefit NFCT, so bidding early and often is a great thing to do.

New Items in Store

It’s never too early to shop for the holidays! Arnold’s Wilderness March is an historical map and guide depicting Col. Benedict Arnold’s 1775 expedition route through Maine and Canadian wilderness. The Adirondacks: In Celebration of the Seasons is a spectacular photographic tribute to the natural beauty of New York’s mountains.

Rural Destination Tourism

We continue to play an active role in collaboration with a variety of partners to enhance and improve tourism outcomes in the Northern Forest Region. We have focused over the past six months on developing a suite of Itineraries and Vacation Packages (note that we added some new ones in September!). We hope you will bookmark these to help you plan your adventures for paddling season 2010.

We have also stepped up as the coordinator of the Northern Forest Tourism Network as a way to facilitate better coordination of efforts among the many people working hard to position this region as a world class destination.

Save the Date!

What date, you ask? Well, calendar year 2010 should do it. The NFCT organization is turning 10 years old next year, and we are going to make merry…big time. We hope you’ll join us as we release our Official Guidebook and celebrate the incredible partners and places that have helped us to grow up. Stay tuned.

Annual Mission Fund Appeal

We are a small, git 'er done organization. We stay lean, think big, and make things happen from New York to Maine. Your end-of-year donations represent a crucial source of support for the staff and operating costs that make our important work possible. Donate today. Thank you!

Upcoming Events

Even as the seasons change, we encourage you to stay tuned to our calendar, as there are still a variety of happenings along the Trail, hosted by NFCT or any number of our wonderful partners. Bookmark our Calendar of Events so you can keep up and join in!

Monet in America

By LIZ CHALIDZE - Rutland Herald - Published: October 14, 2009

Our cabin hangs on a ledge over Peter's Bay on Lake Champlain. Don't bother looking; you won't find the name on any map. Across the narrow channel, the Adirondack Mountains recede for miles.

Peter's Bay would not exist anymore but for the beavers, who assiduously clear channels through the miniature water lilies and chestnut weeds. Or is it that the bay would be clear, but for the beavers and their obstructive dams and huts?

This is not the Vermont of picture postcards, even in foliage season. The water is edged with swampy overgrowth: small, pale yellow iris, the inflated blossoms of touch-me-nots that collapse at the brush of a finger, rare walking ferns, cheery blue forget-me-nots — and less salubrious things: poison ivy, stinging nettles, Canadian thistles.

The water of the bay is equally rich and challenging. Snapping turtles queue up on algae-covered logs that protrude above the water line — charming, but quite capable of breaking one's finger. Eerie water snakes with eyes ringed in green travel in the aquatic equivalent of packs, heads above the surface, bodies below.

Remnants of prehistory live and breathe here. The bowfin, for example, is one of a group of fish known as "living fossils." There is only one living species of bowfin, found in only a few places in America and nowhere else. Bowfin can fast for up to a year, but when they eat, they eat: fish (including other bowfin), turtles, snakes — even mammals. They've been around since the Jurassic era.

Peter's Bay is home to another living fossil, the lamprey eel. These eels attach their circular parasitic mouths to passing fish or whatever else is passing and sink their sharp teeth into their prey. We recoil from the sight and the thought, but repulsion is relative. There was a time when lampreys were prized throughout Europe. King Henry I is said to have died in Normandy in 1135 after gorging himself on boiled lampreys, a delicacy and his favorite food. The stunningly beautiful grass carp, reviled as a "trash fish" locally, is of the family that for centuries was known as "the queen of fish" in England.

Many people would view Peter's Bay as just plain ugly. To me, it's just plain beautiful. Forget Samuel deChamplain. There is another Frenchman who has stamped more than a name on this neck of woods.

Simply put, living on Peter's bay is like living inside a Monet painting.

Imagine looking at the world from the inside of a picture frame; a frame delimiting a landscape created by a genius. You're in that landscape, looking about, poking into it, picking flowers and herbs and mushrooms from it, inhaling infinitely rich, subtle and varied aromas. Occasionally you may even remember to look out at the larger world around.

But the elusive visual splendor is only a part of the panorama. There is a community of creatures here that defies categorization. The great thing is to join it; but this is possible only by relinquishing one's timidity and chancing the snakes and the snappers and the murky unknown.

One evening I paddled my kayak toward a great stone ledge undercut by the lake but still rising steeply above it: Cedar Mountain. Aptly named, the fortress-like stone massif shearing up from the water is covered in a miniature species of cedar (or perhaps a cedar look-alike) that I have not seen elsewhere. As I approached, the water around the nose of my kayak came alive.

Startled, I paused in midstroke and peered into the water. Escorting me on either side were merry bands of shimmering, large gold fish emblazoned from stem to stern with stylish black polka dots: tiger carp, swirling and splashing.

I resumed my paddling and they preceded me in lively symmetry: a parade of one small boat preceded by a glistening escort.

It is a magical place, this bay. I'd like to tell you there's historical evidence that Monet was actually here, before painting his famous water lilies. There isn't. He wasn't. And yet — he could have been. Such is the magic of Peter's Bay.



Lisa Chalidze is a resident of Benson.

The Police Chief Cheated, and Other Tales from the Giant Pumpkin Regatta

Lauren Ober - Seven Days Blog - Oct 12, 2009

Ed. Note: If I had known about this, I would have been there in a heartbeat. Talk about happy paddling!

Sunday marked the first time I have ever sat inside a giant piece of produce. It also marked the first time I have ever rowed a giant piece of produce on Lake Champlain. But when you're a celebrity like me, you participate in quaint community activities like this, if only to give the fan(s) what they want — a sighting of me in the flesh. I also sign autographs at Borders on Saturday afternoons and give readings of my work at the University Mall Wednesday nights and alternate Tuesday mornings.

Anyway, since I was deemed the "sportiest" Seven Dayser, it was my responsibility to represent the word factory in Sunday'sGiant Pumpkin Regatta, which raised money for Linking Learning to Life — some program meant to help keep kids out of jail or something. I was happy to oblige, since it meant not only that I got to flap around in the water, but I also got to dress up. Yippee!

I decided my costume would be functional and fashionable, so snorkeling gear made the most sense. If I was going in the drink, as least I wouldn't get water in my eyes. Maybe I could even catch a glimpse of a zebra mussel or two underwater. I borrowed a wetsuit and fancy snorkel set from a friend and somehow squeezed my way into the three millimeter neoprene. And because no costume is complete without a wig, my boss graciously provided one from her enviable collection of fake hair.

Some people are reluctant to say they're competitive. I am not one of those people. I'm competitive as heck, so when I arrived at Burlington's waterfront for the races yesterday, I had my game face on. Incidentally, my game face is pretty much like my poop face, but with more nostril flare.

It's hard to keep your competitive spirit up when you're wearing a clown wig and sweatin' to the oldies in a skin-tight wetsuit. But when I saw the crowd lining the shore, I knew I couldn't let them down. As it turned out, most of them left before my race. Apparently, they didn't come for me. Whatever.

I was scheduled for the "celebrity race," the last race of the day. My fellow celebrities included Chittenden County State's Attorney T.J. Donovan, Burlington Police Chief Mike Schirling, Burlington Free Press "senior client strategist" Kathy Soulia, WPTZ meteorologist Jim Moore, WCAX meteorologist Sharon Meyer and some other meteorologists who were not Tom Messner.

I have to confess, when I saw my celebrity competition, I was a little disappointed. I thought I'd be in the company of people like Ben & Jerry, Jake Burton Carpenter or the demi-deity who goes by the name of Trey. No offense to my competitors, but none of us is really a celebrity, despite my assertion to the contrary in the first paragraph. Ain't nobody be wantin' our autographs, that's for sure. At least put me in a race withWCAX's Jack Thurston or Kristen Carlson or someone with some name recognition and equally immovable hair.

But whatever. Celebrity or not, I was going to win. I got in my pumpkin, which I was assured was a winner, and figured out my bearings. Boy, those things are tippy as all hell. The last thing I wanted was to have a 1000-pound pumpkin capsize on me, so I tried not to rock too much. Our only practice was paddling out to the end of the boat launch dock. Then it was go time.

We all begin paddling like spazzes, some with more success than others. I beached myself twice, but I was still doing better than the meteorologists, one of whom was held back a bit by her princess costume. At one point I looked up and Schirling had already rounded the buoy and was barreling towards the finish line. Dude was clearly cheating. And his costume left much to be desired. He was wearing some cop jacket and a ball cap. BO-ring.

Seriously, how did the chief of police get so damn good at rowing a giant pumpkin? I'm pretty sure he worked a deal with the grower. He agreed to knock off the dude's parking tickets in exchange for the most hydrodynamic gourd of the bunch. Also, I'm pretty sure he greased his pumpkin beforehand. He was cutting through the water like Michael flipping Phelps.

After getting passed for fourth place by some dude with a soul patch (I can barely deal with the indignity of this. I got beaten by a guy with a SOUL PATCH.), I paddled in for a respectable fifth place. My reason for this--a wicked headwind, inexperience and abdominal muscles atrophied to the point of rubber band status by years of sitting at a computer. But if there was a competition for costumes, I'd definitely give myself second place.

Rowing a pumpkin is not easy, unless you're a cop and you cheat. But I'll know that for next year. The celebrity race will be mine.

***Special thanks to the Vermont Giant Vegetable Growers Association for growing mammoth pumpkins and letting people row in them.

Dry, Safe, Insured Boat Storage

Tis the time of year when folks start thinking about hanging up the boat for the season. Canoe Imports is opening their barn this year for canoe & kayak storage. If you need a place to keep your boat(s) for the winter, give them a call at 802-651-8760.

Susan Smith campaigns for invasive plant removal

Susan Smith organizes the fight against invasive plants, particularly European Frogbit, in Town Farm Bay in Charlotte. She has studied invasive plants and has received grants from two state programs to help with the project. Smith has helped remove more than 7 tons of frogbit from the lake this summer. (Dorothy Pellett, for the Free Press)

CHARLOTTE — Susan Smith’s canoe was out of the water and parked on her lawn on a recent day — but Lake Champlain’s shorelines are never far from her thoughts.

For two summers, Smith has led a campaign to remove the invasive European frogbit plant from Town Farm Bay in Charlotte. Volunteers and employees removed seven tons of the leafy weed during a stretch of only seven weeks this summer.

Frogbit’s swift rate of growth threatens wildlife that depends on native plants, fish and insects for food. Smith and other volunteers have counted 41 species of frogs, turtles, snakes and birds, including several sightings of a Great White Egret.

Read the Free Press article.