This August marked the fourth year that ECO AmeriCorps members have strengthened water quality efforts in Franklin County and throughout Vermont. Members, driven by passion for the environment and curiosity about career paths, bring increasingly impressive expertise from their recent college educations. Liza Lemieux, who graduated from the University of Vermont in 2018 with a … Continue reading
Eleven months ago a group of 18 individuals came to Vermont to participate in the inaugural year of the Environmental and Career Opportunities, ECO, AmeriCorps program. This service corps was created by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation with a grant from the Corporation of National and Community Service to help implement strategies to protect … Continue reading
What do an ECO AmeriCorps member, a retired Water Resources manager, a Fayston home schooler and his dad, a UVM Rubenstein intern, a Lake Champlain Lake Steward, and five Agency of Natural Resources’ staff have in common? They love recreating in the outdoors, share a passion for Vermont’s water resources, and understand why managing aquatic … Continue reading
The State of Vermont has been dealing with invasive water chestnut for a long time. Currently found in southern Lake Champlain and its tributaries, Lake Bomoseen, Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, and several other lakes and ponds in the basin, water chestnut is a nuisance. Both mechanical and hand harvesting methods are used to significantly reduce … Continue reading
The weather couldn’t have been better for a day of tree planting. With the sun shining and the temperature in the mid-60s a group of ECO AmeriCorps members, the Windham County Natural Resources Conservation District, Rockingham Conservation Commission, Saxtons River Permaculture Project, Bellows Falls Union High School, the Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance and local volunteers … Continue reading
Spring is the time of awakening. Animals and insects start moving and plants begin to revive. It may not feel like it, but it’s warming up outside. A few species in particular begin migrating when it’s warm, around 40° F. That might not feel warm to us, but it’s the ideal temperature for frogs and … Continue reading
On Monday April 4th and Tuesday April 5th AmeriCorps members participated in Mayor’s Recognition Day of National Service in Burlington, St. Albans, and Montpelier. AmeriCorps members met with Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, St. Albans Mayor Liz Gamache, Montpelier Mayor John Hollar, and Barre Mayor Thom Lauzon. AmeriCorps members serving in Montpelier spent Tuesday morning at … Continue reading
On Martin Luther King, Jr. day AmeriCorps members around the state of Vermont, and the country, participated in a day of service. Instead of taking a day off, the Environmental and Career Opportunity (ECO) AmeriCorps members caravanned to Bennington, VT to help Ducks Unlimited volunteers remove invasive plant species, clear trails, and hang Wood Duck … Continue reading
The group of 20 Environmental and Career Opportunities (ECO) AmeriCorps members traveled to Franklin, just south of the Canadian border, to visit Lake Carmi and learn about the water quality issues and opportunities in the watershed. The day started out at the Franklin Town Hall with a brief presentation from Jessica Draper, the Coordinator of … Continue reading
