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Get to Know Springfield - A weekly look at people and events along the Black River
Kelly Stettner
• Mon, Jun 27, 2011
Summer is upon us – how will YOU spend it?
Raindrops keep fallin’…
And you can save them for a sunny day! Get yourself a rain barrel and you can water your lawn, flowerbeds or veggie garden when it’s dry as a bone. The Black River Action Team is making them all summer long, and you can see one for yourself at the Windsor County Ag Fair on Saturday, July 9th at the BRAT booth. Just $35 gets you a complete barrel; proceeds after cost go to fund the BRAT’s projects, which range from cleaning up the Black River (watch for the 12th Annual RiverSweep on 9/10/11), educational Bug Hunts to explore aquatic life, and the new Adopt-the-River campaign. Learn more by contacting the BRAT at blackrivercleanup@yahoo.com or call (802) 885-1533.
Alumni parade a clean sweep
What a gorgeous turn of events – the dark clouds evaporated and the parade marched on under bright sunshine on Saturday, June 18. The Black River Action Team brought up the rear, with volunteers pushing shopping carts donated for the event by Shaw’s. We walked from one side of the road to the other, zigzagging back and forth as we collected trash from the bystanders. We filled two 33-gallon trash bags to the brim with candy wrappers, empty coffee cups, popcorn boxes, napkins and more – thanks to the wonderful volunteers Heather, Ed, Stormy, and Nicole, plus all the great kids who held their own, asking for “trash donations” from spectators. A big thanks to Shaw’s for the cart-loan, and to everyone who “pitched in”…literally!
A night with the stars
The 2011 Stellafane Convention will be held Thursday through Sunday, July 28-31. Hosted by the Springfield Telescope Makers, Stellafane is a wonderful opportunity to release your inner stargazer! The first Stellafane was held in July of 1926, with exhibits, talks and demonstrations and the tradition of welcoming astronomy buffs of all ages and experience levels continues. Folks come from all over to this annual event, featuring workshops on a variety of topics, a telescope competition, and lots of other activities and fun. Keynote speakers will be none other than Geoff Notkin and Steve Arnold, the Science Channel’s own “Meteorite Men!” There is a pre-Stellafane workshop being held at the Hartness House, where you can learn all about meteors, meteorites and minor planets! Visit Stellafane.org for more information or take a moment and drop a note to Springfield Telescope Makers, P.O. Box 601, Springfield VT 05156.
Got paddle?
If you dip your kayak or canoe in the Black River between the Springfield Shopping Plaza and the USGS gauging station in North Springfield, you can haul up onto shore at the Riverside Middle School’s access ramp. This is made even more accessible by the rugged floating dock that has been put out for the third year in a row, thanks to a grant from the Norcross Wildlife Foundation back in 2009 and the efforts of some volunteers from the Black River Action Team. The dock is used by paddlers throughout the summer, by passers-by for toe-dipping as well as fishing and crayfish-hunting, and by the BRAT for “bug hunting”: capturing small aquatic insect larvae to examine the water quality of the river at that location. Visit the dock, send a photo and/or a description of how you used the dock, and by all means let me know if you spot any wildlife in the vicinity! I can be reached via email at blackrivercleanup@yahoo.com or by phoning (802) 885-1533.
Wildlife everywhere!
My friend Joyce reports seeing a young bull moose across from the Crown Point Country Club’s golf course last Friday afternoon. There are beavers out by the Eureka Schoolhouse, foxes in the Springweather Nature Reserve on Fairground Road, and a family of ravens living on the ridge across the river from Nortrax, by the head of the Toonerville Recreation Path. I hear whip-poor-whils, nighthawks and cardinals from our front porch and have spotted heron and deer at the river’s edge near Paddock Road Bridge. What are you seeing or hearing? Have you noticed fireflies at night, dancing in the open spaces and flickering like so many Christmas lights? A flower or plant you haven’t seen before. A frog or toad hiding in the garden. Nature really is all around us, in the grass and soil under our feet, in the air around us (yeah, I know: pollen is pretty heavy this year!), the water that flows by and beyond. Take a moment to look out over the river, watch a kingfisher eat breakfast, see if you can spot some of the ducks and mergansers that wander the watershed. Taking that mere minute or two for a “timeout in nature” can really rejuvenate you!
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