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The Cabot Chronicle

January 2010 · Issue Record

← From the Cabot Chronicle

The community record for this issue of the Cabot Chronicle, extracted from the original pages. Reprinted with permission from the Cabot Chronicle.

Original issue: Download the January 2010 pages (PDF)

Automated extraction, spot-checked. Advertisements, the business directory, and puzzles are omitted; obituaries appear as individual entries.

In This Issue

By Chronicle Staff

In 1990, Agrimark, Cabot Creamery’s parent company, was authorized to indirectly discharge whey and washwater from the creamery plant by spraying it on local farmers’ fields and manure pits. Every five years this permit is completely reviewed. company requested In 2005 the permission to increase the amount of whey and washwater it disperses from 100,000 gallons per year to 150,000, and was given approval. The next review of the entire permit will be in 2010. The permit is updated annually, and Agrimark can submit amendments to it. On Wednesday, December 2, a group of approximately 50 people attended a Vermont Agency of Natural Resources hearing. The purpose of the hearing was to gather public comment on an amendment updating the list of farmers who receive the washwater mixture. After continuing to receive public comment, through December 14, compiling the testimony, and conducting an investigation, the Agency of Natural Resources will make a final decision on the revised list. Most of the people who attended the permit hearing last month at Marshfield’s Twinfield Union School were completely opposed to the practice of spreading Cabot Creamery’s washwater on farmers’ fields. They voiced concerns about the cleaning chemicals present in the water, what effects those chemicals may have on the environment, and health ramifications. While this was not the original intent of the hearing, the 2010 permit review will be able to address such concerns. Some attendees of the recent hearing are looking towards next year in order to ask the state to reexamine the entire practice more thoroughly. The washwater from the Cabot Creamery contains cleansers, sanitizers, and degreasers which are used to clean the plant’s operations. These powerful chemicals, hazardous in small quantities, are diluted and used with power washers to clean the plant facilities. The chemicals are food grade, approved and actually required by law in order to meet food safety regulations.

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We want to hear from you!

Send us articles, letters to the editor, photos and press releases. Let’s keep our community communicating!

DEADLINE: 15th of the month prior

Publisher: Cabot Coalition Executive Editor: Jeannie Johnson Coordinator: Amy Hornblas Advertising: Julia Shipley Editor: Anne Nadel Pagination: Todd Jones These types of chemicals are used in other industrial food production plants across the state. The washwater, which goes into the floor drains at the Cabot Creamery plant, is stored in tanks, mixed further with waste water from milk, and trucked away for dispersal at farms around the area. Most of the washwater mixture is sprayed on fields and about 5 per cent is deposited into farmers’ manure pits. The field and manure pit dispersal was originally approved because Cabot’s wastewater treatment plant could not handle the material. The biochemical strength of the washwater is much stronger than that of raw sewage. facility would not be A treatment able to remove enough of the chemicals from the water, and the receiving stream (the upper Winooski River) could be damaged by the discharged water. Chemicals consume the oxygen in the water, and can cause fish kills and other damage to aquatic life. Therefore, the decision was made that dispersing the washwater onto the soil was a better choice, since soils have a better ability to handle the materials. The washwater mixture is considered a soil amendment, since it is high in nitrogen and phosphorous. Those who attended the December 2 hearing were passionate about the issue, on one side or the other. One farmer described the greening of his pastures after washwater was sprayed, a benefit to him since he no longer milks and doesn’t have manure of his own to spread. Others spoke about the impossibility of tracing the effects of the chemicals. At the end of the more than two and a half hours of testimony, the ANR allowed attendees to have a real discussion together beyond the format of a formal hearing. In these few moments it became clear that, as residents of the affected area, everyone present had vested interests in the topic. As a result, people expressed a lot of concern and anxiety about their own and their neighbor’s well-being. Many people at the meeting have worked at the Creamery, sold milk there, were members of the coop, helped to build the Cabot Creamery reputation into what it

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Who Are These Children?

Cabot Historical Society is attempting to identify people in photos we have in our collection. This photo was taken after 1909 and before 1920. The teacher is Eva Clough (Joyal) standing at the back-left. The students are from a one-room school in Cabot. Which school? If you can identify any of these children, or the

has become today. Part of these folks’ concern centered on job and opportunities loss for a farm economy if the creamery were to leave the area. Equally compelling were people’s concerns about health. Some said that there seems to be a “cancer cluster” around Cabot, and were concerned that the effects the washwater has on the rivers and watershed may not be understood for decades. On both of these fronts, residents are struggling with global questions. They join the rest of the planet in the struggle to decide what to do with the waste that industry produces, and the question of whether dilution of the chemical leftovers is enough to make the processes safe. On the other hand is the issue of job loss and what a society needs to survive, a global struggle of workers who lose their jobs as their employers move to places where production is cheaper and where waste water can be dispersed with less governmental and community interference. The staff of the Cabot Chronicle understands that this issue is very important to the community, and would like to invite readers to share their insights, information, and feelings on the topic. We are inviting readers to send us their comments, in 200 words or less, and we will do our best to publish them in the upcoming issue. In this way, we can continue the important discussion that needs to take place, neighbor to neighbor, so that we can better understand each other and the issue at large. We invite input from everyone concerned. Please send your comments (200 words or less) to the Cabot Chronicle

reserve the right to edit for space or content, but will strenuously attempt to retain the essence of the individual’s comments.

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Corrections

Editor’s note: We at the Chronicle strive for editorial accuracy. However, once in a while we print something that is a mistake, either on our part or on the part of whoever submitted a given item. For this we apologize, and we will always make efforts to clarify or make amends. Here, then, our correction from the December edition: The photo of Isaac James was inadvertently credited to Amanda Legare. In reality, it is the pianist’s official publicity photo. In the Cabot School Honor Roll, senior Justin Rich was mistakenly left off the list of students achieving high honors. In the article identifying the road workers, Charlie Pilbin was mistakenly identified as Charlie Filbin.

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Lori Augustnyiak

1) How did you become involved with the Chronicle? (How long have you been involved?) Basically, I started it. One of the things we realized on the Cabot Coalition board was that communication was a giant issue. We needed a newspaper. So we pulled together 25 people with experience or interest in starting a community paper. Eighteen months after the initial meeting, we published the first edition. 2) What is your job description? As the Coordinator for the Cabot Coalition, I’m the publisher. 3) Why are you involved— philosophically or practically? Because there is a real community need for local news. 4) How do you know if the Chronicle is a success, and if you think it is, can you provide an anecdote that illustrates this? I do think it’s a success. There’ve been a couple of times when it’s been out late [ after the first of the month] and people have asked, how come it’s not out? That says to me that people would miss it if it were gone. 5) What else is going on in your life/ job/ other interests…in other words… what is being pushed aside, ever so slightly to make room for the Chronicle meetings and deadlines? Well, we’re home-schooling (our son) Leo and we have a home business, our Orchard Nursery [Walden Heights]. 6) What do you hope for the future of this newspaper? I want us to adequately compensate the people working on it. And I want it to become sustainable, and independent of the Coalition, and maintain its place in the community. 7) What’s your favorite part of being involved? I definitely love the people side of things, getting to know the community from uncovering a story that deepens my appreciation and sharing that with everybody else. 8) If you could change/ improve/ overhaul one thing, it would be? To have more people writing for the paper. To encourage and recruit more writers both from and outside our community. took the easy way out of the weather,

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Anne Nadel (No Photo Available)

1) How did you become involved with the Chronicle? (How long have you been involved?) I replied to a job posting for a newspaper writer familiar with AP style, in a late 2007 edition. I sent (then editor) Allison Joyal my resume and a pile of clips, with a handful of references. A couple of weeks later I went over to have an interview (it was quite intimidating, oddly, for such a loosely formed conglomeration of personalities) with Allison (who had already decided I think, to have me write for the paper), Lori, Jeannie Johnson, and a handful of others. I wrote for the paper regularly until July when Allison left the paper for her new job, at which time I was given the opportunity to assume editing responsibilities. 2) What is your job description? Editor and contributing writer. 3) Why are you involved— philosophically or practically? Obviously, I am involved because it’s the only way I can meet famous people and have folks at TMZ pay attention to me at all. OK, in truth, journalism is in my blood. My mother and late father are/ were both journalists and editors, and my late brother was a writer as well. Language, and its creative use, is truly genetic in my case. I laugh that when we were kids, if we used incorrect grammar at the dinner table we were not permitted to leave until the situation had been identified, analyzed and rectified. It’s only partially a joke, actually. Of course it’s not the money that draws me to the Chronicle, but I enjoy the work, and keeping my pen in play, so to speak. And in this world, newspapers are a sadly dwindling breed, so keeping small papers alive, relevant and significant is important to me. 4) How do you know if the Chronicle is a success, and if you think it is, can you provide an anecdote that illustrates this? The success of a paper like the Chronicle is hard to gauge, as it is free to the reading public. I believe obviously, that the local business person’s willingness to buy advertising

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THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Contact me at the VT Statehouse by interviewing staff at the Chronicle, reflects, at least a little, if we are doing a good job in the editorial and social content, but I also get a great deal of feedback from both the community we cover and the surrounding towns. I think we do a good job, and I hope we can and will do a better job. People who know my role in the paper often stop me and tell me they like what they read, and to mention other content ideas they would like to see in the paper. We’re getting there. 5)What else is going on in your life/ job/ other interests…in other words… what is being pushed aside, ever so slightly to make room for the Chronicle meetings and deadlines. I have an enormous amount of stress in my life right now, with a family member facing a health crisis and two teenaged daughters, and I also recently assumed the role of organizational leader of a long standing 4-H club. I also keep livestock and am involved with a lot of school and community activities. There are definitely times when I feel totally overwhelmed, but oddly enough, editing and writing help me keep a personal identity and space where I can separate myself from the demands of all the other stuff. Yes, the week following deadline can be truly mad with more than 100 hours going into editing and proof reading each edition, but at the end of it, a few days each month seem positively vacation like. 6) What do you hope for the future of this newspaper? I’d love to see it grow to include a little of each community around the current coverage area, and gain independence, flourish to where it needs its own office and can support staff. 7) What’s your favorite part of being involved? I love meeting people in the community and feeling like we inform them, and I simply love the relationship I have developed with Todd, and the crazy emails I exchange with our delightful ads sales lady and news – writer- in- training, Julia. 8)If you could change/ improve/ overhaul one thing…it would be? I would expand coverage area and add a bigger base for ad sales and news stories.

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Amy Hornblas

1) How did you become involved with the Chronicle? (How long have you been involved?) I started in August 2009. 2) What is your job description? The Coordinator—what that means, I am still figuring out. Basically, helping in any way I can to get the paper together and out. Tracking down missing stuff, organizing meetings, delivering hard copies around town - you name it. 3) Why are you involved— philosophically or practically? I love community , I love writing, and I enjoy people. It seems like a good fit for me. It also has flexible hours, which fits nicely with my other jobs. 4) How do you know if the Chronicle is a success, and if you think it is, can you provide an anecdote that illustrates this? When I deliver the papers, folks are really happy to receive them. Often the cashier takes one off the stack immediately for themselves and begins to read it! 5) What else is going on in your life/ job/ other interests…in other words…what is being pushed aside, ever so slightly to make room for the Chronicle meetings and deadlines? I work numerous other jobs including being a health teacher at Cabot Middle/High School. And I have lots of projects going on at home, like most Vermonters! 6) What do you hope for the future of this newspaper? To continue to serve Caboteers, and over time come to introduce the fringe and less main-stream members of the community. To become more inclusive over time, basically. 7) What’s your favorite part of being involved? The people. The ones we write about, and the ones involved in the production of the paper. 8) If you could change/ improve/ overhaul one thing…it would be? Personally, I’d like to see more fun stuff in the paper. We are working on getting some comics from local residents, and I’m really excited about that.

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By Francese Cochran

As climate change legislation inches its way through the United States Congress, four Vermont artists are completing works that address the closely-related topic of biodiversity for an exhibit called ON THE PLANET, from January 27 through February 7, 2010 at the Citizens Gallery in Nagoya, Japan. “It’s a tremendous honor to be invited to Nagoya for this project,” says Riki Moss, one of the four artists. “We four Vermonters will have a huge 39 x 34 foot space to use for our installations, and the work we’re sending is both beautiful and compelling.” The exhibit relates to the United Nations 10th Biodiversity Summit to be held in Nagoya in October, 2010. The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity, providing a forum for greater engagement with the public on the importance of biodiversity for human well-being. Faced with continued biodiversity loss, estimated to be as high as 10 times the natural rate as a result of human activities and expected to rise further as a result of the impacts of climate change, the International Year of Biodiversity and the Nagoya Biodiversity Summit provide a genuine opportunity for the world to refocus its efforts on raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity and to take the actions necessary to preserve it for future generations. The four Vermont artists whose work will be exhibited in Nagoya – Sophie Hood, Janet Fredericks, Riki Moss, and Janet Van Fleet – bring a Vermont-based perspective to the critical issue of maintaining the planet’s biodiversity. Sophie Hood, a recent graduate of Dartmouth College, is making five large standing sculptural creatures using material created by ironing plastic shopping bags to-

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in Japan

gether. These creatures, ranging in size from four to seven feet high, will double as wearable costumes. Janet Fredericks, a highly successful Vermont painter, is producing paintings and painting fragments, some of which are made by actually standing in the New Haven River, near her home in Lincoln, responding to and using what she calls “water’s language.” Riki Moss, known for her illuminated Studio-Glow sculptures, is creating a paper forest populated by trees, other plant forms, and creatures made with her signature hand -made albaca paper. Janet Van Fleet, a founder of Studio Place Arts (SPA) in Barre, is mounting a 36 foot long wall installation of disks painted with images of plants and animals, suspended in a grid of fine steel wire. “Just as no one individual or country can solve the climate crisis, we can’t do this Nagoya-Vermont project alone,” says Van Fleet. “We need help and financial support from our fellow-Vermonters who care about this issue, and who agree that art can make a difference in the world.” Frequent project updates are posted on the project’s blog, http://nagoya-vermont.blog spot.com/ including information about how and where donations can be made. An online benefit auction of artwork is planned, as well as a oneweek exhibit of a portion of the work just before the artists and artwork depart for Japan in late January, 2010. This project to date has been funded by the Vermont Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the The Dickey Center for International Understanding, Island Arts and private donors. The artists will be offering related work in an online benefit auction at www.benefitevents.com to help support transportation costs.

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By Jeannie Johnson

CURDS to Larry Gochey, Tim Gochey and Walt Ackermann for helping their Cabot neighbors get home during our season’s first snow storm.

WHEY to broken New Year’s Resolutions.

CURDS for the days growing longer from now until summer. CURDS to Bill Blakeney and Joanne Vecchiola for painting trail marker signs for the new Cabot cross-country trails. And Curds for the Recreation Committee’s work bringing the trails to life.

CURDS to Cabot Seniors (Class of 2010) who are completing their IOTA projects this month. Come see their presentations on January 30, 8 a.m. to 6:10 p.m. at CSPAC.

CURDS to the Hourihans for helping local organizations raise funds with wreath sales this holiday season.

WHEY to GPS systems that direct drivers to use class 4 roads that are snowmobile trails in the winter.

WHEY to ice and ridiculously cold temperatures before winter even officially started. CURDS to the Powers that Be at the Vermont Department of Health, and the nursing staff at Twinfield and Cabot school for finally getting the H1N1 vaccine to our community’s young people. CURDS to our National Guard members who are leaving they’re families behind to defend freedom. Let’s not forget them while their gone, or their families, either. And with all our country’s faults, never forget how fortunate we were to be born here. find schedules for Cabot's varsity teams on the school website. The homepage is located on the web at www.cabotschool.org, via the calendars tab.

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France Trip Auction

The 12 students of the Cabot School France Trip 2010 and their teacher, Cam O'Brien, would like to extend their thanks for the Cabot community's support of the Cabot Annual Auction on December 12. Through donations and purchases they were able to raise $5,000 which will go toward their final payment. They are extremely grateful to everyone who helped them reach their goal.

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be Performed by

On January 9 at 7:30 p.m., Cabot High School senior Brittany French will be performing the one women play Tea at Five, by Matthew Lombardo, at the Cabot School Performing Arts Center. This biographical monologue of the life of famed actress Katharine Hepburn will make for a night of sharp humor and the story of how one girl overcame the trials of the "Hollywood Scene." From lovers to the loss of her brother, Lombardo wrote of Hepburn as if he grew up

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Supports Positive Youth

Applications for the 2010 program will be accepted from Jan. 4 through Feb. 5, 2010. The program is meant to provide funding for charactereducation initiatives in schools and districts across the country. The 2010 program will run from Jan. 4 through Feb. 5, 2010. Now in its third year, the Sprint Character Education Grant Program awards Sprint Foundation grants to school districts and individual schools to fund resources that facilitate and encourage character education among K -12 students. With a national reach, the program is open to all U.S. public schools (K-12) and U.S. public school districts. In 2010, the Sprint Character Education Grant Program will award individual-school grants between $500

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Cabot Senior

with her. Set in the Hepburn’s Connecticut home living room, Tea at Five is a step into a different world. Brittany French has acquired this play for her Independent Dramatic Theater Study class that she created for herself this past fall, and will be performing the first act with the help of the CSPAC Theater Tech class at Cabot School. For more information please call ex. 228, or visit CSPAC on the web at Cabotarts.org.

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Development

and $5,000 and school-district grants between $10,000 and $25,000. In 2009, the Sprint Foundation awarded more than $450,000 in combined grants to schools and school districts through this program. The Sprint Character Education Grant Program will accept applications for character-education programs that promote youth leadership, youth volunteerism, a positive school culture and address drop out prevention. The deadline for applications is January 4 through February 5. For further information, a list of previous winners and the grant application, see the website at http:// www.sprint.com/responsibility/ education/character/index.html

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Mountain Youth Symphony Orchestra

Cabot is well represented on the Green Mountain Youth Symphony Orchestra. Heidi Cookson has played flute since 3 rd grade. She’s been doing the GMYS orchestra for two semesters. Lars Hammer plays French horn in the GMYS senior orchestra Both Lars and Heidi are principal instrument players for the orchestra, and active in the music program at Cabot School.

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Students to Present IOTA Projects

The following Cabot School students will give their IOTA project presentations on Sunday, January 31, at the times given below. 8:00 to 8:30 a.m.; Amber Graves, Dog Rehabilitation and People Training: 8:40 to 9:10 a.m.; Dore Grier, Disease Research: 9:20 to 9:50 a.m.; Caitlin Celley, Type I Diabetes: 10:00 to 10:30 a.m.; Ashley Ambroz, A Ticket To Dreams: A Semester In France: 10:40 to 11:10 a.m.; Aubrey Keene, Creative Cakes: 11:20 to 11:50 a.m.; Samantha Lewis Rock, Forensic Science: 12:20 to 12:50 a.m.; Tim Ksepka, Beageling: 1:00 to 1:30 p.m.; Brittany French, Youth Theater Direction: 1:40 to 2:10 p.m.; Justin Rich, Wood Working: 2:40 to 3:10 p.m.; Haylee Smith, Rescuing Abused Horses: 3:40 to 4:10 p.m.; Gwen Considine, Imprinting The Newborn Foal: 4:20 to 4:50 p.m.; Robin Considine, Raising Goats: 5:00 to 5:30 p.m.; Elijah Schumacher, The Effect Of WWI On English Literature: 5:40 to 6:10 p.m,; Elias Lewis, Aspects Of Jewelry.

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Hero Pack Assembly

Ashley Ambroz and Aubrey Keene read a poem at the Hero Pack Assembly on December 18th at Cabot School. The purpose of the assembly was to honor Vermont guardsmen deploying to Afghanistan and their families. Jeff Durgin, a Vermont guardsman from Cabot who will be deploying soon, was honored along with his family. Jeff has a first grader and third grader at Cabot School. Hero packs were given to Cabot School military youth to thank them for their sacrifices while a parent is deployed. Photo by Donna McSweeney.

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January is National

Research confirms that mentoring works. We know that when done well, mentoring youth shows great promise in helping young people succeed in life. Studies have shown that programs which provide youth with formal one-to-one mentoring relationships have strong success in reducing incidents involving the law, substance use and academic decline. These studies further indicate that formal youth mentoring programs can promote positive outcomes, such as improved confidence, self-esteem, and social skills. Cabot Connects, a project of the Cabot Coalition, a substance abuse prevention program in Cabot, is proud to announce its fourth year in operation with 20 community based mentors and 11 school/ literacy based mentors. Community based mentors get together with their youth two to three times per month and do a variety of activities based on their mutual interests. Some of the things they have done together are horseback riding, fishing, making jams and pies together, helping with school projects, hiking on trails here in Cabot, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, snowshoeing, library programs, gardening, farm chores, arts and crafts, movies, making dinner and hanging out together, etc. The possibilities are endless. School based mentors meet with youth during the school day and hang out together talking, playing games, and going for short walks. In our new literacy based mentor program, mentors visit K-4 classrooms and help students practice their reading skills. In all these situations, mentors, youth and teachers alike, are immensely en-

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The Cabot Chronicle is creating

If there is someone special you’d like the next issue of The Cabot Chronicle, with proper payment before January Valentine’s greetings are $2.00 for the that up to 50 words ($5.00). Greetings and must be paid in advance. Yes, please include my Love Note Chronicle: Greeting to read as follows:

Number of words: My name: Phone #: Amount

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Mentoring Month

joying the experience of connecting with each other. We would like to thank the following mentors and advisory board members for their commitment, time, energy, kindness and caring to the youth in our community. Please take a moment this month when you see these people around town to thank them for helping make a positive difference for our kids and our community: Susan Alexander, Connie Hourihan, Lori Augustyniak, Amber Ksepka, Amy Bothfeld, Ashley Ksepka, Deb Bothfeld, Billie Marcotte, Raquel Bigelow, Tracy Mauck, Sheila Booth, Cathleen Maine, Judy Boucher, Suzy North, Mark Bromley, Leonia Pike, Greg Burtt, Tara Rogerson, Richard Bushey, Linda Savoca, Patrick Campbell, Christa Scholz, Jennifer Churchill, Jackie Scribner, Mike Cookson, Susan Tobias, Michelle Delaney, Lars Torres, Ken Elmer, Lynn Rockwell, Alicia Feltus, Jon Vara, Susan Freeburn, Connie Withers, Jim Goodrich, John Hammer, Gail Greaves, Kathleen Higbee, Johneal Hale, Karen Mueller-Harder. A special thanks to Mark Bromley and his family for their dedication toward the Cabot Roamers community bike group. Mark has spent countless hours organizing training rides and events, writing grants, getting biking equipment, and organizing our bike trip from Vermont to Maine. Thanks also to all the volunteer parents and community members who have come out to help with these rides. If you would like more information about becoming a mentor or would like to have a mentor, please contact Kathleen Hoyne at the

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Art Exhibit to Open

The Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild opens the new year with an exhibition of the brilliant colors of stained glass artist Fred Varney and the intricate, intriguing pen and ink drawings of Sarah Kinsella Waite. The exhibition opens on January 14, and the public is invited to an artists' reception on Saturday, January 16 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The exhibition will be on view through March 4. The Artisans Guild address is 430 Railroad St., St. Johnsbury; hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Varney, a Marshfield resident, remembers being fascinated by stained glass windows in the elegant homes he saw in his hometown, Springfield, Massachusetts. Varney attended Clarkson College in Potsdam, N.Y. from 19661969, then moved to South Woodbury, Vt. where he bought land. Just prior to moving to Vermont in 1970 Fred began working with glass. Restoration of some damaged windows for his future Vermont home, and construction of a lamp from leftover pieces of glass were his first experiences working with glass. Since then, over the years, he has completed hundreds of commissions and autonomous works: free standing glass clocks with curved "slumped glass" sides, original design "Tiffany" type lamps, skylights and numerous windows. His work has been widely exhibited, and he was commissioned to produce figurative stained glass windows for the United Church of Hardwick. A love of drawing and designing, fascina-

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in St. Johnsbury

tion with the beauty of the glass itself, and the desire to work with his hands made stained glass a natural career choice. Sarah Waite, Burke Hollow resident, works in pen-and-ink. illustrations, inspired by art Her of the Northwest coast, use the natural forms of animals, plants and trees in a symbolic style. Their subject is the Northeast ecosystem and the relationships among the flora and fauna within it. While Waites's work emphasizes the natural world, it's also informed by design. Her training as a graphic designer and years working in the print industry have led her to develop the clean, black and white imagery on display in this exhibit. "My drawings come from spending a lot of time in nature; hiking, fishing, or just being in my backyard," Sarah says. "I am especially intrigued by the patterns of the natural world and try to bring this to each drawing, keeping in mind how the parts make up the whole. When working on a new illustration, I learn as much as I can about the animal, considering its place in the food chain and its interactions with its surroundings." The Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with the work of over one hundred Vermont artisans on view. For more information visit the Guild at 430 Railroad Street, St. Johnsbury, go to its website, www.nekguild.com, or

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By Charles W. Johnson

So you think you’re tough surviving a northern New England winter? Well, consider the amazingly resilient “water bears,” creatures that live all around us but that can only be seen through a microscope. They live the world over and can withstand levels of heat and cold, and other environmental extremes, like no other animal. Water bears live anywhere water is present for at least part of the year. With about 1,000 species currently known, they are found in Antarctica, on Himalaya peaks, in deep ocean water, in parched deserts. Lab experiments have shown them to survive temperatures of 295 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 454 degrees. They survive in extremely acidic solutions, in air without oxygen and in air with toxic gases. They can survive pressures 1,000 times greater than that on Earth’s surface. Tests by astronauts have shown they can live even after intense solar radiation in space. What are these unusual beings? How do they do it? Water bears are more technically called tardigrades, a name that comes from the Latin word, tardigradus, meaning “slow moving.” As you might guess, they do move slowly, in a sauntering fashion, in a way that resembles a shambling bear. But they also look like a mite, or maybe a football-shaped worm with legs. Their common name –

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Wanted-

ambitious, driven self-starter to sell advertising for the Cabot Chronicle. Retirees fine, particularly anyone with some experience in sales. Must have own car and be able to govern your time independently. This is a commissioned position. Please send brief resume and contact information to coordina-

the subject line.

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Wanted-

experienced, talented writers to write articles for the Cabot Chronicle. Knowledge of Associated Press style a definite plus, functional literacy a must. May waive experience qualifications with highquality writing sample submissions. Ability to express yourself clearly is the most important thing. This is a freelance job. Please send resume and queries to edi-

subject line.

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EYOND

they’re also called “moss piglets” and “bears of the moss” – suggests an endearing appearance. View them under a lens or check a photo on a Web site, and you’ll probably agree. You might also note that like their distant cousins, arthropods, their bodies are segmented and they have eight legs; unlike anthropods, however, their legs are not segmented, but rather peg-like with claws at the ends that are used for grabbing onto the substrate or, in carnivorous species, capturing prey. Most species are herbivorous, feeding on mosses, lichens, or other vegetation; but some are scavengers, eating dead matter, and a few are carnivorous, devouring other microscopic animals such as rotifers, nematodes and other tardigrades. In common with more evolved animals, they have a welldeveloped brain and nervous system, as well as digestive, excretory and muscular systems. Being small and aquatic, they lack respiratory and circulatory systems, but instead breathe though their skins, taking oxygen from water as fluids circulate freely throughout their bodies. Though dependent on water for their life functions – eating, moving, reproducing, breathing – they have extraordinary powers of survival when water

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Wanted, Great place to rent ASAP

No carpets, 1 tenant, quiet reliable retired teacher - No smoking, No pets. is either absent (through drought or tied up as ice) or too abundant. They may inflate themselves like minute balloons to ride out floods, and they can carry enough of their own oxygen when it is otherwise scarce. In extreme cold or dryness, they can expel almost all of their body water and shrivel into a much-reduced wrinkled form, thereby becoming virtually freeze-proof or drought-proof, as their metabolism ceases. In this state, called cryptobiosis, water bears are, to all intents and purposes, dead. But add water or ameliorate the temperature, and they miraculously spring to life. While they usually live only weeks or months, cryptobiosis allows them to extend their life span tremendously. When scientists at the British Museum in Great Britain recently rehydrated a 120-year-old dried clump of moss, they discovered water bears that, indeed, had returned to life. How they withstood more than a century of dryness remains a mystery. As far as we know, water bears are neither harmful nor helpful to humans. They just are. Because of their size, they probably won’t ever be in the public eye like birds or mammals or even insects. But as unusual members of our planet, they have gained a dedicated following that seems to be growing. “Tardigrade Clubs” are now popping up to share scientific and other information on Web sites and elsewhere. More scientists are studying them, as well.

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January 2010 ~ page 7

One foremost authority, Dr. William Miller of Baker College, Kansas, visited Vermont last year during the Montpelier BioBlitz, a weekend-long intensive survey and celebration of all plants and animals within the city’s boundaries. Miller arrived with his “team” of students, all in green T-shirts, carrying an enormous poster with the image of an especially fetching water bear. Over the course of the weekend, the team discovered a species of water bear new to New England, and Miller enthralled BioBlitz participants with his slide presentations, enthusiasm, the discussions he lead, and the microscope views he offered of living water bears. He won many new water bear fans. In keeping with that spirit, I offer here a cheer for Team Tardigrade: Water bears, water bears, fight fight fight, You may be small, but you’ve got might, All around the world, in the void of space, With your tiny legs, you’ll win the race. Charles W. Johnson of East Montpelier is a former Vermont state naturalist and the author of several books. This column is illustrated by Adelaide Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and is sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of New Hampshire Foundation: wellborn@nhcf.org.

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Your

snowmobiles must be equipped with: headlight; red rear light; windshield free from jagged or sharp edges; a fully functional brake in good condition; efficient muffler and such other equipment and devices as may be required to meet the noise level specifications of not more than 73 decibels on the A scale at 50 feet in a normal operating environment. Colored lens covers on headlights are illegal. Windshields are mandatory or the operator must wear eye glasses, goggles or a protective face shield.

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Replacement Exhaust Systems: It

is against Vermont law to sell a replacement exhaust system that exceeds the manufacturer's original equipment specifications. Violation of this law will result in a fine of $300 for the snowmobile operator and a $300 fine for the person selling the illegal exhaust system. No by-pass of a muffler system is allowed.

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Highlights

15TH Annual Orleans Snowstormers Ride. Stops will be Lamarche Albany Market, Bob's Quick Stop, Lake Parker Store, VB'S Restaurant (Candlepin), Robin's Roost, Evansville Trading Post and Brewskis Pub & Grill (Crazy Horse). We are still in the planning process of the prizes. For more information, contact Gloria Rodrigue at

link on our website www.orleans snowstormers.com as we get closer to the event.

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← From the Cabot Chronicle