I don’t know when the first hot air balloons arrived in Vermont, but they were formally introduced in 1783 in Paris, though there is strong evidence that a pre-Columbian Peruvian tribe used a variation of them. George Washington watched aeronauts ascend in their balloon, and Benjamin Franklin even suggested balloons’ use in American warfare. During our violent Civil War, both sides had balloon corps.

George Schmitt at the 1913 Rutland County Fair. Photo courtesy of the Nakki Goranin collection

Traveling 19th century circuses would have employed them, and the 1867 Barton Fair advertised two ascensions for fairgoers. By 1909 every Vermont fair had its balloonists, and officials started thinking about how to get the new “aeroplanes” to their shows.

Charles and George Schmitt were also caught up in the aviation excitement sweeping the world.

Though they were only 16 and 13, they set up in their bedroom the first wireless station in Vermont. Using diagrams from popular science magazines, the brothers, built the state’s first glider in their backyard. On August 29, 1910, they took the glider to the fairgrounds and with the help of a tow rope and an automobile, George was able to “fly” at a height of 20 feet. Cheering him on were the members of the Rutland High School Aero Club, which Charles had organized.

George Schmitt seemed to be an extraordinarily charming and charismatic man, though in his letters his sweetness and humbleness comes through. He somehow was able to persuade a group of Rutland businessmen to invest in him by buying him his first airplane.

Practicing for the first flight, he was able to get his plane to fly short hops, but had only Charles as his witness. He was scheduled to fly at the 1910 St. Johnsbury Fair, but was having trouble getting the relatively new engine to start. Well-known aviator Charles Willard (who had been flying only a year or so) was hastily summoned from Boston and took the prize for a short flight of only a few minutes.

George returned to New York City where he was enrolled in a technical school, but he soon found himself spending all his time flying at the Mineola, Long Island, airfield.

He was drawing a lot of attention for his skill, enthusiasm and youth. Small articles about Schmitt started appearing in major national flying magazines and he was mentioned in the famous Aero Club of New York City newsletters.

Schmitt was photographed working with Glenn Curtis, Captain Baldwin, and other luminaries. Too busy to leave Mineola, in 1912 Charles Morok became the first to technically fly at Rutland. Due to weather and winds from the mountains, it was no easy flight and only lasted two minutes.

Now 19, Schmitt and his Curtiss plane were given one of the first air routes. He stayed in the air 22 minutes and flew at an altitude of over 2,000 feet.

He became friends with another Mineola pilot, Henry Thor, and the two of them formed the Thor-Schmitt Aviation Company (with George being the primary pilot and Thor the primary businessman). Fairs were paying very big fees to have aviators fly and do tricks, as well as selling real photo postcards to eager audiences.

In 1912, Schmitt flew exhibitions all over the state of Vermont (still the only Vermonter), while he was developing a national reputation. At 20, he was invited to fly in Maine, New York, and Ohio. As he made more money, he bought better planes. George walked away from a crash in Maine when his plane became tangled with electric wires. Not news his mother wanted to hear.

George was breaking records for distance and altitude. He also had the honor of being one of the first airmail pilots.

For the extraordinarily handsome 6’1” flier, being treated like a hero after aviation meets must have been beyond exciting. People would pull him from the plane and carry him on their shoulders. Crowds of 5,000 - 20,000 people would shout his name.

But with all the glamour, it was still an occupation that required intuitive skill, fearlessness and a lot of luck.

Young aviators all over the world were being killed daily. George’s mother fretted. Charles was eager to follow in George’s footsteps.

Vermont attracted other well-known pilots to its exhibitions. Brattleboro’s Ira Spaulding enrolled in a Glenn Curtiss flying school in California. 1912 saw teenager Charles Grant build the state’s second glider, though it crashed on takeoff. Grant decided to stay on the ground and became a well known aviation designer.

By the fall of 1912, Schmitt and Thor were making big plans. Packing the plane in three boxes, the two left to conquer the world of the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Being the first aviator in many of the towns and ports they visited, George became a celebrity. Unlike other barnstormers, he was being wined and dined by governors and local dignitaries and he was making thousands of dollars. Not bad considering he was still only 20 years old.

In his free time George took notice of local products and crafts and started sending them back to Charles with the thought of starting an import business. When he finally returned eight months later, he was truly a seasoned pilot.

He had spent his 21st birthday charmed by a woman in Brazil. He had income, and a future with exciting challenges.

His mother again begged him to give up flying. He finally agreed he would after the 1913 Rutland Fair. He had a business future ahead of him now.

September 1, he flew over the fairgrounds and gave rides to friends and, most important, to his father, a German immigrant who ran a bakery.

On September 2 he was again flying with paying customers, as well as old friends. J. Dyer Spellman, a casual friend and law student, got in the plane toward evening. The plane hit a little air disturbance, Spellman panicked, grabbed George’s shoulder harness (which helped to steer the plane), broke other wires in his terror, and the plane very quickly crashed. The very heavy radiator broke over George’s body.

Charles and a neighbor pulled George out of the plane. He was conscious but with a “broken skull,” multiple broken bones and profound burns. He was put in a car and rushed to the hospital. He lived long enough to say goodbye to his mother. She never got over it and died within the year.

People all over the state mourned. Charles never flew again, and eventually moved away. The Rutland Fair continued to have flying matches; tragically in the 1920s more pilots and aeronauts were killed.

The wonders we have today in aviation are a gift from a generation of incredibly brave young men and women. George Schmitt’s life, though incredibly short, still brings meaning to this world and to my life.

Nakki Goranin has been working on a book documenting the life of pioneer aviator George Schmitt and his contemporaries. If you have any information about George, please contact her through Livin’ magazine.

If you were expecting to read a story about baseball, I apologize. Although that would be fun to write, what more is there to say on the subject? He is perhaps the best hitter to have played the game. Period. The same can be said of his other passion, fly-fishing, where his feats are unrivaled. While most people know that he was also a pilot, few realize to what level he excelled in this arena. And almost no one knows his surprising ties to the Green Mountain State.

Ted Williams the Pilot

It is important to remember there were eight papers in Boston at the time, each competing for readers, and rumors about Williams sold copies. The press quickly painted him as “un-American.” Select fans heckled him mercilessly.

Ted Williams takes a break in the cockpit of a Marine F9F-5 Panther jet fighter plane while taking a refresher course in September 1952. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.

In 1942 the exhibition games he played in spring training touched him. He was honored by the loud cheers he received from servicemen and realized baseball was good for morale. A recruiter from Dartmouth made a presentation to the Red Sox and told him if he signed up in the Navy he wouldn’t have to fight in the infantry and he could play out the ‘42 season. This appealed to him and he soon began one of the most publicly scrutinized military careers in history.

Williams could have received an easy assignment playing baseball for the Navy, but that was not what he signed up for. He joined a V-5 program and set his sights on being a naval aviator.

Not only did Williams complete all his training, he thrived at it and set numerous base records. According to Johny Pesky, a fellow Red Sox player who was in the same program as Williams, “He mastered intricate problems in 15 minutes which took the average cadet an hour, and half of the other cadets there were college grads.” In the advance training for which Pesky did not qualify: “I heard Ted literally tore the ‘sleeve target’ to shreds with his angle dives. He’d shoot from wingovers, zooms, and barrel rolls, and after a few passes the sleeve was ribbons. At any rate, I know he broke the all-time record for hits.”

Williams went to Jacksonville, Florida, for a course in air gunnery, the combat pilot’s payoff test, and broke all the records in reflexes, coordination, and visual-reaction time. “From what I heard, Ted could make a plane and its six ‘pianos’ (machine guns) play like a symphony orchestra,” said Pesky. “From what they said, his reflexes, coordination, and visual reaction made him a built-in part of the machine.”

To this day, Williams’ gunnery record in reflexes, coordination and visual-reaction time still stand.

During the war Williams served as a flight instructor. He was in Pearl Harbor awaiting orders to join the China fleet when the war ended. He finished the war in Hawaii and was released from active duty in January 1946. Williams later said he regretted never seeing combat.

In 1952 Williams was recalled from the reserves for active service in the Korean War. He expressed to his superiors that if he were going to serve he wanted to be involved in combat. After completing jet refresher training in the F-9F at Cherry Point, N.C., he joined VMF-311 in Korea.

Over the next year Williams flew the required 37 combat missions over Korea. On two occasions his aircraft was hit by enemy fire.

During the worst encounter he was forced to land his crippled jet at 225 miles an hour on one wheel. When the F-9 finally came to a stop at the end of the runway after skidding over 2,000 feet, Williams walked away from the burning wreck as firemen hosed it down with foam. Fortunate but enraged, he reacted as if he had just popped out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth — he yanked off his helmet and slammed it to the ground.

For over half his flights, Williams was the wingman for one of America’s other great pilots; a five-time Distinguished Flying Cross winner named John Glenn.

“We flew together quite a lot and got to know each other very well,” said Glenn. “Ted was an excellent pilot, and not shy about getting in there and mixing it up.”

Of the relationship between Williams and Glenn, biographer Ed Linn notes, “You don’t pick a wingman because he can hit a baseball. You pick him because he can save your life.”

On July 28, 1953 Williams returned to the United States and was relieved of active duty. Among the decorations he received was the Air Medal with two Gold Stars for meritorious achievement.

Williams The Vermonter

Wettach was born in Switzerland, but moved at an early age to her family’s farm in Putney. In 1956 she represented Vermont in the Miss Universe Contest (winning Miss Congeniality). She graduated from the University of Vermont School of Nursing in 1957. After graduation, she went to New York City.

While she was working as a nurse at Manhattan’s Doctors Hospital, a sharp-eyed photographer saw beyond her heavy oxfords and asked her to pose. Part of Dolores’ sudden rise to the top was her resemblance to Jackie Kennedy. Photographer Milton Greene said she was “the newest, most dewy-eyed model this year.” Wettach once said, “I’m made to wear a flattening bra, otherwise, I take away from the dress.”

She soon graced the covers of several high-fashion magazines including Vogue and landed several acting and modeling roles. She was the runner-up for the lead female in the James Bond movie Goldfinger in 1964.

They met in 1967, on a plane flight back to the United States from New Zealand. Dolores had just completed a modeling assignment; Ted had been on a fishing trip, a guest of the New Zealand tourism board.

Wettach had no idea who Williams was when they were introduced. The couple married that year after a whirlwind courtship. The union produced two children, John-Henry (1968-2004), and Claudia.

In addition to being a model and actress, Wettach was a mink farmer, an art she learned from her father.

From 1967 to 1973 the couple lived in Putney. In truth Williams spent limited time at the residence. He was coaching the Washington Senators, and he was often away either at baseball camps or fishing in Florida or New Brunswick. Very few stories exist of his interacting with the locals.

Dennis Jensen, a veteran reporter with the Rutland Herald, once had the opportunity to interview Williams in Rutland. He recalls that when he asked Williams about baseball he seemed disinterested, but when they began to talk about fishing he really perked up.

After the divorce, Williams was still a regular fixture in Vermont visiting his children and family friends in the Rutland area. His son, John-Henry, attended Vermont Academy in Saxtons River.

In all fairness it might be a stretch to call Williams a “Vermonter” based on the six years he lived in the state. At the very least, it is an appropriate dash of color on the state’s landscape painted by a man who was a New England icon.

Kyle Scanlon is the editor of Livin’ Magazine.

On Saturday May 14, the Progressive State Committee passed a resolution opposing the installation of the F-35 fighter jets at the Vermont Air National Guard Base in South Burlington. The resolution was passed unanimously and reflects our bylaws which read “military expenditures must be weighed in the context of domestic priorities.” The proposal calls for installation of 18-24 planes, each projected to cost $135 million. The total program is expected to cost $329 billion. The resolution requested F-35s be canceled and the money be used to support health care, education, jobs, roads, bridges, the environment, and human services.

The resolution also says, “the health, safety, and quality of life of Vermonters will be harmed by these fighter jets.” The noise produced by F-35s is projected to be 2 - 4 times as loud as the F-16 s they are replacing. In Tucson, where they are also planning on installing F-35s, they have been recorded at 104 decibels (85-90 decibels can cause permanent ear damage). Excessive noise has been linked to cognitive impairment in children, sleep disorder issues, will cause undue stress on anyone suffering from PTSD, and renders conversation impossible when they are operating. The base in South Burlington will have these jets flying over an elementary school and will make education impossible when they are operating.

Noise isn’t linked only to physical and psychological impairments; it is directly linked to property value. Dr. Timothy Hogan, from the University of Arizona says, “The impact of aircraft noise on property values is a well-researched and documented issue.” His extensive research shows a 20-decibel increase would imply losses in value in the 12 -22 percent range, a loss of $9,000 to $33,000 for a $150,000 home. Due to the significantly increased noise level of the F-35s, the radius of homes affected by this would be quite large. This will mean people in that area can’t sell their homes and will be forced to remain in an unhealthy environment. In addition almost 100 homes are being purchased and destroyed as part of an airport expansion project. This is resulting in a significant loss of revenue to South Burlington and surrounding communities.

The environment won’t be damaged due only to noise and expansion of the airport, these planes run on benzene and their fumes will pollute our air and can have negative health effects on all in this area. At a presentation on the F-35s in South Burlington we were told one of the reasons this location was picked is because our air quality was good enough to handle this added pollution. Benzene is an extremely toxic chemical, a carcinogen and a developmental and reproductive toxin. Is this what we want in our air and in the air over an elementary school? Does Lake Champlain need more chemicals floating into it?

I hope you will join me in contacting our congressional delegates and asking them not to support the expansion of F-35s. Even U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has expressed opposition to standing military assets such as “juggernaut flotillas and additional F-22, F-35 and C-17 production,” noting we need increased technology and information-gathering systems instead.

Meg Brook is a frequent contributor to the Vermont Progressive Party’s Website. Visit www.progressiveparty.org for more information.

Enter “Step.” I’ll explain. When I was a nubber, my older sister was learning to spell. To simplify the spelling of her younger brother’s name, my mother broke it into two shorter words, “step” and “hen.” For reasons unexplainable, I became Step, and the name stuck. Better than Hen. I only became “Stephen” when I entered the job market and wanted to sound older, more serious and mature.

Big mistake. These days it makes me smile to find someone who has known me long enough to call me “Step.”

Nicknames can be generic, like “buddy” or “pal.” I once had a job with a company where we used a slick, Manhattan ad agency. There was this one totally useless guy called our account executive whose job was to make us feel good. He accomplished this by ordering really expensive wines — two bottles at a time — at lunch and by calling everyone “Big Guy.” It worked! Try it. Find a male, preferably a little wimpy one, call him “Big Guy” and see if he doesn’t puff up a little bit. Guys are genetically susceptible to anything that appeals to their vanity.

But vanity can bite you in the butt, especially with nicknames. Step’s Nickname Rule #1: Beware of self-anointed nicknames. When my youngest son was in Little League, he was a sure-handed shortstop. Once, after a nice play, his coach said, “Nice job. You’re like a vacuum cleaner out there.” My son decided that his new moniker would be “VC.” The other kids on his team picked up on it and for a few days everything was VC-this and VC-that.

Then came a real game. As VC patrolled his turf between second and third, an opposing player on second base asked “What does ‘VC’ stand for?”

“Vacuum cleaner,” answered my son with modest swagger.

“Why? Is that because you suck?” Thus ended the VC era.

This can happen in the political arena, too. A few years ago Ed Flanagan, then running for the U.S. Senate, deemed himself “The Bulldog.” A few years after he went down to defeat, I ran into him in an elevator. “Hey,” I said, addressing him in the third-person, as he had in his ads, “It’s the Bulldog!” He looked through me, as if I had just made a rude noise. There was not even a little woof of recognition.

This year’s Democratic primary is so crowded that you need more than a scorecard to tell the players apart … you need nicknames—creative, funny, sophomoric nicknames. Step’s Rule #2: when creating a nickname, think of something that will make an eighth-grader snicker.

Ironically, the only Democrat not running for the Golden Dome is the only Democrat with a good nickname already, “Shap” Smith. The long shot in the race to face Scooby-Doo (No offense, Peter, but I would have chosen Brian “Dubious”) is Susan Bartlett. Not too many people are familiar with her position on issues which is confusin’, not that we’re excusin’, but this Susan will be Losin.’

Doug Racine has been around Vermont politics since forever. He’s nice looking, articulate, and polite … all in all, a decent guy. His first name, however, rhymes with many words that sound good, but just don’t fit … Doug the Slug, Doug the Thug, Doug the Lug. Since he’s already had a shot at prime time, some might think of him as Doug the Shrug, as in yesterday’s news. In keeping with true Freynesian spirit of juvenile humor and in recognition of his good service, let’s go with Dougie Doo-Right.

Matt Dunne has committed the unforgivable political sin of not being from Chittenden County. He’s what we savvy political analysts call an “up-and-comer,” meaning that his potential for losing races at a higher level is unlimited. We could be talking White House in a few years. But not now. His time has not come, so call him Matt “Stick-a-fork-in-me-I’m-all” Dunne. (But if you run into him in an elevator, make him puff up a bit by addressing him as “Big Guy.”)

There’s a class of stand-alone nicknames that begin with “The.” Would you want to face a closer in baseball named “The Terminator” or be tackled by a linebacker called “The Hammer.” Deb Markowitz, the current secretary of state, is considered this year’s front-runner. She is energetic, enthusiastic, perky, with a political pedigree that includes years of loyal service to Prince Patrick Leahy. This gubernatorial race is her “coming out” party so it is natural to deem her “The Deb-utante.” As the primary approaches, the other candidates will take off the gloves and go negative. Then she will become “The Deb You Taunt.” Of course if she loses big-time “The Deb You Taunt” will become “The Deb-acle.”

Windsor County’s entrant in the stakes is Peter Shumlin, whose profile features his prominent proboscis. We’re eschewing obvious names like Pete the Beak in deference to the fact that when the candidates disclosed their personal finances, Shumlin reported his 2009 income as being almost a million dollars! Why does he want a job where he’ll take an 80 percent pay cut? Sheesh! The guy is already a … (drum roll) Shum-dog Millionaire.

Step Morris pretends to be a grown-up named “Stephen” in Randolph, Vt. He is the editor/publisher of Green Living: A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment. Reach him at Stephen@GreenLivingJournal.com.

There are very few things that pass through the Vermont Legislature by a 122-5 margin, but that is exactly what happened recently with Joint House Resolution 51, supporting the deployment of the F-35 aircraft to the Vermont Air National Guard (VTANG) base in South Burlington.

Why did the state’s legislators, known for partisan politics, come together to support this resolution? Perhaps it was because they understand the economic impact the Vermont Air National Guard has on Vermont, both in the jobs it provides and the manufacturing it supports. Or maybe they remember that clear September morning nine years ago and the horrific images of two smoldering skyscrapers in New York City. The Vermont Air National Guard were immediately scrambled after the attack, and the aircraft you saw patrolling the skies over New York that day were manned and supported by our friends, neighbors, and loved ones.

Photo courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur.

For years the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has been targeting Nelson. They claim that his elk herd has the potential to cause disease that could wipe out the deer herd in Vermont, even though Nelson has never given them any reason to think this would be true. As a dairy farmer Nelson is among the most respected in the state, and the caring hand he uses to handle those animals is an example of how concerned he is about the health of his herd.

Since chronic wasting disease was discovered in the Northeast in Southern New York it has been contained. It has not swept through the deer herd decimating it as Fish and Wildlife agencies want you to believe it will. Instead it has been three years, and not another documented case has been found in the area. This despite the fact that there are over a dozen deer and elk farms in Southern new York. If these farms can raise animals, a stones throw from where CWD was discovered, and not be a risk, why do we have to be concerned about a farm and a moose over 300 miles away? Especially when this farm has a spotless record for quality care and cleanliness?

It is hard not to think politics is at play. Many suspect the department has never liked Nelson for a variety of reasons — most notably because they have not been able to bully him the way they have others in his situation who do not have the resources that he does.

Other arguments abound.

The state says there is a law against bringing home an injured wild animal, but that is full of holes. Across Vermont a network of wildlife rehab experts exists. They nurse back to health a variety of species, and are even sanctioned and licensed by the state. One of the keys is that rehab people work closely with a veterinarian. If this works for a squirrel or hawk, why can’t it work for Pete?

Laws are not black and white. The case with Pete is different from that of a well-meaning Samaritan who might find a small fawn, and with the mother nowhere close, assume that it has been abandoned and take it home to raise it. While his heart is in the right place he does not have the facilities or understanding to do it properly.

In Pete’s case, he is surrounded by people who know what he needs. He has plenty of acreage on which he can roam, and he is receiving the best care money can buy.

We also cannot overlook the human side to this story. Pete has touched lives. Over 8,000 people from around the world have signed a petition to keep Pete alive. They see the common sense behind this. The question is, why can’t Vermont Fish and Wildlife see it?

Pete is an example to us all. He shows us the beauty of nature, and provides a reprieve from the harshness of the everyday world. When you watch him with David Lawrence you see that it isn’t just a person and an animal, it is two souls who understand and love each other.

I am not saying this is the situation with every animal, and before you begin to think I am a devout animal-rights activist let me just say I like steak as much as the next woman, but these circumstances are different. Pete is different. He deserves to live. Killing him would accomplish nothing more than satisfying the ego of the state’s Fish and Wildlife commissioner.

Kathy Bailey is a strong advocate for Pete the Moose. To sign the petition to “keep Pete” visit www.savepetethemoose.org

]]> http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/keep-pete/feed/ http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/the-bigger-fish-of-lake-champlain/ http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/the-bigger-fish-of-lake-champlain/#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:33:19 +0000 admin http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/the-bigger-fish-of-lake-champlain/ In 1998 Stephen Robinson of Schenectady, N.Y., landed what many would have considered at the time “a fish of a lifetime.” Not only was it a shining example of the type of lake trout Lake Champlain was capable of producing, it was also the largest of the species entered into the Lake Champlain International Father’s Day Fishing Derby that year and netted Robinson thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. It weighed 11.17 pounds.

Fast forward to the annual fishing derby 11 years later. Fourteen-year-old Patrick DuPont of North Hero was trolling for lake trout with his twin brother, father, and a family friend. When the rod popped signifying a fish had hit, he grabbed it and an epic struggle ensued. A short time later at the weigh-in station DuPont’s lake trout set a derby record for the species, tipping the scales at 15.9 pounds.

Photo courtesy of Lake Champlain International, Inc.

If you were to just look at the weights of these two fish it might be easy to think DuPont’s laker was a fluke. But the truth is it really didn’t come as a big surprise to those who had been following the progression of the size of the fish in Champlain leading up to that derby. To illustrate this, it helps to look at the list of the top 50 lake trout entered into the 2009 LCI Father’s Day Fishing Derby. If Stephen Robinson had entered the 1998 winner in the 2009 derby, it would not have won cash and prizes, or even finished in the top 30. Robinson’s 1998 champion fish would have finished in relative obscurity in 33rd place were it entered in 2009.

Lake trout are not the only fish species where a noticeable size increase is being seen. On February 10, 2010, Richard Levesque was ice fishing below Missisquoi Bay when the flag on his tip-up popped. After reaching the hole and setting the hook Levesque instinctively knew the fish at the other end was something special. Twelve minutes later a 14.55-pound walleye was flopping on the ice. Not only did it set a state record —it shattered the old one by over a pound.

Why is Lake Champlain suddenly producing bigger fish than ever before? The answer is multi-fold, but it is safe to say that outdoorsmen, lake-front business owners, and anyone tied to the $200 million fishing industry in Vermont is celebrating.

Cause

Chipman is careful to preface his statements by saying that he is referring to lake trout and salmon. Currently the fish and wildlife department does not have enough data to include walleye in conversations about increased fish size.

“A sea lamprey control program has been vital,” said Chipman. “We have been able to successfully reduce the incident rates on trout and salmon. This means more fish are surviving and growing to be larger fish.”

Sea lampreys are parasites that attach themselves to fish in a water body. They use a suction cup-like mouth to attach themselves to the skin of a fish and rasp away tissue with their sharp, probing tongue and teeth. Secretions in the lamprey’s mouth prevent the victim’s blood from clotting. Usually the host fish will die from blood loss or infection.

In the late 1990s, anglers on Champlain were starting to see the benefits of an experimental sea lamprey control program. Unfortunately, when it ended, even though it was deemed a success and recommendations were that it be implented immediately, there was a five-year hiatus in Vermont before it began again. During this time, New York continued treatments on its side of the lake.

It should be noted that lamprey do not spawn in the same location every year. As an example, the breeding female who reproduces in the Saranac River one year may breed in the Lamoille the following year. This is why a lake-wide effort was critical.

“In my opinion a lot of people have been overlooking the lamprey program as the reason we are seeing so many big fish on the lake,” said John Lefevre, an avid fisherman from Vergennes. “Instead you hear guys talking about the alewives. They forget that the alewives and the lamprey program both kind of began to show up at about the same time.”

In 2003, alewives were confirmed in Lake Champlain when several juvenile fish were found during a survey by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. Like smelt, alewives provide a forage base for lake trout and salmon. But, they also bring other problems to the table.

“Alewives are notorious for crashing,” said Chipman. To support this, he pointed to Huron and Michigan, two lakes where alewives developed as a primary forage species. “They used to produce 30-pound chinook, but now they are only getting 15-pounders,” he said.

Essentially, when alewives make their way into a water body, they breed quickly. Their presence can displace smelt, which are the traditional food base for many cold water fish species. Chipman points out Lake St. Catherine as a lake where this has happened. Without smelt, the fish feed exclusively on alewives, but then the alewife population may crash — meaning that it will experience a sudden die-off. This leaves a lake full of larger, predator fish with nothing to eat.

Despite this and other downsides, many fishermen are crediting them with the increased fish size. Others are more reluctant to cast an opinion and see long-term ramifications.

“My son caught a 5-and-a-half-pound lake trout the other night,” said Cubby Smith of Burlington. “When he cut it open there were 14 smelt inside of it and one alewife.”

Many feel the final piece of the size puzzle began over a decade ago when the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife began balancing the number of trout and salmon they were stocking in the lake in relation to the smelt population. “This led to better survival rates and better fish,” added Chipman.

Is Bigger Better?

“Plus, big fish get big for a reason. It means some things are going right in a water body. Usually it means the fishery is healthy, and where there are big fish you will also find a quantity of fish,” he said.

Chipman points out that the “presence of larger fish brings more attention to any body of water.” He adds that this is especially true with (landlocked) salmon, and that there are only a few places in the country where anglers can go and catch a salmon in the 6- to 8- to 10-pound class.

This year, Lake Champlain International, the organization that

puts on the Lake Champlain International Fishing Derbies, is offering a special promotion in connection with the tournaments. If a properly registered angler catches a 20-pound or bigger lake trout between June 21 and 23, he will win $100,000 (some restrictions apply, visit www.mychamplain.net for complete details). The remarkable thing about this isn’t necessarily the large prize payout, but rather that derby insiders believe it will happen.

“It is just a matter of time before we see a legitimate 20-pounder coming out of the lake,” said Lefevre.

In the meantime, if you are a fisherman on Lake Champlain there is a lot to be excited about.

Kyle Scanlon is the editor of Livin’ Magazine.

]]> http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/the-bigger-fish-of-lake-champlain/feed/ http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/talk-derby-to-me/ http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/talk-derby-to-me/#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:29:17 +0000 admin http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/talk-derby-to-me/ Generally, the term “full-contact sport” doesn’t call to mind tutus and fishnet stockings — unless you are rink-side at a Green Mountain Derby Dames roller derby bout. Roller Derby is back, and in a big way, drawing huge crowds of loyal fans to watch players skate and jam their way to victory. Established in 2007, GMDD is part of the modern resurgence of roller derby. Its mission statement, in part, is “to empower women personally and athletically through the sport of roller derby … to hold ourselves to the highest standards of respect and sportswomen-ship on and off the tract … and to be a positive force in our community.”

Green Mountain Derby Dame jammer Kristin “Star Slayer” Ackerson. Photo courtesy of Francis Moran Photography, www.gmavt.net/~francismoran

By day, the members of GMDD are working women; they are hairdressers and engineers and photographers. But the fun begins after work when they meet at the Champlain Valley Exposition for up to eight hours of practice each week. Membership in GMDD is a substantial commitment, since the team is entirely skater-owned and operated. They devote a great deal of time and effort to bring their fans a first-class, exciting experience. It includes a lot of physical wear and tear, but they are strong, athletic women who love the thrill of besting their competition to the shouts and cheers of sold-out crowds.

Each woman takes a derby name when she joins, which adds to the fun and spirit of the game. Many of their track monikers are double entendres or slick plays on words that sometimes border on adult content. Basher Barbie, Star Slayer and Bruise Control are some of the tamer names, and it’s obviously a riotous process to create their own unique alter egos. A few naming rules are defined by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, such as no duplication of names, and a few others, but basically it’s anything goes.

Talk “Derby” To Me

It’s a rough-and-tumble controlled riot, with lots of shouting, music, and drama from the announcers. The refs (who also have amusing track names) keep a sharp eye on the players. As their website proclaims, “This is not your grandmother’s staged roller-derby. This is real and we have the bruises to prove it!”

Bruises or not, Roller Derby action attracts a broad array of fans, from families with young children to senior citizens; and for the most part the crowds, while often boisterous in their enthusiasm, remain respectful of the family-friendly tone of the sport.

For all of this, the skaters receive no pay — in fact, they pay monthly dues to be a part of the team and they purchase all their own equipment. Ticket sales defray the costs associated with each bout, including rink rental, staff, and security, as well as rental for practice time. In addition, 10 percent of the ticket sales are donated to a different non-profit organization after each bout. The players nominate and vote on the organizations they wish to help and seven nonprofits are chosen by vote — one for each bout of the season.

The women do all their own public relations and marketing, and everyone is expected to pitch in. “It becomes a way of life,” says team communications director Robynn Beams, whose track name is Annie Cockledoux. “This is what I do now — I’m a glutton for punishment, I guess! Time on the track is minuscule compared to doing other things.”

The Dames opened the 2010 season with the Heartbreaker Bout on Saturday, February 20, playing New Hampshire’s Skate Free or Die team. It was Vermont’s green and black against New Hampshire’s hot pink, and although it was a striking color contrast on the track, the teams were evenly matched and the sold-out crowd and jam-packed beer garden revelers had the Dames’ back all the way to the heartbreaking conclusion. Just as it looked like they had it locked up for a win, a last-minute penalty call subtracted Jammer Basher Barbie’s last point and sent her to the penalty box with a tie score of 69. In an overtime “Jam-Off,” New Hampshire finally bested the Dames by 79 to 72 — a very exciting conclusion to the season’s first bout.

There are still plenty of opportunities to attend home bouts and see what roller derby is really all about. Bouts are scheduled at the Robert E. Miller Pavilion at the Champlain Valley Exposition on May 22, June 12, July 10, August 14 and September 11. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the action starting at 6, but the best seats sell out early. For more information on, visit their website at gmderbydames.com.

Alice Dubenetsky lives in a Starksboro farmhouse with her husband, Dan, and two children. They own an assortment of house pets and livestock.

]]> http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/talk-derby-to-me/feed/ http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/truth-about-ticks/ http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/truth-about-ticks/#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:23:45 +0000 admin http://livinmagazine.com/2010/04/27/truth-about-ticks/ God knows, there are an awful lot of things about deer hunting that I truly love but dealing with my buck covered with ticks definitely isn’t one of them. I shot a pretty good deer this past fall; my biggest ever in Vermont, 163 pounds. The trouble is that by the time that old ridge-runner had hung for a day; it became evident that he was more than just a little bit “ticky.”

There really isn’t anything strange about ticks on deer but in my career as a homegrown deer hunter, there are definitely more now than there used to be. In fact, by the time I peeled the hide down off that buck, I had already taken over three dozen mature deer ticks off him, most squished between my needle-nose pliers.

Kevin Camp of Milton, Vt. Photo courtesy of Tundratour Consultants

I think it was back in the early ‘80s, about the time we started getting hooked on bow hunting, that I first noticed ticks on deer. The consensus among my hunting buddies was that it probably had to do with shooting deer earlier in the year. But, all those ticks on my rifle-killed deer last November got me thinking there must be more to this story.

I started with a call to Keith Gallant, the warden here in central Vermont, and followed up with a conversation with local taxidermist Rodney Elmer. Both said there were definitely a lot more ticks in the deer herd today than ever before.

By the time I talked to Don Tobi, forestry entomologist at the University of Vermont, it was already clear that we were witnessing somewhat of a population explosion.

“Last summer while doing field work I was amazed at the number of ticks I was picking up on my pant legs after only a few hours outside.” He went on to verify that there is also a very high incidence, within the tick population, of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

It’s interesting to note that deer ticks are pretty common around the country, particularly in places with high deer densities like the South and Midwest. The new development is their recent widespread existence in northern New England.

So what do we need to know about ticks and the diseases they carry?

Don Tobi referred me to Jon Turmel, who for 33 years has held the post of Vermont’s state entomologist. In Don’s words, “Jon knows more about ticks and every other kind of bug than anybody you’ll ever meet.” And he was right.

You’ve probably heard that the big deer ticks are not the ones that carry Lyme disease, it’s the smaller wood ticks to watch out for. Wrong!

According to Turmel and confirmed by several other sources, all ticks can carry Lyme disease bacteria as well as a host of other stuff you don’t want to catch.

“Deer ticks are the most likely to carry the bacteria which they pick up from white-footed mice and chipmunks, but trying to distinguish their species by size is impossible.”

A deer tick’s two-year life cycle has four phases; egg, larval, nymph and adult. In each of these phases except the egg stage, the parasite is capable of spreading Lyme disease. When the adult female’s egg sac is at full term, she will drop off the host and lay her eggs on the ground. The six-legged larvae will often attach to a mouse. Although unaffected by it, mice typically are the source of the Lyme disease bacteria.

The nymph stage resembles the adult with eight legs but is tiny in comparison. It climbs up blades of grass or weeds, attaching itself to deer, people or other animals as they walk by. It is at this stage that the confusion about size and species has developed. The simplest way to keep it straight is to recognize that deer ticks, wood ticks, seed ticks, dog ticks, etc. are all ticks and that having them burrowing their nasty little heads into your skin is never a good thing.

An early symptom of Lyme disease is the development of a rash that initially appears around the site of the tick bite but in some instances does not show up for weeks or months. The fact that half of infected individuals never get the rash was of little consequence to me. By the time I got done talking to the bug experts I was starting to itch.

Doctor Patsy Kelso of the Vermont Health Department did little to help my pre-paranoia, hypochondriac mind-set when she told me that the increase of reported cases of Lyme disease paralleled what the entomologists were reporting regarding tick populations. In Vermont there were 29 confirmed cases of Lyme disease in 2005. By 2007 the number was 138 and by 2008, 330 cases had been reported. For years the disease often went mis-diagnosed because aside from a rash, the early symptoms were similar to the flu: fever, fatigue, and headache. In its later stages Lyme disease was associated with everything from heart disease to dementia.

With all this talk about ticks, my seasonal dry-skin itch, an inconvenience I deal with every winter, was now a bigger than life personal health emergency. I called my doctor.

I’ve known Dr. Ken Borie for years and I trust him. He has the perfect personality for a doctor, punctuated by the fact that he actually cares a great deal about the mental and physical health of his patients.

“Glenn, listen to me; you don’t have Lyme disease…”

As usual, his soft calming voice dispelled my fear. He assured me that Lyme disease was on every doctor’s radar but most health care professionals no longer viewed it as a disease with serious long-term effects.

“In order to contract the disease the tick usually has to be embedded in your skin for 24 to 36 hours and if you get Lyme disease it is effectively treated with antibiotics.” He went on to say that the whole issue of late-term symptoms — called chronic Lyme disease — had pretty much been dispelled by modern medical science. As recently as 2007, a review by the New England Journal of Medicine suggested that there was no convincing scientific evidence of long-term effects of the disease.

This does not mean there are not other theories but Dr. Borie confidently spoke of the current thinking on treatment.

“Most doctors today take a pretty aggressive approach to treating tick bites. If someone has definitely been bitten a single 200 mg dose of antibiotic is usually all that is needed. For patients that do not know they have been bitten or wait until Lyme symptoms appear, then a therapy of antibiotics over a three to four week period may be required. In either case, treatment is effective in curing the problem.”

So there you have it: Are there more ticks around? Definitely, although the jury is still out on why. It was mentioned that it could be related to climate change but it could as easily be some other yet to be understood natural cycle. Do you get Lyme disease from infected ticks? You bet, and conservative estimates put 20 percent or more of deer ticks as carriers.

As for intimidating my deer hunting; come on, it’s going to take more than a little bug to scare me off.

Glenn Dunning lives in Brookfield, Vt. He owns Tundratour Consultants, a travel agency specializing in North American hunting and fishing adventures. He can be reached at 802-276-3317 or via his website at: www.tundratour.com.

I’m sure you first heard about it the same way I did: from the media. Anything to do with wildlife, especially local, perks up my ears.

The volume was down and an older gentleman was petting a young bull moose. “Shhhh! Turn it up!” I said.

As he explained to the cameras how he had rescued this animal from the jaws of death as a young calf, called friends to “help,” and now hand-fed “Pete,” my aging brain finally caught up with the moment. The “Nelson Problem” I said to myself, shaking my head.

Photo courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur.

“You can’t keep wildlife for yourself or domesticate it!” my youngest son declared. As I explained what I knew of the past story plot, and the possible ramifications for all involved, the turns and twists seemed only disastrous to him.

“Everyone loses! He’s a pet now … can’t go free … he’s stupid to the dangers of the real world! My moose (the one he harvested last year) was way more special!”

When I asked why, he recalled the mountain’s size, the trees, the stalk, his older brother’s wisdom, his mother’s thank-you prayer at the old bull’s feet, the silence that locked that special moment in his heart for all time, truly shared by three special people that day, all of them … wild and part of the natural world.

How much is wild worth? Would you say it is invaluable? Are we not wild people? Freedom is a cherished thing among Americans, yet as people become detached from nature and her lessons, they seem to make room for greed, self-interest, profit and instant gratification. The “common good” seems to have an empty ring to it.

When the hunter’s safety class I instruct every year begins I always ask why nature is important, and only rarely does this teacher’s ears, hear, “Because we can’t live without it!” — the real truth.

Why do you hunt? Why do you not hunt? Are we different? Does wildlife need protection? From what or whom? Are we an invasive species? Are we moving beyond our carrying capacity? Are we above nature’s laws and can we get the understanding we need through a window or TV screen? Do you think of the cow in the stockyard as you bite down on your burger?

Here’s the truth of it: Pete the Moose is another victim of man’s interference. People must learn their lessons and some take longer then others. Government, in this case, has failed to uphold the law, from the governor telling everyone in state government to be quiet, on down to the little old gentleman saying he’ll break the law again if he wants to.

All the while, “Lets make an exception” plays every Tuesday morning on local radio trying to gather support for the rogue farmer to keep his homemade zoo with wildlife, held in public trust.

Have we totally forgotten the words of John Muir or Teddy Roosevelt? The Seven Sisters of wildlife conservation should be taught in every school. Should legal precedence of a situation override current law? Should the human fascination for antlers win out over wise biologic reasoning on managing human effects on deer herds? Should a wild herd’s biological integrity come after an individual’s personal or financial interests? Does a moose really need a lawyer?

As Shamu brought killer whales and people together in many greater understandings, his final and best lesson must not be ignored. This invaluable wild wolf of the sea taught us that which is wild must remain wild in order to adapt and survive. A pool would just not do. Sure, they taught him to feed himself but he couldn’t completely bond with people or whales. He was incomplete, yet his life was not without true purpose. His essence can endure in our hearts and his role in nature will only become complete when he benefits our greater good. To die with purpose.

Rodney Elmer owns Mountain Deer Taxidermy in Plainfield. In addition to managing a thriving taxidermy business, he and his wife, Theresa, teach hunters safety classes and donate an incredible amount of time to preserving the sporting heritage in the state.

Kathy Bailey is a strong advocate for Pete the Moose. To sign the petition to “keep Pete” visit savepetethemoose.org.

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