In December the Mount Mansfield Union High School Crew completed a mapping project that was sponsored by the Department of Historic Preservation.  This three week project introduced the interns to Geographic Position Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  

The project was divided into three parts.  The first, called “Search and Find,” helped the interns become familiar with GPS units.  The interns were split up into pairs and used GPS units to plot points to objects in the woods.  The pairs then exchanged units and had to read the points and follow the path to locate the hidden object.  

The interns then moved on to learn how to make maps with the GIS program.  The crew took points of barns seen in the Richmond area with the GPS units and plotted them using the GIS computer program to make a map.  The crew made ten maps that show the progression of geography from national right down to the exact location of the West Monitor Barn in Richmond, Vermont. 

To showcase their work the interns created a website as the final piece of the project.  In total, the website includes all ten GIS maps that locate the barns in Richmond as well as different attributes of the region.  The crew made a presentation of their work at the West Monitor Barn on Friday, December 21, 2007, to an audience of headquarters staff and project sponsors.

Members of this crew include Instructors Sarah Hays and Zac Gilhooley. Interns on the crew include Mike Bessette, Thomas Cude, Victoria McKinstry, Kailey George, Joey Goodroe, Gavin Holt, Travis Leppanen, Paschal Perrotte and Kristina Wright.     

Congratulations to all the interns of this crew for making the Honor Roll this quarter!   

Visit the website the crew created to see all of the details.  If you are interested in the mapping project or in projects that involve the VYCC property contact Land Stewardship Specialist Bradley Materick at bmaterick@vycc.org or (802) 434 – 3969 ext. 149.

The second annual Alternative Gift Fair, Give the Gift of Giving, sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, will take place Thursday, December 6th at Contois Auditorium, located on Church Street in Burlington. “Shoppers” will have the opportunity to honor friends and family with a gift to one of the 27 local non-profit organizations who will be there, including the VYCC, and a hand-written card will be sent to the person for whom it is a gift, letting them know that a donation has been made in their name.

We hope you will join us for this inspirational event that captures the true holiday giving spirit at its highest level. Read the flyer, and mark your calendars for this special event!

If you can’t make the event, but would like to make a donation to the VYCC on behalf of a loved one this holiday season, please click here, and we will send them a beautiful handwritten card featuring a snow covered West Monitor Barn to advise them of your gift!

This month the Mount Mansfield Union High School Crew, based year-round at the West Monitor Barn, completed trail work on the main trail leading to our lean-tos. Due to frequent traffic and a steep slope the trail had been eroding steadily during the summer and fall months.

The crew rerouted a portion of the 200-yard section, built a bridge, re-vegetated the bank, and completed some benching where they cut into the backslope of the trail. In preparation for next spring’s training and activities at the barn, the work was completed this fall in an effort to prevent future erosion. “The work that we did will benefit all of the VYCC staff and crews, as well as the Richmond community that comes to use our trail,” said MMU Instructor Sarah Hays. “Hopefully it will keep some muddy feet out of the barn this fall, too!”

Special thanks go out to Sarah and her co-instructor Zac Gilhooley. Interns on the crew include Mike Bessette, Thomas Cude, Victoria McKinstry, Kailey George, Joey Goodroe, Gavin Holt, Travis Leppanen, Paschal Perrotte and Kristina Wright. Thanks for all your hard work!

If you would like to sponsor a project for one of our school crews in the Richmond or Hyde Park area, please contact John Leddy at john@vycc.org or visit our Projects webpage.

Dan Biron of Lee, New Hampshire, donated 200 pairs of hiking boots to the Corps this month. Dan works for Hi-Tec Sports PLC, the UK-based global sports and outdoor company, where he designs and tests footwear. Dan’s partner, Eileen Anderson, is the mother of Christopher Berube, a Roving 14 Corps Member in 2007. These boots will be used by Corps Members, many of whom may not have a pair of their own. After the season they will be returned to the VYCC Boot Library for future Corps Members to use. Thank you Dan for your generous donation!

To make a donation of any kind please visit our Ways of Giving webpage or contact Director of Development Kate Villa at kate@vycc.org or 434 – 3969 ext. 110.

A group of students, staff, administrators, and parents from U-32 and Montpelier High Schools, School to Earth, as well as statewide partners including local farmers, the VYCC, Vermont Technical College, and Food Works, has been awarded a $10,000 Outdoor Classroom Grant from Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. The Sustainability Collaboration will use these funds to further develop their sustainability education program by building a greenhouse at U-32 high school, enhancing Montpelier High’s existing greenhouse to include irrigation and solar electric monitoring, and expanding garden patches at each school.

The Sustainability Collaboration is in the process of developing a combination of academics, work and service-learning that will enable students at both high schools to earn a diploma with a specialization in sustainability. This past summer the VYCC supported eight students from U-32 and Montpelier High School as part of a Community Crew with a focus on sustainability projects. The crew worked on building the Cross Vermont Trail for alternative transportation, as well as invasive species and erosion control along the Winooski. The crew attended VYCC’s Leadership Retreat in July; the students on the crew initiated and developed a Sustainability Fair that took place in October, 2007.

To learn more please visit the full press release. If you are interested in forming a Sustainability Collaboration in the Woodstock, Montpelier or Burlington area please contact Kat Coons at kcoons@vycc.org or 434 – 3969 ext. 147.

At a reception held at Smuggler’s Notch State Park on August 23, 2007, Governor Jim Douglas officially appointed the Vermont State Park Task Force which will be chaired by Sugarbush Ski Area Owner Win Smith with VYCC President Thomas Hark. Read the coverage by VPR (PDF) and the Burlington Free Press (PDF) to learn more!

The Governor and Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources have charged the twenty-member task force with taking a hard look at Vermont’s State Parks and determining what direction the parks should go in the future. The task force will develop concrete strategies and proposals for moving forward which include youth, education, and making parks the hub of their local communities. It is expected that the work of this Task Force will create a blue print for the future of the Vermont State Parks!

The VYCC and the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation have enjoyed a 22 year partnership, and the VYCC currently manages four state parks- Allis, Elmore, Lowell Lake and North Hero. Corps Members and Crew Leaders engage in significant conservation and community leadership opportunities in their responsibilities for all park operations, and we look forward to continuing and potentially expanding this valuable partnership to engage youth in improving Vermont’s park system.

In the early summer, a VYCC Wilderness Crew embarked on a project to enhance the West River Trail between Ball Mountain Dam and the Winhall campground in Jamaica, VT. The crew built bridges and rock crossings over several streams, relocated the trail in several areas, and installed trail structures, including cribbing, stone steps, and culverts. These structures will enhance public safety and enjoyment of the trail in all seasons and conditions. When completed, this project will provide an important link on the Upper Section of the West River Trail.

The VYCC has been working in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Transportation to improve the West River Trail since 2000, highlighted by the construction of a switchback trail over Ball Mountain Dam, which was completed in 2003. To learn more about how nine years of VYCC crews have contributed to the enhancement of the West River Trail, contact John Leddy at john@vycc.org or view photos of this incredible project!

For four new Instructors on the VYCC Agriculture and Natural Resources team, it’s back-to-school time! For two of them, their summer crews wrapped up just in time to dive into the school year planning. VYCC veteran Sarah Hays will use her experience from leading several VYCC crews in the past year in her new role as the Agriculture and Natural Resources Instructor. She will work closely with Instructor Zach Gilhooley on the Mt. Mansfield Union High School program that is based at the Leadership, Education & Training Center. Students at Lamoille Union High School will be led by Instructors Rebecca Francisco, a summer 2007 VYCC Crew Leader, and Calley Hastings.

Student-interns from both Agriculture and Natural Resources programs will complete community-based projects rooted in the landscape and traditions of Vermont while simultaneously immersed in a dynamic curriculum that ties the work projects to learning.

Partnerships with Mount Mansfield Union High School, Lamoille Union High School, Smokey House Project, and the University of Vermont Extension Office and funding from the legislature currently provide this opportunity to 10 students from each partner high school.

If your school would like to host one of these year round programs please contact Harry Frank, Leadership & Education Director at harry@vycc.org.

In 2005, the VYCC joined the Green Mountain Club in the effort to relocate a section of the Appalachian Trail near Thundering Falls in Killington, Vermont.

The goal of the project was to reroute a half mile of the trail through a more remote area rather than having it coincide with a public road. Eight VYCC crews worked on the project over a three year span, building spectacular rock staircases, breaking new trail, building boardwalks, and making an overlook to the Falls accessible to those with disabilities. A few finishing touches will be made next summer in order to make the entire section accessible for all. A special thanks to all of the alumni from those crews that worked so hard on this project!

Read more about this project in the September-October 2007 issue of A.T. Journeys, which features an article about the Thundering Fall reroute. For more information on how to sponsor a VYCC crew contact John Leddy at john@vycc.org or visit our Projects webpage.

The Farm and Nursery A* VISTA position has been created to design and implement a plan for the West Monitor Barn property in support of all programs at the VYCC. The goals for the position are to establish vegetable and native plant production, incorporate the work and learning from the farm and nursery into the experience of all corps members and collaborate with internal and external partners. This position is part of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program which currently runs crews at three area high schools with plans to expand the reach of the program state-wide. The VYCC farm and nursery will serve as a model for program expansion. The Farm and Nursery A*VISTA will report to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Manager and work closely with the Instructors and Director of that program.

VYCC HQ Positions