The Black River Action Team will be offering information, supplies, and even recipes at the 2nd Annual Garlic Mustard Pull-a-Palooza. Come learn what garlic mustard is, why we're interested in pulling it, and how to prepare and eat this "problem plant." The free event will be held on Sunday, June 7th from 9 - 11AM at the dirt parking lot of the Springweather Nature Area, just off Reservoir Road (about a mile and a half from Route 106/River St) in Springfield, Vermont.

Learn about the amazing, nocturnal world of bats with expert scientists at this free, family-friendly program! The Nature Museum at Grafton, in partnership with the TransCanada Corporation, is thrilled to announce the summer opening of the TransCanada Bellows Falls Visitor Center. The public is invited to a free Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, June 6th at 11AM at the Visitor Center in Bellows Falls. This celebration includes a fascinating program on the bats of Vermont and New Hampshire led by two special guests: Laura Deming and Cynthia Nichols of New Hampshire Audubon.

Join The Nature Museum at Grafton this summer and give your child an adventure they'll never forget! A day at camp at The Nature Museum is a chance to get dirty, to challenge oneself, and to learn about the natural world around us. Visit www.nature-museum.org for more information on these programs.

Vermont Crafts Council Spring Open Studio offers the Chester Art Loop in Southern Windsor County again this Memorial Day Weekend, Sat. & Sun., May 23 & 24. Working together for years to present its varied and talented group of painters and special artisans, our 20-mile gang attempts to create a beacon to visit Chester and its surrounding towns of Andover, Springfield and Ludlow.

It's time to think "RiverSweep"! The Black River Action Team celebrates their 15th birthday this year, and is growing by leaps and bounds. This year, BRAT will be holding two separate RiverSweep cleanup events.

It's springtime in Chester. The glorious yellow daffodils which Chester Townscape planted last fall and which bloom beside the Hearse House, Public Tomb, Brookside Cemetery, and Civil War Monument are reminders that the growing weather has arrived and that it's time to order new flower pots or the replanting of the ones that were purchased last year. These planted pots will give a coordinated look to the Town well into the fall. Public pots will be placed again in key locations throughout the town - thanks to donations from people who love the town - to show that Chester is a thriving and welcoming place to visit, shop, and live.

When it rains, it pours... and that can cause plenty of problems when it pours over roofs, parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks -- carrying along car waste, litter, fertilizers, pesticides, animal waste, and other pollutants, directly or indirectly to the nearest stream or river. The Black River Action Team has set their sights on helping private homeowners as well as business-owners to manage storm water runoff on their property.

St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Chester will host a Celebration of New Ministry on Wednesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. when Bishop Tom Ely will formally institute The Reverend Heidi L. Edson as St. Luke's new Rector. A reception will follow in Willard Hall. Members of the Chester and surrounding communities -- families and children alike -- are invited and will be welcomed.