The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce is inviting quality vendors to sign on to The Best of Vermont Summer Festival, on Saturday August 28 & Sunday 29, 2021 (rain or shine), at the Okemo Field on Route 103 in Ludlow, Vermont.

On Monday, July 26, 5-6:30 PM, please join Laurie Callahan, aquatic biologist/Southeast Vermont Aquatic Invasive Species Project, and Kelly Stettner, Black River Action Team, for an on-the-water session at the mouth of the Black River where it meets the Connecticut River. We will check-out a population of invasive flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus), learn how to recognize it and discuss some basics about its biology and "invasiveness". The Eurasian species has been present in the Lake Champlain basin, and other regions, for many years. It has become apparent that in recent years the species has been "on-the-move" along the Connecticut River corridor in southeast Vermont and southwest New Hampshire. The attached photo is of a small patch of flowering rush, with distinctive flowers, in the lower portion of the Black River in 2019.

It's tall, it's aggressive, and it's poised to conquer the Black River watershed. It's phragmites australus, and it's on the shores of Amherst Lake (among other places). If left unmanaged, this non-native and invasive reed will form a dense monoculture and spread unchecked, becoming a real threat to wildlife habitat, property value, and recreational enjoyment of our waterways.

August is National Water Quality Month and the Black River Action Team is right in the thick of it! All activities are prioritized to support the State of Vermont's Tactical Basin Plan, which uses BRAT's volunteer monitoring data to strategize projects and recommendations for improving and protecting water quality around the watershed.

Whiting Library has three brand new Chromebooks ready to check out to library patrons! These laptops can be used in the library itself or checked out and taken home for a loan period of one week. You will need an internet connection to use a Chromebook, which you can connect to for free at the library and on the Village Green in Chester.