Congratulations to Stowe Mountain Resort for earning the Green Community Award from the Audubon International for its Spruce Peak base-area development.

"Spruce Peak has shown a strong commitment to embodying the ideals of sustainability – economic vitality, environmental protection, and social responsibility," Peter Bronski, manager of the Sustainable Communities Program said in a news release issued Feb. 27 announcing the honor. "The Stowe valley is a truly special place. With Mount Mansfield, the vibrant tight-knit community below, and Vermont’s iconic pastoral landscape, in many ways Spruce Peak is charged with being the steward of abundant natural and cultural resources, and it’s a charge Spruce Peak’s leaders take seriously.”

The award recognizes environmental achievement. It is also a milestone toward being named a Certified Audubon Sustainable Community.

You can read the full press release about the award here.

But a few of the highlights of why Stowe earned the award include:

• More than 2,000 acres of wildlife habitat have been protected through two conservation easements.
• Spruce Peak's mountain cabins have been built to a 5-star rating and all future buildings will be built to the same high standards.
• Stormwater runoff is collected in a new snowmaking pond to protect the watershed and conserve water.
• Transportation impacts are being addressed with support of a trolly system and a planned municipal bike path and a transfer lift to eliminate the need for buses.
• Employees are rewarded for undertaking environmental projects.
• All paper is 100 percent recycled content.
• Employees participate in ride-sharing and are encouraged to cycle to work.
  

Of course, Stowe is excited about the reward.

"The Spruce Peak at Stowe project is the result of many years of collaborative planning and coordination with many varied interests, including all of Vermont’s major environmental organizations," Robert Apple, the resort’s Planning Director said in the news release. "Now as the vision turns into reality we are proud to receive this award from Audubon International and look forward to a continued focus on sustainable development principles throughout the resort."

Big Snow Could Hurt Turkeys

The big snowfall February 14 may be bad news for turkeys.

According to one turkey hunter who has chased the wiley birds around the state for several decades, the snow could be bad for the wild turkey for several reasons.

One possibilities is the fluffy snow may be too deep and too soft for the birds to move around, keeping them stationary and unable to feed or escape predators. Conversely, it could keep the coyotes, bobcats and similar predators away. Another problem could result if the deep snow keeps the birds from being able to get to the bugs and shoots on the ground for an extended period of time.

Only time will tell.

Two Feet of White Stuff

Actually, the official tallies are a little less than 2 feet, but at my house there is pretty close to 24 inches of new snow on the ground.

It was enough to keep me in my driveway yesterday and took several hours of shoveling to get out today.

Anybody who can make it to the mountain today might find an enormous amount of fresh powder to ski on. Killington Resort is reporting 30 inches of snow.

It's snowing -- Hard!

It is snowing like nobody's business.

Weather guessers are saying a foot to two feet from this storm.

Looks like there's going to be great skiing for a while ... that is if anybody can actually get to the ski areas. The roads are already covered with at least 10-12 inches and it's snowing extremely hard. This could be a big storm.

Get those boards waxed.

Adventure Presentation

Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson just can't seem to stay home. These two are constantly exploring the wilds of South America it seems. At least when they're not home showing off their slides of their adventures.

The duo presents another of their Wild People, Wild Places events featuring slides and lecture of their adventures around the world.

The first show is at 7:30 p.m. at the Big Picture Theatre in Waitsfield. There is a $5 fee.
The next show is at 7 p.m. at the Vermont Ski Museum in Stowe. There is a $5 fee.

Both events have Brian and Emily talking about their bicycle trip through the southern Andes in 2000 when they stumbled upon Chile's Rio Baker Valley. The area is home to the largest and wildest river in Patagonia with countless glaciers and vast reserves of unexplored mountains. The pair returned last fall and spent a month camping and skiing while documenting the regions endangered culture and wild nature. A percentage of all proceeds will be donated to conservation efforts in Patagonia.

More shows are slated in the future including:
March 17, 7 p.m., Montpelier
April 5, TBA, UVM campus
Early April, Vt. Ski Museum

For more information: www.EmberPhoto.com or (802) 496-5434.