Vermont

Host Tom Torti, President of Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce, chats with Adam Roof, Project Manager of BTV Ignite.

www.vermont.org/chamber | btvignite.com

Lauren-Glenn Davitian sits down with Vermont Forests, Parks, and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder to discuss his new book as well as updates from the department.

Have you ever wondered how trees “come back to life” in spring? Why paper birches are so white? Or which trees make the best firewood? A new book by Vermont’s Commissioner of Forests, Parks, and Recreation Michael Snyder answers these questions and many others. "Woods Whys: An Exploration of Forests and Forestry" is a collection of essays that aims to teach people more about trees, forests, and forest management—and, by doing so, to help them become more connected to the woods around them.

“My goal in writing this book was to share my love of the woods with others,” says Snyder. “Each essay begins with a question, and while I always tried to answer that question through facts and science, it was important to me to leave room for the wonder and enduring mysteries of forests, too.”

The essays in Woods Whys originally appeared in a column Snyder wrote for many years in Northern Woodlands magazine, and the collection is written for a general audience. The book is designed to be read cover-to-cover or one article at a time, depending on what the reader is curious about. It draws on Snyder’s decades of professional forestry experience, including years spent as a county forester walking through woods with Vermont landowners.

“Condensing complex forest science into topics that are accessible, fun, and easy-to-understand is challenging, and it’s what makes Woods Whys such a great resource,” says Tony D’Amato, professor and director of the forestry program at the University of Vermont. “This book helps connect everyone to the woods, whether they’re novices or forestry professionals.”

Woods Whys is published and distributed by Bondcliff Books in partnership with the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, and is available for purchase online at www.bondcliffbooks.com or Amazon.com, and by phone at 603-444-4880. Copies will also be available shortly in retail establishments across the region. Book events in Vermont are also being planned and details will be available soon.

The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Six years after it ended, the war resulted in the independence of South Sudan. Vermont became a resettlement state and since 1981 has welcomed many refugees from Sudan.

Today, I am joined by inspiring leaders from both Sudan and South Sudan to talk about the current situation in Sudan with al-Bashir, who is no longer the President of Sudan. What does it mean for the preservation of peace in both countries? What are the hopes and aspirations of people from the Sudan(s) who are now living in Vermont?

Guests:

Chol Dhoor: President of Sudanese (North & South) Community in Vermont & Executive Director, Sudanese Foundation of Vermont Inc.

Asma Ali Abunaib: Project Manager at CVOEO, Candidate EdD student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at UVM

Host Dennis McMahon, Esq., chats with Vermont Coverts Executive Director Lisa Sausville and John McNerney, Landowner and Coverts Cooperator from Monkton.

Vermont Coverts is committed to enabling landowners to make well-informed decisions that meet their forest management goals and enhance diverse wildlife habitat and healthy ecosystems.

For more information: vtcoverts.org/index.html