Calendar of Events

Hike-a-thon Fundraiser June 11 (rain date June 12)

Thu, 12 May 2011 15:58:11 -0400

WEST CLIFF TRAIL HIKE-A-THON
Meet at the PMA Parking Area, off Putney Mountain Road, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 11 (rain date Sunday June 12)

Total distance is 4.4 miles along the beautiful West Cliff Trail and should take between two and four hours. Hike as far and as long as suits you.

There are several ways you can be part of this event:

1) Sponsor one of the board members (listed below) with a pledge – or you can pledge in the name of the board as a whole.
2) Participate in the hike with your own sponsors. Additional pledge sheets available from Jacquie Walker. 387-5387 or sidehill@sover.net.
3) Sponsor yourself. If you prefer, just join the hike and make a pledge yourself.
Just come! By hiking, you are showing your support and how much you value Putney Mountain as our shared recreational resource.

We are raising funds to cover PMA expenses -- taxes, insurance, newsletter, postage and upkeep. You may pledge any amount you wish. Plus, everyone gets to enjoy the natural beauty and fresh air on Windmill Ridge.

Mail pledges to Putney Mountain Association, P.O. Box 953, Putney, VT 05346.

Participating Board Members
Emily McAdoo • Margot Torrey • Abby Jones • Steve Anderson • Jackie Walker • Claire Wilson • Tom Prunier • Travis Slade • Betsy Gray

Annual Meeting 2010, December 5 at 3pm at the Putney Public Library

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 21:16:55 -0400

BEARS OF THE NORTHEAST
Presented by Felicia Orton

What started as a modest interest over 25 years ago has developed into an overwhelming admiration and passion. In the early 1980’s Felicia began studying bears, their life style, physiology, behavior and natural history. The more she learned, the more intrigued she became with these incredible creatures, and the more she wanted to learn. Along with reading books and trade journals, Felicia began attending lectures by naturalists and bear biologists. In the mid 1990’s she decided to become involved with education and outreach. She became a docent at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo where there were ongoing opportunities to educate the public. Felicia developed an educational program which has since become ‘The Bear Reality’. In 2002 she became a Master Wildlife Conservationist (a volunteer certified program) for the state of Connecticut, allowing her to expand her knowledge and audience. She has continued her own education by attending workshops and participating in field work with bears. Felicia’s hope is that through outreach and education these magnificent creatures will become better understood -- we will learn to respect them instead of fear them, and develop a strategy of human-bear coexistence.

Annual Meeting Sunday, December 6th

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 21:36:53 -0500

3pm at the Putney Public Library (Dec. 6th)
Light refreshments will be served. Bring your friends and family.

WOLVES AND COYOTES OF THE
NORTHEAST
Please join us for a slideshow presented by Chris Shadler. Chris is a wild canid ecologist whose first interest 30 years ago was the gray wolf. She earned her Master’s degree in Conservation Biology from Antioch having completed a study of the recovery of the gray wolf in the Great Lakes States. For 10 years she taught both Conservation and Wolf Ecology in the Department of Natural Resources at University of New Hampshire while tending sheep on a farm in Kensington. Her farm attracted the attention of the local coyote gang and her attention turned to the study of this fascinating predator. Now her time is spent in pursuit of the Eastern Coyote, studying its use of our changing landscape and how management policies affect its population dynamics, dispersal patterns, food choices and interactions with returning wolves from Canada. Meanwhile,
wolf sign in the North Woods has yielded interesting stories but elusive results. She is currently working on her book, Coyote Nation. Having won many teaching excellence awards she is now recognized across New England as a passionate and inspiring lecturer and a knowledgeable authority on wolf and coyote. Chris will compare coyote and wolf ecology, behavior and social dynamics as well as discuss the return of the wolf to New England.

Annual Meeting

Tue, 2 Dec 2008 22:37:11 -0500

Annual Meeting December 7th, 5pm • Putney Public Library
Light refreshments will be served. Bring your friends and family.
This year’s presentation will be on:
The Role of Forests in Carbon Sequestration
Presented by Jonathan Parrott, Ph.D.

Jonathan Parrott is proud to claim Putney as his natal ground. After graduating from the Putney School where his father Roger taught ecology for nearly three decades, Jonathan attended Saint Lawrence University to study ornithology. Following a youthful optimism, Jonathan spent the next three years in Boulder, CO running a logging crew performing fire mitigation in the ponderosa pine forests of the Rocky Mountain’s front range. Graduate school ensued at the University of Massachusetts where Jonathan eventually earned both a masters degree in forestry and a doctorate in plant and soil science. Jonathan's research involved the study of sylvan effects from both prescribed fire and forest management.

Hawkwatch

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0400

Join John Anderson, a stalwart hawk watcher, on Putney Mountain summit to witness the annual hawk migration. No birding experience is necessary. Meet at the parking lot at 11 am and bring binoculars (optional), a chair, lunch and water.

Roam the Ridge

Sat, 17 May 2008 19:16:21 -0400

On Saturday May 17th join us on the mountain for brand a new event, “Roam the Ridge”. Organized by Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association this will be a day of celebrating our the land our preserved land on the ridge. Festivities will include hiking, walking, food and more!

Please come to the mountain on May 17th and keep an eye on our website for more information.

Annual Meeting at the Putney Public Library

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 16:00:16 -0500

Bring your friends and family. A short business meeting will precede the presentation. Light refreshments will be served.

Ornithologist Chris Rimmer will speak about his on-going research concerning the Bicknell’s Thrush. Chris is director of the newly formed Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) in Norwich, VT. Having constituted the Conservation Biology Department at VINS for more than 20 years, Chris and his group will continue their pioneering avian conservation research from the mountains of New England to the forests of Haiti and the grasslands of Bolivia. Over the past 30 years, Chris' own ornithological field experiences have taken him from the high arctic Canadian tundra to the salt marshes of James Bay, the rain forests of Peru, and to islands off Antarctica. The Bicknell’s Thrush is one of North America’s most rare and vulnerable songbirds. Nesting only in mountaintop forests of the Northeast and wintering primarily on the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), this bird faces numerous threats to its long-term survival.
Since 1992, Chris has led efforts to conserve Bicknell’s Thrush and the habitats on which it depends. Chris will discuss this fascinating and rare songbird, VCE’s efforts to study it in New England and the Caribbean, and how Bicknell’s Thrush represents a vital conservation link across international boundaries.

Clearing Day

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 21:26:46 -0500

Join us at the summit at 10:00 to cut brush, whack weeds and keep the summit clear. Bring loppers, water and snack. Rain-date is Sunday, Nov. 11.