MONDAY Â Â EDITION
ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT
Vol. 25 No. 12
Middlebury, Vermont
X
Monday, May 13, 2013
X
36 Pages
75¢
Trout & Strawberries: Area farm embraces aquaponics Work starts on cidery ‡ 0 9HUPRQW +DUG &LGHU KHDGTXDUWHUV LQ 0LGGOHEXU\ VKRXOG EH FRPSOHWHG E\ QH[W VSULQJ 6HH 3DJH
Naturalization ceremony for 30 ‡ 7KLUW\ DUHD UHVLGHQWV EHFDPH $PHULFDQ FLWL]HQV LQ %UDQGRQ ODVW ZHHN 6HH 3DJH
Lacrosse teams hit rough patch ‡ 7LJHUV DUH VWLOO EXW WKH ER\V¡ GURSSHG D WRXJK RQH DV GLG RWKHU DUHD OD[ WHDPV 6HH 3DJH
‘Meet the Singers’ ‡ )LIWHHQ SURIHVVLRQDO VLQJHUV DUH FRPLQJ WR 0LGGOHEXU\ 0D\ -XQH &9886 LQYLWHV \RX WR FRPH PHHW WKHP RQ 6XQGD\ 6HH $UWV %HDW RQ 3DJH
By  XIAN  CHIANG-ÂWAREN MONKTON  —  Trout  and  strawberries  have  always  been  sought-Âafter  seasonal  treats  in  Ver- mont.  Now,  Silas  Doyle-ÂBurr,  25,  of  the  Last  Resort  Farm  in  Monkton  is  developing  an  aquaponics  system  that  will  support  year-Âround  production  of  up  to  2,000  strawberry  bushes  and  4,500  trout.  An  aquaponics  food  production  system  com- bines  aquaculture  (raising  aquatic  animals)  and  hydroponics  (raising  plants  in  water).  The  trout Â
in  Doyle-ÂBurr’s  project  excrete  solid  waste  but  also  ammonia,  which  in  turn  breaks  down  into  ni- trates.  The  strawberries  feed  on  the  nitrates  and  in  turn,  purify  the  water.  “Trout  are  strongly  encouraged  by  Fish  and  :LOGOLIH EHFDXVH WKH\ÂśUH UHDOO\ D 9HUPRQW ÂżVK ´ Doyle-ÂBurr  said.  “If  they  ever  escape,  that’s  a  good  thing.  Trout  and  strawberries  are  in  incred- LEOH GHPDQG 7KH KDUG SDUW LV ÂżJXULQJ RXW KRZ WR produce  them  year-Âround,  especially  in  the  win- WHU ´
A  silo  has  been  cut  and  made  into  a  tank  where  the  trout  will  live  in  a  thermostatically  controlled  environment. Âł,W KDV WR EH YHU\ FROG DQG YHU\ FOHDQ ZDWHU ´ Doyle-ÂBurr  said.  “You  need  constantly  circulat- LQJ ZDWHU EHFDXVH WURXW OLNH Ă€RZ ´ The  water  system  will  run  through  the  barn,  ZKHUH WKH VWUDZEHUU\ EXVKHV ZLOO EH SODQWHG WR ÂżO- ter  out  the  toxic  waste.  The  symbiotic  relationship  between  trout  and  strawberries  keep  the  system  (See  Working  lands,  Page  25)
Search  and  rescue  bill  sent  to  Gov. By  CINDY  HILL A  statewide  search  and  rescue  protocol  inspired  by  an  Addison  County  tragedy  has  passed  the  Vermont  House  and  Senate  and  been  VHQW WR WKH *RYHUQRUÂśV RIÂżFH WR EH signed  into  law.  The  effort  to  restructure  the  state’s  search  and  rescue  practices  was  launched  by  Rep.  Willem  Jewett,  D-ÂRipton,  after  the  hypothermia  death  of  Levi  Duclos,  a  19-Âyear-Âold  New  Haven  resident.  Duclos  died  on  a  Ripton  hiking  trail  after  Vermont  State  Police  failed  to  initiate  a  ground  search  for  more  than  12  hours  after  he  was  reported  missing  on  a  frigid  night  in  January  2012.  Public  criticism  of  state  police  handling  of  the  matter  spurred  the  Legislature  to  adopt  interim  search  and  rescue  protocols  and  to  direct  a  summer  study  committee  to  recommend  a  permanent  plan  for  effective  search  and  rescue  across  the  state.  7KH ÂżQDO ELOO OHDYHV VWDWHZLGH jurisdiction  for  backcountry  search  and  rescues  with  the  Vermont  State  Police—an  approach  which  was  opposed  by  the  Duclos  family  and  PDQ\ ORFDO ÂżUVW UHVSRQGHUV 7KH ODZ now  mandates  a  swift  response  to  missing  hikers,  skiers  and  boaters,  LQFOXGLQJ QRWLÂżFDWLRQ WR ORFDO ODZ HQIRUFHPHQW ÂżUVW UHVSRQGHU and  volunteer  search  and  rescue  RUJDQL]DWLRQV DQG ÂżUH GHSDUWPHQWV and  instructs  the  Vermont  State  Police  to  share  command  structure  and  coordinate  its  efforts  with  these  groups.  The  law  also  establishes  a  new  position  of  Statewide  Search  and  Rescue  Coordinator,  to  work  within  the  State  Police  public  information  RIÂżFH WR VKDUH LQIRUPDWLRQ DQG training  opportunities  with  search  and  rescue  personnel  across  the  state,  tap  into  potential  resources,  (See  Search  and  rescue,  Page  27)
LINCOLN  ARTIST  REED  Prescott,  above,  gets  some  help  with  a  painting  from  Bristol  Elementary  School  students  during  the  Addison  Northeast  Supervisory  Union  Fine  Arts  Festival  at  Mount  Abraham  Union  High  School  last  Thursday  morning.  The  three-Âday  event  showcased  art  by  ANeSU  students,  be- low,  and  offered  demonstrations  and  performances  by  area  artists. Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
Mt.  Abe  celebrates  art Â
Annual  festival  showcases  students’  work high-Âschool  students.  DUWV SURPRWLRQ IRU WKH GLVWULFW ´ By  XIAN  CHIANG-ÂWAREN “We’ve  been  doing  this  for  many  said  Elise  Cleary,  art  teacher  at  the  BRISTOL  —  Last  week,  the  (See  The  arts,  Page  2) Mount  Abraham  Union  High  \HDUV DQG LWÂśV UHDOO\ D KXJH ÂżQH School  gymnasium  was  trans- formed.  The  bleachers  were  pushed  back  and  colorful  displays  of  mounted  paintings  and  draw- ings,  shiny  metalwork  and  intri- FDWH VFXOSWXUHV ÂżOOHG WKH VSDFH It  was  the  annual  Addison  Northeast  Supervisory  Union  Fine  Arts  Festival  and  for  many  ANeSU  families  a  pilgrimage  to  the  high  school  gym  has  been  a  yearly  tra- dition  since  their  children  were  in  elementary  school.  Artwork  from  every  student  in  area  elementary  schools  was  on  display,  as  well  as  selected  works  from  middle-  and Â