The VYCC’s Online Holiday Auction closed Sunday night and helped to raised $30,945 for education and conservation programs for Vermont youth.  The VYCC is also grateful for the strong and continued partnership with the Vermont Mountain Biking Association (VMBA).  As an auction partner, VMBA secured many of the auction items and will receive a portion of auction proceeds.

For the fourth consecutive year, Vermonters and friends from throughout the region found great deals on a variety of items that included ski passes, gift certificates at local restaurants, vacation rentals, and even hot air balloon rides.  We even had someone purchase skis…from Kansas!  The auction has now emerged as a reliable place to shop as well as a helpful source of Annual Fund revenue for VYCC programs.

We also want to offer a special thank you to the hundreds of businesses and individuals who donated auction items.  Without their support, the auction simply would not be possible.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Last, but certainly not least, we’re grateful for all those who bid on items.  Your consistent support of VYCC programs offers significant help at a time when Vermont youth have much to offer.

If you have any questions about the auction, feel free to contact Cailie Burns at 802.434.3969 ext. 113.

Last year the VYCC donated approximately 2,750 pounds of food to Vermont’s charitable food system. As the farm grows, so too will our donations to those in need.

To demonstrate our commitment, the VYCC has pledged to donate a total of ten tons of food by 2013! To learn more about the VYCC’s Farm and Food Program and Monitor Barns Farm, visit http://www.vycc.org/about/programs/farm-and-food/.

The funds will also be used to increase our ability to identify and design watershed projects in partnership with the state’s regional Watershed Coordinators and communities throughout the state. This year’s project sites include Allen Brook in Williston, the Lamoille River in Hardwick, and the Hinesburg Town Forest.

For more information on these watershed projects or on hiring a VYCC crew, contact Keegan Tierney at 802.434.3969 ext. 141 or Keegan.Tierney@vycc.org.

VYCC crews played a critical role in this partnership. In 2010, crews camped at the head of the Leicester Hollow Trail for eight weeks, and constructed new trail sections to replace the trails washed out by the flood of 2008. The trails built by the VYCC crews are reminiscent of Civilian Conservation Corps trail work still evident 75 years later in the GMNF and around the nation.

The trail work the crews completed was not only technical, but also physically exhausting. Imagine hiking three miles each way to and from your jobsite daily for eight weeks. Tired yet? Now picture the actual work you’ll be doing there: moving boulders weighing up to 1,000 pounds each with simple rock bars and then creating yards of one-inch cobble by hand. Exhausted? Well, with hard work, perseverance, and a whole lot of sweat and muscle, the VYCC crews did just that – they completed trail sections that leave even the most casual visitors in awe of their skills, dedication, and tenacity.

The VYCC is excited to be part of this project which will continue this summer, and we greatly appreciate the ongoing support provided by the GMNF and VMBA.

Even though the snow is flying and the ground is frozen solid, we are beginning to plan for this upcoming growing season which is sure to be as successful as last. Like last year, we are offering a 20-week summer CSA, a Fall share and a Pasture-Raised Poultry share.

**We are excited to introduce our Frozen Vegetable Winter CSA! A taste of summer in the midst of the winter cold. This consists of a monthly pick-up of frozen vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes and corn (just to name a few) for 5 months, November – March. Contact Beth Whiting at Maple Wind Farm for more details. 802.434.7257. www.maplewindfarm.com.

Become a member today! Your membership helps support local agriculture, educational efforts and contributing healthy food to the charitable food system.

For an order form please click here.

Summer CSA

• 20 weeks of farm fresh vegetables (June-October)
• Pick-Your-Own Garden – enjoy picking flowers, herbs, cherry tomatoes, beans, peas and hot peppers
• Add-on options available: eggs, maple syrup, bread, cheese
• Weekly newsletter with recipes, farm updates and special events

Fall CSA

• One time pick up in November with ~35 pounds of storage crops such as potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, parsnips, cabbage, winter squash, etc.

Pasture-Raised Poultry CSA

• Enjoy fresh chickens raised on our beautiful pastures
• 2 chickens/month: June, July, August

Frozen Vegetable CSA (details above)

Contact Beth Whiting at 802.434.7257 for more details.

Update: 17-Mile Route Cancelled
Last night the Bolton to the Barns planning group decided to cancel the 17-mile route option. In the morning, before the sun and March temperatures have a chance to warm the snowpack, the upper sections of the Bolton terrain are bullet proof. Ordinarily, it would be a hard decision to scrap a portion of the route that many of us wanted to include – given the conditions, this was not a hard decision. This will mean that all skiers will start from the Bolton Nordic Center at 9:30. Because skiers will start at 9:30, this will allow the snow to soften before tackling the steeper descents on the course.

Registration and Fees
If you haven’t already registered, please do so now. This will really help with our planning. For those who have yet to send in the $50 registration fee, you may pay with a check (or cash) on Saturday. We will have extra waiver forms on hand, but it will speed things up if you arrive with your form filled out. Remember, if you raise $125 in sponsorships, we will waive your registration fees. Thanks to all those who have already done such great work on this front!

Shuttles
We will be shuttling people from the West Monitor Barn (directions to barn here) up to the Bolton Nordic Center. Vans will be leaving the Barn at 8:45. Please plan on arriving a few minutes before the van departure time. For those not needing a shuttle, please arrive at the Bolton Nordic Center at 9:15. This will give you time to check in, etc.

Current Snow Conditions
For all but the last approach to the barn, the coverage is very good. As is the case with spring skiing, there may be a bare spot or two, but nothing one can’t step around. Volunteers have worked hard to mark the trail over the past few days and they have all been encouraged with the amount of snow in the hills. In the morning, the snow might be a bit hard, but by 11:00 or so it really begins to soften up. Skiers may need to walk the final hundred yards or so to the barn, but if this is the hand mother nature deals in early March, so be it. We are figuring Vermonters are a hardy bunch and won’t be too fazed by a short walk.

A small amount of Maxi Glide might help gain a bit of traction on the trail. If you don’t have Maxi Glide, the Bolton Nordic Center sells tins for $12. We’ll also have a communal tin available on Saturday morning.

Rental Equipment
The Bolton Nordic Center (434-6876) has a bit of rental equipment left. Also, the Catamount Trail Association (864-5794) also rents gear. If you rent from Bolton, you will be able to return your gear here at the barn, saving you a trip back up to Bolton.

Après Ski
• The Skinny Pancake and the Spot are catering our Après Ski party. The Great Harvest Bread Company has also donated rolls. Entry fees include a crepe, a bowl of chili (and roll), and a cold brew or non-alcoholic beverage. If you’re still hungry, you’ll be able to purchase crepes for $6.50. We will not be taking credit cards – cash or checks only.
• We will begin serving food at 1:30.
• Friends and family who don’t ski are also welcome. $15 for adults and kids under 12 are free – spread the word!
• After a bonfire, a ski movie, a slide show from the day, and a raffle drawing, we’ll wrap things up around 5:30 – 6:00.

Raffle Prizes
All skiers are automatically entered into a raffle drawing which will be held around 3:45. Prizes include a pair of Asnes Sondre Nordheim X-C skis, 3 Black Diamond Headlamps, a framed picture from Ember photography, a snow shoe tour from Umiak Outfitters, t-shirts, pint glasses from Outdoor Gear Exchange and more!!

Additional raffle tickets can be purchased for $5.

For additional information, email Breck at breck.knauft@vycc.org or give him a call at 802.434.3969 ext. 110.

Click here to make a donation!

Donations can be as simple or creative as you want. Here are some examples of great past gifts:
• Gift certificates
• Artwork
• Gift baskets
• Oil changes
• Financial or legal services
• Cooking classes
• Weekend getaways
• Ski passes…and everything in between!

We are partnering with the Vermont Mountain Bike Association,the Catamount Trail Association, and the Moosalamoo Association to create our largest auction yet. Combined, our mailing lists have over 10,000 names. Making a donation is simple, it’s tax deductible, and it’s a great way to get your business’s name in front of thousands of eyes as they do their holiday shopping.

Your donation will support the VYCC’s efforts to create jobs and change lives. Each year, we complete priority conservation projects in nearly every county in Vermont. In 2009, we enrolled over 540 Crew Members and provided them with meaningful jobs during a time when employment opportunities are scarce. With your help, we can continue this important work.

For more information or to make a donation, contact Kristin Smith at kristin.smith@vycc.org or 802.434.3969 x122.

Thank you, from all of us at the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps!

Filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature’s most spectacular locales — from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska — The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is nonetheless a story of people: people from every conceivable background — rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy. (Text taken from PBS website)

This event is an extension of the VYCC’s and Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Park’s on-going partnership which now includes traditional trail crews, a summer camp for local youth, internships, and of course the VermontFutures school program in Woodstock. The only thing more extraordinary than Vermont’s only national park is the staff who work there – I hope you can join us!

Additional information about the evening can be found online at www.vycc.org or by contacting Cailie Burns at 802.434.3969 x113.

For more information, visit the Vermont Parks & Public Lands website: http://parks.vpt.org/