The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-10-08
VERMONT GAME
SANCTUARY PLAN
Hoped to Open RecreatiOnal
Shooting Grounds
Near 1t
NATURAL HIGHWAY r.
OF MIGRATING DUCKS

Champlain Shore.
BURLINGTON, Oct S.-Winthrop
Packard, writing for the Boston Trans.
cript says:
The migrating ducks, teal, mallard
bluebills, whistlers, redheads and all, fly
ing, resting, feeding and flying again
have some wonderful highways from the
cold tundra of northern Canada to the
warm winter refuge of the Gulf stream
None of these is more wonderful than
that between New York state and Ver-I
mont, the Lake Champlain route. Onel
wonder of it is that it skirts the Oldest
land i'll the world.
According to the biologists, ''The vest
crn wall of Lake Champlain is the oldestl
land on earth. Before the Alps or theI
Andes had broken the surface of thei
deep, before the HimaIayas had reared
their heads to become supreme amongI
the mountains, the rocky peaks of the
Adnondacks had pierced the drearyI
waste of waters that covered the earth |
Iahawas, as Indians called Mt. Marcy. |
with its proud and lofty head, splitting
the clouds within full view of Burlington.
irst rose above the waste at the begin-l
Ing vi IlIG WONDERFUL WOEk that carved !
the earth's crest and divided the surface
INTO seas and continents .
Inc DUCKS are safe during a good part |
or the year, though in the fall migration
time when the open season sets the hun-I
ter S heart TO beating high it is anotheri
matter. Wherever a river empties jntol
Lake Champlain there are sandy shall
lows, reedy marshes and fats filled with
duck food in which local black duck. mall
lards and wood duck dwell and breed thet
summer through, while outside these I'M
me open lakes the divers-redheads buff
i!eheads, soaup and goldeneye-playl
about, above and below the surface. The
water margin teens in season with theI
| host Of migrant duck, the land margin
"th the host of duck hunters,
| Vermont welcomes both along her side
| IF the ancient highway, wants to- preserve
md increase both while leaving all asI
| Tree as possible to life, liberty and the
,aIsult OF happiness. Hence, a rather
'ehcate problem in bird protection and
| unters license, both of which are in
IRE of Linus Leavens, commissioner of
sherles and game for the state. The
| o0mmlsslOner SAYS:
On April ?, 1920, the state, through
the department of fish and game, ac-
| CURED the title to over 1000 acres of
| uarsh and upland bordering on Lake
| [ hamplaln III the towns of Milton -and
| colchester, Chittenden county, including
| The estuary of the Lamoille river and
| ne island at its mouth. The tract con-
| 'sts chiefly of an alluvial marsh sur
| Founding a series of 10 generally parallel
| iCgeS rising IN a few places 10 feet above
| he water and covering from one to 10
with a stand of young timber 80 to so
! Years growth, mainly swamp white oak,
'oit maple, willow, poplar. etc, with
| characteristic undererowth and bordered
| by willows and button bush. There are
\ vt least four extensive open patches Of
water from two to 10 acres each, locally
called 'pot-holes'. In addition numerous
Their patches of open shallow water CON
i lcct directly or indirectly with the chan
lel of sluggish Dead Creek, which starts
} II the marsh near the north bank of the
| LamoIlle and is crossed by the highway
J not far from the eastern boundary Of the
J | rcservatlon, which has two miles OF
} frontage on. Lake Champlain.i These
} 'pot-holes', swamp, and lake provide an
} abundant growth of the most desirable
. luck food plants ard presents an ideal
eedng place for such species of ducks
| - breed there and all species of wild
owl which might be induced to remain
there to breed: 1t is proposed to pro
3ibit all shooting in the marshes, that
he birds may not be disturbed during
he nesting season.
The waters of the lake on the north
( rrn and western part of the reservation
! furnish an abundance of wild rice. ant
| this is a favorable feeding ground fol
|
| Recreational shooting will be allowed il
he open lakes under regulations mad,
| " the department during the open sea
'on for wild fowl. Part of this area pro
vides splendid cover for our native birds
= rs the rutted grouse and woOdcOck ant
many native song and insectivorous bird'
| Aest here, some of which are rarely founC
/ Elsewhere in New England
The main highway and favorite tour
SITS route from Burlington through the
! 81 pf I'll hon r.l,T,, 10 Il
s asses through the reservation, crossins
rom the mainland to the islands
lver the famous Sand Bar bridge. This
ighway, as it approaches the lake, il
known as the Whittemore. road and il
1elng improved by the state at an eXpen
hture of $4,000 Plans and specifica
lions for this work are now on file in the
office of the state engineer. A few acres
: u the ACQUIRED tract near the approach
b to the bridge will be made a public park
: 4 caretaker's cottage viii be erected anC
v tourists and other persons interested EN-
: outraged to study the birds and inter
: csting fora Of the reservation.
: 1t is easy to see that the proper regula
;. tion of the recreational shooting on vii
| | low bay-the beautiful arm of the lakt
| which touches the reservation on The
| aorth-will be a matter needing careful
| adjustment 1t is proposed that this
| lay. so easily reached by motor from
Burlington, be later advertised as thu
| state SPECIAL fecfeatlona shooIils
| around where all are welcome. Mos
shooting grounds are in the control o
! clubs or private owners. 1t is planned
: to have this free for all, under state slt
pervision.
DIR. T. S. Palmer, of the Biological Sur
vey. who has inspected the reservation
and who takes keen interest In the pro
ject, suggests the following:
Restricting hunters to three days {
week-say Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sat
: urdays.
;, Limiting the bag per day, per man and
, per boat
Limiting The number of decoys arl
the distance at which they can be SCI
from the shore 50 as to prevent shooting
I from the road
Restricting the number of times a
hunter can shoot on the. reservation dur
form of registration.