Elmore, VT – This summer marks the centennial anniversary of Vermont State Parks, and Governor Phil Scott took some time Thursday to recognize the milestone. 

Since Mount Philo State Park in Charlotte — Vermont’s first — was established in 1924, the number of parks has grown to 55 across the state. The Governor said Vermont’s parks are integral to the state’s identity and the lifestyle of its residents. 

“We can all agree our natural resources, incredible mountains, our trails, our lakes and rivers, and the lifestyle that comes with it are some of our greatest selling points,” said Scott. “Our state Parks are a great way for Vermonters and visitors to take advantage of all our state has to offer.”

Scott chose to address the centennial milestone and importance of Vermont State Parks at Elmore State Park. He said the park played an important role in his life and shared some memories of the park. It’s the place where his parents met and where he spent many childhood summers enjoying the outdoors. 

“I grew up in this area, I spent all my summers here,” Scott continued. “Elmore is pretty special to me… I’ve been up that mountain hundreds of times.”

Scott was joined by Heather Pelham, Vermont’s Tourism and Marketing Commissioner, who noted the vital role State Parks play in the state’s economy and job market. She explained that Vermont ranks second only to Hawaii for the percentage of state GDP generated by outdoor recreation. The outdoor recreation sector also employs more than 15,000 Vermonters. 

“Tourism is a vital part of our economy and State Parks are an integral part of what we have to offer for our guests,” Pelham explained. “According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2023 outdoor recreation in Vermont contributed almost $2 billion to our economy, which is 4.5 percent of Vermont’s GDP.”

Nate McKeen, Director of Vermont State Parks noted the physical and mental health benefits from outdoor recreation, and the essential role State Parks play for Vermonters and visitors alike who come to enjoy the state’s natural beauty. 

“When outside in the park we tend to be more civil and helpful to one another and also kinder to ourselves,” noted McKeen. “Think how we tend to react when we’re behind the wheel or the screen to each other versus when you’re on a hike or walking or engaging with the campsite next to yours.”

McKeen highlighted some activities for State Park visitors during the centennial summer. Visitors can participate in the new “Parks Passport Program” by picking up a Vermont parks passport and bringing it to every park they visit. Each park will have its own unique passport stamp for visitors. 

McKeen also encouraged park visitors to share their favorite photos, videos, poems, stories and other memories of Vermont State Parks to help commemorate a century of outdoor adventure in the Green Mountain State. 

JERICHO, Vt. (WCAX) – Police are investigating the death of a teen following an incident at a Vermont high school.

Vermont State Police say they were called to Mount Mansfield Union High School in Jericho at about 4 p.m. on Thursday for a report of a person who appeared to be stuck underneath a vehicle in the parking lot.

Troopers immediately began to render aid to the 18-year-old man. He was rushed to the hospital in Burlington, where police say he later died.

Police have not yet released the teen’s name so his family can be notified.

Investigators say the incident does not appear suspicious.

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The Legislature last week achieved several milestones on the way to reducing climate pollution — even in the face of Gov. Phil Scott’s best efforts to keep Vermont stuck in the age of fossil fuels.

A greener Renewable Energy Standard — long a goal of 350Vermont and others — passed despite Gov. Scott’s veto. So did a set of improvements to Act 250 that will open some towns and cities to much needed residential development while better protecting the biodiversity of sensitive areas.

In the process, Scott’s anti-environmental vetoes have placed him even to the right of some of his natural allies. More on that below. First, a little background.

It used to be that veto overrides were as rare in Vermont as snowstorms in July. But in Montpelier these past two years, it’s been snowing all summer. Gov. Scott has been lobbing veto snowballs at the General Assembly, and legislators have responded with an avalanche of overrides.

Scott, a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, has had six vetoes overridden during each of the past two legislative sessions.

This year, the governor even went after the birds and the bees. He vetoed (and was overridden on) a bill banning neonicotinoid pesticides that contribute to the decline of vital pollinators. He declined to sign two bills that became law: VPIRG’s “make big oil pay” bill, and a bill to protect wetlands and floodplains from the more extreme weather of our deteriorating climate.

Now back to Scott’s rightward shift as the climate crisis worsens. 

His vetoes of Act 250 changes and the Renewable Energy Standard (RES) came even though traditionally conservative power blocs supported the bills.

The RES, for example, was endorsed by virtually all the state’s utilities, which are normally political allies of the Republican governor. Much of the hard work to improve the RES was accomplished in a working group that included the utilities and was headed by Rep. Amy Sheldon, D-Middlebury, and Addison County Sen. Chris Bray.

Under the new RES, Vermont is committed to achieving nearly 100% renewable electrical energy by 2030. The law also aims to double the amount of clean energy (mostly solar and wind) produced in the state and regionally. It will mean more green jobs and less burning of dirty oil and gas.

On revisions to Act 250, Scott also found himself to the right of political allies. The bill he vetoed drew support not just from environmental groups but also from the development industry and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. In a statement supporting its passage, the chamber said a portion of the bill was “a top priority for the Vermont business community.”

Perhaps overlooked in all this were two other achievements pushed by 350Vermont and others.

The grassroots group recognized the potential of thermal energy networks to generate cleaner community energy and use it more efficiently. That approach, which avoids the need for burdensome bureaucracy, gained approval this session. So, too, did a study committee to suggest ways to protect lower-income Vermonters from electricity rate hikes.

Vermonters have a lot to celebrate at the end of this biennium. Working as a tighter coalition, advocates pushed the General Assembly to approve substantial climate legislation — and to make those approvals stick during the difficult task of overriding multiple vetoes.

Joan Baez used to sing of “little victories and big defeats.” Too often that’s been the experience for the climate movement even here in the Green Mountain State. This year, though, Vermonters can sing a song of big victories.