A southern Vermont resident spotted a Canada lynx over the weekend, walking along a gravel road.

Gary Shattuck of Shrewsbury caught the lynx on video on Aug. 17, 2024. It’s the first time the animal has been confirmed in the state since 2018, according to state biologists.

Lynx live in much of Canada and Alaska, as well as parts of Maine and New Hampshire.

“Canada lynx are endangered in Vermont and threatened nationally,” said Brehan Furfey, wildlife biologist and furbearer project leader with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, in a press release Wednesday. “That makes any verifiable lynx sighting in our state important.”

The department said this sighting, in Rutland County, is especially exciting because of how south it occurred compared to previous sightings in the state.

Fish and Wildlife Department biologists suspect this lynx was a male, looking to establish its own territory — a practice called “dispersing.”

Canada lynx have huge paws, black tufts on their ears and the tip of their tail, and thrive where snowshoe hare are abundant. They’re often mistaken for bobcats — which are closely related, and more common in Vermont.

If you think you’ve spotted a lynx, the Fish and Wildlife Department recommend sending in a photo or video for identification.

This story is a production of  the New England News Collaborative. It was originally published by Vermont Public.

 Eagle Times Staff 

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced recently that USDA and Vermont are offering approximately $1 million in equipment-only grants through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). Vermont is accepting applications for equipment-only projects from Aug. 28 through Oct. 1, 2024. Grants range from $30,000 to $100,000 and have no match requirement. 

The announcement is part of the $3.2 million USDA awarded to Vermont through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program to fund innovative projects designed to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems. In April, VAAFM announced with USDA approximately $2 million available in Infrastructure Grants for projects within the state. Awards for these Infrastructure Grants will be announced in the coming months. 

“Equipment and other infrastructure tools are vital to the resiliency of Vermont’s food system and the small businesses that comprise it,” said Anson Tebbetts, Vermont’s Secretary of Agriculture. “Many now utilize outdated, under-sized and inefficient equipment, holding them back from growth, but these grants will help our state’s food system businesses thrive and compete. This was a recommendation of Governor Scott’s Future of Agriculture Commission, and it’s wonderful to see the grants happen.” 

“This partnership between USDA and Vermont is allowing critical funding to reach areas of the supply chain that need it most,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The equipment projects funded through this program will create new opportunities for the region’s small and midsize producers to thrive, expand access to nutritious food options, and increase supply chain resiliency.” 

The RFSI equipment-only grant track is solely for “special purpose” equipment that equals or exceeds $5,000 per unit. The equipment must be used for middle of the supply chain activities, such as processing, storage, transportation, aggregation, distribution, or wholesaling of Vermont or regional food products. The equipment must help the applicant meet one of the following goals: Increase market access; Diversify product offerings; or Increase production quantities. 

VAAFM and USDA will prioritize applications that serve limited resource farmers, new and beginning farmers, and veteran farmers and producers. 

Those interested in an RFSI equipment-only grant should apply directly through VAAFM starting Aug. 28 through Oct. 1, at 1:59 p.m.  

For more information, visit the VAAFM Resilient Food System Infrastructure webpage at agriculture.vermont.gov/grants/resilient-food-systems-infrastructure. 

The results of last week’s primary election were formally certified today by Vermont’s Canvassing Committee.

That committee is made up of chairs from the three major political parties — Democratic, Republican and Progressive — or their designees.

And in the end, statewide voter turnout rate was only 15%.

That’s compared to 34% in 2020’s primary, and 23% in 2018.

Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas says that number is something of a letdown.

“We kind of expected that there would be lower turnout because there weren’t as many contested races as there had been back in 2022,” she says. “So yeah, it was a little disappointing, but not unexpected.”

Copeland Hanzas says she is encouraged, however, by the higher turnout numbers in communities with contested legislative races — like in Brattleboro, Waterbury and Greensboro.

And she expects a much higher turnout rate for the general election in November, because there are a number of contested races, and because all voters will automatically be mailed ballots 45 days before Election Day.

Today’s election certification took place one day later than expected, after the Secretary of State’s office identified a software issue with the election management system’s report-generation function.

According to a press release from Copeland Hanzas’ office, the issue was caught as staff performed checks while printing the official reports.

Copeland Hanzas said the delay did “not impact the 100% confidence we have in the accuracy of vote totals submitted by Vermont’s town and city clerks.”

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.