BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Buying land is a big decision. With so much wetland in Vermont, state leaders are making sure you don’t end up in a soggy situation.

It’s American Wetlands Month, and Vermont’s Department of Enviromental Conservation wants buyers to be informed before they buy.

Regulations can impact whether a property on wetlands can be developed or require a special permit. Some parcells known as swamp lots are mostly wetlands and may not be allowed to be developed under state rules.

You can visit Vermont DEC’s website for a map of Vermont’s wetlands and development and permitting policies.

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BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Back in 2022, the UVM women’s club lacrosse team made it all the way to the WCLA D2 National Championship game before falling to Loyola Maryland. Last year, the Cats finished third in the country. But this year, Vermont finally got over the hump.
“It was awesome,” said senior attacker May Cassidy. “I mean our first time that we went, we were all sophomores. And we went in #14 seed, like not really expecting to do well. So finishing secnd was awesome for us. And then we were just super excited to come back.”
“Sophomore, junior year, we were like so close to getting the title,” added senior midfielder Annika More. “I think like it being our senior year, we just really wanted to get out there and win.”
The cats earned an at-large bid to the national tournament as the #4 seed, and they had no trouble dispatching rival UNH and Denver in group play to advance to the national semifinals.
“Obviously we played UNH early on, which again we played a lot this season,” said national midfielder of the year Ella Malik. “And it was exciting to play a few other teams we hadn’t played before.”
“Just like having so many teams from all across the country, it’s really cool to see everybody come together,” added senior defender Hayley Zielinski. “Gives you like an insight into how like the different coasts play lacrosse.”
The Cats downed top seed Cal State San Marcos in the semifinals, earning a fourth meeting of the season with Providence in the national title game.
“One of my favorite things about this team is no matter who we play, we just come out ready to play,” said senior midfielder Lilly Egenberg. “And again, we know Providence, they know us, we know them and I think we just were ready to play and we came out harder and I think we wanted it more.”
The Cats fell behind early, but eventually seized control, coasting to a 14-8 win and the program’s first ever national title. It’s especially sweet considering all the challenges this group has had to overcome in their lacrosse careers.
“I think it was really special for all of us,” said senior midfielder Paisley Broadhurst. “Especially being seniors, like in high school, none of us got a senior season. We’ve all just become like super close. And our grade is the smallest on the team so it’s like easy for us all to just like hang out. And to be able to accomplish this all together, I think it’s gonna be a core memory for all of us for sure.”
Head coach Rhiannon Brown is excited for the future of the program, but she also knows this senior class is irreplaceable.
“I’ve played lacrosse for about 10 years before I came to UVM, and I don’t think that I ever had the pleasure of having a senior class like this,” Brown said. “Whether it be my senior classes or ones that I’ve had on my teams. So this group in particular is one that’s going to be near next to impossible to replace. We do have a really strong core on our team that I’m really excited for them to step up and play…but this class in particular is gonna leave a forever mark on our program.”

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – The legislative session is in the rearview mirror and Vermont campaign season is ramping up. But as Republican Governor Phil Scott pushes for more political balance at the Democratically-controlled Statehouse, experts say he has to thread a fine needle.

The dust from a whirlwind legislative session is beginning to settle and Governor Phil Scott, who announced his reelection plans this past weekend, once again finds himself at an electoral crossroads.

“Somebody needs to be there to be the voice of Vermonters, and right now, I think we’re so out of balance that we’re not hearing from everyone,” Scott said Wednesday.

And for the first time in a long time, Scott is engaging his own party. He’ll be speaking at the Vermont Republican Party Presidential & Platform Convention on Saturday alongside vice presidential hopeful North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

While other moderate Republicans like New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu have lined up behind Trump, Scott has not. He says his appearance at the GOP event does not tie him to the former president. “Even if my good friend Doug Burgum becomes a VP candidate, I won’t be supportive of the ticket,” Scott said.

Scott critics like Vermont Democratic Party Chair Jim Dandeneau aren’t buying it. “He can reach out to moderate Democrats all he wants but when his first pitch for his reelection campaign is going to come standing alongside Doug Burgum, the Republican governor from North Dakota who signed one of the strictest abortion bans in the county, signed one of the most restrictive anti-trans bills in the county and is coming to Vermont fresh off his stop outside of Donald Trump’s trial. I don’t know how that’s going to land with folks,” Dandeneau said.

Previous polls have shown Scott wins by wide margins because he consistently draws support from Democrats. But Dandeneau says that cross-party support could be slipping away because of Scott’s positions on issues like education and the environment, and that’s why he’s courting Republican voters. “He’s not going to turn to Democrats to bail him out of problems he’s created for himself, he’s going to turn to Republicans,” Dandeneau said.

Scott says he hopes to challenge the supermajority in Montpelier by recruiting more like-minded candidates, not just Republicans but fiscally conservative Democrats and Independents who would sustain his vetoes. GOP leaders are also trying to recruit more moderates.

“We’re building a coalition that we think can support Governor Scott when he does need to veto those things that are crossing the line and are not helpful for Vermonters,” said Vermont Republican Party Chair Paul Dame.

Matt Dickinson, a political science professor at Middlebury College says that in Scott’s quest for balance at the Statehouse, he has to weigh recruiting from a party dominated by Trump with also not alienating Democratic supporters. “The risk is the moderate image he’s cultivated, one that’s premised in part by being one the first governors to reject Trump, can be tarnished,” he said.

At the same time, all eyes in Democratic circles are on former Governor Howard Dean, who has said he’s exploring another run. The deadline to file for the August primaries is in about two weeks.

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