Right now, the closest answer to the question of “What would catamounts in Vermont look like?” may be an AI-generated image of the large cat in a state forest, or perhaps it’s UVM’s felted Rally Cat mascot cheering from the sidelines of a hockey game.
But soon, the House Environment Committee hopes to flesh out that image a little further and launch a feasibility study for what reintroducing cougars to the Green Mountain State would entail. (Had to!)
Jed Murdoch, a wildlife biologist at UVM’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, joined the committee Wednesday to explain the role of apex predators in an ecosystem and to walk through what would need to happen to reintroduce the animals to Vermont. (BTW, cougar = catamount = panther = mountain lion — and the list goes on. The Puma concolor holds the record for the mammal with the most English names)
These big cats have been officially considered extinct in the state since 2018, though the last known cougar in Vermont was killed in 1881. You can see him at the Vermont History Museum.
Rep. Amy Sheldon, D-Middlebury, said she’s been interested in exploring cougar reintroduction as part of her broader mission toward a “connected and functioning landscape,” she said in an interview. Though the state’s Fish & Wildlife Department already has a full plate, Sheldon believes facilitating the cascade of ecological processes that can come from the introduction of a keystone species may actually lighten that load.
“Mother nature will heal herself if we give her the tools to do so,” Sheldon said.
But that doesn’t mean you’ll be seeing cougars lurking near your favorite mountain trails next week, next month, or even next year. The committee is still figuring out what a feasibility study would need to contain and how to fund it.
Murdoch said any study should include an assessment of the habitat across the state that would be suitable for the catamount and where they’d be likely to appear. He also suggested analyzing projected movement patterns with an approach called “circuit analysis” that maps potential pathways the animal might take from protected area to protected area.
Food availability is another big factor to consider. Murdoch estimated that one mountain lion eats somewhere between 14-20 deer a year. Though deer populations in the state are booming now, would they be able to keep up with this top-down pressure after years of predation? A study should address that, he said.
Also, it’s important people really understand what reintroduction could mean, and that there is support for reintroduction across the region for the reintroduction of animals that roam across wide areas, Murdoch said.
“I think (for) a lot of our folks here, it’s a warm and fuzzy thing, but I don’t think they understand the reality of doing (a reintroduction). The first and foremost question should be, what’s in the best interest of the cougar?” said Rep. Chris Pritchard, R-Pawlet, during the hearing. “Is this really the right thing to do for the cougar?”
It’s a question, Sheldon expressed, that gets at the heart of the need for such a study.
— Olivia Gieger
In the know
For roughly 22 months, the former site of the Montpelier Post Office has sat vacant, a lonely looming presence at the corner of State and Elm streets.
The building sustained significant damage from the July 2023 flood, when water inundated the streets of Vermont’s capital. It was so hastily vacated that federal employees’ items are still sitting on their desks, creating an “eerie” feeling, according to Jon Copans, executive director of the Montpelier Commission for Recovery and Resilience.
Now, the city and state are considering whether it may be worth buying the property at 87 State St. from its owner, the U.S. General Services Administration.
The General Services Administration announced it would begin the disposition process in December 2024. On April 21, it sent a letter to Montpelier and the state of Vermont about the possibility of a negotiated sale, similar to a “right of first refusal” for government actors before it becomes available to the general public, Copans said.
Read more about how the state and city are weighing the purchase here.
— Erin Petenko
On the move
A marquee infrastructure financing program that’s meant to spur housing in smaller towns has passed a key hurdle in the Legislature – but Gov. Phil Scott, senators and housing boosters say House lawmakers have added too many restrictions for the program to work.
“It’s just much too complicated for anyone to understand, and will not be utilized by small communities,” Scott said at his regular Wednesday press conference. “It’s taking a step backwards.”
The initiative, called the Community and Housing Infrastructure Program, would allow municipalities or developers to borrow money for infrastructure like water lines, roads and sidewalks for a particular housing project – and then use the increased tax revenue from the development to pay off the infrastructure debt.
Read more about the debate over the how to structure the new program here.
— Carly Berlin
The Vermont House is reviewing a new version of a bill that would increase the licensing requirement threshold for cottage food producers which passed unanimously in the Vermont Senate on Tuesday.
Currently, only food producers with less than $10,000 in annual sales were exempt from licensing fees and health department inspections. The legislation would raise the sales threshold to $30,000.
The Senate’s revisions to H.401 introduce a comprehensive cottage food product category, defining low-risk foods that can be produced in home kitchens that will receive licensing exemptions. Eligible products include non-perishable baked goods, candies, jams, pickles and other non-refrigerated items.
Liz Wirsing, Director of Food and Lodging at the Vermont Department of Health expressed support for the amended version of the bill in testimony before the house agriculture committee on Wednesday. She called the bill a “compromise,” balancing food producers’ interests with public health concerns.
Producers must still file forms with the health department and follow strict guidelines for food preparation, including online food safety training. Canned goods, which were initially excluded from the bill, must meet specific pH and processing standards in order to be sold.
“People want to see support for small food enterprises,” Caroline Sherman-Gordon, Legislative Director of Rural Vermont, said in an interview. The cottage food bill would alleviate some of the “bureaucratic” costs many Vermonters see when starting a small business, she said.
— Izzy Wagner
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