Widening the Circle
It’s a hot, humid August morning in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, the kind that usually yields thunder and lightning by day’s end. But at nearby Buck Lake – just 700 feet higher in the Vermont woods – someone set the thermostat to “paradise.” The air is dry, the temperature hovers in the mid-70s, and a light breeze ripples the lake’s sapphire surface.
To the 60 or so young teenage boys bunking at Buck Lake Camp, it sure feels like heaven. They are nearing the end of their week at one of two Green Mountain Conservation Camps (GMCC). (The other, Edward F. Kehoe Camp, is across the state in Castleton.) They’ve practiced with hunting crossbows at the archery range. They’ve learned to canoe safely, fire .22 rifles and 20-gauge shotguns, and will leave with hunter education certifications stuffed in their pockets and orange hats on their heads. In between those lessons, they’ve taken deep dives into conservation ethics, wildlife management, and habitat protection with Vermont game wardens and wildlife biologists.
Published in Northern Woodlands on March 21, 2022
