  Mount Holly Mammoth & Humans Although the mastodon remains from Mount Holly were discovered in 1848, successful dating of the remains was stymied until scholars from the university of Delaware performed radiocarbon dating on a rib bone this February. The data suggest that the mastodon was alive during the Younger Dryas and it’s life may have coincided with the arrival of the first humans in the area. Judging by the bone’s low nitrogen content, researchers believe it lived during a period of climate warming, forcing it to consume a wider variety of foods to survive, including lichen, spruce, and alder.  Police Services Costs increase A new collection of data from the Center for Research on Vermont finds that town spending on police services varies widely. Some towns in Vermont are spending more than $400 per capita for police services and other towns are spending nothing. Of the 95 towns surveyed, 59 towns saw proposed increases in police spending from 2022 to 2023, 25 towns proposed the same and 11 saw decreases. Twenty-six towns spend more than $200 per capita and 26 spend less than $10. See town by town map and news story here. See also stories from town meetings across the state Tuesday collected by students — here.  Heavy Rain leads to more Phosphorous Runoff Researchers from the University of Vermont completed a study on the effects of tile drainage, a method for draining subsurface water, on phosphorous runoff and pollution from the use of fertilizers and manures. Examining three Vermont dairy farms near Lake Champlain with tile drainage from 2018 to 2021, the scholars found that the total amount of phosphorous runoff varied by season and with the drought conditions that characterized the period of the study, with heavy rain leading to more runoff. The scholars note that climate change has an impact on rainfall patterns and conclude that more research is needed to understand its future impact on runoff, particularly for Vermont’s clay soils.  Voting By Prisoners Could allowing incarcerated people to vote change the outcomes of elections? Recent data based on Vermont and Maine – the only two states that currently allow incarcerated people to vote – suggests not. The researchers used administrative data on the voting activities of Vermont and Maine prisoners during the 2018 election to investigate the potential impact of enfranchising policies. The scholars found that turnout was low in Vermont and Maine and note that moral claims about enfranchising prisoners—including ideas about “paying one’s debt to society, the racist history of disenfranchisement laws, and the meaning of citizenship” are the relevant questions — not the impact on election outcomes.  Growing Saffron in Vermont Saffron has become a more popular crop in Vermont for its culinary and medicinal uses. A group of UVM researchers investigated the ideal growth and drying conditions to determine how to produce the highest concentrations of Saffron’s medical compounds, which include potential applications treating cancers, digestive disorders, and Alzheimer’s. The scholars planted 7000 saffron plants at UVM’s Horticulture Center and subjected them to a variety of temperature conditions. Using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy—the scholars found that drying at 100 degrees Celsius was ideal for preserving the medicinal qualities of the plant, as well as a new technique for extracting the compounds.  Winter Road Maintenance Cost Calculator Researchers at the Transportation Research Center released a new tool to predict the cost of snow and ice controls for winter weather. The tool, which is implemented in Microsoft Excel, works by simulating 10,000 winter seasons matching the user’s specifications and calculates costs for each simulation. The researchers hope that it will assist policymakers in making appropriate investments in snow and ice control. The project was funded by the Vermont Agency of Transportation.  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Russian dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was drawn to Vermont in part because of town meeting, according to Russian Scholar Kevin McKenna. Solzhenitsyn lived for almost twenty years in Cavendish inspiring a community book about him. McKenna suggests that if he were alive today, Solzhenitsyn would oppose the invasion of Ukraine, especially under the leadership of a strong-handed President Putin. In a number of his fictional (One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich) and non-fictional works (Gulag Arkhipelago), Solzhenitsyn demonstrated great respect and admiration for Ukrainian people, McKenna writes.  Milkweed Farms Host Diverse Insects Milkweed is gaining popularity as a cash crop in the northeast; its fluffy seed has found use in mopping up oil spills and as insulation. The ecological impacts of growing it are less well-known. A recent study conducted in Alburgh found that among cultivated milkweed, forest, conventional hay and corn farms, milkweed fostered significantly more taxonomic diversity in insects above ground. Milkweed also had larger insects compared to hay and forest. The scholars suggest that with the development of viable markets, milkweed could provide “both economic and ecological benefits.” “Irasburg Affair” Conversation Gary Shattuck, author of a new book on the “Irasburg Affair” – an infamous incident from Vermont’s 1960s when a white man fired into a black family’s home — will debate Steve Terry live on the Center for Research on Vermont’s Facebook page March 3 at noon. Terry covered the story for the Rutland Herald and disagrees with Shattuck about some of the books’ findings. The conversation is moderated by the Center’s Meg Little Reilly. Watch live here And in the meantime, hear CRVT intern Sarah Blow chat with Gary Shattuck about “Night-Rider Legacy: Weaponizing Race in the Irasburg Affair of 1968.”  Vermont Events March Meditate and Create – Art and Fear in Mixed Media and Collage – March 3 March Paint & Sip at Black Flannel Brewing – March 6 March Paint & Sip, At Home With Anharad Llewelyn – March 9 SB Artmix 2022 – March 12 ANY THOUGHTS? POST THEM HERE!  Vermont Dept of Health Weekly Data Summaries COVID Testing |