Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56Summer 2016 | 7 VAST News GREEN UP VAST! By Mike Mutascio Keeping our trails clean is a tradition for VAST clubs and one way that we show respect and gratitude to our landowners. Green Up Vermont is now the largest organized event in the state involving more than 21,000 volunteers. The event began in the late 1970s and is now coordinated by a non-profit effort. VAST was a sponsor this year and received our logo on the famous green trash bags. Members of the Lunenburg Polar Bears Snowmobile Club not only took to the streets for the recent Green Up Vermont Day, but also to the trails as well. Even though the snowmobile season is over, the club’s history of community support never ends. The Polar Bears manage 72 miles of snowmobile trails from Gilman to East Haven during the season. Success of the activity involves a sustained process of agreements among businesses, town governments and private landowners. “Club members have always been avid and dedicated community volunteers,” says groomer operator Todd Colby. “It is critical that our snowmobile trails are always clean and well taken care of.” GREEN UP LVRT! VAST Executive Director Cindy Locke joined a group of Johnson State College students for “TRIO is Working Service Day” on April 30 to collect trash along the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail from Morristown to Cambridge. “Students and staff from TRIO programs across Vermont and northern New York organized and engaged in various service learning projects on college campuses and local communities. Wearing bright blue ‘TRIO is Working’ t-shirts, several hundred participants gathered at five locations to undertake various service projects.“ “The TRIO programs are a set of federally-funded college opportunity programs that motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of a college degree. Approximately 790,000 low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities — from sixth grade through college graduation — are served by over 2,800 programs nationally. TRIO programs provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other supports necessary for educational access and retention.” - Tony Blueter, Johnson State College Upward Bound Director (Cindy Locke photo) Todd Colby, Cathy Mutascio, Mike Mutascio, Lynda Silsby and Dick Santaw (not pictured) display the trash they collected on VAST Trail 102F2 in Lunenburg.