Vermont News

A Hit That Would Have Killed Most Men 

Brian's Story Of Survival

The morning of July 23, 2007, started out like many others in Baghdad for U.S. Army Medic Staff Sergeant Brian Mancini, a 20-something soldier with a passion for target shooting. Little did he expect it was a day which would change his life.

A few hours later he would sustain a direct hit which would leave his face a bloody, cartilage torn mess. The bomb blew off most of the right side of his skull, his left cheekbone, and most of his teeth. It was a hit which would have killed most men.

As he lay on the ground he remembers clearing his teeth out of his mouth so he could breathe easier-a task that was becoming harder by the second. In labored breath he told his gunner to tell his family and fiancé he loved them, and prepared to die. 

Three weeks later, after having to be resuscitated twice, Brian beat the odds. To the amazement of doctors and his family, he emerged from his coma. 

After a year he finally put a gun to his shoulder again, and went back to his true love. "It was a great day that I will not soon forget and am grateful to everyone who made this day possible," Brian said. "All I wanted to do was shoot." 

Outdoors Magazine is proud to bring you Brian's story in a special section in its September issue, and many others which celebrate the human spirit and the accomplishments of people with disabilities in the outdoors.

A portion of the proceed from all ads sold in this section will benefit the Pine Grove Program, an organization devoted to bringing outdoor experiences to people with disabilities and demonstrating first-hand the healing power of the outdoors for survivors and their families.

Other premier companies pledging their support include:

• Smith & Wesson

• Beagle Outdoor Wear

• Renegade Wheelchair

• BE Adaptive

• Nittany Mountain Trophy Whitetail Hunting

If you want to be a part of the story for someone like Brian, contact Outdoors Magazine at (802) 879-2013 or email austin@elkpublishing.com  

"We do not want this to simply be a 'one and done' issue," said Outdoors Magazine Publisher James Austin. "Our goal is to use it as a sort of ice-breaker and over the coming months build on it and continue to bring the challenges and success stories of people with disabilities to the forefront of the outdoors world," he said.

To hopefully encourage others to follow in their footsteps, Outdoors Magazine is "putting their money where their mouth is" and donating a portion of all the proceeds from the September issue to the Pine Grove Program, which works to provide outdoor opportunities to people with disabilities and their families at no cost.

"The Pine Grove Program is one of the best examples I can think of about how a regular person can make a huge difference in someone's life," said Austin. "It can really serve as an inspiration to us all."

In addition to a tremendous group of stories about people with disabilities overcoming the challenges of the outdoors, the issue will have a diversity of articles on topics including; the importance of ATV's to people with disabilities and the access issues they face; crossbows and the rapidly expanding potential they represent for people with disabilities; a heart touching story reminding us all of the healing power of the outdoors for veterans returning from overseas; amazing improvements in products to aid people with disabilities; and a heart-felt piece explaining how simple it is for every guide and outfitter in the country to make a huge impact on someone's life simply by giving up a little of their time.

"While we already have a great line-up of stories, I would love to get a couple more," explained editor Kyle Scanlon. If anybody has a story they want to share, idea, or photo I would love to hear from them." Contact him via email at kyle@elkpublishing.com or call (802) 879-2013.

June 15, 2009
Kate Duffy - WCAX News

ATV Riders Push for Access to State Land

Washington, Vermont — Jon Pallas began riding ATVs four years ago when he had trouble walking to his deer hunting spots. His passion for hunting evolved into a new hobby.

"I love it," he said. "I love it. I'm 73 years old and I love riding."

Pallas is now pushing the state for more land to ride on. The Agency of Natural Resources is considering changing the rules to give riders some limited access to state-owned lands.

"Our ultimate goal is to have a trail that runs from the southern part of the state to the northern part of the state," he said. "And by being able to cross state lands, we could access more areas."

The state indicated its proposed rule change would only affect a small amount of public lands -- short corridors linking existing trails on private lands. It would not create a new network of trails on public lands.

But the proposal drew outcries from some environmental activists. Some said ATVs would ruin the environment and the proposed rule would be difficult to enforce. 

"Everybody I've worked with would puke in disgust and dismay over the process that brought this to a head," said Erik Esselstyn, a North Montpelier man who described himself as a protector of land. He spoke out against the proposal at a public hearing in Montpelier Monday night.

"Repeated ATV use can be more devastating than clear cutting because it compacts and destroys the soil and causes erosion over time," said Cheron Fegard of Worcester, an opponent of the proposed rule change.

But of the estimated 250 people in attendance, only a small minority were opposed to the proposal. Many who spoke described themselves as members of local ATV clubs. When the head of the Vermont All-Terrain Vehicles Sportsman's Association asked the crowd who was in favor of the proposal, all but two dozen or so stood up. Many challenged the assertion they would damage the environment, pointing out they are stewards of the land -- land supported by their tax dollars too.

"Public land, we should have public access," rider Ray Richard said. "That's our opinion."

People who still want to express their own opinions may do so until the public comment period ends next Monday, June 22. The Agency of Natural Resources has established a special e-mail address to take comments, atvrule@state.vt.us 

June 4, 2009

Outdoors Magazine Chooses "Cover Girl"

After pouring through hundreds of submissions during the month of May, Outdoors Magazine is proud to announce that the "Cover Girl" photo adorning the July issue is Kandi Kinski with her massive whitetail buck. 

"The photo had exactly what we were looking for in an image," said Outdoors Magazine editor Kyle Scanlon. "It showed a vibrant woman in the outdoors who is a real hunter, and the quality and composition of the picture were exactly what we needed."

Scanlon was overwhelmed by the response Outdoors Magazine received to their "Cover Girl" search. 

"We had hundreds of pictures come in from across the country," he said. "There were traditional pictures of women with big game and fish, and some non-traditional pictures as well. One that stands out in my mind is a Texas woman who had just finished harvesting a hog with a Bowie knife. Another was some women from Mississippi who specialize in 'noodleing' big catfish. This is in addition to the trout, deer, elk, and moose pictures. The diversity of photos was amazing."

"It was incredibly difficult to choose," said Scanlon. "So much so that we actually printed a second cover inside the magazine highlighting the women's section. We also printed an expanded scrapbook showing some of our favorites, and posted others online.

In addition to the photos, the July issue of Outdoors Magazine has over a dozen different articles focusing on women in the outdoors. Included among these are; traditional hunting stories, pieces on why women make better guides then men, an in-depth story on the challenges women guides face, heart-felt tales of overcoming gender boundaries, a detailed look at women-specific organizations like casting for recovery, and many others.

"The edit isn't light-hearted, regurgitated material about 'how nice it is that ladies have taken up hunting,'" said Scanlon. "It is a hard look at the new age of women in the field and the challenges they face. It is really some of the best material on the topic I have ever seen," he said.

Both subscriptions and single copies of the July issue can be ordered by calling 1-800-499-0447. Subscriptions can also be ordered by clicking here.

Northern Pike Age and Growth Data Will Help in Managing the Species

WATERBURY, VT — Did you ever wonder how old that northern pike was you caught?  How old was that 21-inch pike your child caught this year ice fishing?  How about the 30-inch 8-lber you brought home for supper?  How old was that monster 41-inch, 24-lb pike you saw in the winning spot at the local derby this past winter?   

Photo by Jud Kratzer

Vermont fisheries biologists are asking anglers for help in aging northern pike 
like this one, if the fish is not going to be released.   

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department fisheries biologists also want to know the answers to these questions.  The department has been collecting biological data to learn more about northern pike age and growth rates in Vermont.

Some anglers may not think much about how fast or slow fish grow, or how old a big fish is.  But, fisheries biologists are very interested in this information because age, length, size at maturity, and growth rate data provide the basic information necessary to understand and manage fish populations.  With these data, biologists are able to  evaluate the health and status of a fish population, make decisions on how to best manage a species, and then recommend actions such as setting new creel or length limits that will  change the abundance or age structure of a population in order to improve the quality of fishing opportunities.

So how do biologists figure out how old a northern pike is, and how much it grows each year?   By removing a bone called the “cleithrum,” located between the gills and pectoral fin of the fish, a biologist can determine the age of the fish in years by counting the number of growth bands or rings on.  This is just like counting the rings you see on a tree stump.

Figuring out whether pike are growing fast or slow is fairly easy.  Determining how much they grow each year (inches per year) is a little more technical and difficult, but it is still pretty straight-forward.  Cleithrum bones from northern pike and muskie are almost exactly 1/10th the length of the fish.  For example, the cleithrum from a 35-inch pike will measure 3.5-inches in length.  Knowing this, a biologist can take measurements along the cleithrum, from the point of origin to each spot where an age-ring crosses the length of the bone and determine how long the fish was at each age during its life.      

How does this help us in managing pike?  By determining the age structure and growth rates of Vermont’s pike populations, fisheries biologists can determine what the "minimum ultimate size" is for any of Vermont’s pike populations.  This is the length we would expect 99% of the pike to reach if nobody was fishing for them.  The estimation of “minimum ultimate size” allows biologists to assess the trophy potential of a pike population by determining whether or not a pike population could grow larger fish than are currently in the population.

The growth data collected from the ongoing northern pike study, combined with creel survey data, which provide a measure of total harvest and harvest rates, will provide the information needed to determine if there are opportunities to develop fisheries for trophy size northern pike.   

Northern pike populations in some Vermont waters may be able to be managed so there are more big fish available to anglers.  

State fisheries biologists are conducting a survey on northern pike fishing regulations to determine what anglers’ opinions are on current regulations and potential regulation changes.  The biologists also want to know what anglers want for northern pike fishing opportunities.

Here’s how you can help.  If you are going to keep a northern pike to eat, please remove the cleithrum and send it to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department so the fish can be aged.  This is easy to do, and it only takes a minute or two.  The department website includes instructions and forms at www.vtfishandwildlife.com\pike.cfm.  A cleithrum from each fish should be put in a plastic bag and packaged with the date and location of the catch, the length of the fish, and the weight of the fish if possible.