Flooded State Parks Work To Re-Open

 

Summer may not officially be here yet, but with temperatures across much of Vermont reaching the 90s on Wednesday, the time has arrived for pulling out kayaks, putting on swimsuits and heading down to the lake or the river. But much of the waterfront is still submerged. In some places, beaches are just starting to reemerge, littered with debris. And many of the state parks along Lake Champlain have been hard hit. Six of them, including the popular Sand Bar State Park in Milton, are still closed due to flooding. Clean-up has begun, and the state is aiming to have the park open for the season by the 4^th of July, though a state high water report notes that even then, it "won't be perfect."

We talk to Craig Whipple, director of the Vermont State Parks, about the impact of the flooding on the waterfront parks, and about what else to expect from the summer season.  

Also on the program, what happens to kids who rely on free and reduced price lunch programs when the school year is over?  Marissa Parisi of Hunger Free Vermont explains the summer programs that are available, and how they integrate community activities into feeding kids whose families are 'food insecure.'

And VPR's Angela Evancie reports on a new report released by the Vermont Center for Ecostudies has given us a better idea of just how diverse the butterfly population is.