The Green River Reservoir Is A Special Place
Gary Moore
July 31, 2025
Last Thursday I finally made it to the Green River Reservoir State Park and managed to explore about half of it by kayak. What a special place it is.
For three years now I have been trying to find a time my schedule and my sister Wendy O’Donnell’s aligned so we could paddle the Green River Reservoir.
Thursday was hot and humid but once we got on the water there was a breeze most of the time making the paddling comfortable.
One of the special things about Green river Reservoir is that no motorboats are allowed. It is canoes and kayaks with the occasional small boat with an electric motor. No noise, no canoe swamping wakes and no exhaust smells. Wonderful!
We were thrilled to watch an adult Bald Eagle riding the thermals, slowly circle over us. Loons nest on the reservoir and signs warn boaters to stay away during the period the nests area active. We saw no loons but we heard their haunting calls.
Green River Reservoir State Park is a 5,500 acre state park in Hyde Park. It is located on the shore of the 653 acre Green River Reservoir.
The reservoir has nineteen miles of undeveloped shoreline. The few structures you see are far from the water and well hidden in the trees.
The park provides camping and paddling experiences in a remote setting. All 27 remote campsites can only be reached by paddling to them, with some a one to two mile paddle from the launch site. Many love that seclusion. The day we were there only two campsites we unoccupied.
Access to the park is in the southern part of the Reservoir off of Green River Dam Road.
Day use such as we experienced is allowed on the reservoir in limited numbers. There are designated day use sites where fires are permitted. One such site we saw in the end of a southern cove had two kayaks and a canoe pulled on shore with several people swimming and others relaxing in lawn chairs, simply enjoying the beautiful scenery and the quiet.
Forest Parks and Recreation states, “The park will remain in its wild and undeveloped condition, with low-impact, compatible recreational use allowed on and around the Reservoir. Management activities will be only those necessary to maintain the property’s character, protect the environment and critical resources, demonstrate sustainable forest and wildlife management, control excessive recreational use, and ensure high-quality outdoor experiences for visitors.”
Wendy and I so loved our visit that we vowed to go back and explore the rest of the reservoir, perhaps in the fall when the foliage is at peak.
Vermont Hunters Will Be Able To Take Doe During 2026 Season
Hunters will be able to shoot does during the regular 2026 firearms season. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board approved, by a 7-5 vote, new deer hunting rules hoping to take more deer in several areas of the state.
Next year, for the first time since the 1980s, hunters in Vermont will be able to hunt female and antlerless deer using rifles and shotguns during the regular deer season if they purchase and receive an antlerless permit. Currently, hunters can harvest antlerless deer during archery, muzzleloader and other special seasons, but not during the 16-day November firearm season.
Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists have said the increased frequency of mild winters has led to increased deer survival. Also changes to land use patterns have put more areas off limits to hunters, and fewer people are hunting.
Now, more deer are competing with one another for limited food and habitat.
“We feel it’s necessary,” Nick Fortin, a wildlife biologist who leads the department’s deer and moose projects, told the board at a June meeting, noting the practice is common in other states.
Hunters currently fill only about 14 percent of their antlerless permits, according to department data. Fortin expects that percentage will increase if hunters can use rifles. Plus, thousands of people only hunt during the November rifle season, opening up doe harvest to a new pool of hunters.
David Sausville, the department’s wildlife management program manager, said, “What I always try to reinforce with people, is ‘You’re right, you’re not seeing as many deer as you did in the 70s,’ but there’s still too many deer in certain areas because they’re impacting the habitat and we’re not seeing the health indices in the deer that we would like to see.”
It is not just the Board that is split on the decision, many sportsmen are as well. I know that there are too many deer in some areas for the habitat provided and development is encroaching on the remaining habitat every year. My concern is safety. When hunters can shoot at any deer without determining if it has legal antlers, there is a tendency to shoot more quickly and that can result in accidental injuries or even deaths to others in the woods.
Bits and Pieces
If you see a flock of turkeys in Vermont, the Fish and Wildlife Department asks you to go to the turkey brood survey on its website and report your observations, including where and when you observed the turkeys with the number of adult and young turkeys you observed through the end of August.
“Information gathered from this survey helps us monitor long-term trends in the productivity of Vermont’s wild turkey population,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s turkey biologist Toni Mikula. “It also helps us assess the impacts of spring weather on the survival of poults and adult turkeys which is important in the management of turkeys.”
“We monitor and manage wild turkey numbers annually in order to maintain a healthy, abundant and sustainable population,” added Mikula. “By mid-July, we had 286 reports, which puts us right on track to meet our goal of 1,000 reports, but only if people keep sending them in until the end of August. Although you may not see many poults, it’s just as important for us to know about lone hens, especially after last May’s cold, rainy weather.”
***
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on July 29, 1883: “Tremendous display of Aurora Borealis."
July 30, 2024: “A second extraordinary rain event in northeastern VT; 8.08” of rain in 12 hours, 17.15” for July in St. Johnsbury, both all-time records.”
Mark also provided the July Records and Averages
Warmest Ave. : 75.2°F/1921 Coldest Ave. : 65.0°F/1956
Wettest: 17.15 inches in 2024 Driest: 0.96 inches in 1919
Parting Shots
Friday I married a couple from Greensboro, something I enjoy doing. For over 50 years I have married people as a Justice of the Peace.
As soon as the wedding was over I headed to St. Johnsbury and NVRH where Linda was having surgery. I took her to the emergency room about 9 Thursday night after which she was admitted and surgery scheduled for morning.
She spent the weekend in considerable discomfort, unable to even have a sip of water.
Linda will have another surgery Monday which we are hoping will allow her to swallow.
If there are errors in the column, she is responsible. It will be the first time in 48 years that she has not edited my column.
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2025 Gary W. Moore
For three years now I have been trying to find a time my schedule and my sister Wendy O’Donnell’s aligned so we could paddle the Green River Reservoir.
Thursday was hot and humid but once we got on the water there was a breeze most of the time making the paddling comfortable.
One of the special things about Green river Reservoir is that no motorboats are allowed. It is canoes and kayaks with the occasional small boat with an electric motor. No noise, no canoe swamping wakes and no exhaust smells. Wonderful!
We were thrilled to watch an adult Bald Eagle riding the thermals, slowly circle over us. Loons nest on the reservoir and signs warn boaters to stay away during the period the nests area active. We saw no loons but we heard their haunting calls.
Green River Reservoir State Park is a 5,500 acre state park in Hyde Park. It is located on the shore of the 653 acre Green River Reservoir.
The reservoir has nineteen miles of undeveloped shoreline. The few structures you see are far from the water and well hidden in the trees.
The park provides camping and paddling experiences in a remote setting. All 27 remote campsites can only be reached by paddling to them, with some a one to two mile paddle from the launch site. Many love that seclusion. The day we were there only two campsites we unoccupied.
Access to the park is in the southern part of the Reservoir off of Green River Dam Road.
Day use such as we experienced is allowed on the reservoir in limited numbers. There are designated day use sites where fires are permitted. One such site we saw in the end of a southern cove had two kayaks and a canoe pulled on shore with several people swimming and others relaxing in lawn chairs, simply enjoying the beautiful scenery and the quiet.
Forest Parks and Recreation states, “The park will remain in its wild and undeveloped condition, with low-impact, compatible recreational use allowed on and around the Reservoir. Management activities will be only those necessary to maintain the property’s character, protect the environment and critical resources, demonstrate sustainable forest and wildlife management, control excessive recreational use, and ensure high-quality outdoor experiences for visitors.”
Wendy and I so loved our visit that we vowed to go back and explore the rest of the reservoir, perhaps in the fall when the foliage is at peak.
Vermont Hunters Will Be Able To Take Doe During 2026 Season
Hunters will be able to shoot does during the regular 2026 firearms season. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board approved, by a 7-5 vote, new deer hunting rules hoping to take more deer in several areas of the state.
Next year, for the first time since the 1980s, hunters in Vermont will be able to hunt female and antlerless deer using rifles and shotguns during the regular deer season if they purchase and receive an antlerless permit. Currently, hunters can harvest antlerless deer during archery, muzzleloader and other special seasons, but not during the 16-day November firearm season.
Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists have said the increased frequency of mild winters has led to increased deer survival. Also changes to land use patterns have put more areas off limits to hunters, and fewer people are hunting.
Now, more deer are competing with one another for limited food and habitat.
“We feel it’s necessary,” Nick Fortin, a wildlife biologist who leads the department’s deer and moose projects, told the board at a June meeting, noting the practice is common in other states.
Hunters currently fill only about 14 percent of their antlerless permits, according to department data. Fortin expects that percentage will increase if hunters can use rifles. Plus, thousands of people only hunt during the November rifle season, opening up doe harvest to a new pool of hunters.
David Sausville, the department’s wildlife management program manager, said, “What I always try to reinforce with people, is ‘You’re right, you’re not seeing as many deer as you did in the 70s,’ but there’s still too many deer in certain areas because they’re impacting the habitat and we’re not seeing the health indices in the deer that we would like to see.”
It is not just the Board that is split on the decision, many sportsmen are as well. I know that there are too many deer in some areas for the habitat provided and development is encroaching on the remaining habitat every year. My concern is safety. When hunters can shoot at any deer without determining if it has legal antlers, there is a tendency to shoot more quickly and that can result in accidental injuries or even deaths to others in the woods.
Bits and Pieces
If you see a flock of turkeys in Vermont, the Fish and Wildlife Department asks you to go to the turkey brood survey on its website and report your observations, including where and when you observed the turkeys with the number of adult and young turkeys you observed through the end of August.
“Information gathered from this survey helps us monitor long-term trends in the productivity of Vermont’s wild turkey population,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s turkey biologist Toni Mikula. “It also helps us assess the impacts of spring weather on the survival of poults and adult turkeys which is important in the management of turkeys.”
“We monitor and manage wild turkey numbers annually in order to maintain a healthy, abundant and sustainable population,” added Mikula. “By mid-July, we had 286 reports, which puts us right on track to meet our goal of 1,000 reports, but only if people keep sending them in until the end of August. Although you may not see many poults, it’s just as important for us to know about lone hens, especially after last May’s cold, rainy weather.”
***
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on July 29, 1883: “Tremendous display of Aurora Borealis."
July 30, 2024: “A second extraordinary rain event in northeastern VT; 8.08” of rain in 12 hours, 17.15” for July in St. Johnsbury, both all-time records.”
Mark also provided the July Records and Averages
Warmest Ave. : 75.2°F/1921 Coldest Ave. : 65.0°F/1956
Wettest: 17.15 inches in 2024 Driest: 0.96 inches in 1919
Parting Shots
Friday I married a couple from Greensboro, something I enjoy doing. For over 50 years I have married people as a Justice of the Peace.
As soon as the wedding was over I headed to St. Johnsbury and NVRH where Linda was having surgery. I took her to the emergency room about 9 Thursday night after which she was admitted and surgery scheduled for morning.
She spent the weekend in considerable discomfort, unable to even have a sip of water.
Linda will have another surgery Monday which we are hoping will allow her to swallow.
If there are errors in the column, she is responsible. It will be the first time in 48 years that she has not edited my column.
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2025 Gary W. Moore
Wendy O’Donnell paddling on the serene and beautiful Greem River Reservoir.
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