Williston Observer

Heads-up on Bloody Noses

Feb. 24, 2011

By Lewis First, M.D

Parents have been quite nosy recently with lots of questions about their children getting nosebleeds during the winter. Well, the clot thickens (so to speak) so let me provide some information on this topic.

Nosebleeds are probably as common as the common cold and are usually caused by nasal passages being exposed to dry air during the winter season. Recurrent colds and allergies can also make the inside lining of the nose quite raw, cracked and crusted, allowing blood vessels to come to the surface of the nasal lining. That can lead to bleeding.

Most nosebleeds can easily be managed at home by doing the following:

Stay calm and reassure your child that the bleeding will stop.

Have your child sit up — not lie down — to reduce the blood pressure in the head and the amount of bleeding that may occur.

Blow the nose to free up any large clots that can interfere with applying pressure.

Apply direct pressure to the soft part of the nose for 10 minutes with the child sitting up and leaning forward so they are less apt to swallow the blood.

Don’t release that pressure until 10 minutes have elapsed.

It is not a good idea to re-blow the nose after this, or it will disturb the new clot that has successfully formed. A cold compress or ice pack to the nose can also help stop the bleeding.

How can you prevent nosebleeds from occurring? Humidifying the air in your home will help, as will applying Vaseline to the inside of the nose to keep the lining moist and to prevent irritation. Picking the nose will also not improve the situation, so remember to keep their fingernails short if they do pick, and remind your child they can pick their friends, but they should not pick their nose or their friend’s nose.

When should you worry about a nosebleed?

If the bleeding is occurring through both nostrils

If it continues for over fifteen minutes

If the bleeding appears to be heavy and is accompanied by dizziness or weakness

If it is the result of a fall or blow to the head

If prolonged bleeding also occurs from other areas like the gums or from a cut

If it occurs more than three or four times a week.

If this is the case, have your pediatrician examine your child’s nose and if necessary perform some additional studies.

Hopefully, tips like this will stop-up any concerns you have and prevent you from seeing red the next time you are worried about your child’s nosebleeds.

Lewis First, M.D., is chief of Pediatrics at Vermont Children’s Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

Town Meeting Day 2011 Guide

Monday, Feb. 28

Town and school meeting: Williston Central School auditorium, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, March 1

Voting: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Williston Armory, 7846 Williston Road.

Budget highlights

Proposed town budget: $8,064,520

Proposed bond: Up to $1.5 billion for maintenance and upgrades to the town’s public sewer system

Proposed school budget: $16,303,507

Election highlights

Selectboard (three years, one seat): Debbie Ingram and Shelley Palmer

Selectboard (two years, one seat): Jay P. Michaud

Town School Board (three years, one seat): Joshua Diamond

Town School Board (two years, one seat): Kevin Mara

Town School Board (one year, one seat): Giovanna Boggero

Champlain Valley Union School Board (three years, one seat): David Rath

Feb. 24, 2011

The Williston Observer and The Charlotte Citizen earned five awards at the Vermont Press Association’s annual banquet in Montpelier on Feb. 17.

VPA Executive Director Mike Donoghue said the annual competition for the top Vermont journalism awards is open to the state’s 10 daily newspapers and four-dozen non-daily newspapers that circulate in Vermont.

The list of awards:

The Best of Vermont – General Excellence (non-daily): Second place, Williston Observer.

Feature photo, (non-daily): First place, Greg Duggan, Williston Observer.

Best headline writing (non-daily): Second place, Greg Duggan, Williston Observer.

Best sports writing (non-daily): Second place, Mal Boright, Williston Observer.

Feature writing (non-daily): Third place, Stephanie Choate, Charlotte Citizen.

The papers are owned by Williston Publishing and Promotions, LLC.

Feb. 24, 2011

The Williston Community Food Shelf, which serves economically struggling residents on a year round basis, needs funds quickly in order to avoid cutting services.

The nonprofit organization is $4,000 short of its fundraising goal for the first quarter of 2011. Without that money, the Food Shelf might need to reduce assistance to clients, said President Cathy Michaels.

Michaels said donations dried up after a busy holiday season in November and December. The January and February months are generally the quietest of the year in terms of donations, but the need for food and money remains, Michaels added.

If the Food Shelf can’t make up the $4,000 shortfall, the organization may need to cut services. Michaels said clients, who are allowed to make two visits to the Food Shelf per month, might be asked to come only once a month for a temporary period. The Food Shelf might also forego purchasing perishable items, such as milk and eggs, until money becomes available.

“Those are choices we don’t want to have to make,” Michaels said.

The Food Shelf opened in Maple Tree Place in 2008, helping needy families in Williston, St. George, Essex, and Richmond. The organization moved its headquarters to a smaller location at the Taft Farm Village Center on Cornerstone Drive in January 2010.

Michaels said the Food Shelf wants to increase its fundraising events and hopes a local volunteer can step in, and  guide the organization in the right direction.

“We need to find someone in the community who has a fundraising background,” Michaels said. “Fundraising will always be a top priority so we can keep up the needs of our clients.”

Most of the Food Shelf’s donations come from individuals and businesses. Michaels said it’s difficult for Food Shelf volunteers to continuously ask businesses for donations, and she hopes there might be different ways to reach the community. For instance, the Food Shelf held an online art auction last year that brought in much needed funds during the spring months.

And while the Food Shelf deals with funding issues in the short term, it’s also looking ahead. Fundraising will continue to remain an issue, but the Food Shelf also needs to expand. When it moved to Cornerstone Drive, the organization had to adapt to a smaller space, which remains a challenge as more families continue to visit. Michaels said there is added space available adjacent to its ground floor location. She hopes an expansion can occur later this year, pending available funds.

Michaels also said the Food Shelf needs volunteers to help in creating a database of clients, and a certified public accountant volunteer to audit the books once a year. She also said volunteers with experience in any field are always welcome.

“We have a core group of volunteers that really help make this a wonderful place,” she added.

Food and monetary donations can be dropped off at the Food Shelf during its operating hours: Tuesdays, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m;  Thursdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Checks can also be mailed to the Food Shelf at P.O. Box 1605, Williston, VT 05495.

Feb. 24, 2011

Bobcats, such as this one spotted in Williston near Taft Corners last year, are part of a new wildlife study. (File photo)

Balancing wildlife conservation with development in Williston has always been a tricky task, but new information could help the town toe that line.

For the past month, Williston planners and wildlife trackers from Huntington-based Arrowwood Environmental LLC, an ecological consulting firm, have been collecting data to determine where Williston’s animals roam most frequently. Town officials urged residents to visit Town Hall and mark locations on a map where they most commonly see wild animals. Some homeowners along established wildlife corridors even allowed trackers to access their property to search for animal signs.

While Williston sits in the foothills of the Green Mountains, it still acts as a habitat for countless woodland creatures, large and small, said Planner Jessica Andreoletti. People who live in Williston and outside of town are sometimes surprised at the variety of wildlife, especially in a town known for its business and retail areas.

According to the map posted at Town Hall, residents have found smaller animals – such as coyotes, fox, and bobcats – roaming their backyards and along the sides of busy roads. Even larger animals, like deer, moose and bear, sometimes get spotted by locals.

“We have a lot going on here in town,” Andreoletti said.

Determining where all these animals roam, and how far these corridors stretch, remain the most important goals of the tracking project, Andreoletti said. Knowing the updated locations of the wildlife corridors will help planners determine areas that might need a light touch when it comes to development.

A $10,000 grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program, along with allotted money from the town, helped fund the $16,000 study, Andreoletti said.

Once Arrowwood Environmental completes its work, which could be as early as next month, the data will be given to the University of Vermont’s Spatial Analysis Laboratory to update existing wildlife corridors. Students would then map the corridors, which planners will present to the Selectboard and town residents. The town has already enlisted the help of the Vermont Natural Resources Council, an environmental organization that has dealt with similar processes throughout the state.

Andreoletti said the tracking and map making is only the first step in an ongoing process. Eventually, the town will hold several public meetings to gather input on possible wildlife habitats and any changes to current development laws this information might create. She admitted there could be some spirited debate ahead.

“It’s going to be a long process,” Andreoletti said. “By the end, hopefully we’ll find out how important wildlife is to Williston residents.”

South Burlington underwent a similar study and implemented development changes to a part of its community. South Burlington’s Planning and Zoning Director Paul Connor said the city began a study in 2002 and adopted wildlife protection standards for “medium-sized mammals” in 2006. It was part of an analysis that also included new designations for open space, Connor added.

Many of the open space and wildlife standards applied only to a section of South Burlington known as the “Southeast Quadrant,” which borders Williston along the Muddy Brook.

“There’s always been an interest in accommodating wildlife in that part of the city,” Connor said.

The regulations urged landowners to seek development in other parts of town instead of the Southeast Quadrant, and even offered incentives, Connor said. He added that some residents challenged the guidelines, especially those with development plans in that part of South Burlington.

While Williston’s study could soon mirror South Burlington’s results, Connor said the wildlife study proved invaluable to many of the city’s residents.

“It can be a very positive process for all involved,” he said.

Andreoletti said she hopes for a constructive process and stressed the importance of determining wildlife corridors and habitats for managing future development.

“We’re part of a region here and it’s important to see where Williston sits in a network of corridors throughout the state,” she said.