VICTORY, Vt. – Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is excited to host a wildlife viewing tour at Victory Basin Wildlife Management Area. Doug Morin, a wildlife biologist with the department, will lead this wildlife-based exploration of a truly unique part of Vermont. The tour is scheduled for February 10.
Doug Morin is a habitat and wildlife biologist with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. He is an experienced naturalist and an alumnus of the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist graduate program. He is also one of the lead managers for this remarkable property.
“We’ll keep an eye out for tracks, trees, birds, and any other curiosities we find along the way,” said Morin. “Victory Basin is a vast lowland boreal forest that is common in northern Canada but rare here in Vermont, allowing visitors to feel like they’ve stepped into another world. We have a chance of spotting boreal wildlife such as snowshoe hare, gray jays, and possibly even an American marten. And with irruptions of crossbills and pine siskins ongoing, we may catch sight of these uncommon visitors.”
The walk will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants are asked to bring snowshoes and to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for being outdoors in winter, including extra layers, food, and water, as well as binoculars if they have them. They should also be able to walk 1-2 miles at a relaxed pace over a relatively flat trail while wearing snowshoes.
People can register for the event by contacting Doug Morin at doug.morin@vermont.gov. Admission is free and is limited to the first 25 people who sign up.
Victory Basin is one of 92 wildlife management areas owned and managed by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department for wildlife-based recreation such as hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching. These lands are purchased and managed in part using funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife Restoration Program using excise taxes on hunting and shooting equipment.