The Amazing Conte

What in the world is a title that sounds like a magician doing on a blog about the outdoors? Well, in this case, the reference is to the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge-Nulhegan Basin Division located in Vermont's beautiful Northeast Kingdom-and indeed the Silvio Conte Refuge is amazing and magical. Here's the scoop.

Silvio O. Conte was an influential Congressman representing Pittsfield, MA, who was also an ardent conservationist. In 1991, recognizing the need for conservation measures to preserve and restore shad and salmon populations in the Connecticut River watershed, Conte sponsored legislation creating the refuge that bears his name and which spans the entire watershed, including parcels of land in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont. This legislation also provided ample federal funds to support the mission of the refuge. In 1999 the timber lands owned by the Champion International Corporation in Vermont became available for sale. The U.S. government purchased 26,000 acres of this land to create the Nulhegan Basin Division of the Silvio Conte Refuge in close proximity to the Wenlock and West Mountain WMA owned and operated by the state of Vermont. Together, these protected areas form a huge block of pristine land that provides habitat for a unique array of birds, mammals, and fish.

I visited the refuge's smart, new headquarters over a year ago in conjunction with an Audubon field trip and recently heard an impressive presentation by the refuge's manager, Mark Manghini. I had to visit the place. And so, last week I did. The Black Branch of the Nulhegan River runs through the refuge. Last Wednesday evening I arrived at the refuge and found an access point to the river along the Stone Dam Road. I quickly strung up my fly rod and entered the stream. The tannin-tinged water looked inviting, though the fishing, I would have to say, was mediocre. Still, in a few hours I caught a few small Brook Trout and one fat "keeper" that measured a little over a foot in length. I'll be back to try the trout fishing again, hopefully with more success.

But my real purpose in visiting the Conte refuge was to explore the birding opportunities. I arrived at the entrance to the Stone Dam Road at 7:30 A.M. on Thursday morning and walked to the power line trail. My first bird of the morning was a male Scarlet Tanager. Nice. Moments later, my second bird was a rich blue Indigo Bunting male. Interesting. In short order I found Song Sparrows, Lincoln Sparrows, Gray Catbirds, and Common Yellowthroat. Moving to the Woodcock Management site, I quickly spotted a Chestnut-sided Warbler. And walking along the Peanut Dam Road, I caught glimpses of a Hermit Thrush, a Blackpoll Warbler, and a Canada Warbler. Northern Flickers were everywhere. Not exotic birds to be sure, but always welcome. I counted nine flickers in my short visit.

The weather was suboptimal at best with intermittent periods of drizzle and sunshine. Still, the birds cooperated and I covered only a small portion of the trails and roads available for birding in the refuge during my five hour visit. One particularly satisfying walk followed the road that parallels the power line next to the Stone Dam Road. This access road seemingly goes on for miles. I was the only person on the road that morning, alone with the birds, the deer, and the bugs. Correction. One large dump truck did come rumbling down the road while I was there-a big surpise to me and to the driver. Beware.

A final aside. If the name "Conte" sounds familiar to college hockey fans, it may be because you have heard of or perhaps visited Conte Arena-Boston College's hockey rink. In addition to his interest in conservation, Silvio Conte was a loyal alumnus of B.C. and an enthusiastic supporter of their athletic programs. Conte Arena represents just one more legacy of the Amazing Conte.