Stamford Library Receives Grant from the Children's Literacy Foundation

10:45AM / Monday, August 03, 2026Print Story | Email Story

STAMFORD, Vt. — The Stamford Community Library (SCL) has been selected to receive a Rural Library grant for the 2026-2027 school year from the Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF), a nonprofit based in Waterbury Center.

Awarded annually to 12 public libraries in Vermont and New Hampshire, the grant is designed to help small-town libraries create excitement around literacy, update their collections, increase circulation, and strengthen connections with the communities they serve. It is also intended to fill funding shortfalls for libraries with extremely limited resources.

Library Director Danielle Smith was excited to apply for this grant to continue the work the school has made to put literacy at the forefront of their instruction. Her hope is to create meaningful connections for students with author and illustrator visits, exciting programs, book give-aways and new titles.

Over the course of the school year, SCL will partner with the Stamford Elementary School to plan events and maximize outreach efforts that are key components of the Rural Library grant.

Components of the $8,000 grant include new children's books for the public and local elementary school libraries, literacy programming, storytelling sessions, book giveaways, family engagement funds, project support, and more.

Recognizing the increasing needs of small rural libraries, CLiF expanded the grant to include $500 for summer programming; early childhood literacy kits for circulation in the library; free board books for children ages 0-5; a selection from a multi-choice menu of options worth $1000; and a small stipend to recognize the extra time librarians commit to managing the grant.

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Fall Trout Stocking in Select Lakes and Streams In Vermont

Staff Reports02:37PM / Sunday, October 11, 2026

SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department continues its new fall trout stocking program this year.

This will mark the third consecutive year that trophy-sized brook trout and rainbow trout averaging 13-14 inches will be stocked into four ponds and one stream in southern Vermont in the fall.

"We're stocking more than 2,000 one-and-a-half-year-old trout between Knapp Ponds #1 and #2 in Cavendish, Lakes Paran and Shaftsbury in Bennington, and East Creek in Rutland," said Lael Will, a fisheries biologist with the department. "This is a great opportunity for anglers to spend time fishing for some really nice stocked trout surrounded by Vermont's amazing fall foliage. And, they can continue right through the winter, catching trout in waters where late season trout fishing was not an option before."

Fish from Bennington, Roxbury and Salisbury fish culture stations will be stocked starting in mid-October to allow for some harvest before the season switches to catch and release only in November.

"Last year anglers shared with us that they loved the fall and winter opportunity created by this late season stocking," said Will. "We're excited to continue these stockings and hopefully hear from more people taking advantage of these new trout fishing opportunities."

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