The Pinnacle Association has four programs scheduled for the weekend of April 25-26.
On Saturday April 25, Catherine Cooper-Ellis and Bill Clark will lead an informational walk to a vernal pool off Bemis Hill Road in Westminster West. These landlocked forest pools are the unlikely refuges and short-lived nurseries for amazing creatures - such as Fingernail Clams, Fairy Shrimp, and Spotted Salamanders - which have adapted to live and breed there.
This guided walk is a good opportunity to see one of these secret places and to learn about the volunteer monitoring program that seeks to record and protect them. Participants should wear waterproof shoes or boots and meet at 11 a.m. at the Westminster West Church to carpool to limited parking at Bemis Hill Road. Contact Catherine Cooper-Ellis at ccoopere@gmail.com for more information and registration.
On Sunday April 26, there are three Pinnacle events. From 2 to 3:30 p.m., Silos Roberts will lead a two-mile Athens Dome hike climbing to Creature Rock, a viewpoint, and a new shelter site. Creature Rock is a collection of huge rocks and caves. Phase I of the shelter was an Eagle Scout project, and the plans are to finish the structure this summer.
The return trail goes down a dirt road past an old beaver pond and tumbling Ledge Brook. Participants should wear waterproof shoes and bring water. The group will meet at the trailhead parking area and kiosk located about one mile off the junction of Ledge Road and Routes 121 and 35 in Grafton. For information and registration, call 802-869-1388.
From 4 to 5:30 p.m., the public is invited to the Pinnacle Association's annual meeting, which is an opportunity to peruse maps and other information, get up-to-date on Pinnacle projects and plans, and then experience a program where local artists discuss how their art meshes with Pinnacle properties, how they interpret nature, and their favorite, most inspirational sites.
The meeting will take place at Main Street Arts, 35 Main Street, Saxtons River, and will display some art and poetry of Westminster students who have been taking educational walks on Pinnacle properties.
From 5:30 to 7 p.m., in the newly renovated and expanded Main Street Arts facility, there will be an exhibit of art inspired by Pinnacle properties, with a reception for the artists and the opportunity for the public to purchase displayed works for the benefit of the artists, the Pinnacle Association, and Main Street Arts.
Prospective artists may wish to contact Camilla Roberts at camil@vermontel.net or 802-869-1388 for more detailed information about exhibiting their works. The show will be open during normal Main Street Arts hours until May 22.
Visit www.windmillhillpinnacle.org for more information.