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Dragon Boats Five-Lined Skink Magog Bass

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Dragon boats are born from legend. The legend is of Chinese poet, Qu Yuan, who after being banished from his country and hearing his homeland was invaded, threw himself in a river and drowned. It is said the River Dragon shared his sorrow and flew to a quiet place with him. Over two thousand years have passed since then, but the legend of Qu Yuan lives on today with the help of Dragon Boat festivals held around the world in his honor. One of the highlights of these festivals are the Dragon Boat races.

A dragon boat is a slender watercraft about 40 feet long and designed to be paddled by a team of 20 people sitting side by side. A dragon figurehead adorns the bow of the boat. Also in the bow sits a drummer, who beats an even tempo to help keep the paddlers in unison. In the stern of the boat sits a steer person, who controls the direction of the craft with a 9-foot oar, but also gives various commands to the crew. The drummer and steer person are in charge in this sport. At a festival, multiple dragon boats compete in heats to determine a winner. Fifty thousand people participate in this sport worldwide and all ages, genders and ability levels are welcome. All you need for the sport is a paddle, a lifejacket, stamina and the ability to work in a team. No special skills are required.

The sport has also become a way for cancer survivors and those battling the disease to band together to raise public awareness. There are over 50 teams comprised of breast cancer survivors throughout the United States and Canada. Dragonheart Vermont is one such organization.

Host Marianne Eaton joins the Dragonheart Vermont team as they take part in the annual Pawtucket Rhode Island Dragon Boat competition.

Five-Lined Skink

If you've seen a five-lined skink in Vermont, consider yourself lucky. Though much more common in warmer climates, in New England, these elusive reptiles are only found in small, specialized habitats of Vermont and Connecticut. Though they come out during the daytime hours, they are one of nature's most seldom seen reptiles here in the north.

The five-lined skink is a smooth shiny lizard about five to eight inches long, with rows of tiny scales around the center of their body. Their name comes from the five yellow-toned stripes running from their nose down through their tail. Another interesting marking found on juvenile skinks is their bright blue tails. And they're fast — hence the nickname "blue-tailed swift." Over time those tails turn gray and their pattern becomes less conspicuous. Being conspicuous is not in the lizard's nature. They prefer steep rocky areas with patchy tree and shrub cover, rotten logs and leaf litter. They're very fast and are quick to run for cover when a predator is near. They also have an interesting defense mechanism: If caught, they can shed their tail which has the unique ability to squirm on it's own, diverting the attention of the predator and allowing the lizard to beat a hasty retreat.

Vermont is the extent of the skink's northern range and so far their populations have only been recorded in the town of West Haven. Thanks to the Nature Conservancy, the land that supports Vermont's only skink population is protected from development. In this segment we head out with a Nature Conservancy volunteer to attempt to find and videotape the elusive five-lined skink in its Vermont habitat.

Lake Champlain is the most popular lake in Vermont to come to for bass fishing. But for those willing to explore the Northeast Kingdom, Lake Memphremagog offers anglers an opportunity for some of the best largemouth and smallmouth fishing in the Green Mountain State.

Lake Memphremagog is about 25 miles long and straddles the Vermont-Quebec border. It's full of structure, ledges and weed beds that provide a great habitat for bass. The average smallmouth you'll reel in is probably 2 to 2 3/4 pounds. But they can get up in the 4- to 5-pound range. Largemouth bass can get upwards of 7 pounds.

Bill Engelmann of Northeast Kingdom Guide service is convinced that many lakes in that part of Vermont hold trophy-sized small- and largemouth bass. It's all a matter of knowing your bait. Bill says, "You gotta feed them what they're biting on and the color that they want." Bass can be finicky. Sometimes you have to go through a lot of plastic and a variety of colors to hit on the right combination. But for those fisherman who know what they're looking for, the bass in Lake Memphremagog offer a chance to pull in a trophy-sized beauty that's loads of fun to catch.

Host Lawrence Pyne joins Bill Engelmann of Northeast Kingdom Guide Service for a day of bass fishing on Lake Memphremagog.

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