For centuries, humans have transported plants and animals and fungi all around the globe. Whether exotic plants for a home garden or spores hitching a ride on a boot, flora and fauna have found their way into ecosystems that were unprepared for their arrival. These “invasive species” have no natural predators to keep them in check and in that absence, they wreak havoc.

But which of these species has wreaked the most havoc in Vermont? That’s what Ashley Wojnarowski and Mike Mezzacapo of Pomfret want to know.

Josh Crane searches for answers and falls into the “bottomless pit” of invasive species management — and he gets up close with one of Vermont’s most fragile ecosystems.

For photos from our reporting, check out the web version of this story.

For help with species identification and to record your findings, check out iNaturalist.

This episode was reported by Josh Crane. It was produced and edited by Sabine Poux and Burgess Brown. Angela Evancie is Brave Little State’s Executive Producer. Our theme music is by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Special thanks to Mike Bald, Betty Smith, Lexi Krupp, Abagael Giles, Corey Dockser, Charlie Nardozzi, Tim Parsons, Mary Walz, Mike Kiernan, Elise Schadler, Kim Jensen, Noah Hoffman, Evan Horne, David Moroney, Jay Herbert, Jack Lentz, Don Wenner, Virginia Barlow, Tony D’Amato, Markus Bradley, Mariano Rodriguez-Cabal, Noelia Barrios-Garcia, and Mary Holland.

As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it:

• Ask a question about Vermont
• Sign up for the BLS newsletter
• Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt
• Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org
• Make a gift to support people-powered journalism
• Tell your friends about the show!

Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.

The “girlie shows” are long gone from the county fairs. Former clubs like Planet Rock in Barre and Club Fantasy in South Burlington have all shut down. Vermont is now the only New England state without strip clubs. One stripper who grew up in Vermont reached out with a simple question: Why?

For photos from our reporting, check out the web version of this story.

Thanks to Susan Meiselas and Magnum Photos for the materials from Carnival Strippers and Carnival Strippers Revisted.

This episode was reported by Sabine Poux. It was produced and edited by Josh Crane and Burgess Brown. Additional support from Sophie Stephens. Angela Evancie is Brave Little State’s Executive Producer. Our theme music is by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Special thanks to Liam Elder-Connors, Jeff Haig, Steve Taylor, Scott Rogers, Fern Strong, Elaine Howe, Gail Weise, Jordan Mitchell, Matt Sutkoski, Lydia Flanagan and The Mutual Zine Society, as well as everyone we spoke to at the Tunbridge World’s Fair: Gary and Martha Howe, Baxter Doty, Dave Smith, Louise and Frank Mier, Elliot Morse, Betsy and David Race and Gary Young

As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it:

• Ask a question about Vermont
• Sign up for the BLS newsletter
• Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt
• Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org
• Make a gift to support people-powered journalism
• Tell your friends about the show!

Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.

For as long as Carly Berlin has been reporting on housing issues for Vermont Public and VTDigger, she’s been hearing some version of this question: Is Vermont’s rise in homelessness due to unhoused people moving here from out-of-state?

She hasn’t been able to track down an easy answer to this question. And in the absence of information, the idea that Vermont’s benefits are a “magnet” for those experiencing homelessness has taken root, from the aisles of grocery stores to the Statehouse floor. It’s a narrative that’s shaping the conversation about homelessness in Vermont, and what the state should do to address it.

But is it even true? In this episode, Carly goes digging for data.

Find the web version of this story here.

Thanks to Joseph Valaske and Mark Tarmy of Putney for sharing their curiosity with us.

This episode was reported by Carly Berlin and produced by Burgess Brown. Editing and additional production from Sabine Poux and Josh Crane, with support from April McCullum and Alicia Freese. Angela Evancie is our executive producer. Theme music is by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Special thanks to Lola Duffort, Laura Nakasaka, Sophie Stephens, Jess Graff, Sarah Russell, Rick DeAngelis, Frank Knaack, Stephen Waclawik and Mary Mojica.

As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it:

• Ask a question about Vermont
• Sign up for the BLS newsletter
• Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt
• Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org
• Make a gift to support people-powered journalism
• Tell your friends about the show!

Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.

Updated: September 7, 2024 — We removed a caveat about data presented in this story to avoid repetition and the potential for misinterpretation.