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Eclipse Planning Check-In Recordings and Resources

 

vermont.gov/eclipse

 

Much of northern Vermont is within the path of totality for the April 8 solar eclipse, making this an ideal place to witness the rare natural event. State agencies are planning for thousands of people to visit Vermont to view it (see 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in Vermont), and towns and cities of all sizes as well as tourism-focused organizations are planning local events. 

Join us every two weeks from January 25 to April 4 to learn and share about community-level plans as well as what the state has planned, so you can better anticipate how all these plans might intersect (or conflict!).

VLCT will have a seat at the table in the state-level planning efforts and wants to be your voice, so please join us!

Hosts
Katie Buckley, Director, Federal Funding Assistance Program, VLCT
Bonnie Waninger, Federal Funding Assistance Program Specialist, VLCT

Presentation slides and notes:  Eclipse Planning Check-In, 1/25/2024

As VLCT gathers answers to 2024 Total Eclipse questions that are frequently asked by it members, we will post them below: 

Yes! The process is explained in this important information about eclipse glasses from the American Astronomical Society. We encourage you to share this link in your community.

The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing has an excellent webpage loaded with information. You can check it out by following this link: https://www.vermont.gov/eclipse#travel.

On April 8, 2024 (Monday): 

  • 2:14 p.m. - a partial solar eclipse will begin 
  • 3:26 p.m. - a total eclipse will darken Vermont's daytime sky, lasting 3 minutes 36 seconds. The phenomenon will continue as a partial eclipse  
  • 4:37 p.m - the eclipse will fully complete 

 

The path of totality during a solar eclipse is the path that the moon's shadow falls into Earth. In simple terms - it is the area you need to be in to see the total solar eclipse. Outside of the path of totality, you will only see a partial eclipse. 

The path of totality for the 2024 Total Eclipse is 40 miles wide, 20 miles of which are in northern Vermont; 109 miles in the path of totality. This will impact the following counties: Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orleans, Washington. 

Of Vermont's ~647,500 population, ~399,000 live in the path of totality. 

No.  The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing will be sending out eclipse glasses to municipalities that ordered them this week. The glasses should arrive by Town Meeting Day. Everyone that ordered glasses will receive them, but the quantity may be less than ordered. Some glasses will be Vermont branded, and some will not be branded. Glasses received from the State will work for eclipse viewing whether branded or not.

If you have any questions, please email Katharine Ingram at katharine.ingram@vermont.gov.

You can register your municipality's eclipse event on the Vermont Dept. of Tourism and Marketing's (VDTM) VermontVacation.com website HERE.  

Registered events will appear on VTDM's Events page.

Vermont Emergency Management has created a guide to assist municipalities in emergency management planning for large events. It can help keep you organized and prepared should your municipality anticipate a surge in visitation to or through your community.  

No.  The State of Vermont is not hosting any events in support of the eclipse.  The State is planning  and preparing for a significant increase in visitors to Vermont for events and activities hosted on the local level - resorts, businesses, community groups, municipalities, etc.  

The Green Mountain Club developed the following language that municipalities can use for their solar eclipse messaging. Please feel free to include it when distributing eclipse glasses and to post it in communication venues that your municipality uses, such as Front Porch Forum and your website.

With the eclipse coming up quickly on April 8, you may be looking to solidify plans for Monday afternoon. The Green Mountain Club is offering guidance on avoiding the backcountry for your safety and the protection of the vulnerable natural environment. Here’s why:

  • Anywhere you can see the sun, you can see the eclipse. Wide expanses like fields, parking lots, and lakefronts offer an excellent view.
  • Winter conditions, including snow- and ice-covered trails and extreme temps or precipitation, may persist at high elevations in April. Winter experience and winter-specific gear is a necessity.
  • April is mud season, so trails (and dirt roads to reach trailheads) may be an impassable mess. Trails on state land, including those on Mount Mansfield, Camel’s Hump, Jay Peak, and others are closed. 
  • Cell service and first responder/search and rescue resources may be taxed on eclipse day, so if you do venture into the backcountry, you must have the experience and equipment to self-rescue if necessary.
  • Vermont is home to some rare and special natural environments, including alpine zone vegetation. Impact from human footsteps can easily damage and kill these plants, and crowded trails increase the chance of people inadvertently stepping or walking off trail.
  • For more on mud season and eclipse hiking guidance, visit the Green Mountain Club’s eclipse guide and help spread the word about personal safety and mountain stewardship.

The Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL) produced Communication Tips for the tourism industry. These tips are useful when communicating with people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, DeafPlus, DeafDisabled, and late deafened. Please feel free to share DAIL's guidance with local businesses and others.

Municipalities can use and adapt these Tips to help meet their requirements for effective communication under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Check out DAIL's webpage for additional resources to help you communicate effectively with individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind, It has information about American Sign Language Interpreting Services, Captioning Services, and Assistive Technology. There are tips for making virtual meetings accessible for participants who are Dear, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind too!

Call VEM at 1-800-347-0488. 

Call takers will take your road closure information and route it to the appropriate person. When posted, you will see the road closure information on https://vem.vermont.gov/eclipse/closures. 

Publication Date
01/23/2024