Editing Orleans County, Vermont (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has an area of {{convert|721|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|693|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|28|sqmi}} (3.9%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_50.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 29, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref> It has the largest area of the three counties comprising the [[Northeast Kingdom]].

The county lies between the eastern and western ranges of the [[Green Mountains]].

The highest point in the county is [[Jay Peak (Vermont)|Jay Peak]] in the town of [[Jay, Vermont|Jay]], at {{convert|3858|ft|m}}. The lowest is the surface of [[Lake Memphremagog]] at {{convert|682|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fishingworks.com/vermont/orleans-vt/|title=Orleans Archives|website=FishingWorks}}</ref>

The county is mainly drained by four river systems: the [[Barton River|Barton]], the [[Black River (Lake Memphremagog)|Black]], the [[Clyde River (Vermont)|Clyde]], and the [[Missisquoi River]]. The first three run north.<ref>Author [[Howard Frank Mosher]] has written a number of books about the area including ''Where the Rivers Flow North.''</ref> The last meanders west through Canada and the U.S. An exception is found at the southern end of the county: Greensboro, Craftsbury, and southern Glover are largely drained south and west by the [[Lamoille River]]. The county is unique in eastern Vermont for mostly draining north as a part of the [[St. Lawrence River]] basin. All Vermont counties directly to the south (and east of the Green Mountains) drain into the Connecticut River, as does much of Essex county, to the east.

The [[Barton River]] drains [[Crystal Lake (Vermont)|Crystal Lake]], runs north through Barton, Brownington, Coventry and drains through Newport into [[Lake Memphremagog]]. The Barton River watershed also includes the towns of Derby, Irasburg, Westmore, and the water bodies of [[Lake Willoughby]], Crystal Lake, and Shadow and Parker ponds.<ref name="chron080807">{{cite book |title = Public invited to meetins about Memphremagog watershed | publisher = the Chronicle | date = August 8, 2007}}</ref>

The Black River is about {{convert|30|mi|km}} in length. It rises in some ponds in Craftsbury, and passes through Albany, Irasburg, and Coventry. It reaches Lake Memphremagog at Salem. The watershed also includes Albany, Lake Eligo and the Hosmer Ponds.<ref name="chron080807" />

The Clyde River has four hydroelectric dams before reaching Lake Memphremagog. The watershed includes Brighton (Essex County), Charleston, Morgan, Derby, Seymour Pond, Echo Lakes, and Island, Clyde and Pensioner ponds.<ref name="chron080807" />

Additionally, the Canadian rivers of Coaticook and [[Tomifobia River|Tomifobia]] watersheds include Derby, Holland, and Norton Pond, Holland Pond, and Great and Little Averill Ponds.<ref name="chron080807" />

The county contains more ponds than any other in the state.<ref>Gazetteer of Vermont by John Hayward, 1849</ref>

The county contains three state forests: Hazen's Notch, Jay, and Willoughby.

===Fauna===
The area is conducive to songbirds because of its northern location, [[Birds of North American boreal forests|boreal forests]], mountain peaks, bodies of water and marshes. One inventory in June 2012 found the following species: [[ovenbird]], [[eastern whip-poor-will]], [[Wilson's snipe]], [[alder flycatcher]], [[warbling vireo]], [[red-eyed vireo]], [[winter wren]], [[wood thrush]], [[American robin]], [[veery]], [[grey catbird|gray catbird]], [[common yellowthroat]], [[chestnut-sided warbler]], [[northern waterthrush]], [[black-throated green warbler]], [[northern parula]], [[American redstart]], [[white-throated sparrow]], [[indigo bunting]], [[red-winged blackbird]], [[American goldfinch]], [[osprey]], [[ring-necked duck]], [[hooded merganser]], [[pied-billed grebe]], [[double-crested cormorant]], [[great blue heron]], [[bald eagle]], [[Virginia rail]], [[American herring gull]], [[ring-billed gull]], [[chimney swift]], [[belted kingfisher]], [[marsh wren]], [[Northern house wren|house wren]], [[eastern bluebird]], [[pine warbler]], [[black-and-white warbler]], [[Savannah sparrow]], [[northern cardinal]], [[eastern meadowlark]], [[bobolink]], [[bank swallow]], [[cliff swallow]], [[barn swallow]], [[white-breasted nuthatch]], [[ruffed grouse]], [[ruby-throated hummingbird]], [[blue-headed vireo]], [[red-breasted nuthatch]], [[Lincoln's sparrow]], [[rose-breasted grosbeak]], [[pine siskin]], [[purple finch]], [[Canada warbler]], [[magnolia warbler]], [[Nashville warbler]], [[golden-crowned kinglet]], [[mourning warbler]], [[dark-eyed junco]], and [[northern rough-winged swallow]]. Also known to be in the area were: [[wild turkey]], [[American bittern]], [[broad-winged hawk]], [[peregrine falcon]], [[pileated woodpecker]], [[hairy woodpecker]], [[scarlet tanager]], [[American woodcock]], [[Bicknell's thrush]], [[blackpoll warbler]], [[yellow-bellied flycatcher]], [[broad-winged hawk]], and [[Swainson's thrush]].<ref>{{Cite news | first=Martha | last=Steele | title=A "Big Day" of birding in Orleans County | newspaper=the Chronicle | location=Barton, Vermont | page= 16 | date=July 18, 2012 }}</ref> Also, the [[American crow]],<ref>{{Cite news | first=David | last=Deen | title=The crow - a sociable bird with a long memory | newspaper=the Chronicle | location=Barton, Vermont | page= 34 | date=December 12, 2012 }}</ref> and [[kestrel]]{{which|date=August 2020}}.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Adam | last=Kruszyna | title=Baby kestrel in Barton | newspaper=the Chronicle | location=Barton, Vermont | page= 5 | date=August 28, 2013 }}</ref> In 2013, a separate inventory added the [[common loon]], [[chickadee]]{{which|date=August 2020}}, [[blue jay]], [[Barrow's goldeneye]], [[Lapland longspur]], [[white-winged scoter]], [[olive-sided flycatcher]], [[red crossbill]], [[Bonaparte's gull]], and [[rough-legged hawk]].<ref>{{Cite news | first=Martha | last=Steele| title=What kind of birds fly through Orleans County | newspaper=The Chronicle | location=Barton, Vermont | pages= 16–17A | date=January 15, 2014 }}</ref>

===Climate===
The average growing season is about 130 frost-free days in the Newport area.<ref>[http://www.eh.doe.gov/nepa/ea/EA1503/Chapter%203,%20affected%20environment.pdf Draft Environmental Assessment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626005546/http://www.eh.doe.gov/nepa/ea/EA1503/Chapter%203,%20affected%20environment.pdf |date=June 26, 2008 }} retrieved May 28, 2008</ref> As this is the lowest point in the county, the growing season for other places in the county which are more elevated, is typically shorter.

Tornadoes have struck the county four times from 1950 to 1995, all rated [[Fujita scale|F1]], with one causing an injury.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/vttorn.htm#Orleans|title=Vermont Tornadoes|website=www.tornadoproject.com}}</ref> This level is 2.7 times below the national average.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/county/Orleans_County-VT.html|title=Orleans County, Vermont detailed profile - houses, real estate, cost of living, wages, work, agriculture, ancestries, and more|website=www.city-data.com}}</ref>

On February 5, 1995, [[Jay Peak (Vermont)|Jay Peak]] received {{convert|42.0|in|cm}} of snow, the greatest daily snowfall recorded for any location in Vermont.<ref name=snowrecord>{{cite news |title=Vermont 1-Day Snowfall Extremes |work= National Centers for Environmental Information |publisher= National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date= February 21, 2021 |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/snow-and-ice/snowfall-extremes/VT/1}}</ref>

====Climate change====
In the 20th century, the county was designated in [[Hardiness zone#Updates|hardiness as a Zone Three]]. Most plants that would normally be tolerant up to Zone Four, do well there in 2014; even some that are Zone Five. Growing seasons have been increasing by 3.7 days a decade since 1974.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Tena | last=Starr | title=Climate change has arrived in Vermont | newspaper=The Chronicle | location=Barton, Vermont | pages= 1A | date=June 19, 2014 }}</ref><!---no softcopy for this as of June 19. Might be added later--->

===Adjacent counties and municipalities===
* [[Essex County, Vermont|Essex County]] - east
* [[Caledonia County, Vermont|Caledonia County]] - south
* [[Lamoille County, Vermont|Lamoille County]] - southwest
* [[Franklin County, Vermont|Franklin County]] - west
* [[Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality, Quebec]] - northwest
* [[Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality, Quebec]] - north
* [[Coaticook Regional County Municipality, Quebec]] - northeast