Body pulled from Shelburne Pond, warden rescued

SHELBURNE - At about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Vermont Game Warden Dana Joyal was responding to a call about unattended ice fishing gear on Shelburne Pond when he thought he saw a human foot in the ice about 100 yards off shore.

Joyal went onto the ice to investigate, and he fell in. He managed to radio for help and was pulled out of the ice-covered water about 25 minutes later, shivering, the authorities said.

Rescuers from Shelburne police and fire departments also located the body Joyal had spotted and pulled the man's remains from the water. Shelburne police said they believe the death was an accident, possibly related to ice fishing. It was unclear how long the body had been in the water.

Shelburne police Cpl. Jon Marcoux identified the man as Kenneth Gaudette, 67, of Shelburne on Wednesday night. The cause of death was not immediately determined, but Marcoux said he does not suspect foul play.

Marcoux said Joyal was taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center and is expected to be fine.

Wednesday was an unusually warm day for early March.

A hearse arrived at the pond at about 4:40 p.m. Wednesday.

The Shelburne Police Department, Shelburne and Charlotte fire departments and the Vermont State Police were among the agencies that responded to the scene.

Shelburne Pond was mostly covered with ice on Wednesday afternoon, but Charlotte Fire Department Chief Dick St. George said the ice was “unusually thin.”

St. George, an ice rescue instructor, said the ice on Shelburne Pond usually would be about 2 feet thick in early March. Wednesday, St. George said, the ice was just 3 inches thick.

The chief held up a chunk of ice to demonstrate how easily it crumbled. St. George called the ice “candle ice,” and said it was melting from both top and bottom.

“It’s not going to support any weight,” he said.

Temperatures across the Champlain Valley exceeded 65 degrees Monday afternoon, according to records compiled by the National Weather Service office in South Burlington.

Burlington set a new record high for March 9 of 67 degrees, the weather service reported. The average high temperature in the city for the month of March is 40 degrees.

No Vermont agencies monitor which lakes and ponds are safe for ice fishing. People should use common sense, St. George said.

Shelburne Police Officer Joshua Flore said Vermonters should turn their attention to spring-like activities.

"Just stay off the ice," he said.

Contributing: Elizabeth Murray, Free Press.