Steve Slayton, Foliage Spotter
Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Recreation,
St. Johnsbury, Vermont

Ever wonder who decides when the fall foliage is at peak? Or what the difference is between 75 and 80 percent color? It is people like Steve Slayton, a county forester who's also part of Vermont's network of foliage spotters. "There is no real science to it," he told us. "You have to know your area. Foliage varies not only because of climate, but from place to place and because of species variations. I was raised right here in Caledonia County, and I use familiar hillsides that I've been watching now for 36 years." The hardest part of his lob is thinking up different ways to report his findings. "I am not terribly colorful," he says.