2021 Winter Ridgeline

From the Director’s Desk

by Rob Terry, Executive Director

About a lifetime ago, at my first Wilderness Risk Management Conference (an annual gathering co-hosted by the Student Conservation Association, National Outdoor Leadership School and Outward Bound) I attended a session led by a well-known attorney whose practice focuses on liability related issues in outdoor programming. Among the many pearls of wisdom he imparted was the strong recommendation that a program should never be advertised as ‘safe.’ He went on to explain that telling participants that something is ‘safe’ not only sets up an unrealistic illusion of control but actually winds up making programs more likely to experience incidents that lead to personal injury. The false promise aspect of his premise made sense to me, but I couldn’t quite grasp how calling something safe could increase the likelihood that a participant would be injured.

He went on to explain (a little tongue-in-cheek) that, in spite of all we’d been taught about the English language, safety is actually a verb. What he meant was that the relative safety of any given activity is the result of the decisions that individual participants make. When an institution, or leader, proclaims an activity safe at the outset, what they in fact do is inadvertently relieve participants of personal responsibility—which is counterproductive because it is participants carefully considering, and taking responsibility for, their own actions that ultimately does the most to decrease the likelihood of incident or injury. This, of course, does not mean that institutions and leaders don’t play a critical role in reducing risk exposure for participants. In fact, reducing accident potential by identifying and working to minimize environmental, equipment, and human factors that can lead to accidents is among the most important work that outdoor leaders engage in. For Merck Forest, as for many institutions that run programming in the outdoors, our risk management strategy lives at the nexus of culture, policy, and training. Among the cultural components that we’ve instituted here at Merck Forest is an all-staff weekly review of incidents and “near misses” coupled with a preview of anticipated hazards. The hazard lists of late have felt unusually potent. Recent reviews have featured the close-at-hand seasonal standards such as snow, ice, wind, cold temps, hazard trees coupled with the ubiquitous threat of a surging global pandemic, even extending to the acknowledgement of national civil unrest.

In the face of these very real hazards, I am happy to report (knock on wood), that we have not seen a surge in incidents or injuries in 2020 or 2021 so far here at Merck Forest. We have remained open to the public (in accordance with state travel guidelines) throughout the pandemic, we have run programs whenever Governor Scott’s executive order has allowed, and we have gone about our essential work on the farm and in the woods. I write this to express my gratitude to our staff, visitors, participants, and partners who, through their actions and decisions, have helped contribute to a culture of personal responsibility and respect for one another that has made safety a clear priority. I also write to encourage everyone to stay in the game. It has been a long haul. I know there are folks from out of state who have delayed trips, others who have decided to opt out of hikes and workshops due to scratchy throats, and many visitors who have worked hard to maintain personal space on the trails.

These decisions matter. In fact, more than anything else, it is the personal responsibility demonstrated by our staff and visitors that has kept our community as safe as reasonably possible during these difficult days.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

George Hatch

President

Ann Jackson

Vice President

Kat Deeley Secretary

Keld Alstrup Treasurer

Dinah Buechner-Vischer

Jeromy Gardner

Jim Hand

Mark Lourie

Sam Schneski

Sue Van Hook

Brian Vargo

STAFF

Stephanie Breed

VC Coordinator

Cara Davenport

Education Manager

Tim Duclos

Conservation Manager

Dylan Durkee

Farm Manager

Chris Ferris-Hubbard

Education Director

Kathryn Lawrence

Assistant Executive Director

Marybeth Leu

Communications Coordinator

Liz Ruffa

Advancement Director

Rob Terry Executive Director

Cara Davenport: pp. 6, 12, 13

• Google Photos: pp. 18, 19

• Mara Hearst: p. 16

Tim Duclos: front & back covers, pp. 4, 5, 9, 10-11, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 24

Chris Hubbard: pp. 3, 12, 13

• Anna Terry: p. 14, 23

• Rob Terry: p. 8, 22

PHOTO CREDITS:

Staying Flexible in a Changing World

By Chris Hubbard, Education Director

It’s hard to believe, looking back a year ago, that we were holding workshops and our Second Saturday hikes in person. Our annual Owl presentation and hike in February drew over 50 people to the Visitor Center and into the landscape. We started working with a group of Mettawee Community School students during our “Field and Forest Fridays,” an afterschool program, and our Winter in the Woods vacation campers were tracking animals and examining snowflakes. Planning for our Annual Pancake Breakfast was underway. But all that was about to change.

While in early March we were sharing our excitement of the upcoming Pancake Breakfast on our Facebook page, one week later we made the decision to cancel, given the news of the quickly spreading virus. Field and Forest Friday wrapped up just in the nick of time, and schools were cancelling field trips. We realized we’d have to pivot how we delivered programming, and we’d have to remain flexible as conditions changed.

Since we weren’t able to hold gatherings in-person, we shifted to creating digital content, by offering our Nearby Nature videos. Northshire Grown: Direct, led by our team in collaboration with some amazing local food advocates, connected farmers and consumers as farmers markets closed; NG:D continues to this day. Our annual Meet the Lambs went virtual. Warmer weather allowed us to have in-person programming, as we limited the number of participants for our hikes, Farm Chores, and Meet and Feed program. Our summer camp schedule included sessions for the children of essential workers. As the summer ended and we moved into fall, “Wilderness Wednesdays” allowed students to explore the natural world through guided, hands-on explorations during non-instructional school days. Winter brought a shift from in-person workshops and hikes. We offered “Wreath and Fixings,” in place of our annual wreath workshop, allowing participants to decorate a Merck-made wreath at home. Currently we are offering a totally virtual workshop in tracking, available online. Future workshops are scheduled, with a presentation available for viewing at home and accompanied by a hike at Merck Forest, if conditions permit.

Looking forward to spring and warmer weather, we have a line-up of Game of Logging and Wilderness First Aid classes scheduled. We’ll be out on the landscape as we offer our popular Farm Chores and Meet and Feed programs, allowing participants to give a hand as we take care of our animals. Our children’s summer camp season is being planned, expanding to eight weeks of camp, starting in mid-June. And whatever the upcoming months bring, we’ll be following guidelines from the Vermont Department of Health and the CDC, as we work to provide engaging programs, staying flexible in this changing world.

Cabin Love

by Tim Duclos, Conservation Manager

I was out checking cabins recently and along the way took photos of some of the art on display there. It always warms my heart to read the journal entries and see the art these lands inspire. For me, it’s a dependable reminder that these lands, and ALL our collective work to steward them are valued, deeply, by so many.

Thank you for the reminder of how much this work matters, making it as simple as reading an entry from a cabin journal. Folks LOVE this place. You friends, inspire us. Thank you.

Open Minds and Bright Ideas

by Cara Davenport, Program Manager

Close to fifty elementary students, in addition to parents, teachers, and a few Merck Forest staff, formed a gigantic circle outside the Visitor Center in the biting April air, standard formation for our opening activity “Open Minds and Bright Ideas’’. “You have two important jobs to do while we’re together today,” Education Director Chris Hubbard instructed the group, “The first is to keep your mind open, and the second is to share your ideas and what you notice. We’re going to play a quick game to demonstrate this. Your left hand is your open mind, and your right hand is a bright idea.”

After some more directions and corralling, each person in the circle had their arms stretched to the sides, their left mittened or gloved hand facing palm-up towards their left neighbor and the fingers of their right hand resting lightly in their right neighbor’s palm; together we created a linked loop. The group was quiet, listening closely as Chris spoke, waiting for the signal they had been given. “Squirrel.... maple tree... bluebird...” The sense of anticipation grew with each word she listed, until finally “... newt!”, and with shrieks and giggles each student tried to simultaneously catch the hand of the person to their left and escape the grasp of their neighbor on the right.

“How many of you caught a bright idea in your open mind?” A smattering of hands go up, amid lingering laughter.

“So what does it mean to have an open mind? What does that look like?” More hands shoot up; we’re off to the races.

This scene has become a familiar one at Merck Forest over the past several years and is an activity that demonstrates, in many integral ways, some of the deepest values we hold here as a staff and organization. The ‘two important jobs’ that we highlight, having an open mind and sharing our ‘bright ideas’, are ones that transcend participating in a Merck Forest program or field trip as a student. In some ways, they are the most important work that any of us can do in our lives.

Our default tends to be our own perspective, assuming that the way we think and see and experience is the baseline. Unless or until this is challenged, our response to new and different ideas and perspectives can be defensiveness and dismissal rather than curiosity and appreciation. Having our own perspective challenged is in many ways a great gift, an invitation to understand in new and different ways. The natural world abounds with opportunities to see from another’s point of view, or to at least attempt it. Whether it’s a fungus, a dragonfly, a porcupine, an octopus, a person from another culture, or a member of your own family, there are countless perspectives out there beyond our own, ways of seeing and experiencing the world that are different from ours.

Together, we collectively have a much richer and truer understanding and glimpse of the world around us. Sharing our experiences and perspective is an important contribution toward that collective understanding, and can be hard work! As we tell the students in the “Open Minds” activity, sometimes we aren’t sure of the reception our voice will havewe’re shy, or afraid of being dismissed or ignored or mocked. For many, these fears are based on real and painful experiences. But sharing our perspective is a courageous gift that we give to others at the same time that we can give the gift of really hearing their voice and story too.

Activities like “Open Minds”, in which we use physical proximity to learn and grow together and feel connected, can seem like a distant memory sometimes these days. Our education team looks forward to once again interacting with school and multi-family groups in this particular way, but until then I hope that we all can continue to practice and cultivate habits of appreciation, open-mindedness and perspective sharing. Even distanced from each other as we are now, there is much closeness to be gained and given from listening to each other and the natural world around us, and sharing from our own senses and experiences.

BRSU budget deliberations begin

Manchester Journal

The Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union board and its member districts will be setting the budget for the next fiscal year and they’d like the public to be involved.

The FY2022 budget runs from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. But the work of setting that budget begins now. There will be budgets set

for the BRSU as well as each of three districts: the Taconic & Green Regional School District, Mettawee School District and the Winhall School District. Each has its own budget.

There will be a series of board meetings to create the budget for each district and the BRSU. Each board will approve their respect budget, which will then be presented to the voters for

approval at town meeting.

At that point, the only option is to approve or reject the budget. If you’d like to have an impact on the budget, now is the time to get involved.

The first meeting on the BRSU budget is slated for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7.

The BRSU budget includes overhead expenses that will ultimately be allocated to each of its three

school districts.

Winhall initiates its FY22 budget discussions at 5 p.m. Dec. 8. Mettawee School District meets at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 14 and T&G gets the budget process started at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 15.

Subsequent meetings dates, as well as information about attending the meetings remotely due to COVID-19, can be found at www.BRSU.org, where meet-

ing agendas and background information can also be found.

“COVID creates a number of unique challenges and uncertainties for our schools,” said BRSU Board Chair, Jim Salsgiver. “But it also triggers an opportunity for important discussions on the future of education for our children. The public is encouraged to attend and participate online. It’s important for us to hear

Mettawee, Merck expand partnership

BOB NILES

Taconic & Green

Mettawee Community School and Merck Forest & Farmland Center has expanded their partnership.

For years, the Mettawee Community School took advantage of its proximity to the magical Merck Forest & Farmland Center. A few days each fall, students in grades 4-6 made the 20-minute pilgrimage by bus to Merck’s 3,200acre campus for outdoor science classes taught by MFFC staff.

The potential to expand the Merck/Mettawee learning partnership took another step forward over the past year when MFFC purchased 140 acres adjacent to the school using funds raised jointly with the Vermont Land Trust.

In addition to conserving the natural environment, the management plan calls for experimenting with onsite, hands-on authentic learning. Now nature’s classroom is located just a stone’s throw from the school building.

“This tract of land includes four separate natural habitats, grasslands, shrublands, wetlands, and a forest filled with a mix of hard and softwoods,” said Rob Terry, MFFC executive director. “Each offers different learning op-

portunities for students to explore. We’re just scratching the surface on ways to use this land as a living teaching tool.”

At the start of this school year and in the midst of a pandemic, the Vermont Agency of Education encouraged schools to move classes outdoors. At Mettawee, that was no problem at all.

“We always knew Merck’s management of the land next to the school opened the possibility for new learning,” said Brooke DeBonis, Mettawee principal. “We started brainstorming with Merck last year, but COVID-19 gave us a huge incentive to immediately make the Merck land our new outdoor classroom.”

Second-grade teacher, Ross Harmon, used the land this fall to host a science project on monitoring bird migration. Over a few weeks, students walked through the woods with binoculars, watching for birds, listening for distinct sounds and recording their findings in individual science journals.

Teachers also used the sanctuary of the space next door to encourage students to individually explore nature and write short stories describing the experience. Budding artists now have a new canvas for their creative work.

The expansive grasslands gave physical education teacher, Janna Webb, all the room she

needed to keep her charges in shape.

“We moved out of the gym and into the fields daily to conduct muscular and cardiovascular exercises, including stretches, jogs and hikes,” Webb said. “The kids love this land and make no excuses or complaints about outdoor PE. They can’t wait to go outside.”

Webb plans to hold her PE classes, which may include hiking, snowshoeing and sledding in the fields throughout the winter.

“We’ve told the students to layer and dress warm,” she said. “We want them outside as much as possible.”

The school’s old friends at Merck will lend a helping hand moving forward. Members of the MFFC staff conduct Mettawee faculty training in the living sciences and help design ongoing activities for the neighboring land that can fit into the school’s basic curriculum.

Other possibilities include offering environmental learning classes for parents and family. Plans are also under consideration to create marked hiking trails that can be used by the entire Rupert and Pawlet community.

Once the pandemic is under control, Mettawee students will continue their annual visits to MFFC to explore the farm, including the traditional overnight camp for sixth-graders.

“We live in Vermont with great access to

from you.”

This article appeared in our local papers in December. Special thanks to author Robert J. Niles, Taconic & Green and Mettawee School District Communications and to the Bennington -Rutland Supervisory Union for permission to re-publish.

Due to COVID-19, the meetings are shown live on the BRSU YouTube channel. The link is listed on the website with the agendas and information. But, if you would like to participate, you must call in to speak. That information is also on the website.

Contact Darren Marcy at dmarcy@manchesterjournal.com or by cell at 802-681-6534.

nature,” Terry said. “It only makes sense that we take full advantage of that resource as we educate our children. The purchase of the new campus next to Mettawee will expand our collaboration with the school, not replace the rich tradition of outdoor learning already in place.”

Contact: Mettawee Community School principal Brooke DeBonis at 802-645-9009.

“My story is important not because it is mine, God knows, but because if I tell it anything like right, the chances are you will recognize that in many ways it is also yours.”

—Frederick Beuchner

PHOTO PROVIDED Mettawee first-grader, Jamison Campney, proudly displays a treasure found on his outdoor hike at school.

Welcome Kiosk Update

by Dylan Durkee, Farm Manager

The new post and beam Welcome Kiosk has nearly finished its construction phase and many visitors are curious about what purpose this structure will serve for the organization. It’s a good question, since all buildings should be built for a purpose. After the walls are installed this spring, this kiosk will provide day visitors with sign in and public safety information about the property as well as on-site education, farm, forest and recreational program information. We sited the kiosk in a location that will provide all visitors with a solid start from the beginning of their experience at Merck Forest to its conclusion.

Saphouse Solar Update

By Rob Terry, Executive Director

The panels are on the roof, the lines are nestled in their underground conduit, and the service into the Sap House is ready to be energized. In the upcoming weeks, the electricians will be wrapping up some labeling and the system will receive its final inspection. Once we’ve been given the thumbs up, the switch will be flipped. At that moment, the Sap House will be connected to the grid, and the 15-kW solar installation on the roof will begin generating electricity. Thankfully, in spite of some COVID related supply chain delays, the project will be complete in time for sugaring season. This is an important detail because, in the past, we have been reliant on a propane generator to function as the power plant for the Reverse Osmosis filter (RO). Starting this year, we’ll be able to let the generator sit idly by and watch as clean, renewable energy from the sun coupled with sustainably harvested wood from our forest power the operation.

Sap to Tap Update

As you can see, we are getting ready for 2021’s sap to syrup program. May it stay cold for now. Come late February, let it start to thaw, so the sap can start to flow!

Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival Goes Virtual

By Chris Hubbard, Education Director

With the global pandemic causing many activities to shift from in-person events to virtual offerings this year, a slim silver lining has emerged, as access to conferences, workshops, and cultural events have been made available digitally and virtually to socially distanced participants. One such event to make this shift is the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, an international film festival featuring short films and documentaries focused on mountain culture, sports, and the environment. Launched in 1976 and held every fall in Banff, Alberta, Canada, the festival features 60 films selected out of a field of upwards of 300 to be shown. From the featured films, a select number are chosen to go on tour around the world, allowing for a wider audience to view the artistry of the filmmakers. In 2020, the tour went virtual, and viewers can now watch from the comfort of their own home.

The featured films in the currently available programs are diverse in topic, location, and voice. In “The Elder (The Winter),” an elderly Ainu woman from Hokkaido, Japan, shares how she is grateful for the modern convenience of a warm bath as she practices and performs the ancient songs and dances, preserving her culture’s traditions. Meanwhile, in the Québecois film “Far, Far Est,” two Canadian college students forgo a trip to warmer climes to spend a humorous and fun-loving spring break skiing and surfing on the North-American east coast. We see the tenacity of the human spirit as a trio of friends attempt to run across the remote high mountains of Tajikistan in “Running the Roof” and a blind climber lead climbing the Old Man of Hoy in Scotland in “Climbing Blind.” The videography is stunning throughout the films, and the stories told, captivating.

Tickets to the film festival are available regionally through the Glens Falls–Saratoga Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club (www.adkgfs.org) and Burlington’s Skirack (www.skirack.com), with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the GF/S ADK and the UVM Outing Club (through Skirack). The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival virtual tour is available until October 24, 2021, with new programs being added throughout the year.

Life on Earth by David Attenborough

By Rob Terry, Executive Director

At 4.5 billion-years-old, the Earth’s age is nearly impossible for the human mind to comprehend. With a fleeting 79-year lifespan and the habit of calling events that occurred a meager 5,000 years ago “ancient,” attempting to think about the full 3.8-billion-year span during which there has been life on this planet can make one’s brain feel as if it is at risk of dismantling. Early in his sweeping epic, Life on Earth, David Attenborough (perhaps best known for narrating BBC’s stunning nature series ‘Planet Earth”) contextualizes human presence on the planet by conceptually condensing the entirety of life on Earth into one calendar year (each second therefore representing 144 years). In this model, the first microorganisms developed just after midnight on January 1st, and at present the clock would read 11:59:59 pm.

In order to help his readers better understand the full sweep of life on Earth, David Attenborough poses the simple question, “on what month and day did humans arrive?” What do you think? March? No, too soon… maybe some time in the fall, perhaps late October. With the entirety of life on earth condensed into a single calendar year, humans arrived at 11:56 p.m. on December 31st. We’ve been here for four minutes! Four! Minutes! In fact, it has only been 2 seconds since the industrial revolution. Two seconds! Life on Earth delves deeply into all that preceded our arrival, tracing the development of life on the planet for the 11 months, 30 days, 23 hours, and 56 minutes prior to our arrival (or approximately 3.899 billion years abandoning the life-in-a-year metaphor).

From the age of the protists to the mossy pioneers that first ventured out of the water, David Attenborough manages to tell the story of the cyclical rise and fall of life on the planet in a narrative that captures, and holds, the imagination. Attenborough explores the emergence of flight, the unlikelihood of the platypus, and countless evolutionary successes and failures to the delight of the reader. There are many reasons to read, or listen to, this beautiful book. Equal parts fascinating, unsettling, inspiring, and occasionally terrifying, more than anything else, Life on Earth is deeply humbling. At a time when we face a precipitous decline in biodiversity coupled with an unsettling rise in global temperatures, this book provides an important perspective. Life on Earth offers a necessary reminder that, while it is not too late to take action, we simply cannot act soon enough or with too much resolve.

Merck Forest and Farmland Center’s 2021 Summer Camp Program

Summer is right around the corner, with green grass to sink our feet into; warm, sunny days with blue skies; and all the joys that come with this spectacular time in Vermont. Summer camp at Merck Forest & Farmland Center was re-established just a few years ago, after a long hiatus. Since 2018, we have dipped our toes back into offering camp - offering first, one week; then two; then three camps this past summer. This year we are expanding to a full suite of camps: a total of eight weeks for kids entering grades 1 - 8.

Registration is now open! (Go to our Shop at www.merckforest.org)

Our Philosophy

We believe that children thrive when given the freedom to immerse themselves in nature through exploration and guided discovery. By slowing down, and using their senses to fully experience the world around them, campers develop a sense of curiosity, love and responsibility. Through this, they emerge with deeper empathy, a better sense of their place in the world, and the knowledge that they can make a difference.

CAMP IN THE TIME OF COVID: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are consulting with and following guidelines set forth by the CDC, the Vermont Department of Health, and the American Camp Association (ACA) regarding safe camp procedures for both campers and staff. To view the ACA Field Guide for Camp, go to www.acacamps.org/resource-library/coronavirus/camp-business/field-guide-camps

Offerings

6/14–6/18: Barnyard and Beyond Farm Camp

For children entering Grades 1, 2, & 3 | June 14–18, 9:00am–3:00pm

$250 ($225 for MFFC members) | Max. 10 campers

Campers will explore life on the farm, with a focus on our farm animals, the crops we grow, and our Children’s Garden. Through games and imaginative play, they’ll discover what roles the plants and animals play on our farm, their life cycles, and how a farm works. Campers will dig into dirt, gather eggs, and sink fingers into soft wool as they engage in hands-on farm-related activities.

6/21–6/25: Ag Camp: Inquiry and Exploration on the Farm

Children entering Grades 4, 5, & 6 | June 21–25 | 9:00am–3:00pm

$250 ($225 for MFFC members) | Maximum 10 campers

Campers will explore the biology of various animals that are found on the farm and in the fields, and their interdependencies. Through inquiry and observation, they will deepen their understanding of the intertwining communities using nature journals to document their explorations. Campers will probe into pollinators, track chickens, and ruminate with sheep as they engage in agricultural-related activities.

6/28–7/2: Trail Crew Camp

For children entering Grades 7 & 8 | June 28–July 2 | 9:00am–3:00pm

$250 ($225 for MFFC members) | Maximum 10 campers

Trail crew members will trek through field and forest, learning how to steward working lands. Through hands-on explorations and projects, they’ll develop practical backcountry and primitive skills, engage in citizen science, and participate in service learning projects. Crew members will navigate with map and compass, construct shelters, lop invasives, and tackle trail work as they explore the front and backcountry of Merck Forest.

7/12–7/16: Aqua Camp: Inquiry and Exploration in Ponds and Streams

For children entering Grades 4, 5, & 6 | July 12–16 | 9:00am–3:00pm

$250 ($225 for MFFC members) | Maximum 10 campers

Campers will explore the inhabitants of the streams and ponds of Merck Forest and how they are interdependent. Through inquiry and observation, they will deepen their knowledge of the importance of mountain streams, of pond ecosystems, and the interdependence of aquatic life using nature journals to document their explorations. Campers will monitor waterways, inventory invertebrates, and collect amphibians, as they engage in hands-on aquatic activities.

7/19–7/23: Dragonflies and Cattails Camp

For children entering Grades 1, 2, & 3 | July 19–23 | 9:00am–3:00pm

$250 ($225 for MFFC members)

Campers will explore life in our ponds and streams, as they learn about the plants and animals that live in and around these watery worlds. Through games and imaginative play, they’ll discover the qualities of water, the creatures that live in watery environs and how those animals are adapted to live in an aquatic world. Campers will scoop up salamanders and frogs, capture caddis flies, and play in babbling brooks as they engage in hands-on aquatic-related activities.

7/19–7/23: Wilderness Camp: Inquiry and Exploration in the Forest

For children entering Grades 1, 2, & 3 | July 19–23 | 9:00am–3:00pm

$250 ($225 for MFFC members)

Campers will explore the biology of various mammals that live in the Northern Taconic forests and how these mammals and their environment are interdependent. Through inquiry and observation, they will deepen their knowledge of natural communities, as they use nature journals to document their explorations. Campers will sketch squirrels, investigate skulls, and sleuth for evidence of creatures as they engage in forestry-related activities.

7/26–7/30: Trail Crew Camp

For children entering Grades 4, 5, & 6 | July 19–23 | 9:00am–3:00pm

$250 ($225 for MFFC members)

Trail crew members will trek through field and forest, making an impact on the land. Through handson explorations and projects, they’ll develop practical backcountry and primitive skills, engage in citizen science, and participate in service learning projects. Crew members will navigate with map and compass, construct shelters, lop out invasives, and tackle trail work as they explore the front and backcountry of Merck Forest.

8/2–8/6: Woods and Wildlife Camp

For children entering Grades 1, 2, & 3 | August 2–6 | 9:00am–3:00pm

$250 ($225 for MFFC members) | Maximum 10 children

Campers will explore life in our forests as they learn about the animals and trees that call the northern Taconic Mountains home. Through games and imaginative play, they’ll discover what animals live in Merck Forest’s woods, how those animals meet their needs and how they are adapted to living in the forest as well as how a forest works. Campers will dig into crumbling logs, scout deer trails and scamper through the woods as they engage in hands-on forest-related activities.

Earth Almanac, a Balm for the Soul

By Chris Hubbard, Education Director

Considering the unsettling times we find ourselves in, having a space of quiet and hope can be a much-needed balm. Earth Almanac, by Ted Williams is one such space. Williams, a nature writer for The Nature Conservancy’s conservation science blog, Cool Green Science, brings us his essays gleaned from “Earth Calendar,” Audubon magazine’s seasonal natural history column. These essays “celebrate the beauty and magic of nature,” as Williams takes us by the hand and leads us to moments in time in the natural world that can be so easily passed by. Williams shares the experience of writing these essays as “regular retreats into what is pure and clean and right with the world.” Never preachy with calls to action, he gives us a glimpse into an element of the featured flora or fauna, often providing a “project” to encourage a personal connection with the topic. He urges us to “breathe deeply and put away your prejudice,” in an essay about skunks. He suggests if we “…make a crude sketch on paper or in your mind, you can see the unfurling of time,” in an essay about fiddleheads. The essays are graced with monochromic pen and ink drawings and watercolors rendered by John Burgoyne, who is also known for his Cooks Illustrated covers, making this book a salve for the eyes as well as the heart.

MFFC continues to offer 70th Anniversary memberships for $70, which includes a copy of Earth Almanac. Gift a Merck Forest membership to someone you know who aligns with our mission to inspire curiosity, love and responsibility for natural and working lands.

Order at www.merckforest.org/get-involved/memberships/ or contact liz@merckforest.org.

“Everything exists because it has a role to play in this world.”

—Ainu Proverb

Northshire Grown: Direct Update

by Liz Ruffa, Advancement Director

Merck Forest’s working lands Covid response initiative, Northshire Grown: Direct, continues to pack a punch in our region. In 2020, 20 markets took place in Dorset - in April and May at JK Adams Farmstand and since June at the Dorset Playhouse.

NG:D bundles local agricultural food items into themed “boxes”, which feature and “move” product for up to 40 different producers at a time. This service to area farmers has helped to replace lost markets for farmers due to the shuttering of so many businesses and institutions due to Covid last spring. Farmers and producers rely on schools, hospitals, restaurants and local markets’ purchasing power, especially in the winter/spring–their post harvest, summer planning period.

This direct-to-consumer local purchasing platform offers seasonal produce, meats, dairy items, kitchen and pantry essentials and specialty value-added products, all from local/VT farms and businesses to an ever-growing cadre of customers from all over Bennington and Rutland Counties (customer list now at 550). Learn more at www.northshiregrown.com - sign up for order forms and newsletters there!

The quietest yet most powerful aspect of this work has been through the Northshire Neighbors in Need work that four community connectors–the Dorset Church, the Mettowee Community School, Rupert Food Pantry and new in 2021 the Peru Congregational Church –have steadlfastly assisted with. NG:D, thanks in large part to customer generated philanthropy, raised $20,000 in 2020, allowing us to order pack and distribute 450 boxes to food insecure households in the area.

A few numbers to show the impact of this initiate to our local farmers, customers and community members:

By The Numbers

# of regional farms and producers participating in program 50+

# of orders April 1-December 15, 2020: 2,000+

income generated from 20 markets: $150,000+

% $$ directly back into local food economy: $125,000+

# of Neighbor boxes distributed: 450+

income generated through Neighbors: $20,000+

# of community connectors: 4+

# of amazing volunteers 2020: 20+

What is the + ?

It is the social capital that this project is creating for the farm and food community, for area residents and through community connectivity of neighbor supporting neighbor. Merck Forest has stepped up into supplying a structure for meaningful mutual aid to farmers, makers and community, has tested and is amplifying the power of #buylocal.

MFFC would like to acknowledge the amazing Herculean efforts of Mara Hearst, Heidi Lynn and Maria Reade, whose special talents have been the secret sauce to NG:D’s success. They have worked tirelessly to advance this project, constantly creating efficiencies and offering their creative ideas and boundless energy to the task. Total rockstars!

MFFC also thanks the following community members for their volunteerism: Marilyn Brockway, James Chandler, Janet Chandler, Montana Drummond, Katy Crumley, Michelle Flett, Karin Karol, Marcia Key, Jamie Lombardo, Katherine Page, Susan Romano, Will Ruffa, Declan Saint-Onge, Jenny Strecker, Jennifer Taylor and Kristen Zens. Thanks also to Sara Donegan Armstrong from Trillium Hill Farm and Annie Harlow from VT Farm to Plate Network for their support. Finally, this project would not be what it is without the generosity of JK Adams, Dorset Players and Town of Dorset.

Greetings from the Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9-4.

by Stephanie Breed, Visitor Center Coordinator

Our freezers are filled with Merck’s own pasture-raised, regeneratively grown fresh pork and lamb. We have steaks, shanks and sausages...and much more! Our 2020 syrup is almost gone–last year was a banner year, with over 1,500 gallons of syrup produced. We have limited quantities of Golden Delicate and Dark Robust available. The last barrel of Amber Rich has just been bottled and will be on the shelves soon.

Speaking of soon, our famous Merck Forest sheepskins will be arriving within the next few weeks. They won’t last long! Additionally, we sell yarn from our flock as well as locally knit woolen hats. A new selection of fun books, nature journals, and games will be on the shelves in the next couple of weeks.

Come visit, warm yourself by the masonry wood stove and pat Ellie, our resident cat. Better yet, renew your Merck Forest membership–or gift one to a friend or family member–and receive 10% off all purchases and 20% off camping. Members play a huge part in making Merck Forest & Farmland Center happen.

Visit our website at merckforest.org, email at info@merckforest.org or feel free to call Stephanie at 802-394-7836 during weekend hours. Hope to see you up on the mountain soon!

One-pan Shakshouka (Poached Eggs in Meaty-tomato Sauce)

Recipe by Cara Davenport, Education Manager

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lamb or lamb stew meat

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce + 1 tablespoon sauce

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 can (~2 cups) diced fire-roasted tomatoes

1 can (~2 cups) tomato sauce/ purée

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup (3oz) crumbled feta

4-6 large eggs

Salt and pepper for seasoning

A popular Middle Eastern dish with many variations, shakshouka is often breakfast fare. However, this versatile recipe can be an equally easy and cozy dinner for these dark winter months. Spotlighted in this recipe are three ingredients that we produce right here at Merck Forest: eggs (our flock of chickens are laying away, surprisingly undaunted by the limited daylight), lamb meat, and maple syrup! If you can manage a weekend stop into the Visitor Center (or any other place near you that sells local farm products) you would be well on your way to making this meal.

You can exercise your kitchen creativity and experiment with substitutions or additions (more vegetables in the sauce, different meat, vegetarian or vegan versions, different spices, more spiciness or sweetness, etc.), but the basic concept is eggs poached in some kind of tomato sauce, so that the eggs take on the flavors of whatever they are immersed in as they cook.

Directions:

1. In a large oven-proof skillet or pan on medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add caraway seeds, nutmeg, cumin, paprika, then the diced onion. Cook until onion is softened and fragrant.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Increasing to medium-high heat, add ground lamb or stew meat to the pan and cook until browned, stirring so that the meat is mixed with the vegetables and spices. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. (If you prefer the dish to have a milder lamb flavor, cook the lamb in a separate pan and drain off the fat, then add the drained meat to the pan with vegetables and spices.)

4. In a blender or small food processor, blend the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce with about 1/2 of the tomato sauce. Add this and the rest of the canned tomatoes and sauce, plus the maple syrup to the pan with the meat and mix, bringing the sauce to a simmer (3-4 minutes).

5. Turn down the heat and add the feta, sprinkling evenly over the sauce and lightly mixing in. Create “wells” or little depressions in your sauce for each of your eggs to rest in.

6. Crack an egg into each “well” that you have made in the pan.

7. Transfer the pan into your pre-heated oven and let cook for 8-10 minutes, until eggs are set.

8. Garnish with cilantro and Greek yogurt, if desired, and serve.

Maple Granola

From the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association website Yields about 10 cups

Ingredients:

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup shredded coconut, preferably unsweetened

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1 cup pure Vermont maple syrup (Grade A

Dark Color with Robust Taste is best)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine rolled oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and pecans in a large bowl. Pour maple syrup and olive oil into bowl and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and pour mixture onto large baking sheet, spreading to create a uniform layer.

2. Bake granola, stirring every 15-20 minutes, until it is golden brown, about 1 hour.

3. Serve and enjoy!

(I have made this granola many times; it is best to add the dried cranberries near the end of the bake time (15-20 minutes) so that they don’t get krispy. I also make mine without the coconut.) —Kathryn

FOOTPRINT FORENSICS

Who left these tracks at Merck Forest? See if you can identify the animal that left the prints, using the size, shape, and your detective skills! As a follow up, you could also sign up for our virtual Tracking Workshop, available now on our website Events page!

Left to right; 1st row: medium-sized songbird, wild turkey, porcupine; 2nd row: Ellie the cat

, mice, ruffed grouse; 3rd row: white-tailed deer, black bear, red squirrel

**Songbird track photo by Chris Hubbard, all others by Tim Duclos

Game Cameras

A simple way to expand your ability to get eyes on wildlife

by Tim Duclos, Conservation Manager

Are you interested in discovering the secret behavior of wildlife, keeping track of what is going on in your neck of the woods, and/or just looking for a little excitement in your life? Well, adding a game camera to your routine is one easy way towards these ends. Checking game cameras can feel rich with excitement and possibility. It also makes for a great activity with kiddos.

For under a hundred bucks you can set yourself up with all you need: a game camera, standard size SD card, and batteries. There are many options out there, but just about anything these days will work well for you. For example, this is one of my current units that I am running, with a bike lock for added security:

After you get the camera, start by setting it up in a location that seems likely to experience animal travel. For more information on tracking and animal behavior, check out MFFC’s digital tracking workshop available for rent on the Merck Forest website. Check your unit regularly and move it around as you see fit. Use it to explore and test your predictions about what might be found when and where. Get a second SD card to swap out cards each visit, for added convenience.

Think as well about using your camera for science. Using the iNaturalist tool (iNaturalist.org), you can upload your wildlife sightings to the web- to share with others and also to get help with identifying what you found. There are also several ongoing game camera citizen science projects, research projects, and social media efforts in place to share and celebrate your game camera discoveries.

To inspire you, below are a few choice sightings from cameras maintained at Merck Forest and in the region by Conservation Ecologist Tim Duclos.

Have fun and happy trails, all.

Advancement Notes

Happy New Year! 2020 already seems both long ago, far away and yet like just yesterday–what a tumultuous time. I hope your 2021 is filled with hope, joy and prosperity for you and yours.

A warm welcome to our many new members and donors–your financial support in 2020 allowed us to operate and continue to deliver mission during an unprecedented time for us all. Our team worked quietly last year, doing its best to capture the energy and spirit of signature events and programs by offering them on-line or in modified live ways. We missed having our usual throng of day visitors, outdoor enthusiasts and workshop participants on site. We missed campers stopping in the Visitor Center for a chat and some hiking tips. We really missed greeting the many area students who use Merck Forest as their outdoor classroom as they conduct their environmental science and citizen learning. We didn’t get to host as many young day campers on-site last summer as we might have liked, but hope to turn that curve in 2021! Not being able to interact and engage with people on the property was most certainly a downside to 2020, but Vermont’s ably handled Covid-19 response protocols were all followed to a T here.

This Ridgeline issue illuminates just how remarkable experiencing “place” can be–whether that experience is live and tactile or via an Instagram post or Nearby Nature online video. The images in this Ridgeline document how the sun here rises and sets every day, how animals here capture everyone’s hearts–whether on the farm, in the woods, or on a leash. Staff contributions explain how to track animals in the snow and on camera. Offerings capture how MFFC cabins continue to be revered destinations that renew souls and inspire creativity. People just love Merck Forest! Many thanks for doing your part to help us steward this special place.

Our gates have remained open during this pandemic, offering nature as a tonic for the times. The great outdoors energizes, challenges and soothes and Merck Forest will continue to do its part to foster an appetite for inspiring curiosity, love and responsibility for working and natural lands.

We ended 2020 in a stable, positive place in large part thanks to you. Deep-felt appreciation for your support and philanthropy.

On behalf of the team at MFFC, I send my best.

Liz Ruffa, Director, Institutional Advancement

Save The Date

MFFC’s 2021 Annual Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 12. We will host it, not sure in what format quite yet, but make sure to mark your calendars today!

New 70th Anniversary Membership Special

In honor of MFFC’s long standing spring tradition of Maple Celebration Pancake breakfast (and planning for the probability that we will not, once again, be able to host it live in 2021), MFFC will be offering a special $70 membership program in March and April this year. Your $70 membership will include a 250 ml. glass container of MFFC’s amazingly delicious organic, VT Audubon-certified Bird Friendly Maple Syrup and a 1 lb. cloth bag of New Hope Mills buttermilk pancake mix (the same one we use up here!). Feel free to renew at this level or gift to a friend or family member. Look for details in the March Mailchimp Newsletter!

Questions? Contact liz@merckforest.org

Winter Events and Activities

As we continue to tackle the challenges of Covid-19, we are following state guidelines and regulations regarding public gatherings. We are looking forward to being able to hold in-person events, and we are planning for when we are finally able to gather. Check our website and Facebook to check the status of any in-person events we have scheduled.

Northshire Grown: Direct 2/3, 2/17,3/3, 3/17, 3/31, Wednesday 3pm–5pm. MFFC continues to offer a pre-ordered, “bundled” CSA program, open to all Northshire residents, that offers up to 25 different regional producers’ produce, meats, dairy items,specialty cheeses, wellness and value added products and more! Produce, Essentials, Meal Kits, Prepared Meals–all available in a one stop shop, safely packed by MFFC staff and volunteers. Pick ups at Dorset Playhouse, courtesy of Dorset Players. For more information, www.northshiregrown.com

Tracking Workshop (Online Presentation): Currently online, available until 2/12/21. $10 for online access. The workshop consists of two pre-recorded presentations: the first presentation will prime you with the basics of tracking and sharing your observation using the citizen science tool iNaturalist. The second presentation will involve a field foray with Tim Duclos, our Conservation Manager to the nearby trails at Merck Forest to see who has been out and about. Register for the presentation on our website shop and receive instructions and a password to access it. Then go out into your backyard to discover who has been visiting!

Winter Bird Ecology 101 (Online Presentation): Available 2/20 - 3/19/2021. $10 for online access. This presentation will cover the resident bird species that commit themselves to overwintering in the southern Vermont region, and you’ll explore the who, where, why, and how of this particular life strategy. Registration is available on our website shop.

Owl Workshop (Online Presentation): Available 2/27 - 3/26/21. $10 for online access. Our popular Owl Workshop goes virtual and focuses on the various owls in our region. Learn about the natural history of our resident owls: how to identify owls by sight and sound, where and how to find these creatures in nature. We’ll discuss iNaturalist and eBird which enable you to both share your findings as well as keep up with the findings of others around you. Registration is available on our website shop.

Maple Madness for Families: 3/13/2021, 1:00 - 3:00. For families and kids. We’ll take you from Sap to Syrup program as we explore maple sugaring through traditional stories, a tapping demo, games and hands-on activities, including a tour of the Sap House, and a maple syrup tasting. $10/person, space is limited.

Second Saturday Hikes: 3/13/21, 4:00 - 5:30 and 4/10/21, 2:00 - 4:00. These popular guided hikes are moderate in difficulty, with routes to be determined. Participants should dress for colder weather, as temperatures are colder than in the valleys. Boots, snowshoes or microspikes may be needed, depending on ground conditions. Please arrive 15 minutes early, as hikes leave promptly at the time specified. $5 per person, pre-registration is required, and space will be limited. Due to the low cost of the program, refunds are not available, unless the event is cancelled by MFFC.

Vernal Pool Ecology: Hike and Pre-recorded Presentation: Pre-recorded presentation available on 3/20, with a hike on 4/3/21. Learn about native amphibians and their breeding habits in woodland vernal pools, and explore what defines a vernal pool and why these unique and sensitive habitats are vital to migratory amphibians. Find out how you can participate in citizen science by monitoring amphibians at vernal pools and road crossings where these species can be found during “Big Nights.” $10 per person, which includes hike and presentation. Space is limited.

Spring on the Farm Vacation Camp: 4/13 - 15, 9:00a - 3:00pm. Our Spring Vacation Camp for children in grades 2 - 5. We’ll be based out of the Sap House and Yurt as we get curious and explore the farm and play in and around the woods at the Discovery Trail. We’ll meet and learn about the animals that live on our farm and in our pond, do some crafts, and go hiking and exploring. Bring your lunch, a snack, and water. $150/child, space is limited.

** Upcoming workshops include chainsaw safety classes with Northeast Woodland Training in May, when we hold Basic Chainsaw Safety and Game of Logging Levels 1 - 4, with women’s only classes also being offered. Gain valuable backcountry first aid skills with SOLO Wilderness First Aid, scheduled for June 5 & 6. For more information, email us at learn@merckforest.org.