2025 Winter Ridgeline by Merck Forest

Celebrating 75 years of connecting people to the land

75 YEARS

This year, Merck Forest & Farmland Center celebrates 75 years of inspiring curiosity, love, and responsibility for natural and working lands!

During this special anniversary year, we look forward to honoring our history and embarking on exciting new adventures. We invite you to celebrate with us in 2025!

MFFC BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Jill Perry Balzano

Renee Flesch Barrett

Merrill Bent

Dinah Buechner-Vischer

Geoffrey Flynn

Peter Hicks

Greg Hopper, Treasurer

John Stasny, VP & Secretary

Sue Van Hook, President

Brian Vargo

ADVISORS

Chip Ams

Donald Campbell

Jean Ceglowski

Austin Chinn

Keely Levins Culligan

George Hatch

Jon Matthewson

Diana Myrvang

Sam Schneski

Paul Wheeler

STAFF

Renata Aylward, Communications Manager

Darla Belevich, VC Coordinator

Stephanie Breed, VC Coordinator

AJ Brundige, Field Educator

Dylan Durkee, Fleet & Facilities Manager

Chris Hubbard, Education Specialist

Marybeth Leu, Business & Systems Director

Keenan McMorrow, Land Management Assistant

Amy Pim, Advancement & Camp Coordinator

Elena Santos, Education Manager

John Schneble, Education Director

Hadley Stock, Farm Manager

Mike Stock, Land Resource Manager

Rob Terry, Executive Director

Content & Images: MFFC Staff • Twilight Images (bottom left row): Renée Noel-Cutler Magazine layout: Renée Noel-Cutler

Voices from the Ridge: Letters from Leadership

By Rob Terry, Executive Director

On November 28th, early snow blanketed Merck Forest & Farmland Center. While a late November snowfall is entirely reasonable, this year it felt abrupt—as if we’d skipped straight from flip-flops to snow boots. These shifting extremes are increasingly common on our changing planet, yet they still feel out of place.

The inaugural snow of the season always brings its own kind of magic. The anticipation of the first flakes, the innerchild joy of watching the world transform overnight, and the annual ritual of rummaging through barns and attics to piece together a cross-country skiing setup hastily stashed away months ago. These moments connect us to the rhythms of the season, even as they catch us by surprise. With the first snow comes the reminder that winter is here: woodstoves crackling, nights growing long and quiet, and the woods blanketed in a peaceful hush. Winter invites contemplation - and this season, there’s much to reflect on at Merck Forest.

2025 marks our 75th anniversary, and we’ll celebrate with a new strategic plan to guide us into the future. Alongside this milestone, we’ll unveil several significant projects designed to better serve our community. As always, our work continues in the woods and on the farm, where we welcome visitors of all ages to deepen their connection to working and natural lands. It’s shaping up to be an exciting year on the mountain, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

By Sue Van Hook, Board President

Snow fell all day on thanksgiving blanketing the mountain. What an early blessing to be thankful for at MFFC. The snow disturbs the landscape in ways we consider beneficial – banking water in its frozen state for spring, knocking back the tick populations, insulating the ground protecting seed stocks, harboring mammals and insects, allowing soil microbes to persist and providing hills and trails for sledding, xc skiing, or snowshoeing The snow also makes it tougher for deer, porcupines, squirrels and birds to feed, but they are adapted to this winter perturbance. We humans are adapted too – donning more wool layers, spending less time outdoors, and relishing the coziness of a cabin wood stove with a good book or journal, some knitting and hot tea.

Ecosystems respond well when change is gradual. What ecosystems face today is change that is rapid and unpredictable. It is disturbing that winters are milder, snowfall is less frequent or comes as a boom and bust as it quickly melts away. Consider the longer arc of centuries old disturbances retold in Rob’s feature in this issue. Then think about what that arc might look like a century from now – will there be a sugaring season, will tree species here today migrate north or die out, will the lack of snow affect spring blossoming, will insect hatches correlate with plant pollination?

We are all concerned about how disturbances will play out. MFFC’s educational programs address many of them with confidence that we are preparing children and adults to weather the changes ahead. Please continue to support our mission of inspiring curiosity, love and responsibility for natural and working lands. Thank you.

What to do in winter at MFFC

By Chris Hubbard, Education Specialist

• Join a tracking workshop and learn who is out and about in our woods and fields, or, come up for a Full Moon Hike and watch the moon rise over Harwood Barn. (Check our website for available dates and times!)

• Take a walk along our trails during a snowfall and listen to the quiet of the woods.

• Bring a sled along. Go sledding on the field off Discovery Trail, below the Visitor Center.

• Enjoy a sunset from the Sap House deck, as the sun sets early in the evening.

• Book a cabin for a wintery night or two in the woods, and enjoy a cozy evening in front of the woodstove.

• Sit for a spell with Ellie at the Visitor Center and warm up in front of our masonry wood stove. While you’re there, learn how the stove works!

• Strap on a pair of skis or snowshoes and head out to explore our 30+ miles of trails,

• Hike to Viewpoint or Antone for a view of the snowcovered Adirondacks.

• Pick up a jigsaw puzzle from the VC to enjoy on a cold winter’s night.

• Learn to identify trees by their bark and buds, rather than their leaves. Winter time is a great time to make these identifications.

• Build a snowman on the Harwood Barn lawn. How large a snowball can you roll?

• Watch snowflakes dance in the sky on an icy cold day.

• Bring a hand lens to check out the different structures that snowflakes and ice crystals can take. Tree trunks are a great place to find ice crystals!

• Say hello to our team of draft horses, Fern and Arch. Or, visit our flock of sheep with their thick woolen coats. After your visit, drop by the Visitor Center for yarn or wearables made from our sheep’s wool.

• Keep an ear out for our resident barred owls or ravens. Both can often be heard at the Visitor Center, and the ravens can be heard up on the farm.

• Listen and watch for the winter birds chirping in the woods. Chickadees, cardinals, nuthatches are just a few of the birds you might get a glimpse of.

Restoring the Forest: The Past, Present, and Future of Vermont’s Woodlands

By Rob Terry, Executive Director

It’s hard to imagine standing on the Sap House deck and looking out across a landscape almost completely devoid of trees. This is, after all, Merck Forest & Farmland Center, a wooded 3500-acre parcel in the largest intact temperate mixed broadleaf forest in the world. Today, the view to the west is a carpet of trees that stretches as far as the eye can see. Beyond the viewshed, the woods extend in every cardinal direction. To the north, they’re virtually endless, transitioning into boreal forest at 54 degrees N latitude, just beyond Quebec City. That boreal forest, which spans the breadth of Canada’s northern latitudes, accounts for approximately 25% of the remaining intact forest on planet Earth.

To the casual observer, today’s forest, as seen from the saphouse, looks vibrant and healthy. In summer, abundant chlorophyll, the compound that allows plants to harness the energy of the sun, reminds us why, in 1647, French explorer Samuel de Champlain first referred to the region as Vert-monte (the root of both “Vermont” and the “Green Mountains”). Today, visitors come from around the globe to experience the forest’s natural beauty.

These woods are so much more than just a pretty view.

Through transpiration, the estimated 3.4 billion trees in Vermont generate more than 40% of the state’s rain.

Beyond its aesthetic value, the forest is crucial for our well being. Forests help mitigate rising global temperatures by capturing and storing atmospheric carbon. Tree roots filter water by removing pollutants, stabilizing soil, and releasing clean water. Through transpiration, the estimated 3.4 billion trees in Vermont generate more than 40% of the state’s rain. The 1.2 billion-acres of Canadian boreal forest to the north produces 21% of the Earth’s atmospheric oxygen. The forest sustains life, and our ancestral roots pull us back into its embrace–but much has changed since our early-hominid days.

From Abundance to Absence: Vermont’s Deforestation History

As humans have evolved, we’ve developed new and complex tools and strategies that allow us to reshape our environment. At times, our capacity to use those tools has exceeded our understanding of their impact. The first European colonists arrived in what is now southwestern Vermont in the late 1700s. By the mid-1800s, most of Vermont—including the land now known as Merck Forest & Farmland Center—had been actively and purposefully cleared of the primary forests that had covered the

region since the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet around 12,000 years earlier. At the height of this effort, sawmills processed over 200-million board feet of lumber per year in the vicinity of what is now Merck Forest. At the same time, fields were cleared and trees burned where they fell, to expand sheep pasture and produce potash. By the turn of the 20th century, there was no money left to be made on these Vermont hilltops. The forest was gone, and the mills moved on. The wool market had crashed, and the sheep had disappeared. With the pressure off, the forest began to regenerate, and with that growth came renewed value. In the 1930s, when the second-growth timber reached a merchantable size, it was once again harvested. For the second time in less than 100 years, the landscape was denuded.

Shifting Baselines: A Loss of Ecological Memory

When visitors stand on the sap house deck and gaze across the lush landscape, most are understandably unaware that the forest before them is still struggling to recover from a devastating ecocide.

Even relatively rapid ecological changes, like contemporary biodiversity loss and global warming, occur over multiple human generations. However, the ecological degradation experienced by any generation is measured not against the ecosystem’s peak historic health and abundance, but instead against a reference point established when members of that generation first experienced it (often in their youth). The baseline shifts with each generation making it difficult to grasp the full extent of multigenerational ecological change. We might see clues when looking at historic photos, or hear them when our grandparents talk about how much snow there used to be, but research shows that this is simply not enough to ground us in the true extent of the ecological change that has occurred in recent centuries. No one visiting, working, or living in Vermont’s woods has seen extensive primary forest in the state, or even met anyone who was alive to see it. In fact, we are now roughly six generations (six baselines) removed from the traumatic overharvesting that all but eliminated, at least temporarily, Vermont’s woods.

When visitors stand on the sap house deck and gaze across the lush landscape, most are understandably unaware that the forest before them is still struggling to recover from a devastating ecocide. Due to the phenomenon of shifting baselines, contemporary visitors lack a mental reference point for a thriving primary forest, making it difficult to compare today’s woods with their former, more robust state.

As a result it is impossible to see that today’s forest lacks key ecological features such as structural complexity, age-class diversity, rich soils, abundant standing and downed dead and decaying wood and extraordinary biodiversity. Nature is resilient, and these traits, hopefully, are not lost forever.

There are strategies that modern forest managers can employ to help accelerate the presence of old forest characteristics–the traits unique to what is often referred to as the old growth condition. Counterintuitively, one of the most effective strategies is the same thing that created the mess in the first place, human-caused disturbance. In ecological terms, disturbance is a discrete event that changes population dynamics and community composition within an ecosystem. In this case, the disturbance in question is cutting down trees. However, unlike the widespread clear cutting of the colonial era, today’s harvests at Merck Forest are designed to improve forest health and resilience following guidelines created by researchers at institutions such as the Universities of Vermont and Massachusetts. These guidelines help managers make decisions about where to harvest; specifically which trees to remove from the woods and which trees to leave live. Guidelines include recommendations for morticulture (the practice of cultivating or managing tree death). Historically, primary forest was full of snags (standing dead trees) and fallen trees–features that are absent in substantive ways from contemporary second-growth forests.

Healing the Woods: Modern Strategies for Forest Resilience

This work is not optimizing revenue by maximizing the board footage harvested. Instead, ecologically sound forest management employs disturbance regimes that leave monetary value in the woods in exchange for ecological benefit. Harvests do generate lumber, fuel, and at times pulpwood (for paper products). In addition, they increase structural and age-class diversity in addition to the volume of standing and down dead trees. By diversifying forests, and introducing key features missing from Vermont’s second-growth-dominated landscape, ecologically sound, sustainable forestry can accelerate the presence of old forest characteristics. In doing so, this work ultimately improves the resilience of regional forests. Human caused disturbance, when implemented utilizing research-based strategies that are focused on improving forest health, can be a powerful tool for regeneration. That said, there is so much to learn. As new strategies are implemented, new studies will follow. New understanding will inevitably shape improved practice. The baseline will continue to shift, but strong observational data, and records will help forest managers track changes over time as they work to implement carefully considered disturbance regimes that support a forest recovering from ecological devastation.

Walking the Land

By Chris Hubbard, Education Specialist

A taupe doe pops her head above the expanse of spent goldenrod, green and gold- yellow in the late summer, but now dried brown as fall slides towards winter. Her ears twitch, eyes bright, before she bounds away at the sight of a human in near proximity, her white tail flashing a warning to others nearby.

My work on the Mettawee Community School Boardwalk project often finds me on the land, occasionally by myself. The sounds of humans are muffled; the cars on Rte. 153 and 30 are a quiet whoosh and children’s laughter is a tinkling in the distance. The land is quiet and peaceful. I move silently across the landscape, with no sounds other than me breaking through tall vegetation and the wind rustling the dried goldenrod flowerheads. No matter when I venture onto the property, I’m guaranteed to see a resident creature, or signs of one.

In spring, orange-red efts brighten the forest floor, their crayon color a splash on the ground. Summer finds a large garter snake emerging from the earth, protesting the disturbance in its neighborhood, as I step back from a freshly raked trail. Gray squirrels greet Autumn as they scamper through crisp fallen leaves, caching acorn treasures for their winter sustenance.

Hiking along the edge of the long narrow field, a great blue heron lifts skyward, its grey-blue wings slowly undulating, thin legs outstretched, and head and neck S-folded, flying ahead of me, setting down, and lifting off again. A trio of coyotes play like puppies, leaping and tousling with each other, until they catch my scent, freeze, and then disappear in thin air into the dense underbrush.

Beaver lodges poke out of marshy water, owl pellets and gnawed acorns lay scattered among pine needles, and whitened bones litter the ground. All give testament to the wildlife who live on the land but who are not seen. It is a land active with creatures-not-human.

I head back to my car, loosen the laces of my damp boots and drive south. Once home, I slip out of my boots, knock out the leaf litter that has sifted in around my ankles, clean up the briar scratches, and check for ticks. Always check for ticks. And I remember those beings I briefly encountered on that magical piece of land.

Animal Tracking

By AJ Brundige, Field Educator

As the nights grow colder and longer, and each day is transformed into a winter wonderland by fresh snowfall, I find myself scanning the snow-covered landscape here at MFFC for animal tracks. Back in October, I completed a globally recognized, intensive ecology-based tracking certification through CyberTracker and the University of New Hampshire. This certification is an invaluable tool for learning about local wildlife and the landscapes they inhabit. Throughout the course, we learned to track everything from large mammals to insects (yes, insects can be tracked—how cool is that?), and we learned to interpret what the animals/birds/insects whose tracks we discovered were up to.

I took this course to gain the knowledge and confidence needed to offer tracking courses at MFFC (starting December 14th!) and to share these insights with our visitors. I’m excited to share my animal tracking experience and knowledge with others as we uncover hidden wonders and untold stories—from the tiniest field mouse to the wildest deer.

Will you join me in helping tell these untold stories that are written in the snow and mud?

Kits and Cubs 2nd Birthday Reflection

By Elena Santos, Education Manager

Happy birthday to Kits & Cubs! In mid-November, Merck Forest’s beloved preK through toddler program celebrated the end of its second year running. In the early days, Kits and Cubs was offered once a week and most days attracted just one family at a time — and sometimes, no one came at all! Here’s a photo of K&C day one! With consistency, and a joy for inspiring curiosity, Kits & Cubs has grown into a community favorite. This is just one reminder that growth takes time and dedication; small, consistent steps can build something lasting.

Today, Kits and Cubs is now often a sold-out experience– a second daily session was added in January 2023 to keep up with demand. Word of mouth brings new families up and the richness of the landscape here keeps many coming back. With a current mailing list of nearly 100 families and families regularly registering in advance this program has blossomed and continues to be a portal for new families to connect to MFFC’s landscape– twice a week, year round.

I am so grateful for the original idea that sparked the creation of Kits and Cubs, to my co-workers for their support in growing the program over the last 2 years, and to the many families who have become regulars: for dedicating their mornings to coming up the mountain to explore the magic of nature with me and their little ones.

From the Kits and Cubs Test Kitchen: Playdough

By Elena Santos, Education Manager

In celebration of the Kits and Cubs program turning two, the festivities included fire-roasted bread on a stick and toddler-led playdough making. Pouring, mixing ingredients, and kneading dough by hand is a fun sensory experience for little ones. It’s also an opportunity for fine motor skill development and trying out doing something all by themselves. Below is a recipe for you to try at home with the little ones in your life. Happy playdough making and don’t forget: embrace the mess!

“I made playdough!”

“I’m mixing the flour!”

MEASUREMENTS:

1 cup flour (all-purpose wheat or GF substitute)

1 cup vegetable oil

½ cup salt

½ cup warm water

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Food coloring of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat water until it is hot but not boiling.

2. In a bowl, have the kids mix together the flour, cream of tartar, and salt using hands or a mixing spoon.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the heated water and oil. Whisk together.

4. Pour the water and oil into the flour bowl (feel the dough with your hands to make sure it’s not too hot for little hands). Mix together until you see a smooth consistency.

5. Add food coloring to your satisfaction!

6. Take the dough out of the bowl and place on a flat surface to let little hands knead the color in.

7. You made playdough! Have fun with your new creation. When you’re done, store in an airtight container.

Meet The Dragon

By Ryan Warner, MFFC Timber Frame Assistant

After a winter without heat, the Timber Framing Workshop has finally gotten a new heating system. We installed an outdoor wood burning furnace affectionately called The Dragon. It burns the wood cutoffs and scrap wood from the milling and timber framing process and turns what would otherwise go to waste into an efficient system for heating the workshop itself! The outdoor furnace blows warm air into the shop through a system of ducts and is capable of heating up to 6,875 sq. ft. of space and is capable of putting out 165,000 BTUs. The Dragon requires a load of wood to satisfy its hunger only once or twice a day and this maintains the temperature in the workshop throughout the entire day. If you see smoke coming from The Dragon this winter, it means the timber frame shop is warm inside and you’re welcome to stop in and see what project we are working on!

Update on the New Animal Barn Project

By Dylan Durkee, Fleet & Facilities Manager

Ryan and I have been busy preparing for the new animal barn, starting with a fair bit of logging to source the timber we need. We’ve primarily been harvesting Norway spruce, which will be used for the floor joists of the barn. A spiral grain wood - Norway spruce is great for floor joists rather than a post or a beam where it’s likely to twist.

Every step of this process is guided by our commitment to forest stewardship. We’ve been working closely with our forester to ensure that our tree harvesting not only meets our construction needs but also contributes to creating beneficial forest characteristics. For example, we’re carefully selecting species to harvest in ways that promote maple regrowth, create new wildlife habitat, and support long-term forest health. Each tree we cut is considered within a broader ecological context which ensures we balance our needs with the forest’s well-being.

Looking ahead, our goal for the upcoming quarter is to finish milling the timber so we can move on to the exciting next phase: the joinery! This barn project involves many intricate steps, and careful planning is essential. Future Ridgelines will include more updates as the process unfolds.

The New Animal Barn at Work

By John Schneble, Education Director

The new animal barn being constructed at Merck Forest & Farmland Center will bring numerous benefits to both our educational programs and our farm team, supporting our mission of sustainability, environmental education, and agricultural stewardship. The new barn helps us expand visitor educational experiences and will provide a hands-on learning environment where local and regional students can interact with a variety of farm animals, gaining a deeper understanding of animal care, livestock management, and the critical role animals play in sustainable farming practices. Direct interaction with animals can also complement classroom lessons and provide a practical, immersive way for students to learn about the interconnectedness of farm life, ecology, and food systems.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE:

Improved Ventilation

Better Drainage

The new animal barn - scheduled to be in place this summer - will significantly improve our farm team’s ability to care for the animals and manage daily operations. The state-of-the-art design will include features such as improved ventilation, better drainage, and more efficient spaces for feeding, milking, and cleaning. These upgrades will streamline the labor-intensive work of animal care, and make tasks safer for staff. The new barn will also provide a comfortable environment for the animals, promoting health and productivity. The additional space will allow for easier management of different species, more efficient daily chores and a warm, dry space to escape the elements.This new barn is vital for maintaining the health of both the animals and the Farm Team. Finally, the educational benefits extend to a wider community, as the new barn will allow for an expansion of Merck Forest’s public programs, including farm-related workshops, summer camp engagement, and volunteer opportunities. Visitors will be able to participate in farm-to-table activities, learning about sustainable agriculture practices and the importance of animal welfare. The farm team will also be better equipped to train and mentor future generations of farmers and land stewards, ensuring that the next wave of agricultural workers is well-versed in both the practical and ethical aspects of farming. The construction of this barn is a vital investment in MFFC’s educational and operational capacity, fostering a stronger connection between people, animals, and the land they work to preserve.

Efficient Spaces For Feeding, Milking, And Cleaning

Improved Living Space For The Animals

Provide Hands-On Learning Environment

Allow Expansion of Public Programs

From Pigs to Pastures: My Journey at Merck Forest

By Keenan McMorrow, Land Management Assistant

My name is Keenan McMorrow and I work at Merck Forest & Farmland Center as a farm and land management assistant. Before coming to Merck Forest, I attended the University of Vermont where I received a B.S in Environmental Science and a minor in Nutrition & Food Sciences. After graduating from UVM I worked at a private ambulance service as an EMT and at the local high school as a substitute science teacher.

June 18th, 2024 was my first day working at Merck, and it was intended to be a dry run, giving me the chance to see how I liked working here. Little did I know the first job of the day was castrating and immunizing pigs before releasing them to pasture. It only got better from there, and so far, I’m having the time of my life.

My average day starts at 8 AM with chores, no matter the weather. During the summer, this involved giving food and water to all of the animals and making sure everything is in order. The rest of the day usually included mowing, weed whacking, splitting wood, building projects, trail clearing, and so much more. I had the pleasure of working with summer camps and college orientation groups during the warmer months, building bluebird boxes and fixing maple sap lines. I like to think I’ve gotten better at herding sheep into our barns or between pastures, but the reality is I’ll never be a border collie! Now that the temperatures are dropping and the days are shorter, we have fewer animals to care for and spend more time working on various projects.

I’ve learned a great deal since starting and I continue to learn something new every day. Some of my favorite things include learning to operate our tractors and excavators, recognizing different tree species, running a chainsaw, and filling bottles of maple syrup to be sold at our visitor center. My phone’s camera roll is full of videos and photos of all the great views. I can’t wait to see what else is waiting to be discovered here at Merck Forest & Farmland Center. Bring on the snow!

2025 SIGNATURE EVENTS

MAPLE OPEN HOUSE

March 22, 2025 • 11-3pm

The day we celebrate the sugaring season and all things maple!

MEET THE LAMBS

May 17, 2025 • 11-3pm

Spring is bursting from the farm to the fields to the forest as we welcome new lambs, chicks, piglets, goat kids, and even baby plants! Activities and exploration for all.

SUMMER EXPLORE-A-THON

July 19, 2025 • 11-3pm

For all ages, join in the celebration of the many different ways to explore and experience the outdoors. Art, movement, outdoor skill building, observation and science, and more in the outdoor landscape.

HARVEST FESTIVAL

September 20, 2025 • 11-3pm

An autumn celebration of forests and timber! Explore the woods, see our timber processing equipment, press cider, and learn all the ways trees are part of our lives.

TWILIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN

October 18, 2025 • 4-7pm

Donor and member appreciation dinner and celebration.

Kits and Cubs

Wednesdays & Fridays - 10-11:30am

Fun for toddlers and preschoolers (18 months to 5 years old) in outdoor adventures! Packed with nature-themed activities, songs, stories, and take-home crafts designed to spark curiosity! It’s a joyful way to introduce little ones to the wonders of nature!

Animal Tracking Hike

December 14, 21, 28 & January 4, 11, 18; 10am to 12:30pm

An immersive and engaging hunt for animal signs in the natural landscape. A Certified Wildlife Tracker and Sign Interpreter will help you connect with the wildlife around us and reveal the hidden stories in every track, trail, and sign.

Maple MeetUps

Year At a Glance 2025 Events

Full Moon Hike

January 13, February 12, March 14, April 13, May 12 June 11, July 10, August 9, September 7, October 7, November 5, and December 4 5:30-7:00

Experience the magic of the moonlit forest on a leisurely evening hike under the stars. Bundle up and experience MFFC at night!

Thursday’s, March 6, 13, 20, 27 April 3 & 10 and Saturdays, March 1, 8,15, 22, 29, April 5, 12

Thursdays 2:30-4:00 Saturdays 1:00-2:30

Experience the journey of maple sugaring from start to finish! Explore our sugarbush to see the trees where it all begins, tap a tree, and visit the sugarhouse to witness the transformation of sap into syrup at the evaporator.

SOLO Wilderness

First Aid Certification

May 3rd & 4th; 8am-4pm

2 day course, taught by Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO) covering emergency backcountry skills: Response and Assessment, Musculoskeletal Injuries, Environmental Emergencies, Survival Skills, Soft Tissue Injuries, and Medical Emergencies. CPR add on available.

Game of Logging

April & May 2025

Learn about chain saw safety, sharpening and maintenance, as well as basic tree felling strategies.

Chicken Processing Workshop

Late June through July

Are you ready to master the art of processing chickens? Join MFFC for an exciting adventure into the world of poultry preparation!

Please reserve your spot in one of our workshops by registering online at merckforest.org/shop/ Most of the listed activities have an outdoor component – all members of your party should be dressed appropriately for conditions, including water, snacks, sturdy footgear. Due to the low cost of our programs, refunds are not available unless an event is canceled by MFFC. Pre-registration is required for all events at merckforest.org/shop. All events meet at the Visitor Center.

Meet and Feed

Thursdays starting May 31th, 2:00-3:30 through August 29th, Saturdays starting May 28th, 2:00-3:30 through August 31st

2:00-3:30

Join Merck staff on afternoon wellness checks on the farm animals - sheep, horses, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and pigs. Tag along with our farm team, ask questions, and see all the activity around caring for our animals.

Halloween on the Farm

October 25th; 3:00-6:00

A spook-tacular all ages evening, where the woods come alive with Halloween fun! Trick-or-treat among our friendly farm animals, take a wagon ride, and explore our haunted barn filled with spine-chilling surprises.

Summer Day Camps

June 23-August 8; 9am-3pm

Pig Processing Workshop

November 8th; 11-3

Participants learn how to humanely slaughter, gut, skin, and quarter a pig with additional focus on how to butcher and process various pork cuts. Guided by Mike Stock, an experienced butcher,gleaned from his days working in a USDA processing facility.

Kids will explore and experience our ponds and streams, pastures and berry patches, trails and woods. Creative projects, daily hikes, cooperative games and play, and other activities focused on observing and investigating MFFC’s many habitats and inhabitants.

Spring School Field Trip Season

March, April, & May 2025

Age-appropriate engaging hands on farm and forest programs, and servicelearning opportunities for Pre-K through college.

Wreath Making Workshop

Fall School Field Trip Season

September & October 2025

We offer age-appropriate farm and forest programs, and service-learning opportunities for Pre-K through college.

Saturdays - December 6th, 13th, 20th: 10am–12pm & 1–3pm, Sundays - December 7th, 14th, 21st: 10-12am &1–3 pm

Kick off the holiday season and create a festive wreath with greens sourced right from Merck Forest! Welcome winter and get creative with nature.

How To Love A Forest book review

Review by Elena Santos, Education Manager

I love Ethan Tapper’s focus not just on the parcel of forest land that he bought, but the many cycles of life and death that make any forest a living, breathing place. In a poetic but realistic way of discussing death, Tapper explores how death within a forest is not an end, but a catalyst for new beginnings.

In one of many examples he gives, a fallen tree that was once healthy will live on in many ways– the seeds it dropped in its lifetime will grow into more trees, its rotting wood provides habitat for bugs and small animals, and food for woodpeckers.

Tapper brings the term ecosystem into vibrant reality with the imagery in stories about the land he loves. A forest isn’t just trees - It’s the birds, insects, mammals large and small, the plants, and the cycles that each organism plays a part in.

Review

Chris Hubbard, Education Specialist

Occasionally I come across an author who eloquently crafts words onto a page, leaving gems to be found. For me, Robin Wall Kimmerer and Anthony Doerr are two such writers. Ethan Tapper is a recent discovery. His newly released book, How to Love a Forest, tells of his efforts to restore and heal a damaged forest in northern Vermont, often through bittersweet actions. Tapper speaks of a beech’s “moonscape of black cobbles” and “the wandering song of a winter wren” while providing the reader with lessons in forest ecology and the historical impacts of human-driven degradation. He offers up hope if we are willing to take action and act radically to heal the land.

New Adventures for Director of Advancement and Editor of the Ridgeline Magazine

After six impactful years as Director of Advancement, Liz Ruffa recently concluded her time at Merck Forest & Farmland Center, and moves on to an exciting new role as Director of Development at the Center for Photography Woodstock (CPW). Liz’s contributions to MFFC were many. As the driving force behind the past 24 editions of Ridgeline Magazine, she transformed the publication into a dynamic reflection of Merck Forest’s mission and community. Coordinating each issue required vision, collaboration, and attention to detail, and Liz delivered with creativity and enthusiasm.

In addition to her editorial achievements, Liz enriched MFFC’s community connections by establishing Twilight on the Mountain, an annual autumn event celebrating our members and donors. This past year, she took donor engagement to new heights by spearheading the highly successful Feast in the Forest event, partnering with a dedicated local volunteer committee to create an unforgettable evening.

Liz leaves behind a legacy of innovation and connection that has strengthened MFFC in countless ways. As we turn the page on this chapter, we extend our gratitude and wish her all the best in her next adventure. Thank you, Liz!

Connecting Our Community

By Renata Aylward, Communications Manager

The Evolution of MFFC’s Digital and Local Presence

Organizations like Merck Forest & Farmland Center (MFFC) must find ways to connect with our communities both online and offline. At our core, we are a place-based educational organization where hands-on learning is what we do best. Whether it’s a guided hike or a farming workshop, we believe that real-world experiences are essential to inspiring curiosity, love, and responsibility for natural and working lands.

Digitally we connect with our community via social media, a monthly newsletter, and our website. This spring we will launch a new website to serve as an invitation to our community – a portal designed to spark interest, foster engagement, and inspire visitors to come experience MFFC in person.

Website Design: A Digital Reflection of MFFC’s Mission

Our current website is seven years old, and in “tech years” that’s a lifetime. We’ve started working on a redesign of our online home, choosing Winooski-based LONDONmiddlebury to help us create a more user-friendly, intuitive, and visually engaging website.

This redesign is a team effort. Every staff member contributed input, ensuring that the new site will authentically reflect MFFC’s mission. Set to launch in spring of 2025, the revamped site will feature tools and resources to make planning a visit seamless, including downloadable trail maps, streamlined cabin bookings, and easy registrations for workshops and events.

While hands-on education remains at the heart of what we do, we hope this image-rich digital space will entice visitors to plan a visit to immerse themselves in the farm and forest!

Community Outreach: A Personal Connection

“We were excited to tackle this unique project even before visiting Merck Forest & Farmland. Our excitement grew as we were warmly welcomed to MFFC and walked the grounds during Harvest Festival. Whether collaborating with staff in-person or over Zoom, MFFC staff’s passion and energy for their mission is evident. We’re proud to be part of the team delivering the magic and appreciation for Merck Forest through this new website.”

-Ashley Sandy, Founding Partner of LONDONmiddlebury

While the digital transformation is exciting, our heart remains firmly rooted in personal, local connections. This past year, our community outreach initiatives included coordinated promotional efforts which contributed to increased attendance across all programs. Whether it’s the sold-out wreath-making and ornament-making workshops, moonlit hikes, or the positive response to our pig processing workshops, the community’s engagement has been growing and enthusiastic for the programs we offer. In 2025 keep an eye out for our newest offering to get you outside - an Animal Tracking Guided Hike! Field Educator AJ (see his essay elsewhere in the Ridgeline) achieved his Certified Wildlife Tracker and Sign Interpreter certification! His knowledge enhances this immersive experience, connecting visitors with the incredible wildlife around us.

A Holistic Vision for the Future

Both efforts - online and on site - work hand in hand to connect people to MFFC and our mission.

As we look forward to launching the new website and expanding programs, our digital presence will complement our hands-on mission – acting as a welcoming doorway for people to step toward discovery, exploration, and connection with the natural world. We invite you to explore and engage with us in 2025 – attend an event, register for a workshop, or join us on the trails.

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Twilight on the Mountain Recap

By Amy Pim, Advancement & Camp Coordinator

On a beautiful crisp October afternoon the weather set the stage for Merck Forest’s annual Twilight on the Mountain event. Nearly 150 members and donors aging from newborns to seniors, gathered at the Sap House to celebrate autumn and community.

This beautiful event featured engaging wagon rides, local food, family games, and live music with Andy Avery.

The MFFC team under direction of farm manager Hadley Stock, created 3 soups featuring Merck-made pork, chicken, pumpkin as well as a kale salad from our garden along with her signature maple cake.

All ingredients were thoughtfully sourced from local providers, including Merck Forest gardens, Clearbrook Farm, Dutton’s Farmstand, Sole Connection Farm, and Yoder Farm. The delicious cheeses came from Berle Farm, North Meadow Farm, and Woodlawn Farm, ensuring every bite celebrated the best of our regional bounty.

Enjoy these two photos below taken during Twilight by one of our younger attendees, Hutch Sandvick. Hutch is 6 ½, homeschooled and has attended and enjoyed both Kits and Cubs and Summer Camp here at MFFC! He loves fly fishing, hiking, going on adventures and camping with his family. Hutch loves reading, mountain biking, plays lacrosse and soccer and is a true budding outdoorsman. His dream is to build his own cabin in the woods with his dad and tie flies.

Winter on the Farm: Grazing, Lambs, and Sweet Maple Dreams

By Hadley Stock, Farm Manager

Winter on the farm moves at a slightly slower pace than the rest of the year, offering a chance to catch up on tasks that take a backseat during the fast-paced field and harvest seasons. But that doesn’t mean we spend our days lounging by the woodstove—there’s still plenty of hard work to be done. Just keeping the animals’ waterers from freezing over could be a full-time job in itself.

One major winter task is setting out round hay bales for grazing in the “sheep-dog trial field.” This system encourages the sheep to graze bales strategically placed across the pasture, benefiting both the flock and the field. The sheep get essential exercise instead of staying sedentary in the barn, and their manure enriches the soil naturally.

In spring, as the ground thaws, those frozen nutrients sink deep into the earth, saving us from mucking out the barn repeatedly during winter and spreading compost later. Avoiding heavy equipment in the fields also prevents soil compaction and erosion. The decomposing hay enriches the soil with organic matter, acting like a sponge to retain water and nutrients, which ultimately supports a healthier flock.

If you visit in summer and look south from Stone Lot Road near the pig structure, you’ll spot dark green polka dots in the hill pastures—marks of where hay bales stood over past winters.

Currently, the flock is split between two groups in the small animal barn. The breeding ewes are with our new ram, Bill, who wears a harness with a big wax crayon so when he breeds a ewe the crayon will leave a mark on the ewe’s rump. This helps us track breeding dates and prepare for lambing in spring. Ewes have a 147-day gestation and are receptive to a ram for only 30–40 hours every 17 days. We change the crayon color on Bill’s harness every few weeks to see if he re-tags any of the ewes. If he does retag a ewe this usually means the first breeding did not take, so we calculate a new date for lambs.

This year’s lambs will get ear tags starting with the letter “C,” followed by a number to mark their birth order. We also name keeper lambs using a theme tied to the birth-year letter. For 2024, the theme is “Snack Foods,” starting with C—think Cheez-It or Cheeto! We will put a suggestion box up in the barn as the lambing dates draw near; we’d love some guest participation in the naming!

The other side of the barn houses a group of non-breeders including 2024 lambs too young to be bred, some of our

elderly ewes, and a group of wethers (castrated males) who keep Bill company when breeding season is over.

Meanwhile, the sugar bush is calling. Weekly, then daily, trips up the hill will soon resume to tighten lines and fix winter damage. These trips prepare us for the physical demands of sap season while ensuring our system is ready. Sugaring is a year-round effort - not just when the sap is running. Along with boiling sap in season, we spend winter canning last year’s syrup to keep the shelves full at the VC, and making maple sugar, candy, and cream. We also spend time going over all of our equipment and tools, fixing and tuning them to be ready for use.

This year, we’re upgrading the sugarhouse. AJ is leading a project to enclose and insulate the bulk sap storage area, adding a cooler unit and a second 1,200-gallon tank. With 2,400 gallons of temperature-controlled storage, we’ll gain flexibility in boiling schedules—no more scrambling when the sap flows. This upgrade will be a game-changer for the 2025 sugaring season.

We are also super excited to have Keenan on the sugaring team. He has proven himself to be an absolute asset in all areas of work, and we see nothing but an upward trajectory for him and the rest of the crew going into sugaring and the rest of the winter season.

So, as you can see it’s not all woodstove sitting for us, but we do get it in when we can.

Can’t wait to see you all up on the hill!

In the Forest

By Mike Stock, Resource Manager

Hello again from the forest. The timber stand improvement project is finished and beautiful! The landing, along with two stream crossings, have been cleaned up and seeded, so that new growth can stabilize the soil. The loggers did a great job! Some of the wood they skillfully harvested will be used in furniture for dorm rooms at local colleges and universities. It’s the total package–a local timber value chain reducing carbon emissions while disturbance in the woods is creating favorable conditions for regeneration, and subsequently carbon sequestration.

It may seem a little early, but we’ve already begun to prepare for the coming sugaring season. This winter we’ll be adding a new cool room in the sap house. The tanks where concentrate is stored (the sweet product of reverse osmosis) will be chilled to 33 degrees in the new room.This will allow us to schedule boiling for field trips and program related events while spending more time in the woods checking for leaks and repairing lines.

The entire process will be a learning opportunity for everyone, including visitors, students, volunteers, interns and more. We will RO sap for up to 4 days, storing it in the cool tank room. Then boil it all at once for a day-long experience.The woods will be tighter and hopefully way more efficient, allowing us to see an increased yield with fewer taps. Hope to see you in the sugar house or in the woods!

Reconnect with Nature. Support a Legacy of Learning.

We know that time spent outdoors has the power to inspire, heal, and transform. Our trails, cabins, and year-round recreational opportunities invite visitors to explore breathtaking vistas, find moments of quiet reflection, and experience the magic of nature firsthand.

Merck Forest serves as a living classroom for visitors from Prek through college and beyond. Each year, we provide:

• Outdoor learning experiences that spark curiosity in ecology and sustainability.

• Hands-on workshops and service-learning opportunities that build skills and knowledge.

• Climate-smart demonstrations of thoughtful land management that benefits forests, farms, and the planet.

Through community events, training, and shared learning, we connect nature enthusiasts of all ages with the land and each other.

What We Value:

•The joy of recreation and time outdoors

•The power of place-based experiential education

•The impact of service and hands-on learning

•Building forest and agricultural literacy

•Championing climate-smart practices

•Creating gathering spaces for the community

For 75 years, Merck Forest has inspired curiosity, love, and responsibility for Vermont’s natural and working lands. Today, we invite you to help sustain this mission and expand its reach.

Your Support Makes a Difference

Your contribution helps us connect more people with nature, deepen conservation efforts, and educate the next generation of stewards. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Make a Gift Today:

Online at merckforest.org • Scan the QR code to donate directly Mail a check to: MFFC, PO Box 86, Rupert, VT 05768

Together, let’s protect and nurture the natural world we all share. Thank you for being a part of our story.