2022 Annual Report

Welcome from our Board Chair

I hope you are as excited as I am to read MFFC’s 2022 Annual Report. I just took a peek and sat for a while in awe of the many fine accomplishments of our stellar staff, our volunteers and our dedicated trustees and advisors. In my experience there are a diminishing number of stewarded landscapes where one enters and immediately feels a sense of abundance. Positive energy growing from the ground beneath our feet adds a spring to our step and lends support to our whole being and wellness. Merck Forest and Farmland Center is one of these rare places.

Activity abounds as forest trees are carefully chosen and crafted into timbers for new buildings. The farm is abuzz with more animals being tended to restore soil health to the fields. Sugaring is complete. Our purpose in all we do is to educate one another about restoring, managing, and fostering abundant life on this hilltop forest and farm. We are having an impact as more schools sign up for field trips, the weeks of summer camp expand, and new collaborations are forged with researchers, students, and organizations who recognize opportunities exist at MFFC that are not easily found elsewhere.

The Board of Trustees cherishes the work of the organization more each year. We invite you to turn the pages and see for yourself.

Sue Van Hook Board Chair

Welcome from our Executive Director

Welcome to Merck Forest & Farmland Center’s Annual Report. 2022 was a year in which the ordinary felt extraordinary. With the uncertainties of COVID largely behind us, our staff was able to welcome visitors without restriction, re-engage long standing partners who’d been unable to visit for years, and reintroduce popular annual events such as Meet the Lambs and Harvest Festival. The simple joy of hosting field trips and welcoming guests into the Visitor Center and Sap House was a boon to morale - as much as we love working on the land and stewarding these woods, our greatest joy is found in sharing these efforts and this amazing place with visitors from around the region and beyond. Being able to return to this work in 2022 was deeply satisfying. That said, as you’ll see in the upcoming pages, it wasn’t just “business as usual” up on the mountain.

New and revitalized partnerships intentionally engaged more high school and college-aged students in on-property programming. We acquired and protected 282 acres of mostly forested habitat adjoining the southwestern edge of the property. Our land management and education teams collaborated to craft new, exciting programs that provide learners with opportunities to explore the full forest and farm products value chain from idea to final product. Meanwhile, the team continued to work hard on the soon-to-be-complete master plan that will guide the organization as we continue to enhance facilities, expand programs and develop new partnerships to extend our reach and better serve our community, visitors, and supporters.

While reading about what we’ve been up to will be exciting and inspiring, there is no substitute for experiencing it all first hand. With that in mind, I hope to see you up on the mountain soon.

Executive Director

By the Numbers: Visitors

School Programs

174 77

students from 5 regional schools participated in MFFC’s field studies program. MFFC provided this programming at no cost to local and regional schools

field trip visits used that property as an outdoor classroom

Cabin Network

Total Visitors: 16,455 nights spent in cabins

1,442

1,150+ students were served by MFFC programs in local and regional school system

Public Programs

700 69

participants in public programs; 75 programs offered

rising 1st to 8th graders in 8 week long summer camps

5 14

months of weekend familyfriendly pop-up programming

June - October

weeks of Kits and Cubs pre-k/ toddler family meet-ups

164 1,122 valued at

individuals

Volunteerism hours of volunteer work

$35,912

By the Numbers: Recreation, Farm, Syrup & Forest Recreation

Forest

236

14 27,000

apple and Hawthorn trees released acres of timber stand improvement completed board feet of lumber harvested milled

1,000 277

35 72

miles of trails maintained

cords of wood split, transported and stacked at 12 buildings

35 feet of boardwalk constructed along the Wildlife Trail

pounds of blueberries harvested

Farm animals raised and processed

22 acres fertilized through rotational grazing

Maple Syrup

2,900

taps installed, inspected & repaired

1,069

gallons of syrup produced

864 98

1,875 bottles of syrup sold

Facilities

fence posts harvested

1,200 feet of old road bed reclaimed

cubic feet of material added to access roads acres acquired and protected

Education and Programming

MFFC provided programs for everyone - from young toddlers that attended our new Kits and Cubs program to adults seeking professional development opportunities to broaden their outdoor knowledge and skills. MFFC connected children to the natural world through summer camps and school programming and gave adults and families opportunities to get outside, learn and enjoy themselves!

Highlights:

Next Generation Science Standards Field Studies has been offered to regional 5th and 6th grade students since 2016, covering topics such as decomposition, biodiversity, and invasive species management. Using MFFC as an outdoor classroom, students’ enthusiasm for this ecology-based curriculum keeps the activities, lessons, and exploration that take place on site fresh and exciting.

MFFC Summer Camp expanded capacity to serve more K-8 campers in 2022. The Education team implemented a new camp staff training and completed some exciting projects with Trail Crew campers - they improved the Wildlife Trail and focused on teamwork, tool use and outdoor skill-building.

Kits and Cubs, a toddler/preschool program, launched and quickly expanded to engage toddlers, preschoolers and their parents and caregivers. Participants exploreed the natural world and then participated in related songs, stories and craft time. This program reached a new demographic for MFFC.

Long Trail School E-Classes. MFFC partnered with the Long Trail School (LTS) to offer twice-weekly exploratory classes where students headed up to the mountain to work with members of MFFC’s education and resource management teams, digging into a variety of topics such as livestock management, maple sugaring, and gardening.

Forestry, Facilities and Land Management

Apple Tree Release

206 apple and 30 hawthorne trees were “released” from brush and other pioneer species shading out the canopy adjacent to the Wildlife and McCormick trails. This exposed the trees to more full sunlight, allowing them to re-develop healthy foliage and flowers and to minimize apple tree scabbing. While there are no plans to prune and actively manage these lost orchards, releasing the trees will increase fruit production- providing a critical habitat benefit to wildlife.

Expanding MFFC’s Footprint

MFFC acquired, and is in the process of conserving, 282 acres adjoining the southwestern end of the property. This acquisition extends MFFC’s footprint to include the southwestern flank of Haystack, Little Haystack and Master’s Mountains. Included in the acquisition is a significant amount of road frontage along Kent Hollow Road as well as some relatively small hayfields and a beautiful section of White Creek on the Western side of Kent Hollow Road. This acquisition sets up the possibility of new access and recreational opportunities while protecting a significant amount of mature mixed hardwood forest.

Timber-Frame Shop

MFFC’s new 4-season shop will house future maintenance and construction projects. 100% of the timbers and boards used on the project were harvested at MFFC, and approximately 90% were milled on site. Sourcing these timbers from on-site log jobs helps staff improve habitat and forest health, while eliminating the carbon footprint associated with the transportation of timber and lumber. In addition, the utilization of timber framing techniques maximizes the continued storage of carbon post harvest while creating a finished product that should stand for generations (and could be repurposed in the future if the need arises).

Building Chicken Tractors with SCA

SCA interns and farm and field staff constructed several small, mobile chicken tractors (wooden frames covered in mesh wire) to protect chickens from predators while out on pasture. Pasturing chickens is advantageous to the flock, as it provides them with fresh air and sunshine. It also helps aerate and fertilize soil.

Showcasing the Full Timber Products Value Chain

In 2022, Merck Forest & Farmland Center piloted several instructional projects that demonstrated the complete timber products value chain on property, from standing tree to finished product. Given the carbon footprint of this globalized value chain, MFFC feels it important to showcase what is possible with timber that is harvested on, and never leaves, the site where it will be put into use once processed.

On the Farm

Several truly wonderful moments happened up on MFFC’s 63 acre demonstration farm in 2022. Our team worked with a New York City-based Student Conservation Association cohort who loved learning about farming, animals, dendrology, building, logging and the outdoors. MFFC’s animal community was expanded and diversified - chickens, turkeys and a cow joined MFFC’s sheep, pigs and horses. The team built up healthy soils and grass to feed our grazing animals - this was accomplished without the use of any chemical fertilizers. Managing the maple sugaring effort, working in all seasons and types of weather in the sugarbush, and demonstrating home-scale sugaring operations for visitors were also highlights.

MFFC’s animals worked hard up on the farm. MFFC’s bovine-in-residence, Cow Cow, added approximately 60 pounds of nitrogen, 24 pounds of phosphorus, and 48 pounds of potassium to pastures through her manure during the grazing season. She efficiently grazed pastures (behind the sheep) as MFFC implemented multi-species grazing practices. MFFC’s flock of sheep added 332 pounds of nitrogen, 115 pounds of phosphorus, and 288 pounds of potassium to the pastures. The pasture-raised chickens and turkeys added an astonishing 1080 pounds of nitrogen, 1167 pounds of phosphorus and 1084 pounds of potassium.

Animal Ambassadors launched with a cohort of 12 participants who learned how to care for our animals on the farm through a combination of safety training, animal behavior lessons and hands-on work with our animals. These “Ambassadors” can now volunteer to assist with veterinarian and farrier visits, lambing and animal chores when needed.

Animal Ambassadors

“Our students and staff members are so fortunate to have an on-going partnership with Merck Forest. We are able to utilize the land next to our school where our students can learn and grow as they explore the outdoors. We have enjoyed our winter fun day sliding down the big hill and building sculptures and creating class towers in the snow. The students love going on hikes and observing things in nature. We are now starting to develop our school community garden where our students are the designers, creators, and problem solvers. We are so grateful to have the land and Merck staff to support the learning at Mettawee.“

Brooke DeBonis Principal Mettawee Community School

Partners & Collaborations

Educational Partners

Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union

Burr & Burton Academy

Castleton University

Dorset School

Harvard University Outing Club

Fay Honey Knopp School

Little Wings Farm School

Long Trail School

Manchester Elementary & Middle School

Maple Street School

Mettawee Community School

Norfolk Agricultural School

Northeast Woodland Training Inc.

North Bennington Village School

Northshire Day School

Red Fox Community School

Salem Central School

Shrewsbury Elementary School

Southshire School

Tinmouth Elementary School

Tufts Wilderness Orientation for First Years

University of Massachusetts: Amherst

University of Vermont: Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources

Wallingford Elementary School

Wardsboro Elementary School

Williams College

Woodstock High School

Funding Partners

Daybreak Fund

Lookout Foundation

Mellon Foundation, Bennington College

Pillar Venture Capital

USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service

Vermont Community Foundation

Conservation Partners

Bennington County Regional Commission

Berkshire Taconic Regional Conservation Partnership

Hudson Carbon

Bennington County Conservation District

Mahwah Environmental Volunteers Organization, Inc.

Smokey House Center

Student Conservation Association

Vermont Land Trust

Regional Partners

Back Road Tours

Barnstead Inn

Battenkill Community Health Center

Berkshire Family YMCA

Dorset Church

Dorset Playhouse

Town of Dorset

Grateful Hearts

Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning

Greater Northshire Access Television

Kroka Expeditions

Manchester Business Association

Mountain Goat, Inc.

The Orvis Company

Pember Museum

Rupert Food Pantry

Rupert Volunteer Fire Department

SOLO Wilderness First Aid

Southern Vermont Arts Center

Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce

Weston Playhouse

2022: Expense

LandManagementEducationProgramsProgramSupportFundraising

Total expenses $1,139,477

Community Connections

Merck Forest continued to fold local food systems into its 2022 offerings. Northshire Grown: Direct finished a 40+ market run in May, 2022. This single point-of-contact bundled CSA program that started in the early days of Covid, concluded markets with a farmer/vendor list of over 50 local businesses and a customer list of over 1,200 buyers. NG:D moved thousands of pounds of produce, fruit, dairy, meats and value-added products from all over the region and the project was embraced and appreciated by vendors and customers alike. An assessment of this initiative is currently underway.

Local food was center stage at Merck Forest’s donor/member appreciation dinner, Twilight on the Mountain, in October. The meal was 100% locally sourced and 100% enjoyed - kudos to farm manager Hadley Stock for her creativity and skills in the kitchen (as well as on the farm).

Twilight on the Mountain Autumn, 2022

Advancement Notes

At Merck Forest & Farmland Center, we view philanthropy as a partnership opportunity. Actualizing our donors’ values through support of the principles that guide MFFC is our highest goal. We welcome the opportunity to learn what motivates you and are excited to learn how best to match your desire to make a positive difference with Merck Forest’s interests and needs.

MFFC’s philanthropic community has been nothing short of amazing in recent years. Together, we have grown the institution’s ability to meet mission, reach out to new visitors and audiences and do what we love to do - inspire curiosity, love and responsibility for natural and working lands. We hope that in doing so, we have gained your trust and confidence.

As MFFC continues to build a funding pipeline to meet the goals of our newly minted Master Plan, we will seek out your perspective on how gifts can best accomplish your goals as well as ours. We look forward to deeping relationships with our members and donors and manifesting your deepest values through your generosity. Thank you!

Ways you can support Merck Forest & Farmland Center

Encourage membership! A $50 year-long membership helps us to keep the gates open, the farm and forest cared for and our wonderful property safe for visitors. Memberships at the $75 level offer a Staff selected nature book. Tell others to visit merckforest.org/getinvolved for more information.

Support MFFC’s Annual Fund - General operating support is crucial for nonprofit institutions to remain whole. Your support helps facilitate the programs, learning opportunities and initiatives that you see when on property and read about in the Ridgeline.

Consider a larger or more expansive gift this year. Rob@merckforest.org and/or Liz@ merckforest.org are always available to discuss recurring donations, gifts of securities or stock, and planned or legacy giving.

Volunteer! We love when MFFC enthusiasts want to share their time and expertise.

Purpose. Action. Impact.

GRAPHIC & PHOTO CREDITS:

Cara Davenport: p. 7, 10, 11, 12, 13

Liz Ruffa: p. 6, 11, 13, 16, • Elena Santos: p. 6

Anna Terry: p. 13

• Sue Van Hook: p. 13

• Hadley Stock: p. 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19

• Danielle Zimmerman: Front cover and back cover, p. 13, 14, 17

Content: MFFC Advancement Office

• Magazine layout: Peppergrass Design Studio

Connection is the action of linking one thing to another. At Merck Forest, we connect people with nature. We strive to create connection and community - one visitor, student, family or group at a time.

Time spent outdoors is invaluable for us all.

2023 Signature Events

Other programs, workshops, trainings and events are listed on the website.

www.merckforest.org • 802-394-7836

Maple Open House

March 25, 2023

Meet the Lambs

May 13, 2023

Summer Explore-A-Thon

July 15, 2023

Harvest Festival

September 16, 2023

Twilight on the Mountain

October 14, 2023

“This is a great escape with so many trails to explore (varying terrain) and a beautiful farm as well. The history of this amazing place is fascinating and inspiring. Cabins are fabulous to rent and make some awesome memories.”

-Visitor Review on Google

MFFC Board of Trustees

Jill Perry Balzano

Merrill Bent

Dinah Buechner-Vischer

Jim Hand

Greg Hopper, Treasurer

Mark Lourie

John Stasny, Vice President

Sue Van Hook, President

Brian Vargo

Advisors

Keld Alstrup

Donald Campbell

Jean Ceglowski

Austin Chinn

George Hatch

Peter Hicks

Jock Irons

Karen Kellogg

Jon Mathewson

Sam Schneski Staff

Stephanie Breed, VC Coordinator

Cara Davenport, Education Manager

Dylan Durkee, Fleet & Facilities Manager

Chris Ferris-Hubbard, Education Director

Marybeth Leu, Business & Systems Manager

Amy Pim-Capman, Advancement Coordinator

Liz Ruffa, Advancement Director

Elena Santos, Education Coordinator

Hadley Stock, Farm Manager

Mike Stock, Resource Management Coordinator

Merck Forest & Farmland Center is on a mission to inspire curiosity, love and responsibility for natural and working lands.