2022 Staff Aspirations

As we work towards finalizing the 2022 goals that will help Merck Forest & Farmland Center continue to progress towards accomplishing the objectives laid out in the Strategic Plan, staff members are excited about the prospect of:

• Completing MFFC’s new forest management plan

• Crafting a new 10-year Farm Management Plan focused on optimizing livestock, perennial horticulture, permaculture and agroforestry operations to demonstrate climate smart food production.

• Developing and installing interpretive assets (signs, waypoints, digital & analog guides, etc.) focusing on the landscape within ½ mile of the Visitor Center to enhance day-visitors’ experience by deepening their connection with our mission and land management operations.

• Launching the effort to refresh and rehabilitate our trail system by conducting a network-wide conditions assessment, enhancing existing trails that meet contemporary standards for sustainability while closing, renaturalizing and/or rerouting those that do not.

• Quantifying above and below ground stored carbon at MFFC, enhancing farm and forest operations to optimize sequestration while exploring the prospect of market-based carbon projects, ranging from certifying and holding carbon in a self-managed portfolio to piloting the sale of carbon offsets to members or institutions.

• Installing the infrastructure necessary to transition eligible vehicles and equipment in the fleet to electric alternatives, and begin the acquisition process as eligible vehicles are cycled out of the fleet.

• Finalizing our property wide facility conditions report and scheduling critical repairs and replacement of cabins, farm and forest, and visitor services infrastructure.

• Deepening our commitment to ecologically sound farm and forest management, by continuing to collaborate with researchers and partners to ensure that our practices promote habitat for all species from pollinators to apex predators while ensuring watershed health as well as carbon sequestration and storage.

• Accelerating the ongoing expansion of our youth and family-focused educational programs by adding additional summer camp opportunities, expanding our ecology-based field trip program to include more working farm and forest exploration, and developing a sustainable funding model for this work that ensures equitable access by formalizing and raising dedicated funds for a scholarship program.

• Ensuring that MFFC is healthy “behind the scenes” by promoting our work and programs on a further reaching scale, enhancing our website, expanding staff access to professional development opportunities, extending our benefits program for full-time staff, and continuing the expansion of our engagement and training of early-career volunteers, interns, and seasonal staff members.

• Soliciting feedback from our members are visitors through on-site and on-line use surveys to better understand how MFFC is used in order to incorporate that feedback into the institution’s 10-year Master Plan focused on farm, forest, educational program, and fleet & facilities enhancements over the upcoming decade.