Visitor Experience & Outreach

by Stephanie Breed, Visitor Experience Coordinator

The Visitor Center was humming this summer! The Ecology Open House started things off and summer brought constant crowds to MFFC. Despite the minor heat wave earlier on, the weather was perfect. As we adjust towards the next season, there still is excitement in the air. Foliage is changing and the days are crisp and clear. The coolers are filled with humanely-raised pork, lamb, chicken and turkey, all raised at Merck Forest. We have fresh eggs, frozen blueberries and of course our famous maple syrup. Come say hello, pat Ellie the cat and go for a hike.

Many previous staff/interns have recently visited. It’s been fun hearing about their experiences. One woman shared her Merck Forest intern experience with her daughter who, in turn, became inspired to join the forestry service. Love to hear those stories!

Systems Improvements

by Marybeth Leu, Communications Coordinator

I am implementing new cloud-based systems - for cabin reservations, workshop registrations and G/L and accounting functions, assisting in finalizing 2023 operating budgets, facilitating the production, recording and acknowledgement of Annual Campaign contributions and managing merckforest.org.

Team Collaborations College Visits

MFFC hosted first-year student experiences in August and September this year, with Tufts University, Harvard University, and Williams College, who all traveled to Merck Forest for several days of camping and volunteering. From building bog bridges and stacking firewood to clearing trails and picking berries, students lent a hand in the multitude of tasks around the farm and in the forest.

Rupert Old Home Days

MFFC participated in the Rupert Old Home Days Parade in August, creating a tractor-pulled float that focused on Pioneer Days.

September 11: Day of Public Service

MFFC worked with over 30 Burr and Burton Academy sophomores, who spent the day on property pulling invasives and helping on the farm.

As a mission-driven nonprofit corporation, Merck Forest & Farmland Center relies on financial support to connect people to the land in rich and meaningful ways. We strive to keep founder George W. Merck’s guiding principles of free access to outdoor recreation for all and of collaboration and learning to advance environmental stewardship alive, vibrant and forward-facing.

With the arrival of this fall season, so too comes our Annual Fund’s fall campaign. MFFC’s Annual Fund, our largest fundraising effort each year, provides the institution with the critical financial resources necessary to do our work and meet our mission.

We deeply appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you up on the mountain soon! Stop by the Visitor Center to say hello or visit our website to keep up to date on what’s happening at MFFC.

Keep an eye on your mailbox later this month (October) for our annual appeal letter. If you’d prefer to donate now, please visit merckforest.org or use the QR code found on pages 15 or 23. In any event, please don’t hesitate to be in touch with Liz Ruffa at liz@merckforest.org or at 802-394-2579.

What makes MFFC special?

Merck Forest offers a sense of place, a palpable connection to nature and a sense of belonging. It also offers a feeling of being a positive contributor to our regoin and our planet.

MFFC is free and open to the public 365 days a year from dawn until dusk - just as George Merck intended when he first established the Vermont Forest and Farmland Foundation Inc. in 1950 as the first environmentally focused nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of Vermont.

There is no better place to learn about the diversity of the forest and its lifeforms, hill farm life and history, regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration possibilities and the beauty in seasonal landscapes.

The experiences that MFFC provides - be it hiking, camping, hunting, skiing, etc. - plus the educational side of sustainable farming, forest health, wildlife habitats and ecosystems is very unique and not available anywhere else.

Why MFFC deserves your support

MFFC aims to reverse peoples’ disconnection from nature by making connections to the land through our open gates and educational programming. Our welcoming environment inspires all who visit and our team works hard to encourage curiosity and a safe setting for people to explore and deepen their knowledge about natural and working lands.

The MFFC team strives to provide a continually better experience for all who come to enjoy the Merck landscape and its programs and offerings. That takes communication and outreach. As our networks grows, we seek out opportunities to spread our message to others.

Merck Forest is unlike any place: it’s an amazing resource for visitors of all ages in and out of the community. To be able to immerse oneself in nature is a gift that Merck Forest provides to visitors every single day. The team here gets excited when visitors return and deepen their relationship with the property and the institution. Your support helps make that authentic connection happen.

Ways you can support Merck Forest:

• Donate to MFFC’s Annual Fund, which supports annual operations.

• Look for our fall campaign materials online or in your mailbox later this month.

• Become a Member of MFFC! Members help keep the property well maintained and free to all.

• Memberships are also a great way to introduce someone to MFFC. Gift one!

• Consider a Planned/Legacy Gift. Contact us for more information.

• Does your workplace have a matching gift program? If so, access it!

• Consider becoming a sustaining/monthly donor. Contact us for info.

• Attend workshops, trainings and special/signature events!

• Volunteers are invaluable to nonprofit organizations - gift your time!

• Purchase Merck-Made products - meats, eggs, syrup - at the Visitor Center.

• Connect with the Advancement Office if you have ideas/questions.

“The virtue of giving good things to others freely and abundantly.... What exactly generosity gives can be various things: money, possessions, time, attention, aid, encouragement, emotional availability, and more” - Science of Generosity Initiative, 2012, a project of Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley

Interested in making a monetary donation? Use one of these three options:

1) Mail a check to: Merck Forest & Farmland Center PO BOX 86 Rupert, Vermont 05768

2) Donate online at: www.merckforest.org

3) Or scan and donate:

2022 Annual Fund fall campaign is a project of MFFC Advancement Office