From the Director’s Desk

by Rob Terry, Executive Director

As I sit down to pen this note, we have just welcomed the first lambs of 2021, a set of twins born to Hazel (ear tag 1901). Despite the dusting of snow on the fields, and the chill in the air, there is now no denying that spring is truly here. Over the upcoming weeks, the majority of the ewes in the flock will lamb. Before long, the green grass in our pastures will be teeming with wide-eyed, bouncy, black and white balls of fleece. Watching these new arrivals as they play and grow will be one of the great joys of the season. Farming, however, is not all sunny days and adorable baby lambs. These treasured spring moments are built on the commitment of our farm team. Our farm manager has been out in the bitter wind all winter laying out hay, checking on the flock, making sure their water doesn’t freeze, and adjusting their mineral mix. This year, we’ve also been injecting ewes with nutrient boosters to ensure they’ll be healthy and robust when the lambs arrive. We’ve introduced this critical step in response to challenges experienced during lambing last year, when the flock suffered from a Selenium and Vitamin E deficiency (which we later learned is not uncommon due to the soils in our region). While we were ultimately able to boost the ewes and lambs with injections, identifying the issue took weeks of bottle feeding and round-the-clock tending to sick lambs. It takes commitment. Our farming, forestry, ecology, education and recreation programs wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our community. Behind everything that happens here, from maintaining trails to managing the sugarbush, there is a team of dedicated staff members and/or volunteers who work tirelessly and give generously of their time. At the heart of it all is you—our members and donors. With that in mind, I would like to welcome the 49 new members who have joined for the first time this year, welcome back to the 46 members who have recently renewed their membership after having lost touch, and sincere thank you to all of the active members out there - 601 and counting - whose faithful commitment to Merck Forest & Farmland Center makes our work possible. Your support, whether it’s a $50 membership or a $50,000 major gift ensures that our staff and volunteers have the resources they need to effectively steward this landscape while allowing no-cost access for all who journey up the access road.

I sincerely hope that we will see you all up on the mountain this spring and summer!

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

Stephanie Breed: p. 8

•courtesy of Donald Campbell: p. 12

Cara Davenport: cover, p. 17, 21, back cover courtesy of Dorset Historical Society p. 14

Tim Duclos: p. 5 • MFFC Archives: pp. 6-7, 9, 10, 20

Noah Kane/Sol Sun Media: p.23 • Liz Ruffa: p. 13, 22

Declan Saint-Onge: p. 18, 23 • Anna Terry: p. 2 • Rob Terry: p. 3, 15