2022 Spring Ridgeline

Spring 2022

Celebrating over 70 years of connecting people to the land

GRAPHIC CREDITS:

James Chandler: p. 22 • Cara Davenport: back cover, p. 6, 7, 9, 24, 25 • Tim Duclos: p.12, 13, 24, 25

Dylan Durkee: p. 16 (renderings and photos) • Sue Van Hook: p. 4, 17 • Canva Stock Images: p. 23, 24, 25, 26

Chris Hubbard: p. 8, 9 • Kathryn Lawrence: p. 15, 25 • Marybeth Leu: p. 19 •MFFC Archives: p. 5, 10, 11

Jaidon Lalor: p. 14• Elena Santos: p. 10 • Hadley Stock: p. 11, 19 • Anna Terry: p. 17, 19, 24, 25

Rob Terry: front cover, p. 19•Vermont Tortilla Co.: p. 27 • Danielle Zimmerman: p. 2, 3, 9, 23

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Kat Deely, Secretary

Greg Hopper, Treasurer

Sam Schneski, Vice President

Sue Van Hook, President

Merrill Bent

Dinah Buechner-Vischer

Jim Hand

Mark Lourie

John Stasny

Brian Vargo

STAFF

Stephanie Breed VC Coordinator

Cara Davenport

Education Manager

Tim Duclos

Conservation Manager

Dylan Durkee

Fleet & Facilities Manager

Chris Ferris-Hubbard

Education Director

Kathryn Lawrence

Assistant Executive Director

Marybeth Leu

Communications Coordinator

Liz Ruffa

Advancement Director

Elena Santos

Education Coordinator

Hadley Stock

Farm Manager

Rob Terry

Executive Director

Welcome from our Board President

By Sue Van Hook, Board President

Spring kicks off with Maple Open House – what a success!

It has been two years since MFFC hosted our wildly popular Pancake Breakfast on Vermont’s Maple Weekend. While we weren’t able to serve pancakes this year, the Maple Open House held March 19th on the mountain was a huge success.

Undeterred by rain in the forecast and an overnight onset of mud season at Merck, hundreds of people made it up and down the quagmired entrance road thanks to our vigilant road crew smoothing the way. The rain held off all day and even the sun even shone. It was a joy to see so many faces light up as folks headed up the road to the farm, eager for storytelling in the Harwood barn, tree tapping demonstrations, visiting the sap house evaporator for that “maple sauna” infusion, observing the buckets and backyard sugaring setup or delighting in the new animals in the small barn.

Danielle Morse made her entrance, Vermont style, in muck boots and flannel shirt beneath her satin sash and tiara. Can you say selfie with Miss Vermont? She was gracious in obliging many requests as she toured the farm and brought awareness to nursing, health care and leadership.

Our new farm manager, Hadley Stock and her husband built and operated a backyard boiler to demonstrate how individuals can produce maple syrup at home. A group of boys watching the thermometers were vigilant in letting Hadley know the rising temperature for the boiling sap. They were anxious for it to reach 215 degrees Fahrenheit to signal the syrup was ready!

Children lingered in the small animal barn captivated by the five black fluffy lambs and their mamas and the pink, copper and spotted piglets. The draft horses Fern and Arch got some attention too as they hung out in the corner of the pasture nearest Old Town Road.

Sugaring season in MFFC’s north-facing sugarbush is far from over. Cold nights are forecast to return a day or two past Maple weekend. While most folks left on Saturday with a bottle of maple syrup in hand, there is an abundant supply that will be available for shipment or subsequent visits as spring advances. Maple weekend is such a sweet time!

The renewal we experience each spring is so important to our well-being. Come join us at MFFC this spring for our second in-person Open House to Meet the Lambs on Saturday, May 12 and for our 73rd annual meeting in early June on Saturday the 11th.

Save the Date

MFFC’s 73rd Annual Meeting

•Saturday, June 11, 2022

9 am: coffee and conversation

10 am-12 noon: Annual Meeting and featured speaker (tba)

12 noon: lunch

1 pm: staff-led hikes

Open to members, donors, advisors and trustees. More info to follow!

From the Director’s Desk

by Rob Terry, Executive Director

In a just a few days, the sun will pass the equator as it shifts from the southern towards the northern hemisphere. Day and night will be nearly equal in length, and spring will begin. While we await the official changing of the season, evidence of the transition already abounds on the farm and in the woods. Early season lambs and piglets are nestled in the barn, huddled together to stay warm. The incubator is full of eggs, and with them the promise of chicks to come. On warmer days, the sap is running and our sugar makers are busy in the Sap House stoking the fire and drawing off thick, sweet maple syrup.

Spring is a time of rejuvenation, with many phenological milestones to look forward to including the arrival of red-winged blackbirds, the symphonic croaking of awakening frogs, the budding and later leafing-out of the trees, and the greening of pastures and hay-fields. This season of emergence is evidence of the persistence of life. Having survived dormancy and darkness, the farm and forest come alive replacing the greys and whites of winter with a variety of vibrant hues too diverse to name. Spring ephemerals will pioneer this transition in the woods. As May draws near trout lilies, Dutchman’s breeches, spring beauties, blood root, trillium and more will emerge from the forest floor taking advantage of the fleeting moment before the leaves erupt and the forest canopy prevents the sun’s rays from reaching the ground.

While we may lack the elegant choreography of nature’s seasonal transition, Merck Forest & Farmland Center staff and volunteers are also preparing for warmer days ahead. In this issue of the Ridgeline, we’ll be sharing our plans for the future looking both at, and beyond, the coming field season. Contained in the following pages, you will find new faces, invitations, plans for the future, and scenes from around the property. With a calendar full of events and workshops, a full schedule of summer camps, 35 miles of trail to meander, and 3,200 acres to explore, we know that you’ll find something to love.

See you on the mountain soon!

Then, Now, Tomorrow- Context for Planning

by Rob Terry, Executive Director

As we look to the future of Merck Forest & Farmland Center, it is important for us to stay grounded in our past. To do that, we must look back to 1939 when, in the interest of establishing a country retreat, George Merck (then president of Merck & Co) purchased several adjoining hill-top farms in Rupert, VT. With global tensions high, the prospect of establishing a quiet place where he could rehabilitate the forested landscape, which still bore the scars from deforestation and overgrazing in the late seventeen and early eighteen-hundreds, was a powerful draw. This experience in Rupert, however, was not his first foray into sustainable land management. George Merck’s passion for forestry and landscape conservation was ignited early in his life, inspired by his experience working under the tutelage of his cousin Carl Schenk (known affectionately as “Uncle Ollie”) in the Pink Beds of what is now North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest.

Schenck came to the United States from Germany at the request of George Vanderbilt to manage the forest surrounding his newly built Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. The innovative approach Schenck took to sustainably harvesting timber alongside his founding of America’s first school of forestry, cemented his legacy in the field of forest management. Spending summers in his early teens with “Schenk’s boys” learning about forest management ignited a lifelong passion in George Merck that ultimately inspired him to found, and transfer a substantial percentage of his land in Rupert to, Vermont’s first environmentally focused nonprofit educational center in 1950; then named the Vermont Forest & Farmland Center.

The original vision for the Foundation (later renamed Merck Forest & Farmland Center-MFFC) was for MFFC to be a place where friends and family could experience the natural world. The founding trustees envisioned a living classroom where people - from abject novices to seasoned practitioners - could come learn about sustainable and innovative land-use practices. Inspired by this founding vision, MFFC has evolved alongside the regional and national land management sector in the intervening 72 years.

Through the emergence of a host of organizations, such as extension services, and conservation districts, farmers and foresters now have better access to highly trained professionals whose role is to provide continuing education and technical assistance. Simultaneously, urbanization and the consolidation of the farming industry has led to a growing chasm between people and the land. In response, MFFC has focused a greater percentage of its efforts on introducing/ reintroducing people to the land. While the organization continues to partner with colleges and universities, engage emerging professionals in early career opportunities and provide technical support to regional landowners and working lands professionals, an ever-increasing percentage of MFFC’s time and energy is invested in providing opportunities for visitors of all ages to develop an understanding of how an ecosystem functions and how land managers can work in concert with an ecosystem and its processes to harvest food and timber products while ensuring, and at times enhancing, ecosystem services such as providing clean water, sequestering and storing carbon, and nutrient cycling.

Carl Schenk is not the only luminary that inspired MFFC’s founder. George Merck grew up in Llewelyn, NJ, home to Thomas Edison’s laboratory. Edison, a family friend and mentor to George Merck provided a great deal of inspiration. From Edison, Merck learned many things, including the importance of setting audacious goals, developing actionable plans, and putting in the work.

While staff and volunteers stay plenty busy here at MFFC, the hive-like level of activity is built on careful planning. Grounded in our mission to inspire curiosity, love, and responsibility for working and natural lands, MFFC’s staff and trustees have drafted a strategic plan focused on five core objectives intended to position the organization as a leading regional resource for nature exploration, outdoor learning, and environmentally sound forest & farmland management. These goals are invigorating the working landscape, bolstering the protection of the landscape’s natural systems, deepening connections with visitors and the community, championing individual and institutional climate smart action, and accelerating organizational development.

To accomplish these objectives, MFFC staff and trustees, with support from subject area experts, are developing a ten-year master plan. The master plan will lay out specific objectives for our land management, education, advancement and operations teams. While we are still in the early phases of drafting this master plan, core objectives are already emerging. We’ve begun to envision:

• Facilities improvements that will help make our work safer, more efficient and more accessible to our visitors.

• Expansion of renewable energy production and the electrification of vehicles and light equipment whenever feasible.

• New demonstration projects on the farm that will showcase the timber-products value chain, and sustainable, homestead scale food production.

• Network-wide refresh, with some redesign, reroute, and rebuild work for trails and cabins.

As we continue to develop and refine these plans, feedback from our community will be critical. To that end, please keep an eye on your inbox, and be on the lookout for opportunities at upcoming visits and events to share feedback and fill out surveys that will help us ensure that our plans will serve our community in meaningful ways.

“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.”

-Thomas A. Edison

Things to Do and Ways to Enjoy Springtime

Compiled by MFFC Educational Team

Check out a pond and wait for the first amphibians to appear to see which amphibians are out and about.

Look for early spring ephemerals that are blooming: trout lilies, dutchman’s breeches, violets, jack-in-the-pulpits and red trilliums.

Get involved in citizen science and document your findings with iNaturalist.

Pick some forsythia branches; bring them inside, force them in water to bloom.

Go for a hike, and pay close attention to the trees and forest as you go….what do you notice? See the newly unfurled leaves?

Start a new nature journal, keeping track of dates when flowers and wildlife start to appear.

Take a long walk or hike and watch nature waking up.

Farm animals are being born everywhere! Find a farm near you and visit them.

Sit quietly in the woods, or in a field, and listen to the world waking up.

Take up bird watching, or head outside to add to your life-list

Pull some invasive garlic mustard and make pesto from it. (Early and young shoots only)

Go foraging for ramps, fiddleheads - be sure to collect responsibility!

Take a hike and notice the changing forest composition

Watch for “bud-out” on different species of trees...what do you notice?

Stomp in a mud puddle, or make mud pies!

Climb a tree and see the world from a different vantage point

Fly a kite, make a pinwheel.

Build a tree fort....for your kids, or yourself

Help amphibian migration as they cross the roads on those first warm, rainy nights.

Watch the greening trees creep up the mountainsides.

Listen to nighttime peepers.

Try some maple syrup in a new recipe

Help your garden wake up by giving it a gentle rake.

Watch and listen for ravens, working on their pole barn nest and preparing for nestlings.

Our Philosophy

We believe that children thrive when given the freedom to immerse themselves in nature through exploration and guided discovery. By slowing down and using their senses to fully experience the world around them, kids develop a sense of curiosity, love and responsibility. Through this, they emerge with deeper empathy, a better sense of their place in the world, and the knowledge that they can make a difference.

Field & Forest Friday Program

by Chris Hubbard, Education Director

Each winter, hundreds of southern Vermont schoolchildren are dismissed early from school one day a week and head to the slopes and to rinks, where they are enrolled in the Junior Instructional Snowsports Program (JISP) for instruction in skiing or snowboarding, and in some schools, to take ice skating lessons. Students at the Mettawee Community School, for the first time since COVID threw things for a loop, once again had another option this winter: Merck Forest & Farmland Center’s JISP alternative Field and Forest Fridays.

By continuing to provide our local students with an opportunity to head outside, we are helping them connect with the wonders of the natural world, learn about their environment, try something new, and have fun in a wintery wonderland. MFFC truly appreciates its partnership with the Taconic Green Supervisory Union and the Vermont Land Trust in making this partnership happen.

2022 Summer Camps

by Cara Davenport, Education Manager

I walked the Discovery Trail a little while ago and it took me past the yurt, where it sat quietly under a coating of snow down in the little knoll we call “Base Camp.” I took a moment to duck inside (it was surprisingly warm despite the day’s well-below-freezing temperatures) and reflected that in just a few short months the space will be bustling with voices, green things, and activity as the camp season begins.

We have another full summer of day camps planned for the upcoming season, and plenty of returning campers along with lots of new faces. If you venture upon a crew of campers this summer, we’ll be immersed in the Merck Forest landscape; venturing into streams and fields, picking berries, investigating the forest floor, playing camouflage alongside trails, visiting the farm animals and building forts around the yurt.

Whether you’re a camper this summer or someone planning your visit or stay, we’re looking forward to having you back at Merck Forest. The fields and forest are waiting!

Welcome Back!

By Chris Hubbard, Education Director

Late in the winter of 2020, our sights were on Pancake Breakfast and the upcoming field season, as we anticipated the arrival of schoolchildren coming for field trips. We had begun scheduling Sap to Syrup programs, which allow children to explore maple sugaring, and we were anticipating our spring 6th grade Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) program season. That planning all came to an end in mid-March of 2020, as plans were put on hold due to Covid.

Today, we are planning and offering a full line-up of programming. Currently we have school groups coming up to learn about maple sugaring, as students explore the stories and science behind this timehonored tradition through interactive experiences. We are also planning and looking forward to the return of students for our 6th grade NGSS program. Regional teachers are booking and scheduling their multi-day field trips which will allow their students the opportunity to investigate the landscape as they delve into a variety of ecosystem studies with hands-on interactions.

April will bring two workshops, one focused on phenology and vernal pools and how to document observations using pencil and paper and smartphone apps. Families will be able to join us for an Earth Day celebration as we take a walk to the farm to meet our sheep and then engage in a hands-on project creating felted woolen Earth balls. Professional training courses are being offered and are filling up, with Game of Logging chainsaw safety courses and a Wilderness First Aid class being offered in May and June. And soon we’ll begin offering our classic Sunday and Thursday Meet and Feed programs, where families can join us as we take care of our animals during our daily rounds of chores, feeding and watering our sheep, piglets, chickens, and horses.

It’s exciting to have people back on the land, to be able to offer our full suite of programs to the public after such a long hiatus. It’s wonderful to be able to see a child’s eyes light up at the sight of a new lamb, or to feel the nuzzle of a horse’s nose. And it’s gratifying to see students become excited about the world around them, as they discover that science can be fun, and something they’d be interested in pursuing as a career. The sun is getting warmer, and soon the grass will be getting greener. And we’re looking forward to seeing you up on the mountain!

Game of Logging & Summer Camps Are Filling Fast

Game of Logging and Wilderness

Co-ed Basic Use and Safety Class 5/7/22, 8a to 5p

(FULL) Women’s Basic Use and Safety Class 5/15/22, 8a - 5p

(FULL) Game of Logging Level 1 5/21/22, 8a - 5p

(FULL) Game of Logging Level 2 5/22/22, 8a - 5p

(FULL) Game of Logging Co-edLevel 3 6/4/22, 8a - 5p

(FULL) Game of Logging Co-ed Level 4 6/5/22, 8a – 5p

Wilderness First Aid 5/21 & 22/2022

Summer Camps for Children

(FULL) Field & Forest Camp Grades 1-3. 6/27 - 7/1/22

(FULL) Dragonflies & Cattails Camp Gr. 1-3. 7/11 - 15/22

Field & Forest Camp Gr. 4-6. 7/11 - 15/22

(FULL) Field & Forest Camp Gr. 1-3. 7/ 18 - 22/22

(FULL) Aqua Camp Gr. 4-6. 7/18 - 22/22

Trail Crew Camp, Gr 7-8. 7/25 - 29/22

Field & Forest Camp Gr. 4-6 8/1 - 5/22

Open GOL & camps indicated in BLUE. Email us at learn@merckforest.org to be added to (FULL) program waitlist.

Check merckforest.org or call 802-394-7836 for updates.

New Faces

Meet Elena Santos, Education Coordinator

What interested you about joining Merck Forest’s Education team? After several years of agricultural work after graduating from Green Mountain College, I was excited about the opportunity to return to environmental education work. I was also drawn by the unique opportunity to dedicate my working time to a place close to home and where I have spent a lot of time as a visitor hiking, camping, learning, and exploring.

What excites you most about your new role at Merck Forest? I’m looking forward to connecting with learners of all ages and backgrounds and excited for the opportunity to share the joy and curiosity I have for the natural world with them. I am also delighted to interact with neighbors and familiar faces as an environmental educator.

What fuels your passion for Vermont’s natural and working lands? What do you think shaped that passion?

My passion is dually fueled and shaped by my sense of place within Vermont and my appreciation for the network of people who work the land here. I feel an urgency about the now palpable effects of climate change that we all witness and desire to make a positive impact on the climate during my lifetime.

This passion was shaped by my mom’s love for agriculture and also by a place- based education class I took in high school, which gave me a frame of reference for the place where I was born and raised. The class left me with a sense of responsibility for Vermont and inspired me to invest myself here.

Education Coordinator Update

by Elena Santos, Education Coordinator

Since joining the team at Merck, I have started working on some projects that I am excited to share with readers:

• I joined Education Manager Cara Davenport at Mettawee Community School (MCS) for several of the Field and Forest Friday JISP-alternative program days. On the days I joined Cara, we took the participating group of K-4th graders outdoors and taught them about animal tracking, owls, and maple sugaring.

• I have been developing a framework for a new fund that Merck Forest is offering to K-6 classes at MCS. It is designed to encourage and support student-driven projects that have an ecological focus and that are carried out on the Merck satellite campus at MCS. The framework includes a required proposal writing stage, as well as a requirement for funded projects to keep Merck Forest updated on progress. Stay tuned for project insights!

• I am currently working on identifying funding sources and analyzing data to enhance educational program offerings.

• I will be working with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) program from May-June.

• I’ll be around during the summer for Meet and Feed days, guided hikes, doing roving interpretation, and surveying visitors to collect their feedback.

Merck Forest & Farmland Center

Meet Hadley Stock, Farm Manager

What interested you about joining Merck Forest’s team?

As a native to the area, Merck Forest has always been a part of my life. As a child, my family would ski up to pick out and cut down our Christmas tree, come for sleigh rides in the winter and wagon rides in the warm months, hike and camp and I remember being giddy with excitement to come see the lambs every spring. When I got older, I would bring children I babysat for and friends from college and my other adventures away from Southern VT to experience these same joys; then later my husband and then our children. When the opportunity to join the team at Merck Forest came up, I jumped at the chance to be in a position to help foster similar wonder and memories in a new generation of visitors.

I’m excited to be working with a group of people who value this landscape as much as I do, and who believe deeply in MFFC’s core mission to inspire the same love, appreciation, and wonder that I have for the place in all who come visit. To work in a place that my heart has held onto for so many years feels very fitting - my love for this land and this farm in particular has been an inspirational force in my life.

What do I love most about Merck Forest?

The seasons - there is always something to be getting ready for, planning for, organizing for - it’s never dull or predictable. I like that I always have to be thinking on my feet - it keeps life exciting - and allows me to learn constantly, which keeps my mind sharp and always rolling.

The beauty - no corner office could ever compete with the beauty of this workplace, I am still - after a lifetime of being in it - just blown away by the absolutely stunning beauty of this place. It makes coming to work every day a joy, not a task. Being in a position to contribute to the beauty of these working lands is an honor and a privilege I don’t take lightly.

Lots of coffee with maple syrup - the importance of knowing what I’m eating and feeding my family is a real driving force for me. What better way to know what you are consuming than to be the producer - whether produce from the garden, eggs from the henhouse, meat from the fields or maple from the trees - I find a real sense of pride and comfort in producing food that my family eats. It gets exciting to be able to share my skills and insights from my many years of farming in Vermont with others who want to learn about where their food comes from and how it is produced.

What shaped my love of working lands?

My life as a Vermonter and the privilege to call this amazing place home. I grew up playing in the woods, swimming and fishing in the Mettowee and Battenkill rivers and visiting farms like Merck Forest. This landscape is imprinted on me. When I had children the importance of feeding my family food that I know the origin and producer became crucial. It started with raising chickens and making our own maple syrup and I’ve never looked back.

Conservation Research and Monitoring Update (Results!)

by Tim Duclos, Conservation Manager

As you have no doubt read in many editions of the Ridgeline over the past several years, Merck Forest has established a variety of new monitoring efforts to assess the health of ecosystems spanning the property- from that of our forests and old field habitats, to those of rivers, ponds, and components of the farm. This work is important for on-property conservation planning and contributes vital data to greater regional monitoring efforts. Well, we have updates from two of our studies, which I am eager to share.

Vernal Pool Monitoring: Wood frog emergence advances 2 weeks over a 3-year period

Merck Forest hosts many vernal pools, each of which is visited each spring to document the existence of breeding vernal pool amphibians. We have been monitoring one pool in particular for the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) Vernal Pool Monitoring Program (VPMons). Using an audio recorder provided by VCE, and from analysis of these recordings completed by VCE staff, vocalizations from emerging wood frogs have been detected progressively earlier at this pool, to the tune of 2 weeks earlier, over the past 3 years of monitoring. From analysis of data conducted by VCE, we can share that the first detections of wood frogs at this location have occurred on:

2019: 4/12

2020: 4/4

2021: 3/29

With heavy rains and above freezing conditions observed on 3/20/2022, major amphibian activity (a so-called ‘big night’) was recorded locally; it is suspected that wood frog emergence may have occurred at MFFC on 3/20/22 and, if confirmed, would represent yet another week of advancement in emergence date. After analysis of audio data this fall, we will know for sure.

With a rapidly changing climate, it is a concern that springtime conditions will advance earlier and earlier. One threat is the disruption caused by sudden shifts in temperature that can trigger amphibians to emerge from hibernation only to become trapped in a sudden return to harsh winter conditions above ground. This is one reason why studies, like this one, are working to monitor for this very change in locations spanning the state.

As of 2018, only one occurrence of a vernal pool species was recorded for the property; an anecdotal record of a Jefferson salamander, discovered populations of the spotted salamander, as well as the Jefferson salamander (see image 4 below). This means that MFFC hosts 3 of the 4 vernal pool obligate species known to Vermont; only the blue-spotted salamander remains undetected- a species that is largely isolated to the Champlain Basin.

An interesting element to all of this, is the fact that many of these pools originate from fire suppression ponds dug throughout the forest in the earliest days of MFFC. This represents yet another case of the ways in which past land-use now affects current biodiversitythus evidencing the complex relationship that plays out over time relating past resource management efforts to current conditions.

As we gain more information on the location of vernal pools and their use by amphibians, MFFC is poised to expand its data collection and monitoring program to deploy instruments at more pools across the property. Ultimately, these monitoring efforts directly inform conservation planning at MFFC and offer key data to greater regional monitoring efforts.

Field Assistants Kristian Moore and Rodeo assist with field surveys in 2019 at one pool.

A temperature logger like this HOBO unit, also provided by VCE, is attached to a water depth stake and records hourly temperatures within the pool all season long. These units are fairly inexpensive, costing about $30, and last many years. They can be used to gather temperature data across a variety of applications; MFFC is working to acquire more which would allow us to monitor for changes in climate.

For more information on the Vermont Center for Ecostudies’ Vernal Pool Monitoring Program, visit: vtecostudies.org/projects/forests/vernal-pool-conservation/

To explore some of the observations of vernal pool amphibians at MFFC, visit:

www.inaturalist.org/projects/merck-forest-biodiversity-project

Woodland Bees: Over 900 findings of woodland bees detected across Merck Forest, revealing startling biodiversity of over 56 species and many yet to be identified

In partnership with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies’ Vermont Wild Bee Survey and Vermont Atlas of Life project, Merck Forest has contributed information to the scientific community on the existence of woodland bees throughout the property. From field surveys conducted in spring of 2020 and 2021, at 14 locations spanning the nearly 3100-acre forested property, this study gathered previously unknown information on the diversity and distribution of various woodland bees targeting spring wildflowers in mesic red oak northern hardwoods and wildlife clearings (old fields). Over 56 species of bee were identified from specimens and many more are yet to be fully identified.

Little is known regarding woodland bee diversity- yet we know that pollinators are in major decline and that woodland bees are important pollinators of wildflowers within forests. Moreover, this study will allow us to assess changes in the bee community over time; changes due to climate change and/or resource management efforts. Importantly, like all data collected at MFFC, the findings and methods from this study have been published online in a research database and thus are permanently archived and will remain freely available to anyone wishing to use these data for research- this is foundational to openaccess science standards. In fact, you can see the results of this study online, including an interactive map of study and photos from the field, at the following address: www.gbif.org/dataset/d6a5709f-1de0-4963-b9f9-a882026a968c

We thank the Vermont Center for Ecostudies for providing the requisite funding, equipment, and lab and staff time for data curation, analysis and publication- without this support, this work could not have happened. Check out the awesome work of VCE on their website: vtecostudies.org

To learn more about the VCE’s Vermont Atlas of Life Project visit: val.vtecostudies.org/

210 Individual pan traps, such as this one, were set at 14 locations across the property to capture bees. Because bees are so small and hard to differentiate, they must be evaluated by experts under microscope.

One of the 14 study locations, sampling was conducted in the short window of time between wildflower emergence and tree leaf emergence.

Image 4: Egg masses of the rare Jefferson salamander, a species of greatest conservation need in Vermont. Jeffs are the earliest vernal pool species to emerge and have been recorded emerging earlier and earlier at MFFC between 2019 and 2022.

Stormy Night on the Mountain

By Sue Van Hook, Board President

One of the greatest experiences MFFC affords the visitor is a night or more stay in one of the cabins. Recently, I spent two nights at Ned’s Place, a lovely two-story cabin nestled on a south facing slope of Mount Antone. I’ve treasured scores of cabin stays for the past three decades with varying degrees of winter weather excitement, but this last trip had me thinking “This isn’t Kansas anymore!”

Momentum for the storm had built over two days and nights, coming to a crescendo the second night with gusts of 60-70 miles per hour lashing the mountainside and providing a certain feeling of liftoff in the cabin. Awake for most of the night, I kept saying to myself, the cabins have survived decades of these storms, Ned’s is not going anywhere tonight. I listened to the crashes of nearby tree branches, the pelting rain against the tin roof and the whir of the wind between gusts. I thought about the Barred Owls that called outside the cabin the first night and the chickadees I’d see that morning foraging among the underbrush and wondered in what tree cavity they had found cover for the storm. Life continues whether we are there to witness it or not. I felt fortunate to have been a witness. Sometimes we learn the most about ourselves outside our comfort zones.

Once back to the parking lot on Day Three, we saw only two cars – ours. It turns out no other campers ventured out amid flood warnings to spend this particular night in a wild rainstorm. We had been the sole souls on site and that felt very special. During our stay, the entrance road to MFFC had washed away. Four heavy equipment operators, among the staff and local providers, set to work rebuilding the road at dawn so that dozens of campers could come to spend the weekend in the cabins.

Whether stormy or calm, an overnight stay in a cabin, lean-to or in a self-organized tent area is an experience you may not want to miss.

David Wagoner (1926-2021) was a leading figure in poetry circles, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Wagoner, who taught for decades at the University of Washington, won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, one of the most prestigious in the field, in 1991.

The poet Rita Dove, a judge in the Lilly competition, told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer why she thought Mr. Wagoner deserved the prize. “He has never imitated himself,” she said. “He has always moved in deeper directions; he has always been exploring something new.”

Mr. Wagoner was a conservationist and a hiker, finding awe in the landscapes of the Northwest but also lamenting humanity’s cavalier treatment of nature. “Lost,” his 1972 poem that recommended taking a quiet pause in a forest, powerfully drew on both sentiments.

Lost

By David Wagoner

Stand still. The trees and the bushes beside you Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here, And you must treat it as a powerful stranger, Must ask permission to know it and to be known. The forest breathes. Listen. It answers, I have made this place around you. If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here. No two trees are the same to Raven. No two branches are the same to Wren. If what a tree or bush does is lost on you, You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows Where you are. You must let it find you.

Fleet & Facilities Updates

by Dylan Durkee, Fleet & Facilities Manager

Sap season: it has been a slow start for us up here on the mountain, but our future looks hopeful that we will reach an average crop year of producing (1000) gallons. I have been out in our sugarbush quite often to do line checks to increase vacuum efficiency which will give us a much higher yield of sap coming into our holding tank. This is really where you make the increase of production.

Winter projects this spring have included: fixing sap lines, fixing equipment and doing routine maintenance, completing a log job, maintaining the road (snowplowing and road building).

Future projects I’m looking forward to include a Spruce Cabin rebuild and new road entrance sign rebuild.

Render of the new road sign rebuild.

Render of Spruce Cabin rebuild.

2022 Maple Open House

The rains held off for a wonderfully busy event centered around MFFC’s maple sugaring tradition. Over 300 people attended this Maple Open House, which featured tapping and boiling demonstrations, storeytelling, childrens’ events, farm animals and a local food court (maple-inspired of course!) Thanks to Barrows House, Dorset Union Store, Mach’s Market, Sherman’s General Store and Willoughbys Depot Eatery for supporting our Maple Raffle. Two lucky winners will each receive 1 liter bottles of Amber Rich syrup. To date, 620 gallons of syrup (from 24,800 gallons of sap) have been produced…and there’s more on the way! Purchase some online or in the VC!

Books for Curious Kids (and Adults!)

By Chris Hubbard, Education Director

I recently started following my favorite bookstore on Instagram, and I have been intrigued by the selection of children’s books that has been shared. I took a drive to Cambridge to check them out, and found some perfect selections for your Curious Kid.

The first book that caught my attention was Outside Your Window, A First Book of Nature, written by author and zoologist Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mark Hearld. The book is arranged by season, with poems, activities, and recipes to engage a child in the natural world. The topics explored are not the typical seasonal offerings, but expand a child’s curiosity, as Davies writes about lambs’ tails, rock pooling, spiderlings, and reasons to keep a chicken, as she draws upon her scientific background. Painter and printmaker Hearld brings his interest in nature to his captivating illustrations with the use of collages, printmaking, and mixed media as he fills the pages with images from the natural world, bringing it to life. No matter whether a child lives in the country or in a city, the book provides an opportunity to explore just outside their home, whether it be on a city street, in a park, or at a pond.

Author and illustrator Yuvel Zommer’s The Big Book of Belonging, is the newest addition to his Big Books Series for children. Zommer states that The Big Book of Belonging “is my way of celebrating the wondrous connections between us humans and the natural world,” and he dedicates the book to “all the children who like to climb trees, run barefoot, splash in puddles, search for bugs, sing with the birds, taste snowflakes, and count the stars.” The book explores how humans are connected to nature, and how many similarities and connections there are between us and nature: what makes a family, making a home, our senses, our skeletons, and the importance of water, are just a few of the topics explored. His detailed illustrations are whimsical and vibrant and will have children exploring each page. A challenge to find footprints throughout the book will provide an additional incentive to explore. Finally, Zommer gives children actionable steps they can take to help the natural world around them, enabling them to make positive changes.

Finally, the newly released Listen to the Language of Trees: A Story of How Forests Communicate Underground, written by Tera Kelley and illustrated by Marie Hermansson, explores the interconnectedness of trees and forests. Kelley’s lyrical text tells the story of a Douglas fir seedling, newly sprouted beneath a giant tree. Her well researched details explain how trees are able to communicate and share resources with one another through the mycorrhizal network that connects them. Hermansson’s detailed illustrations reinforce the ideas set in the text, and help make the concepts presented easy to understand…..just perfect for Curious Kids. Check with our Visitor Center and/or your local bookstore for avaiblity of these titles.

Greetings from the Visitor Center

by Stephanie Breed, Visitor Center Coordinator & Marybeth Leu, Communications Coordinator

New blankets have arrived!

Beautiful wool fleece blankets made by MacAusland’s Woolen Mills in PEI are back in stock! Lap robes $130, Queen blankets $230. Pick them up at the Visitor Center today!

Our hens are laying!

Come visit as they venture outside after being cooped up all winter. Happy chickens lay extra large happy eggs! $5 a dozen.

MFFC gardens will be blooming soon!

Volunteers are always welcome to help with spring clean up and with perennial divisions. Call or check in at the VC if interested. Ellie the cat will assist as needed!

Stop by our newly organized & equipped Interpretive Room

The Education Team has updated the large 3-D model of the Merck Forest & Farmland property with corrected property lines, pond locations and other points of interest. It’s impressive to see just how rugged our terrain is. It is now off the wall in the front room and positioned on a table in the newly organized Interpretive Room!

There’s a nature table with a seasonally-updated display and a small library of nature guides for visitors to use to identify species of plants and animals found on their rambles. There are also comfortable chairs and back copies of the Ridgeline to peruse.

Another addition to the Visitor Center staff is our tiny greeter – Poppyseed

Leu. Poppy loves people of all ages and is so happy to be part of the staff. That’s her, cuddled up in one of our snuggly fleeces, looking just like part of the fleece!

Don’t forget, MFFC members receive 10% off items in the store and 20% off cabin reservations. MFFC annual memberships help to keep our property open to everyone. Thank you for supporting our mission!

What Inspires Us?

Favorite Books

Life on Earth by, David Attenborough

On Trails by Robert Moor

The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry

The Nature of Things by Will Curtis

Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmere

Hatchet by Gary Paulson

The Bible

Restoration Agriculture By Mark Shepard

The Third Plate By Dan Barber

Currently Reading

Half Earth by, E. O. Wilson

The Science of Generosity by Patricia Herzog

The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs by Tristan Gooley

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

The Institute by Stephen King

The Harvest of Sorrow by Robert Conquest

Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts By Allyson Levy & Scott Serrano

Be Victorious by Warren W. Wiersbe

Winter World by Bernd Heinrich

Inspiring

www.redgatefarm.org

www.kisstheground.com

www.beetlesproject.org

www.VTEcostudies.org

www.northwoodscenter.org

www.permacultureapprentice.com

www.timberframehq.com

@blackforager (on instagram)

Movies/Documentaries

Not To Miss

The Big Year

A Place at the Table

Fantastic Fungi

Stars in the Sky by Steve Rinella (on Netflix)

The Biggest Little Farm

Miracle

The Rescue

Torn

Expedition Everest

Subscription-worthy

Magazines

Ranger Rick

Yes! Magazine

Calvin and Hobbes

National Geographic

Backcountry Journal

Northern Woodlands

Rural Heritage

Mortise and Tenon

Businesses/Brand That Resonate

Newman’s Own Foundation

Grove Collaborative, Thrive Market

REI Coop

Outdoor Gear Exchange

R.K. Miles

Carhartt

H N Williams

Dansco

The Mountain Goat

Northshire Bookstore

The Wilson House

Stewarts Shops

Wood-Mizer

Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust

Dovetail Workwear

Spring Recipes

Compiled by Cara Davenport, Education Manager, & Kathyrn Lawrence, Assistant Director

Crepes with Maple Sugar and Syrup •

Ingredients

1 1⁄2 cups milk

10 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 egg

1 cup flour

3 tbsp. sugar

1⁄2 tsp. baking powder

6 tbsp. maple sugar

12 tbsp. maple syrup

Instructions

Recipe adapted from NYT Cooking

1. In a medium bowl, whisk milk, 4 tbsp. butter, and egg. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, and baking powder; add milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Grease a 10″ nonstick skillet with ½ tbsp. butter and heat over medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup batter; swirl pan to spread batter. Cook crêpe, turning once, until browned, 1–2 minutes.

3. Transfer to a warm plate and repeat with remaining butter and batter. To serve, sprinkle ½ tbsp. maple sugar onto each crêpe and drizzle with 1 tbsp. maple syrup. Roll up into a cylinder and serve immediately.

Ramp Crepes •Recipe adapted from NYT Cooking

Ingredients

2 large eggs

¾ cup milk

½ cup water

3 tablespoons canola oil

½ teaspoon salt

2 ounces whole-wheat flour (1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon)

2 ounces all-purpose flour (scant 1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon)

2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped ramp leaves (or other fresh herbs)

Butter for the pan

Instructions

1. Place the milk, water, eggs, canola oil and salt in a blender. Cover the blender, and turn on at low speed. Add the flours, and increase the speed to high. Blend for one minute. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for one to two hours. When ready to cook, stir in the chopped ramps.

2. Place a seasoned or nonstick 6- to 8-inch crepe pan over medium heat. Brush with butter or oil. When the pan is hot, and just before it begins to smoke, remove from the heat and ladle in three to four tablespoons of batter (depending on the size of your pan). Tilt or swirl the pan to distribute the batter evenly, and return to the heat. Cook for about one minute until you can easily loosen the edges with a spatula. Turn and cook on the other side for 30 seconds. Turn onto a plate. Continue until all of the batter is used up. You’ll get about 12 crepes with an 8-inch pan, 16 with a 6-inch pan.

3. Suggested fillings for your crepes: Grilled asparagus, goat cheese, cream, or ricotta cheese, smoked salmon, maple syrup, bacon or sausage, mushroom and spinach.

Wild & Wonderful Ramp Chowder•Recipe adapted

from healthstartsinthekitchen.com

This Wild and Wonderful Ramp Chowder is the perfect way to celebrate Ramp Season! Paired with cheddar cheese and heavy cream the delicious wild leek flavor is exceptional in this soup. Gluten-Free with dairy-free options included.

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Organic Grass-Fed Butter or Ghee or avocado oil

1 cup ramps roughly chopped, 1/2 cup bulbs & 1/2 cup greens

3 large russet potatoes peeled & diced, roughly 4 cups

4 cups Chicken Bone Broth or vegetable broth

1/8 teaspoon White Pepper

Sea Salt to taste

With Dairy:

2 cups Heavy Cream

2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Dairy-Free:

2 cups coconut milk (canned)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Optional Toppings:

crumbled bacon

shredded cheese

ramp greens

Instructions

1. In a dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot, over medium heat saute ramps in ghee until soft.

2. Add potatoes and chicken broth, simmer (covered) for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. (NOTE: taste your broth while heating and season with sea salt, ideally the liquid that the potatoes are cooking in should be well salted, perhaps a little tiny bit over salted)

3. Reduce heat to low. Add heavy cream and shredded cheddar cheese, stir well to combine. Cook over low heat until everything is well incorporated, do not boil.

4. I prefer to let this soup sit for a little while, maybe 30 minutes to an hour then gently reheat before serving. The flavors deepen and it will thicken up a little more. If you prefer an even thicker soup, you can blend 1-2 cups of the soup in your blender until smooth then add it back into the pot.

5. Feel to garnish individual bowls with toppings of your choice: bacon, shredded cheese & ramp greens are my favorite. Enjoy!

For more information visit: www.seriouseats.com/ramps-sustainable-harvesting

Upcoming Events

MFFC Programming Update

As MFFC (and the world) emerges from the Covid pandemic, we are thrilled to start ramping up our public programming, slowly, surely, and safely. Look for more events, workshops and trainings as 2022 unfolds.

Visit merckforest.org for an updated schedule of events.

Spring Awakening: Vernal Pools & Spring Phenology

Sunday, April 9, 1pm - 3pm

Come along with us as we investigate the arrival of spring in the water and woods at Merck Forest. We’ll learn about, explore, and use some different methods of documenting spring flora and fauna during this interactive program. Open to naturalists of any age. Register online.

$10/pp

Earth Day Kid’s Workshop

Saturday, April 23, 10am - noon

April is sheep shearing season at Merck Forest, and in the spirit of Earth Day we’ll be using sheep’s wool to create blue and green felted Earth balls in this hands-on crafty program for families with children (one adult must accompany each family group). Register online.

$10/pp

Meet the Lambs

Saturday, May 14, 10am - 2pm

Green grass and gamboling lambs are abundant, and you’re invited to come and visit our newest farm members, with plenty of activities for the family. Join us as we celebrate the new season. More details available soon -- check back periodically.

$3/pp suggested donation at the door

Wilderness First Aid & CPR

Saturday and Sunday, May 21

A two-day Wilderness First Aid course focusing on emergency backcountry skills. Optional CPR component for additional fee and hours. Preregistration online is required. Minimum age 16.

$200, additional $40 for CPR

Meet & Feed

Sunday afternoons May 22 -Sept 4, 3pm - 4:30pm & Thursday afternoons June 30 - August 11

Join Merck staff on Sunday afternoons or Thursday afternoon as they go about afternoon chores feeding our animals. Get to know our sheep, horses, chickens, and pigs during our daily routine. Children must be accompanied by at least one adult/guardian.

$5pp, except for babies in arms; register online. Space is limited to 12 people.

Ecology Open House

Saturday, July 16 10am to 2pm

Join us for a summer celebration of ecology at MFFC! Explore the various ecosystems we have within a half-mile of our farm, and, in the spirit of a Bioblitz, learn how you, too, can become a citizen scientist and contribute to an ever-growing bank of knowledge. The day will include ecology-focused activities for the whole family.

$3/pp suggested donation at the door

Mushroom Workshop for Kids

Saturday, July 23 & Saturday, August 13, 10am - 11:30am

Register for one or both! Families explore and search the forest for fungi. Families should bring baskets to gather mushrooms in. Register online.

$10/pp

Mushroom ID for Adults

Saturday, July 23 & Saturday, August, 13 Noon - 2pm

Register for one or both! A workshop for adults, focusing on identifying mushrooms. Mycologist Sue VanHook will bring some samples, but participants are encouraged to forage and bring in their own mushrooms as well. Register online.

$10/pp

Volunteer Saturdays

June 25, July 30, August 27, 10am - 3pm

Come help MFFC staff with projects that keep our property safe and accessible to all who want to enjoy them. Register online.

Northshire Grown: Direct

4 spring markets - April 13, 27, May 11, and 25

Support the region’s amazing local farms and food producers as well as your and the community’s health through this easy-to-use ordering portal and system. Simply go to northshiregrown.com, join the mailing list and you’ll start receiving order forms in your in-box. www.northshiregrown.com

Advancement Notes

Advancement Notes

Happy New Year! 2020 already seems both long ago, far away and yet like just yesterday–what a tumultuous time. I hope your 2021 is filled with hope, joy and prosperity for you and yours.

By Liz Ruffa, Advancement Director

Effective communications and fundraising depends in large part on solid planning and sound execution. MFFC’s Advancement Office works assiduously to promote and bring capacity to programs and the institution in a manner that supports and amplifies Merck Forest’s mission and values.

Advancement at MFFC supports activities on our property and in our community. We greatly appreciate both nascent and ongoing collaborations with regional educators and natural/working lands practitioners. The office also partners with MFFC’s Board-led Advancement Committee to ensure that our efforts are purposeful and complement Trustee-driven initiatives and forethoughts.

In 2022, MFFC’s Advancement Office plans to:

• Launch a spring Annual Fund campaign focusing on “accessibility”

• Utilize social media campaigns to cultivate new members and supporters

• Establish a Legacy and Planned Giving program

A warm welcome to our many new members and donors–your financial support in 2020 allowed us to operate and continue to deliver mission during an unprecedented time for us all. Our team worked quietly last year, doing its best to capture the energy and spirit of signature events and programs by offering them on-line or in modified live ways. We missed having our usual throng of day visitors, outdoor enthusiasts and workshop participants on site. We missed campers stopping in the Visitor Center for a chat and some hiking tips. We really missed greeting the many area students who use Merck Forest as their outdoor classroom as they conduct their environmental science and citizen learning. We didn’t get to host as many young day campers on-site last summer as we might have liked, but hope to turn that curve in 2021! Not being able to interact and engage with people on the property was most certainly a downside to 2020, but Vermont’s ably handled Covid-19 response protocols were all followed to a T here.

• Rebrand and retool our essential Membership program

Help us meet these goals! In addition to donations, suggestions and examples of mission-based advancement efforts that you think work well are always helpful. I welcome your input and ideas of how MFFC can continue to “advance”.

Don’t hesitate to reach out at liz@merckforest.org or at 802-394-2579.

This Ridgeline issue illuminates just how remarkable experiencing “place” can be–whether that experience is live and tactile or via an Instagram post or Nearby Nature online video. The images in this Ridgeline document how the sun here rises and sets every day, how animals here capture everyone’s hearts–whether on the farm, in the woods, or on a leash. Staff contributions explain how to track animals in the snow and on camera. Offerings capture how MFFC cabins continue to be revered destinations that renew souls and inspire creativity. People just love Merck Forest! Many thanks for doing your part to help us steward this special place.

Thanks so much for your involvement with Merck Forest. We are all the better for it.

Happy Spring!

Save The Date

MFFC’s 2021 Annual Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 12. We will host it, not sure in what format quite yet, but make sure to mark your calendars today!

Systems Refinement and Branding Development Work at MFFC

In an effort to work at top efficiency and effectiveness, and to produce outreach materials that have lasting impact, MFFC is undertaking two key administrative initiatives this year.

MFFC’s Leadership team is assessing MFFC’s operational framework in an effort to determine how systems and interfaces can all interface and “talk to each other”, while also looking for efficiencies and improvements through their Integration and consolidation.

New 70th Anniversary Membership Special

In honor of MFFC’s long standing spring tradition of Maple Celebration Pancake breakfast (and planning for the probability that we will not, once again, be able to host it live in 2021), MFFC will be offering a special $70 membership program in March and April this year. Your $70 membership will include a 250 ml. glass container of MFFC’s amazingly delicious organic, VT Audubon-certified Bird Friendly Maple Syrup and a 1 lb. cloth bag of New Hope Mills buttermilk pancake mix (the same one we use up here!). Feel free to renew at this level or gift to a friend or family member. Look for details in the March Mailchimp Newsletter!

We are pleased to be working with Peppergrass Design, a Rupert-based marketing firm, to refine our “look and feel”, both visually and through sharp content. Look for several enhancements to our online and printed materials as they roll out.

Connect With Us

Our gates have remained open during this pandemic, offering nature as a tonic for the times. The great outdoors energizes, challenges and soothes and Merck Forest will continue to do its part to foster an appetite for inspiring curiosity, love and responsibility for working and natural lands.

We ended 2020 in a stable, positive place in large part thanks to you. Deep-felt appreciation for your support and philanthropy.

On behalf of the team at MFFC, I send my best.

Liz Ruffa, Director, Institutional Advancement

Northshire Grown: Direct

By Liz Ruffa, Advancement Director

NG:D’s direct-to-consumer online purchasing platform will offer 4 markets this spring, all out of the Dorset Playhouse. Support the region’s local farms and food producers as well as your and the community’s health through this easy to use ordering system. Simply go to northshiregrown.com, join the mailing list you’ll and receive online order forms in your in-box. Order forms are live from Friday morning to Sunday evenings, with pick- ups on market day afternoons the following Wednesday. There are no minimums - ordering is totally up to you.

Order forms also give you the opportunity to contribute to Northshire Neighbors in Need, an initiative that offers local food boxes to families who need extra food support. This project has distributed over 400 boxes to area neighbors through community connectors since 2020. The generosity of NG:D’s customer base is nothing short of amazing. Thank you all!

MFFC will be hosting farmer/foodshed forums and consumer/ market focus groups this spring as part of a supply and demand study of the regional food system that MFFC is undertaking thanks to grant funding. If you are interested in participating or learning more, email liz@merckforest.org. Sign up at northshiregrown.com.

MFFC Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer this spring for:

• Weeding raspberry and blueberry patches

• Cleaning out flower beds around the Visitor Center

• Brushing and pruning trail systems

• Cleaning and maintaining cabins

National Level Opportunities

National Trails Day June 4, 2022

There’s something magical about being outdoors. Fresh air, birds singing, moving along a trail or even just around the block – there’s nothing quite like it. But today, those trails and public spaces are in dire need of help —and not everyone has access to these places that can calm and inspire. National Trails Day® is the perfect opportunity to get out there with the people you love, give back to the trails that bring us together, and make sure no one is left out.