An Opportunity for Land, Learning and Recreation

By Liz Ruffa and Rob Terry

Merck Forest & Farmland Center’s work has started to strategically extend beyond the boundaries of its 3,200 acre main campus in Rupert. MFFC ecologists are working to help protect both the 42,000-acre intact forest block in which the institution is situated, as well as the block’s connectivity to adjoining high-value habitats such as the Hudson Highlands and Central Green Mountains. MFFC agricultural specialists are collaborating with local producers on a variety of projects designed to connect visitors and regional residents with the local foodshed. Recently, recognizing a deep need in our community to help bridge the rapidly expanding gap between regional elementary aged youth and the natural world, MFFC, with support from the Vermont Land Trust, acquired a 144-acre satellite campus adjacent to Mettawee Community School (MCS), the public Title-1 K-6 school serving Rupert in Bennington County and Pawlet in Rutland County. MCS has around 200 students; 53.4% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch.

The acquisition of this satellite campus has fostered a working partnership between MFFC and Mettawee Community School aimed at delivering working lands and ecology-related programming to MCS students through direct instruction and teacher workshops. In addition to educational outcomes, the project offers several positive conservation outcomes, including ensuring that no hazardous chemicals are used on the agricultural fields adjoining the school and that the richly diverse 144 acre lot featuring hemlock, mixed hardwood, and dry oak forests as well as shrubland, brushland, wetland and grassland habitat will be protected. Farm-related social enterprise work, regional/ national teacher professional development and the development of a community recreational asset are long term goals.

MFFC’s Education team has worked closely with MCS to develop a “satellite campus” that offers educational, socio-emotional and recreational experiences and benefits for students. In time, the property will become accessible to other schools in the Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union (6 schools, 1200 students). In addition to leading groups and classes on site, MFFC offers ongoing professional development and technical assistance to MCS faculty and staff, so that they can use the campus for classwork, sports and project-based learning. The 144 acres offer a host of different uses - academic, physical and social - and it has been exciting and gratifying to re-purpose the property for multiple uses and benefits.

MFFC has plans to gradually make on-site improvements, build richer programmatic capacity and increase options for public recreational use. Our near term goal is to design and construct a public use adaptive trail loop.

What?

MFFC educators and MCS staff are thrilled to use the land “as is” - there are already myriad fields, forests and former logging roads available with lots of room to explore.

MFFC sees future success for the property by encouraging walking, hiking, biking, snowshoeing, nordic and back-country skiing activities as well as providing opportunities for academic, research and project-related use by students and faculty.

Engaging students (and the school community at large) in the trail design and construction process will offer an instructional opportunity that will deliver high quality project-based learning and spur workforce interest in this field and sector.

How?

MFFC would like to work with Sustainable Trail Works out of Poultney (Slate Valley Trails) on this project, thereby providing an incredible opportunity to engage students in creative planning and actual trail construction process. Adding a dedicated Americorps intern to MFFC staff will help steward this and other on-property projects and greatly enhance the project’s growth.

Why?

In addition to being a valuable site enhancement for MCS students, this trail loop will also offer great public benefit to the greater Pawlet community.

To date, MFFC has been able to purchase the property, pay for all transaction fees and has started an Innovation Fund to financially support MCS student designed projects. Obtaining funding for trail work and Americorps/Vista engagement is currently underway.

Contact Liz Ruffa (liz@merckforest.org) or Rob Terry (rob@merckforest.org) if you’d like more information about this project