2022 Summer Ridgeline

Summer 2022

Celebrating over 70 years of connecting people to the land

MFFC BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Kat Deely, Secretary

Greg Hopper, Treasurer

Sue Van Hook, President

Jill Perry Balzano

Merrill Bent

Dinah Buechner-Vischer

Jim Hand

Mark Lourie

John Stasny

Brian Vargo

ADVISORS

Keld Alstrup

Judy Buechner

Donald Campbell

Jean Ceglowski

Austin Chinn

George Hatch

Peter Hicks

Jock Irons

Karen Kellogg

Jon Matthewson

Sam Schneski

STAFF

Stephanie Breed, VC Coordinator

Cara Davenport, Education Manager

Dylan Durkee, Fleet & Facilities Manager

Chris Ferris-Hubbard, Education Director

Kathryn Lawrence, Assistant Executive Director

Rick Lawrence, Working Lands Operations

Marybeth Leu, Communications Coordinator

Liz Ruffa, Advancement Director

CREDITS: Stephanie

GRAPHIC

Elena Santos, Education Coordinator

Hadley Stock , Farm Manager

Mike Stock, Working Lands Operations

Welcome Note

By Rob Terry, Executive Director

Summer is almost here. Our busy spring field-trip season has wound down, the first cutting of hay is in the barn, and the viewshed is awash in leafy green as far as the eye can see. As regional schools begin shutting their doors for the summer, more and more folks are wandering up the access road for mid-week hikes and visits to the farm. It is a beautiful time of year to be out on the land. Summer thunder showers lend drama to the skies over the southern Adirondacks while tall grasses sway in the breeze around the farm. With mud season behind us, trails are largely dry, firm and ready to shepherd visitors deep into the splendor that is the Taconic Mountains. Throughout this issue, you will find vignettes from the farm and forest, pictures from the land, and reflections from those of us who are lucky to spend our time living and working in this amazing place. Of course, as lovely as the Ridgeline is, there is no substitute for time spent on the land. With that in mind, I would strongly encourage all who are able to head on up for a visit! Everything we do, we do so this space, and all that happens here, can inspire, so when you arrive, stop in and say hi at the Visitor Center, ask us questions when you find us out working on the farm or in the woods, share your pictures with us, and most importantly have a rejuvenating experience connecting with the land.

Before, during and after as a MFFC Trustee

By Sue Van Hook, Board President

We believe that people who make the best MFFC trustees are those whose passion has already connected them to this hilltop farm and forest. Our volunteer board members first serve on one or more committees to offer their expertise as educators, lawyers, financiers, organizers, farmers or foresters. This entry point to the organization affords us one year to seek the best fits between the needs of our program, finance, governance or advancement committees and a new member to the advisory council. It is a two-way arrangement. An advisor may decide for or against service after one year as well. But our hope is that we get to know one another, appreciate the strengths a new member offers to the council, and invite them to join the board the following year as a trustee.

The current makeup of the MFFC board is simply wonderful. I so enjoy our time together as we all pitch in for open houses, trail days, cleaning cabins, parking cars, selling tickets, stuffing envelopes, reviewing forest and farm management plans, participating in strategic and master planning, and acting as passionate MFFC ambassadors near and far.

The board currently has 10 members and we seek to add up to 5 additional members per our bylaws in the next two years. If you have been waiting for an opportunity to give back to Merck Forest after enjoying one or seventy-one years here, please reach out to Director Rob Terry or a board member.

Often trustees completing their three-year terms linger on a committee or two out of love and a sense of devotion to this special place. Once a member of Merck Forest and Farmland Center, always a member, or so it seems.

Merck Forest & Farmland Center is on a mission to inspire curiosity, love and responsibility for natural and working lands

From the Director’s Desk

by Rob Terry, Executive Director

Despite representing less than 2% of Merck Forest & Farmland Center’s total acreage, our hilltop farm is deeply important to the organization in many ways. Over the last fifty years, consolidation has changed the nature of food production; gone are the days of ubiquitous family farms. Modern agriculture is largely industrial, commercial, and mechanized, bearing little in common with the children’s books and toys that introduce us to a fictionalized pastoral construct rife with straw hats, clean overalls, smiling cows, well-kept red barns, and glistening green tractors. With the exception of a subculture of self-reliant mavens, we are all reliant on agriculture. In spite of this, there are relatively few opportunities for people to experience food production first hand. This is where MFFC’s farm comes in.

Simply put, the primary purpose of MFFC’s farm is to fill the gap that has been created by farm consolidation. In nearby Addison County, Vermont, the last fifty years have seen every ten farms combined to one. As a result of that transition, there are 90% fewer children growing up on farms, 90% fewer community members helping out on a neighbor’s farm, 90% fewer folks in regional metropolitan areas with a farm in the family that they can visit in the summer. Today, more people than at any time in human history begin their relationship with the food system at the grocery store. There is a risk in this. The iconic images of farms often present on food packaging trend more towards the aforementioned fictionalized pastoral construct than the reality of modern commercial agriculture. Unfortunately, this iconography is not always consistent with the conditions that these animals experience or the associated environmental impacts.

MFFC’s farm provides an opportunity for visitors to see purposeful, regenerative perennial horticulture and livestock production in action firsthand. While MFFC’s livestock operation yields a variety of provisions (specifically fiber, eggs, and meat) its primary product is meat. Of the approximately eight billion people on the planet, it is estimated that around 86% regularly consume meat. While vegetarianism and veganism are both on the rise globally, meat consumption remains high. Annually, approximately 80 billion animals are raised for meat around the globe. The conditions that many of these animals are raised in, and the associated environmental impacts, present a variety of ethical dilemmas. Around the globe, different societies (and different individuals within societies) have varying opinions on whether it is ethical to consume meat; ranging from some who believe that eating meat is a moral imperative to others who feel it morally unjustifiable. As an institution, we respect each individual’s right to choose whether or not to consume meat based on their personal values.

Merck Forest & Farmland Center has chosen to raise animals for meat, but to do so as humanely as possible by raising them in a way that honors the animals’ nature, meets their needs, and affords them their key freedoms (an internationally accepted standard that grants animals the freedom: 1. from hunger & thirst, 2. from discomfort, 3. from pain, injury, or disease, 4. from fear & distress, and 5. to express normal behavior). MFFC’s livestock program also draws inspiration from a variety of sources including the work of Michael Pollan, author of a number of books including The Omnivore’s Dilemma. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma Pollan explores a variety of value chains that bring modern humans food, assessing each in terms of how ethical, sustainable, and environmentally friendly they are. Through his examination, Pollan uses four meals to assess a variety of food production/acquisition strategies. As a part of this assessment, he identifies some practices that treat these value chains in a highly mechanical way while highlighting others that honor them as living organisms and systems.

Not surprisingly, those that that trend towards the ‘living organism’ side of the continuum yield results that are more sustainable as well as more ethically and environmentally sound.

Through a variety of on-farm practices MFFC strives to operate on the living organism side of the continuum. Animals on the farm are managed using high-intensity, multi-species rotational grazing. This practice, designed to mimic natural grassland ecosystems, involves keeping animals in small paddocks and moving to new pasture every 24-72 hours. In this system, sheep (the pickiest eaters on the farm) enter a new paddock first where they graze, fertilizing as they go. Once the sheep have moved on, in come the cows (well, just one cow here for the time being). The cows graze much of what the sheep left behind, depositing additional fertilizer as they go. Once the cows have moved on, in come the chickens and turkeys who will eat pest insects and parasites out of the sheep and cow manure, leaving their own fertilizer behind.

Throughout this process, careful consideration is paid to ensure humane treatment. Animals are well cared for, always provided access to shade and water, are led from pasture to pasture as opposed to chased, and are socialized from the time they are young to lessen the stress they experience from interacting with staff and visitors. When the time comes for the animals to be processed (which is always a difficult day for the farmers that have been caring for them) every effort is made to eliminate as much stress and suffering as possible. In addition to yielding improved animal health and well-being-based outcomes, this system also offers increased ecological benefits. Raising animals on pasture and over-wintering them on hay allows us to eliminate any tilling. No-till practices reduce soil erosion, improve moisture conservation, sequester and store more carbon, and improve soil biology.

In the upcoming years, MFFC staff will be working to introduce more interpretive information on and around the farm, with the intention of helping visitors better understand not only the practices that they are seeing, but also how they can make decisions at the grocery store that will support humane, ecologically responsible farming practices. Anyone interested in learning more about, or helping with, MFFC’s livestock operations should check-in at the visitor center to get more information about our “Meet & Feed” and “Animal Ambassador” programs.

See you on the mountain!

Merck-Made products available at the VC Include:

Pasture raised eggs

Frozen whole chicken

Organic maple syrup

Frozen pork and lamb, coming in the fall

Pick-your-own blueberries and raspberries (July-Aug)

What to bring for a day of exploration and discovery

Compiled by MFFC Educational Team

Packing your Merck Forest bag:

• Binoculars

• A field guide

• A friend to explore with!

• A blanket to spread out and sit on

• Bug spray

• Sunscreen

• Your phone- with downloaded apps like iNaturalist, Avenza, and Merlin

• A net or pillowcase- for shaking insects from branches and grasses into

• Notebook or nature journal and pencil for recording what you notice

• Shoes and layers that keep you prepared for the often-surprising weather patterns up here

What to do once you get here:

• Learn about the different types of clouds, and then lie back, watch the sky, and really take notice of them

• Explore under rocks and logs - carefully - for creatures living underneath

• Look for different types of mushrooms in the woods

• Check out Page Pond to see how the tadpoles are developing

• Sit quietly in the field or in the woods and observe what is happening around you

• Take up bird-watching

• Go wading in the stream on the Wildlife Trail, turn over some rocks, and see if you can catch a crayfish

• Collect tree leaves and make rubbings of them

• Learn to identify 3 new trees

• Sit on the Sap House deck and watch a storm roll in from the west. Make sure you take cover when the storm reaches you

After your Merck Forest visit:

• Plan your next stay at a cabin or lean-to

• Upload your iNaturalist finds to the “Merck Forest” project

• Tag Merck Forest in your pictures and posts on social media

• Write to us or share about your visit on social media

• Use our Northshire Grown: Direct local food directory to find a new farm or farmstand to visit

• Become a member

• Pack out your trash and gear

• Check our website for upcoming events and updates

Working with the Mettawee Community School

By Chris Hubbard, Education Director

Merck Forest’s education team has been busy this school year working with Mettawee Community School teachers to help deliver environmental education to its students. We provided support to individual teachers by helping them bring students out of the classroom and into the natural world to explore the weather and search for evidence of animals in the woods. Our team assisted with the Four Winds environmental education program as well, with our staff leading and delivering lessons to several classrooms as students explored various elements of the Earth. Soil and erosion, clouds, and sunlight were just a few of the topics explored by students as they observed erosion at a riverbank, watched clouds float by, and listened to echoes bounce off the school building.

Fifth graders joined us up on the mountain last fall to participate in our MFFC/NGSS School Partnership Program - exploring the landscape while delving into science during the multi-day program - students dug into leaf litter and scooped amphibians at the pond. Spring brought sixth graders for their MFFC/NGSS exploration, who explored how nutrients cycle through ecosystems and how the availability of natural resources (such as the amount of sunlight) can affect what organisms are found in a given area.

Finally, we launched an Innovation Grant to provide funding for student-driven projects on MCS’s adjoining Merck Forest managed land. Students brainstormed ideas and developed projects they were interested in and some students presented their ideas for consideration for this grant funding. We were happy to award a group funding for their school community garden project and we look forward to seeing their project come to fruition.

While the school year has finished, we’re looking forward to partnering with MCS next fall when students fill the halls again and helping teachers and students continue to explore the great outdoors.

Forest Finds & Field Trips

By Cara Davenport, Education Manager

This spring, during an exploration activity with the 6th graders from Mettawee Community School at Merck Forest, one of the students discovered a porcupine quill in the leaf litter on the forest floor. As more students began to scour the area, more and more quills were found and set aside. The resulting pile was made up of quills that ranged from a half-inch to 3 inches, all ivory colored and with one end dark brown to black, almost like they had each been held to a flame and charred. There were plenty of questions and theories about what might have led to all these quills being left behind in one place like this- “Do porcupines shed?” “Are all these quills from the same porcupine?” “Why are they different sizes?” “Did something try to attack the porcupine here?” “Is the porcupine still here?!” This last question was quickly followed by a number of students freezing and jerking their heads back to glance up into the tree branches over our heads, in case the owner of the quills was still lurking above us.

A few other stars of our explorations over the course of this spring’s field trip season were salamanders and Jack-in-thePulpits; the former often appearing as students lifted logs to reveal cool and dark spaces perfect for moisture-loving amphibians, the latter usually overlooked until the top ‘hood’ of the central tubular leaf was lifted to reveal contrasting green and purple stripes and a purple stalk in the middle. A few years ago one I heard one student describe this stalk as a “tongue,” and ever since then I haven’t been able to look at a Jack-in-the-Pulpit without imagining that it might suddenly start speaking to me or launch into song.

Education & Program Updates

by Elena Santos, Education Coordinator

MCS Innovation Fund:

Readers may remember from the Spring Ridgeline my reflections on the newly piloted funding process for Mettawee Community School (MCS) students. Chris and I have had the opportunity to work with our first grant applicants, the 5th grade classes, whose proposals were for student operated school gardens. The 5th graders formed groups and collaborated to write their proposals, create slideshow presentations, and pitch their presentations to the Education Team at Merck Forest. We are excited to announce that funding has been awarded to (insert group name here). This group has planned a small garden protected by a gated fence and has created a weekly sign up sheet for classmates and parents to make sure the garden is cared for all summer.

Elena’s Roving Interp:

As of Memorial Day weekend I have transitioned to my summer role as roving interpreter. In the last two weeks I have hiked around the Discovery, Farm, and Wildlife Trails chatting with visitors. Some visitors I have had the pleasure of meeting on their first visit to Merck Forest, and others were seasoned visitors who excitedly shared their plans to return. In this time I have also facilitated two Sunday Meet and Feeds alongside our farm manager, Hadley. The weather has been beautiful with temperate, breezy, sunny days welcoming visitors. Stay tuned for details about all ages programming on upcoming Saturdays through August!

Game of Logging & SOLO Wilderness First Aid

By Chris Hubbard, Education Director

The rev of chainsaws could be heard over the past few weeks here at Merck Forest as those with little to no experience in handling a chainsaw learned the basics, while those whose skills were much more advanced gained the skills necessary to safely tackle more challenging situations such as storm-damaged trees. Each year we partner with Northeast Woodland Training Center, based in Middletown Springs, Vermont, to provide chainsaw safety courses, during which participants can become certified in industry-recognized training. This year, with classes filled to capacity - 37 participants participated in 6 classes ranging from Basic Use and Safety to Game of Logging Level 4, with many participants taking multiple levels of training.

We also partnered once again with SOLO Schools based in Conway, New Hampshire, to offer Wilderness First Aid (WFA). This industryrecognized professional development course provides participants with training in backcountry first aid skills and CPR. A class of 15 participants gained certification in WFA, providing them with the knowledge to address many backcountry emergencies and provide first aid when needed.

New Faces

Meet Tyler Hughes, Recreation Tech

My name is Tyler Hughes and this is my second summer working as a Merck Forest’s recreation technician. I work Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as a second job. You might see me driving around on the weekends! My passions include trail work, skiing and mountain biking.

Meet Rick Lawrence, Working Lands Operations

Rick has been a volunteer over the years at Merck Forest - cooking sausage at pancake breakfast, parking cars and helping with chores. He is happy to be part of the land management team this summer - repairing, rebuilding, roofing, mowing, and putting to good use all the skills he has acquired as a farmer and business owner.

Meet Mike Stock, Working Lands Operations

I have a degree from Paul Smith’s College in Urban Tree Management. My wife Hadley and I have lived in the area for 20 years and have 3 children. I love the outdoors, chainsaws, sugaring, and working hard! I’m excited to be joining the crew at Merck Forest.

This summer, MFFC be collaborating with the Student Conservation Association, Mawah Environmental Volunteer Organization, and Vermont Youth Conservation Corps to provide residential opportunities for young adults to gain valuable experience in the forest and on the farm through service learning. Participants will be coming from New York City, northern New Jersey, and all around Vermont respectively. While at Merck Forest these groups will be learning about trail design, assessment and maintenance, light carpentry, farm and forest management, and invasive species removal.

at Merck Forest & Farmland Center

Meet Amy Capman, Field Educator Summer Session

Amy Capman came to Vermont from Cleveland, OH in 1991 to attend Green Mountain College in Poultney and has lived in the state ever since. For 16 years she was an Instructional Assistant grades K-6, and for the last 5 years owned and operated a registered daycare out of her home. Merck Forest and Farmland Center has always been a favorite destination for her 3 boys as they have grown up and she is now eager to begin her new role as Field Educator for this Summer Season.

Meet Ali Millette, Camp Counselor

I am a junior at Arlington Memorial High School. I enjoy camping with my family, hiking, snowboarding, and biking. This is my second year with the Merck Forest Summer Camp. I had fun meeting new people last year and being outdoors. I look forward to spending another summer with the Merck Forest Family.

Meet Brantley Stock, Camp Counselor

Hi! My name is Brantley, and I’ll be a camp counselor at Merck Forest this summer. I’m sixteen years old and just completed my freshman year of high school at Long Trail School. I am the oldest of three, and we live on a farm where we all pitch in to help our parents run the operation. I have been riding horses for as long as I can remember. I have my own horse that I’m excited about getting to ride this summer. I’m also really looking forward to working at Merck this summer as a counselor and getting to work outside!

Building the Farm Plan at Merck Forest

By Hadley Stock, Farm Manager

A good Farm Plan is the foundation that any good farm is built on. It is a step-by-step tutorial that identifies the core principles of the farm, providing a “North Star” by which to navigate. It guides decision making and goal setting. If the Farm Plan is the foundation, the farmer and farm team are the framework – walls, floors and ceilings – which form the farm’s structure. And to complete the analogy, the community that supports the farm is the roof that ties all things together, and makes the whole a dwelling, enabling the enterprise to stand up to unpredictable challenges and storms.

A Farm Plan is clean, simple and clear. But then . . . there is the reality of farming, which is – to put it mildly – very rarely clean, clear or simple. There are no straight lines, nothing is cut and dry, and it is not very easy. Farming is working with nature, and nature does not care about a farmer’s plans, so the ability to adapt a Farm Plan to the will of nature is a critical skill. A good farmer can keep the “Where” and ‘Why” in sight while keeping the farm on track to meeting the Plan’s goals, even when circumstances introduce a new course.

Our Farm Plan is still a work in progress, and it is something which cannot be rushed. Our Northstar – the “Where” and “Why” – is already in place: we focus on farming in a way that promotes the health of our farm’s ecosystems, and engages and inspires our visitors.

The Team

What remains to be developed is the map for “How” to achieve our goals. As I work my way through my first field season at MFFC, I record everything that is happening on the farm, making an inventory of the steps it will take to advance our goals. There is not often a straight line leading from point A to point B; there are a lot of twists and turns, plenty of backtracking and (so far) one notebook full of reminders to do things a little differently next season. My notes and records will guide me in building better, more efficient and beneficial systems for next season. I learn from every element:

• What grasses the sheep like to graze on and what ones they don’t like;

• What direction the water runs off the hills in a rainstorm;

There’s not much that can’t be fixed, built, mowed, cut, milled or mended by our team of Mike, Dylan and Rick – they’re among the most talented guys I know, and I’m convinced that the improvements happening at MFFC would not happen without them.

And my wonderful children, Brantley, Amelia and Creighton, pitch in to keep the dream alive. They may very well decide to be anything but farmers someday, but for now they are farmers because they are the children of farmers. After school they come up to the farm to help me catch chickens or set fences or take on any other task that goes quicker with a few more sets of hands.

• How long does it take to prune the blueberry bushes; and most importantly

• What do our visitors have to say, what animals excite them, how do they interact with the land, buildings, animals and our infrastructure.

Along the way I have discovered that I can be more flexible, bend a little more to accept the “how it’s going to be’s” and the chaos that nature throws my way. My personal objective is to complete daily tasks with the long goals in mind, caring for this beautiful land, and doing all that I can do to give back to it, and

Being Flexible

I wasn’t planning on lambs in February but some of the ewes were, and nothing I could do would stop them from coming. So we improvised, making a safe and cozy space for them to come into the world. And as it turns out, early lambs can be a good thing during a somewhat quiet time on the farm: the early babies drew a lot of excited visitors out to the farm who might not have come otherwise.

maintain it so that the land will continue to give to the community that loves Merck Forest and Farmland Center so much. With the Farm Plan as our structure, a skilled team in place, and the support of the community to tie everything together, the job of a MFFC farmer is, in my opinion, the best job a person could ask for.

New Addition to the Livestock

We have introduced some new animals to the farm this season to help add nutrients to the soil and help grow grass without using synthetic fertilizers and inputs:

You may have already met Cow Cow. My family’s milk cow has been a great addition to our livestock, and I love seeing the reactions of our guests when they see her. She’ll be going back to our family farm in a few months when she is ready to have her calf, so be sure to come say hello to her before the summer ends.

Cow Cow grazes with the sheep, cleaning up the grasses that the sheep skip over. Cows are less picky eaters than sheep and make the pasture more evenly grazed while adding to the nutrient cycle. After Cow Cow moves with the sheep to a new pasture, our ginger broiler meat birds work the first pasture, scratching the ground, cleaning up further and adding their own nitrogen-rich fertilizer to the soil.

Event lookback: Meet the Lambs 2022

Meet the Fleet

by Dylan Durkee, Fleet & Facilities Manager

As most people know, if they have ever been up to MFFC, our terrain is different than most places. Merck has an incredible forest, hiking trails, farm and location for other recreational activities - however, it is a different beast altogether to maintain. Most people see the view and landscape and stand in awe of its beauty -as I do- but to work on this land is very difficult with its steep slopes, high winds and snow that always adds up to be more than any surrounding land. Maintaining it all is a challenge but a challenge I like, especially with the new equipment that has been added to our fleet.

Lawn Mowers:

Altoz 766i (tracked mower) This mower allows us to mow wet lands , steep inclines and trail mowing.

Mean Green Vanquish this is our fully electrified mower running on NO emissions used on the farm and around the Visitor center

Tractor:

The John Deere 6320 tractor was added within this last year and does many of the demanding jobs around the farm and forest. We are able to use this tractor on the Log forwarder (Metavic). We use it with our snowblower, with our mowing conditioner (mowing hay for our animals), on the brush hog and for many other jobs. What makes this tractor so useful is the ease of operation and the cab that keeps you dry,warm and out of the harsh environment.

Metavic Log forwarder:

This piece of equipment is used for hauling firewood logs out of the woods to our landing and for hauling logs to the portable mill to be processed into lumber. We have had this Forwarder for around 3 years and it already has brought out around 250 cords of firewood and thousands of board feet in lumber. This piece is essential for our forestry operation.

Kubota 057-5 excavator:

Most people at Merck Forest can see the terrain but rarely do they see what is below and I can tell you from experience there is a lot of rock. This excavator helps us with ditching and foresty work. This machine makes heavy work look easy.

When you’re at MFFC make sure to stop by the shop, I would love to talk more about our fleet and operations!

Connected Taconics: Project Update

by Tim Duclos, Conservation Ecologist - Special Projects

In recent Ridgelines, you have likely read about MFFC’s efforts to inspire landowners in the conservation of the 42,000-acre forest block located between the towns of Rupert, Dorset, Manchester, Arlington and Sandgate. If not, see the the Spring 2019 and Summer 2021 Ridgelines at merckforest.org.

Thanks to support from the High Meadows Fund, Merck Forest is continuing work beyond its borders to advocate for, and bring awareness toward, the need for intact forests and connected landscapes in the Taconic to Green Mountain corridor. This season we are offering free 1:1 landowner consultations, workshops, and are further enriching our online presence- Connectedtaconics.org- with new resources, citizen science opportunities, interactive maps, and stories of demonstrative land management efforts and exploration within the block. We are also initiating a camera trap study of animal movements at suspected wildlife crossing hotspots- areas where this block connects with its neighbors.

If you live within the forest block and would like to receive a free consult with a natural resource professional, please visit the Connectedtaconics.org. We are also seeking landowners willing to host a game camera on their lands abutting route(s) 315, 30, 7A, and 313 at select locations. If you are interested in becoming involved, we would love to hear from you: Email tim@merckforest.org.

Hudson Carbon Update

by Ted Koch, Hudson Carbon

Merck Forest and Farmland Center and Hudson Carbon have partnered to conduct research into the value of forest ecosystems and develop methods to quantify clean air, clean water, and habitat for culturally and biologically significant plant and animal species that they provide. Using forest surveys and drone images taken throughout the year, HC aims to create a program that uses artificial intelligence to identify the species and physical characteristics of trees within the forest. By correlating these data sets with holistic evaluations of understory plant health and the locations of key bird species, researchers hope to enhance our understanding of the interactions between forest composition and overall ecosystem health.

Hudson Carbon has also installed water level monitoring stations within the forest along small stream branches to understand the relationships between trees and the soil in which they grow and how they can affect storm surges and water retention. This can help stewards predict the impact of management activities within the forest on downstream flooding and erosion as climate change impacts our weather systems, leading to greater swings between drought and flooding and testing the resilience of our natural and manmade systems here in the Northeast. Additionally, data from soil cores collected within the forest and on the farm will be paired with the tree identification data collected by UAV and a machine learning program to create a statistically rigorous map of above and below ground carbon storage, showing the climate benefits of preserving an ecosystem such as the one at MFFC’s.

Daniel Kauffman and Ted Koch are conducting this research. Hudson Carbon is an on-farm soil laboratory that studies how organic regenerative farming can maximize carbon capture and restore ecosystems. HC is excited to be applying their research methodologies to forestland at Merck Forest this year.

Screenshot from Google Earth displaying the extent of the 42,000-acre forest block located between Rupert, Dorset, Manchester, Arlington, and Sandgate.

Book Review: A Sideways Look at Clouds and Cloud Dance

By Chris Hubbard, Education Director

There is one location at Merck Forest that consistently draws our attention, and with it, conversations about our connectivity to those far away from us. An unassuming spot located up by our blueberries, it’s at the crest of the hill where the land slopes in two directions, a watershed divide directing the flow of water toward the Atlantic Ocean via either the Batten Kill to the west or the Mettawee to the east. We often talk about how what we do on this mountainside has the ability to impact those who live downstream from us. The precipitation that falls tends to come from the west, across Lake Ontario and the southern Adirondack Mountains, transported as clouds. But how much do we actually know about those masses of water vapor that skim over Merck Forest, which at times can quickly envelope us in a misty cloak?

I recently discovered A Sideways Look at Clouds, by Maria Mudd Ruth, and was intrigued after a quick skim of the book. A former researcher and editor for National Geographic, Ruth focuses on natural history topics for both adults and children. Her experience of moving from sunny southern California to foggy Olympia, Washington, and then encountering a poster of various cloud formations, made her realize that she did not really know what a cloud was and set the stage for her research.

Ruth delves into the intricacies of clouds over ten chapters, each which begins with the definition she created after researching numerous definitions for the word cloud: “A cloud is a visible mass of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the earth.” Each chapter focuses, in order, on the bolded words. She takes us along on her exploration of clouds, with a blend of personal stories, easy-to-understand scientific explanations, and a dose of humor thrown in for good measure. You’ll come away with a better understanding of the science of clouds, as well as added appreciation for them.

Merck Forest is a fantastic place to cloud-watch. Settling on the Sap House deck, an expansive vista opens to the west, and clouds can be observed from miles away as they make their way over the southern Adirondacks toward Merck. I can guarantee, you won’t be disappointed with the show the clouds have to offer.

While A Sideways Look at Clouds is an adult read, Cloud Dance by Thomas Locker offers the younger set an introduction to the world of clouds. Locker’s illustrations, painted in the Hudson River School tradition, with short, poetic text, show the range of cloud formations, from low lying stratus to high cirrus clouds. A scientific note at the back of the book, including an illustration, answers some questions children may have about clouds, and accompanying activities provide additional engagement for curious kids.

Check with our Visitor Center and/or your local bookstore for availability of these books.

Greetings from the Visitor Center

by Stephanie Breed, Visitor Center Coordinator Coordinator

The Friends of the Forest store has a multitude of guidebooks for all ages and interests.

We carry the National Audubon Society series on butterflies, wildflowers, mammals, birds, insects & spiders and reptiles & amphibians. The Pocket Naturalist Guides offer an array of information on many topics. Learn how to tie knots, forage for wild edible plants and identify Vermont trees and wildflowers. The Golden Guide are mini books which are helpful in the field. The Peterson Guides for the Young Naturalist have beautiful photographs and drawings. The Take-Along Guide series is delightfully organized by animal groups.Young readers can learn about snakes,salamanders and lizards or rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks. We have a pocket guide on identifying ferns and a waterproof guide on tracks and scat.

Are Statistics Boring?

by Marybeth Leu, Communications Coordinator

If the statistics are boring, you’ve got the wrong numbers.

(Edward Tufte, Yale University)

As the keeper of membership records at MFFC, I deal in zip codes, email addresses, donation records and membership expiration dates, updating and synchronizing multiple disparate database systems. It could all be a little dry … if I were to lose sight of the context to which all these numbers relate: that our 700 or so members are a community who cherish Merck Forest & Farmland Center’s mission and continued existence.

For example, statistically, our members are spread across 28 states, the Province of Quebec, and the United Kingdom. Many, of course, are Vermonters, but 22% are New Yorkers and 22% are non-Vermont New Englanders, many of whom travel for hours to enjoy the serenity of a stay in one of our mountain cabins, or the rich aroma of maple steam during sugaring.

The members of one family in Ohio grew up camping at Merck, and the third generation is now enjoying the tradition; another supporter from Utah is a stalwart conservationist with ties to the Merck family.

Another telling statistic is the longevity of our members. Of our approximately 700 current members, 130 have supported us since the 1980’s and ‘90’s and another 81 first joined in the first decade of this century. Folks commit themselves to MFFC because they value the mission. We’re still welcoming members – 62 joined for the first time in 2022, and it’s only June! These folks will start their own traditions here and will shape the future of Merck Forest & Farmland Center.

Whether you’ve been a member since 1987 or you’re just coming on board, we’re glad that you are part of our community and we look forward to including you in our programs and welcoming you to a weekend in a rustic cabin. Know that you are more than just a number to us!

Get to know MFFC Team:

What do we think of when we think of Merck Forest?

Cooking With Lard

Compiled by Cara Davenport, Education Manager; Kathyrn Lawrence, Assistant Director; and Hadley Stock, Farm Manager

What is lard?

Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig. Lard has been used as a cooking fat for centuries but fell out of favor when hydrogenated vegetable shortening was invented in the early 20th century.

The difference between lard and vegetable shortening is that lard is pure animal fat and shortening is made of vegetable oil. When vegetable shortening was invented it was very appealing because it was affordable and shelf stable. It could be used in place of lard with very similar results. Shortening behaves in the same way as lard in baking, producing flaky layers; however it does not provide the same flavor and richness as lard.

Lard can be rendered by steaming, boiling or dry heat. Rendering is the process used to extract the lard from fatty tissue. To perform rendering, the tissue, or meat is cooked slowly until the fat turns into a melted liquid. The liquid fat can be separated from the solids by straining through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, cooled, refrigerated and used for cooking. Rendering is easy to do at home, only requiring a fatty cut of pork or leaf lard and a dependable pot. Leaf lard is a special type of lard that comes from a leaf shaped portion of fat around the pig’s kidneys. It is considered the choicest lard and is softer and creamier than that of other types of lard. Leaf lard has a smooth consistency and is commonly used for baking.

When used sparingly, lard is not worse for you than other cooking fats. Cooking with lard has many benefits and more chefs are choosing lard over other traditional cooking oils or shortening.

Nutritional benefits of lard include:

• Lard contains no trans fats, which makes it a healthier option that hydrogenated fats

• Lard has less saturated fat and cholesterol than butter

• Lard contains healthy monounsaturated fats

• Lard has a high smoke point making it deal for frying

Lard is as versatile as any other cooking fat and can be used for roasting, grilling, sautéing, frying and baking. In its solid form it can be used just like butter or shortening and added to baking recipes. Use a small amount to grease a pan or add it by the cupful to your cast iron skillet for deep frying. It can even be spread on toast!

Lard Pie Crust Recipe (makes enough dough for 3 double-crust pies)

Ingredients

5 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 pound lard

1 large egg, beaten slightly

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

½ to 1 cup ice water

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and the salt. Using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers, cut the lard into the flour mixture until coarse, pea-sized lumps form.

2. In a small bowl, stir the egg and vinegar. Add enough ice water to make 1 cup. Slowly pour into the lard mixture, stirring as you go. Continue to stir with a fork until it comes together in a ball. You may need to drizzle in a little more ice water.

3. Using your hands, gently press the dough together into a ball and divide into three pieces. Press each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Roll out the dough and bake the crust according to the directions in your recipe. Each dough ball will make one double-crust pie.

Thick Maple Blueberry Tart •Recipe adapted from Full of Plants

Ingredients

CRUST

1 and 1/2 cup (150g) oat flour

1/2 cup (50g) almond flour

5 tbsp (75ml) coconut oil, softened

2 tbsp (30ml) maple syrup

1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

Ingredients

FILLING

3 cups (around 400g) fresh blueberries

¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup

11/2 tsp agar powder

3 tbsp (24g) cornstarch dissolved 3 tbs water

½ tsp vanilla extract

Summer Produce Quiche

Ingredients

½ of one dough ball from lard pie crust recipe (above)

6 eggs

½ cup milk or cream

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded OR crumbled goat cheese

1 cup corn kernels

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped finely

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour with the almond flour. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix using a wooden spoon until well combined. Keep mixing using your hands until it forms a soft and slightly sticky dough. If the dough appears too dry, add 1-2 tbsp of coconut oil.

3. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie baking dish. Using your hands, press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the dish. You can use a glass to flatten the bottom. Note: This dough cannot be rolled out, you have to shape it directly into the dish. Prick the dough a few times with a fork to prevent it from rising in the oven.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the baking dish.

5. To make the filling: place the blueberries, maple syrup, and agar in a medium-size saucepan. Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the blueberries start to pop. Use a spatula to slightly mash them.

6. Dilute the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of water and add it to the saucepan. Heat for another 1-2 minutes or until the blueberry filling slightly thickens. Stir in the vanilla extract and remove from heat.

7. Pour into the empty crust, and spread evenly. Let cool at room temperature for about one hour before transferring to the refrigerator.

8. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before eating. The filling will thicken as it cools. Serve fresh with vanilla ice cream, or as is!

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Prepare a pie dish with ½ of one of the dough balls from the above pie crust recipe, rolling it out, pressing in, crimping the edges, and pricking bottom of the crust with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes and then let cool while assembling the rest of the ingredients

3. Whisk together eggs and milk/cream, along with a pinch of salt and pepper

4. Add vegetables and basil to egg mixture and mix briefly

5. Pour half of the egg/vegetable mixture into the crust, spread half of the cheddar cheese in a layer on top, then repeat with the remaining egg mixture and cheese.

6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the egg is set and the top of the quiche is slightly puffed and golden brown.

Upcoming Events

Summer family and adult programs

Register for family programs at www.merckforest.org/product/family-programs/ Due to the low cost of these programs, refunds are not available, unless the event is canceled by MFFC.

Visit merckforest.org for an updated schedule of events.

Meet & Feed

Sunday afternoons May 22 -Sept 4, 3pm - 4:30pm & Thursday afternoons June 30 - August 18

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.

$5/pp, 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 ecologyfocused 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

Families explore and search the forest for fungi. Families should bring baskets to gather mushrooms in. Limited avaiblity, register online.

$10/pp

Mushroom ID for Adults

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

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. Currently sold out and have waiting lists. Check online for avaiblity.

$10/pp

Volunteer Saturdays

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.

Harvest Festival

Saturday, September 17, 10am - 2pm

Join us for an autumn celebration of forests and timber at MFFC! Explore the woods, see our timber processing equipment, and learn about all they ways that trees and forests are part of our lives. Forest-focused activities for the whole family. $3/pp requested donation at the door.

Summer Day Camps for Kids

Let’s get your children outside to explore the natural world with fun introductions to the various ecosystems of Merck Forest. Our popular summer kids’ camps are mostly full, but there are spots in the following camps. See full descriptions on the website at www.merckforest.org/events/

7/11-15 • 3 spots/Field & Forest Camp: Rising 4th, 5th, 6th Graders

7/18-22 • 1 spot/Aqua Camp: Rising 4th, 5th, 6th Graders

8/1-5 • 3 spots/Dragonfilies/Cattails Camp

Save the Date for...

9/3/22 • Pollinator Workshop - Monarchs!

10/8/22 • Outside Fairy House Workshop

10/15/22 • Twilight on the Mountain - special event for all members

12/3/22 • Holiday Wreath Workshop

12/7/22 • Full Moon Hike

Full details on website!

Advancement Notes

Trustee Transitions

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.

Sam Schneski is stepping off the MFFC Board of Trustees this summer, where he has served since 2016. Born and raised in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Sam attended the University of Maine Orono, worked as a carpenter in Colorado and then was hired as the Forest Manager at Merck Forest and Farmland Center in 2000. While at Merck from 2000-2003, Sam met his wife Laurie (Snyder) Schneski - who was working on the farm at the time. Sam learned crucial skills and developed professionally and personally, gaining experience in chainsaw training, logging, forestry, sugaring, the art of supervision, and most of all teamwork. Sam worked on the sugarhouse build (material logging, milling, and building), sugarbush expansion, parking lot expansion, trail building, marking, and administering a shelter wood timber sale, road maintenance with the bulldozer, field clearing/reclamation, view clearing, and cabin building, to name a few. He then obtained a Master of Science degree in Forestry at UMass Laurie went on to Tufts Veterinary School. Sam is now the Windham County Forester, as well as the supervisor of the other 3 southern Vermont County Foresters for the State of Vermont, and Laurie is a practicing veterinarian and owner of the Brattleboro Veterinary clinic in Brattleboro. They live in Guilford, VT with daughters Genevieve “Genny” and Rosalie “Rosie”.

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.

“Through my job as County Forester I have been able to continue honing the skills I learned while working at Merck. I have my own small scale sugaring business and work with sugarmakers throughout southern Vermont. I am one of two Vermont Forestry Department Staff Chainsaw Trainers. I also work with various forestry-based non-profits and enjoy putting together timber sales for a handful of towns and continue working with loggers and private foresters through Vermont’s Use Value Appraisal Program. Merck Forest has shaped who I am, what I believe in, and most importantly led to my meeting my wife and mother of our wonderful children.”

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

Sam will continue to serve on the MFFC Program Committee as an Advisor. Thanks for your service Sam!

Jill Perry Balzano is an educator, writer, and farmer from Pawlet, Vermont. She holds an undergraduate degree in English and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of New Hampshire. Jill has spent twenty years balancing education, writing, and farming: first as an English teacher writing and farming during the summers, then as a farmer running marketing and communications and teaching part time. After managing her family’s farm business, Walnut Hill Farm, for several years, Jill shifted back to education as the director of communications at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont. She enjoys helping out in her community at the Mettawee Community School and with the Pawlet Scholarships Committee--and she loves doing everything with her two children Leo and Julian, including reading, hiking, biking, and especially farm work alongside her husband Rico.

Northshire Grown: Direct

Huge Thanks to our Northshire Farmers and Community

This appeared in June issues of the Manchester Journal and the Bennington Banner.

In April 2020, as Covid-19 blanketed the region and the Pandemic started in earnest, a local food project was launched in DorsetNorthshire Grown: Direct. This “single point of contact” food purchasing platform provided a way for area residents to support farmers and food producers while accessing products in a safe, manageable way. The project tested the concept of “direct to consumer” sales at scale and more importantly strengthened our community through nourishment during an uncertain time filled with anxiety and isolation.

Northshire Grown: Direct has impacted the region in many ways - our farmers have explored a new market channel, our customers have had expanded access to healthy, fresh foods and our neighbors in need have been sustained thanks to the generosity of customers and farmers alike. Farm business viability has been made stronger, as has consumer education about the power of local food systems. Our regional foodshed and our Northshire community has grown, one box at a time.

Thank you Northshire farmers and food producers - for your partnership, for your willingness to feed our community in a new format, for your pluck, fortitude, creativity and dedication to your work. We have loved every minute of working with you all. Producers include Clearbrook Farm, Dutchess Farm, Duttons Farmstead, Earth Sky Time Community Farm, Laughing Child Farm, Mighty Food Farm, Yoder Farm. Dairy producers include Gammelgarden Creamery, North Meadow Farm, Larson Farm and Middletown Farm. Pasture raised meats suppliers include Deep Roots Farm, Levy Lamb, Mountbrook Farm, Someday Farm and Walnut Hill Farm among others. Key value added producers include Mettowee Valley Maple, Tall Cat Coffee, Vermont Fresh Pasta and Maplebrook Farm. A full list of participants can be found at northshiregrown.com.

Deep appreciation and gratitude goes out to the many people and organizations who have made Northshire Grown: Direct work. Special thanks to Merck Forest & Farmland Center for providing administrative support; to JK Adams, Dorset Players, Dorset Playhouse and Dorset Marble House Project for being such welcoming, wonderful host sites; to Dorset Union Store, Duttons Farmstand and Food Connects for assistance with procurement.

People, however, have made the magic happen. Mara Hearst, Heidi Lynn and Maria Reade have acted as the super glue behind the machine. Marilyn Brockway, Misty Castellano, Michelle Flett, Karin Karol, Marsha Key, Susan Romano and Jennifer Taylor among others have made countless pickups as well as helping with packing and distribution at markets. To you all, thank you so much for your amazing volunteerism, assistance and enthusiasm in making everything hum. Heidi and Maria, these markets wouldn’t have happened without you.

Community connectors distributed NG:D boxes to families in need of extra food support - Battenkill Community Health Center, Dorset Church, Mettawee Community School, Peru Congregational Church, Rupert Food Pantry, Smokey House Center. Their dedication to their work and their customers is inspirational.

Northshire Grown: Direct markets will take a break this summer to allow local venues to take center stage - farmers markets, farm stands, independent groceries and farms. A map of regional farms can be found at northshiregrown.com. Visit and support them!

Our area’s food shed is amazing. We are lucky to live in such a fertile, productive place. Look for a local food promotion campaign via social media and online at northshiregrown.com this summer. And get out there and take advantage of everything our diverse and delicious farm and food region has to offer. Buy local, enjoy local!

Liz Ruffa, Project Director Northshire Grown: Direct, a project of Merck Forest & Farmland Center