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!