Behind the Pages

Photographer Sally Farr took this image of Anna Morris (Knots & Bolts: “How to Make an Owl Box,” page 18) and Aurora, a male barn owl, during a photography workshop at Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS). “I had just handed Aurora a small piece of mouse as a reward for sitting calmly in front of all those big cameras, and he had his wings spread for balance in his excitement about this,” explained Morris. She serves as the director of onsite and outreach programs at VINS and has worked with Aurora, an “education ambassador,” for the past seven years. The owl was captive-bred at Hawk Creek Wildlife Center in western New York as part of a conservation breeding program aimed at bolstering wild barn owl populations.

Approximately 50 people contribute to the words and images in each issue of the magazine. Here are some of our Winter 2023 contributors.

From left: Jack Beaudoin, Ben DeFlorio, Jen Weimer, and Jenna Woginrich.

Jack Beaudoin (Lessons in Wood, page 50) lives in Stonington, Maine, where he writes about Maine’s heritage industries and natural resources. Over the past three decades, he’s worked as a beat reporter, statehouse correspondent, columnist, and editorial page editor for several of Maine’s daily newspapers. His work has also appeared in Habitat, Fast Company, React, and The Maine Monitor. “Lessons in Wood” is his fourth piece for Northern Woodlands. Photo by Felicite Beaudoin.

Ben DeFlorio (Sugaring with Brookfield Bees, page 60) is a Vermont-based photographer who covers a wide variety of assignments for news, commercial, institutional, nonprofit, performance arts, wedding, and portrait clients. If he isn’t taking pictures, he is probably out for a run or eating tacos with his daughter. You can learn more about his work here. Photo by Isabel DeFlorio.

Jen Weimer (Knots & Bolts: “The Battle to Save Hemlock,” page 26) is a freelance writer, photographer, and natural resources consultant living in a cabin in the woods of New Hampshire. She has a diverse background with more than 20 years of experience working in forestry and forest health for state and federal agencies. Her favorite things to photograph are trees, fungi, and insects, and she’s a frequent contributor to The Outside Story. You can also find her @pinefortrees wherever you are social. Photo by Stormy Gleason.

Jenna Woginrich (A Place in Mind, page 80) is a writer, farmer, and falconer living in upstate New York. She’s the author of six books, mostly dedicated to her experiences learning to homestead from scratch. She’s still farming and raises pork, lamb, and chicken on her mountain farm where she has finally learned to turn around three times and lie down. Learn more here. Photo courtesy of Jenna Woginrich.