The first time I met most of the CNWE board of directors was at a summer board retreat at Seyon Lodge in Groton, Vermont. Arriving late at night, I ignored the printed directions in favor of Google Maps and ended up lodging my car along an impassable cross-country ski trail. Board members sitting by the campfire mistook the distant sounds of the revving engine for a bull moose grunting, and by the time I emerged from the forest on foot, most of them had gone to bed. The next morning, as board member Matt Sampson hauled the car out with his Tacoma, I joked nervously that “This is the first thing we’re working on together as executive director and board member.” Later, at the meeting, Matt complimented my driving skills. Not just anyone, he said, could drive a small car over those rocks in the dark.
I’m relieved to report that subsequent meetings have gone better, and I’ve enjoyed the process of becoming acquainted with many Northern Woodlands readers, writers, and supporters. Poet and longtime friend of the nonprofit Patty Crane recently joined the board, and I met her somewhere I had an easier time finding: the tree farm where I grew up. There, we admired some straight-trunked hardwoods, speculated about Carolina horsenettle, and fretted over invasives. I knew for sure we would get along when, within an hour of meeting, we both took sticks to some scat and considered its contents and origin.
Most Northern Woodlands readers are familiar with the work of Meghan McCarthy McPhaul, as she has written for the magazine for more than a decade and served on the editorial staff since 2020. It’s my privilege to introduce her as the next editor of Northern Woodlands. As associate editor, she has managed the biweekly interview series Community Voices, edited The Outside Story weekly syndicated ecology series, and left her mark for the better on every part of every quarterly print issue of Northern Woodlands. In the editor position, Meghan will help guide the direction of this cherished publication in the time to come.
We have more news to share: This year, we received our first-ever endowment-level gift, from the estate of Joanne M. Pinchard. Mrs. Pinchard and her late husband Richard were longtime subscribers and residents of Mount Vernon, New Hampshire. We’re so grateful for this investment in the nonprofit’s future. Mrs. Pinchard was an avid gardener, and the staff and I look forward to dedicating a bench in the Pinchards’ names in our new pollinator garden.
Mrs. Pinchard’s gift, the principal of which serves as a board-restricted fund, caps the work of the last decade-plus, to shift Northern Woodlands from startup mode to an organization that is more financially steady and able to withstand inevitable downturns. However, we remain a small nonprofit and will continue to work to match limited resources to annual budgets. Starting on page 48, you’ll see a list of people and organizations who have given to Northern Woodlands this fiscal year. This critical support sustains our work, and we deeply appreciate the help.