After this issue of the magazine goes to print, I’m looking forward to some quiet time outdoors. I suspect many people feel as I do right now – weary of news of any kind, and eager to step back from the divisions of the moment and reflect on the year. I plan to spend a few days in the woods, accompanied only by my dog. Maybe I’ll find new insights. Maybe she’ll find a grouse or two.
Before that, there is one sentiment that I want to express, although it feels wildly inadequate: Thank you.
Thank you, first, to our readers, for your love of the woods and seemingly endless curiosity. One of you recently told me that although your job involves aspects of forest stewardship, your previous education doesn’t align with your work, and Northern Woodlands magazine serves as your ongoing “college.” What an apt description. I’m continuously learning from this magazine too.
Thank you to everyone who has shared our work with others – especially those who have given gift subscriptions – a great way to support this nonprofit! In the past half year, we’ve witnessed a modest increase in print circulation, and a whopping 710,000-plus new people have visited our website for the first time. It’s especially gratifying to hear from teachers, parents, and other caretakers of children who are using our materials to help get kids outside and connected to local nature.
Thank you to our advertisers. This magazine wouldn’t be whole without pages that speak to the economic activity that sustains rural communities and subsidizes so much forest stewardship work. Many of the companies, organizations, and individuals who advertise in these pages are doing so in part to support our educational mission. We’re grateful for their help, and I encourage readers to take a hard look at their products and services.
Thank you to our charitable contributors. It says a lot about our community that in a year when traditional revenue sources such as events were unavailable, individual gifts softened the blow by exceeding previous year sums. Many of these gifts were from first-time donors. On page 72 we acknowledge those who supported the nonprofit in our past fiscal year, which ended September 30.
Thank you to our creative contributors, especially our columnists, artist and illustrator Adelaide Murphy Tyrol, designer Lisa Cadieux, and copyeditor Marisa Crumb. In addition to providing consistently excellent work, they’ve rolled with the punches this year with such grace and goodwill. Thanks, too, to Ted Levin, for his patient answers to my phenology questions.
And finally, thank you to our remarkable volunteer board of directors and to the Northern Woodlands staff. I had ambitions of showing a photo of the staff together – perhaps roasting marshmallows around a volcano, as a 2020 grand finale? But group photos are tricky in present circumstances, and I’m pleased to report the total absence of backyard lava. Instead, I’m including a favorite image from 2018: colleagues Emily Rowe and Dan Lambert, adjusting the sign in front of our office on a snowy day.
May your winter be bright! Forward to 2021.