Blog and News

Melody Starya Mobley was the first Black female forester hired by the U.S. Forest Service, where she worked for 28 years. She was also the first Black woman to graduate with a B.S. in forest…

Ted Levin is a zoologist, photographer, and award-winning author. His essays have appeared in publications including Audubon, The New York Times, Sierra, and Sports Illustrated. He is the…

Alicia Daniel is a naturalist and educator in Burlington, Vermont. She is the founder and director of Vermont Master Naturalist, has taught at the University of Vermont in the Field Naturalist…

Heath Bunnell has worked in the woods since he was a kid, stacking wood and tagging along with his father and grandfather, although as a young man, he briefly lived in Alaska, working longline…

Todd Davis is the author of eight full-length collections of poetry, including his most recent collection Ditch Memory: New & Selected Poems (Michigan State University Press, 2024). He has…

Nigel Manley is an avid outdoorsman, single malt whiskey connoisseur, and soccer referee for local schools. In his long career with the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests…

Our pollinator garden is official! We applied to a UMaine and UNH Extension program to have our garden certified as “pollinator-friendly.” We met the criteria and received our…

As kids, Jay and James Clarke traveled to state fairs and jobsites with their father and his portable sawmill. The twin brothers bought their first mill together as teenagers and settled into…

Mary Holland is a Vermont-based author, naturalist, and photographer. She has written numerous books for children and adults, including the perennially popular Naturally Curious: A…

Between our Autumn Open House and Upper Valley Thrives, it has been an eventful couple of weeks for our new pollinator garden. We had a wonderful time toasting our 30th anniversary with…

Joy Grannis grew up playing in the woods around her family’s Downeast Maine homestead. Although she has always loved art and creating, it wasn’t until middle school that Joy…

We’re pleased to name Meghan McCarthy McPhaul as the next editor of Northern Woodlands magazine. Meghan first wrote for us over a decade ago and has worked on the editorial staff since…

Susie Spikol is a naturalist, writer, and communities program director at the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock, New Hampshire. She is the recipient of New Hampshire’s…

Rodney Elmer has been chasing game through the forests of Vermont – and beyond – since he was a kid. He’s turned his passion for the woods and hunting into his life’s…

Our native plant pollinator garden continues to bring many challenges and rewards. After some woodchips washed away during heavy rains, we’ve been very much focused on drainage. In…

Pam Hunt grew up in an outdoorsy family in upstate New York. Her first camping outing came at the tender age of six months old, and she continues to enjoy camping and kayaking, always on the…

Clare Walker Leslie is a naturalist, artist, and teacher. She has taught in twenty-nine states and written fifteen books. Her most recent book, How to Look at a Bird: Open Your Eyes to the Joy…

Our native plant pollinator garden has been fully planted and mulched. Just a few tasks remain for the season, including addressing some storm water drainage issues. Many hands have come…

After slight hiccups from high heat and a broken-down truck, we’re making swift progress in our native plant pollinator garden construction. We’ve removed the topsoil, installed…

Matthew Nola’s first exposure to the outdoors was on the beaches of Long Island, New York, where he spent his earliest years. When his family moved to Starksboro, Vermont, however, he…