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Blog and News

Slow Birding with Bridget Butler

Bridget Butler is a naturalist, conservationist, and birder in northern Vermont. With decades of experience in conservation and education, she now serves as the executive director of Friends…

Writing Off-Trail with Sydney Lea

Sydney Lea is a novelist, naturalist, editor, poet, and former professor. He was Vermont’s Poet Laureate from 2011 to 2015 and a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. Among…

Backyard Forestry with Ryan Trapani

Ryan Trapani is the director of the Catskill Forest Association (CFA), a nonprofit which provides forest services and education to 1,100 members. He has worked in forestry and forest…

A Pioneer in Forestry: Melody Starya Mobley

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…

Nature Immersion Inspires Ted Levin

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…

Shining Light on the Places We Live with Alicia Daniel

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…

At Work in the Woods with Heath Bunnell

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…

Writing and Family Connections with Todd Davis

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…

Growing Christmas Trees and Tasting Whiskey with Nigel Manley

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…

A Spooky Garden

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…

Meet the J Team: Jay and James Clarke

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…

Naturally Curious with Mary Holland

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…

Autumn in the Garden

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…

Combining Art & Nature with Joy Grannis

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…

Northern Woodlands Names New Editor

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…

Nature Ignites Susie Spikol’s Imagination

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…

On the Hunt with Rodney Elmer

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…

Runaway Woodchips and Resilience

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…

Learning the Birds with Pam Hunt

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…

Inspiring Curiosity with Clare Walker Leslie

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…