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Magazine Series

Carving in Place

My father spent our summer vacations woodcarving. He would set up in front of the cottage, right at the water’s edge, with a piece of wood cradled in his lap – or, if it were…


Art Review: Sherrie York

At first look, Sherrie York’s linocut Tern of the Tide is reminiscent of Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic woodcut print The Great Wave (c. 1830). But unlike Hokusai’s piece, York…

The Snapping Turtle

When I was 10 years old, fishing an inlet off the river behind our family’s animal hospital, I caught a snapping turtle of considerable size. At that point in my angling life, I used a…

From the Center

This past winter, my partner and I became first-time owners of forestland – 30 acres of mixed hardwoods dominated by sugar maple on a north-facing ridge in Vershire, Vermont. In the…

Art Review: Sarah Oliphant

“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too), those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” – Charles Darwin The portrait…

Understanding Blacklegged Ticks and the Risk of Lyme Disease

Few things have affected our relationship with the outdoors as much as the surge in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis, often referred to as deer ticks) over the past few decades. Like many…

Spring Saddle Foray

At the height of May’s morel season, I approach a standing dead elm, its loosened gray bark peeling back like partially husked corn. My morel eyes are a point of pride, and somehow it…

Refreshing Your Chainsaw Engine

In the last installment, we conducted a leak check on a chainsaw that had damage to the top end of the engine (piston, rings, and cylinder). Before replacing those components, a leak-down…

Forest Biodiversity

Worldwide, biodiversity is in crisis. Species are disappearing at an estimated 100 to 1,000 times the historical rate, driven primarily by habitat destruction and climate change. According to…

Bombardier Beetles are Explosive Defenders

During a trip with Saint Michael’s College students to Bunratty Castle in Ireland, our guide explained that medieval castle defenders poured scalding liquids on invaders through a…