Teaching and demonstrating the benefits of innovative, sustainable management of forest and farmland.

In This IssueIn This Issue

Merck Forest & Farmland Center3270 Route 315PO Box 86Rupert, Vermont 05768p. 802.394.7836

www.merckforest.org

Spring 2012

Note From the Director’s Desk

Welcome

View From the Farm Cabin

Merck’s New Sugarbush

Education Evolving

Features

Note From the Director’s Desk

Calendar

Workshops & Events

By Tom Ward, Executive Director

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Now in the Visitor Center

It may be the “dead of winter,” but I just heard one of the resident barred owls begin the courtship season, hooting to announce his desire. Local owls mate in late winter so that their young can be well fed on the bounteous harvest of young rodents, whose parents are also breeding now. Coincidentally, monarch butterflies, which over-winter at 3300 meters elevation in the Transvolcanic Mountains of Mexico, are beginning to emerge from their seasonal hibernation in anticipation of returning to the northeastern United States and Canada. It takes as many as four generations of these insects to make the trip. Critical information seems to pass from parent to offspring genetically, enabling this years’ progeny to return to the same geographic regions their forebears frequented in years past.

Animals and plants have evolved myriad systems and behaviors that allow them to survive in various conditions. For example, hibernating chipmunks avoid the energy deficits typically encountered during winter in the northeast by entering torpor by lowering their internal temperature to near zero degrees Celsius. Golden-crowned kinglets adapt their feeding behavior to provide enough calories to survive minus thirty degree Celsius nighttime

temperatures by keeping their internal temperature at 41.67 degrees Celsius. Other animals produce chemicals enabling them the “super-cool”; their internal temperature drops below freezing without incurring cell damage. Natural selection leads to adaptations which enable successes to be encoded in the DNA of future generations.

There is much to be learned from the plants and creatures around us though it seems the more I learn, the greater my amazement.

Peace,Tom

Barred Owls usually appear at dusk. Often at the top of Old Town Road, visitors can hear them hooting.

Intern Interview

Recipe from the Lodge

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page 8 After a hiatus of several years Merck Forest and Farmland Center has decided to recommit to keeping in touch with you via our newsletter, the Ridge Line.

We hope to use

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this as a springboard to increase communication with the many people who care so deeply about

our mission to demonstrate sustainable management models for farm and forest land.

Merck invites your feedback and wants to ask as many of you as possible to choose to receive the Ridge Line electronically so we can reduce our expenses—and our carbon footprint. Please email us at “info@merckforest.org” to subscribe for the digital copy.

New Staff Members

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Thank You to Our Contributors

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About Us and Membership

Back by Popular DemandBack by Popular Demand

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Merck’s New SugarbushBy Jack O’Wril, Forester

Now that we are in the throes of spring, everyone at Merck has one thing on their mind—maple sugaring. With the 2012 sugaring season comes some major changes in our operations. The first and biggest change is the location of our sugarbush. Over the past 40 years Merck staff and interns have had to travel two miles out to the heart of the property to reach the sugarbush. Recently we decided our solution to this challenge was to lease out that distant sugarbush to a neighbor, and to create a new one more central to our daily operations, just upslope from the farm.

The area we selected to tap is a very nice potential sugarwoods—meaning it has a lot of sugar maple. After selecting the location, we determined that the forest needed to be thinned before installing a tubing system. The forest stocking was high, which simply means that trees do not have enough room to grow. To change this we marked the trees to be removed by loggers during the winter months when the ground was frozen.

As soon as the loggers finished, Merck staff and interns installed the tubing for the new 3000-tap sugarbush. The next step was to prepare for the new evaporator. After last sugaring season the staff at Merck had unanimously agreed the evaporator was much larger than we needed for our operation, and we selected a new 4’ x 12’ evaporator from Leader Evaporator, which should meet our needs (and gives a little room to grow if we’d like to down the road).

Yes, we have a new sugarbush. And yes, we have a new evaporator. But to us, the real importance of these changes is that we now have a sugaring operation that is appropriately sized, uses less energy to operate, and is in an accessible location where we can easily demonstrate our work.

The 2012 sugaring season has begun, and we at Merck Forest are ready!

It took the staff a week to assemble the new evaporator in the sap house. The smaller set-up will decrease the amount of energy Merck uses to boil sap.

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Interns and staff tapped the trees in the early weeks of March 2012. Above: Winter Intern, Dena Paolilli, puts a tap into a maple.

We are all very excited to welcome Tim Hughes-Muse of Pawlet, VT, as the Farm Programs Manager. He has just the right balance of experience and intellectual curiosity to work with Sarah Ullman, Director of Education, on the development of our inquiry-based educational program. We encourage you to seek him out when you next visit, and he can tell you about his plans for the farm.

Merck is extremely fortunate to have Annette Nielsen of Salem, NY, join us as the point person for communications. She possesses a keen mind, exceptional writing skills and a good sense of how to bring order to this much needed task. You will be able to find her typing away in the Visitor Center.

Welcome to Merck: New Staff Members

Farm Programs Manager Communications Director

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What are the best and most informed decisions we can

make that will help us be better stewards

of the land...?

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Education Evolving

In my five months working at Merck Forest and Farmland Center, I’ve learned many valuable things. The Visitor Center masonry stove is the best place to gather for meetings; boots must always be kept nearby for unexpected adventures; and the concept of sustainability is meaty, complex and always changing. This last lesson has certainly been my greatest one so far.

During Merck’s 60+ years of demonstrating and teaching the public about the sustainable management of forest and farmland, we’ve often changed scope or headed in new directions, but we have stayed committed to discovering how sustainability plays a part in our stewardship of the natural world. What are the best and most informed decisions we can make that will help us be better stewards of the land, the animals and of the audiences we’re trying to reach? It’s not an easy question, but it’s definitely a fun one to tackle! As the new Director of Education, my job is to connect these decisions to the greater purpose of our work: to provide opportunities for visitors to engage with, and learn from, our working landscape.

As I move forward with making these connections, I’ve been keeping in mind the importance of asking questions and determining how our own evolving understanding of sustainability can both inform and be informed by, inquiry-based education. I believe that the development of school programs, internships and community workshops, which encourage questioning and exploring to find answers, allows the impact of our work to spread even further beyond our 3,160 acres. Ultimately, it is my hope that students of all ages will carry

their experiences at Merck back home with them, with an increased awareness of their influence on the natural world and greater investment in the landscapes around them. Please stay tuned to our website as PreK-12, internship and community programs expand and unfold!

By Sarah Ullman, Director of Education

Homeschoolers participate in a wildlife tracking lesson in March. Not only did students learn to identify various tracks, they also walked, hopped, and mimicked patterns of critters’ movements.

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Tim Hughes-Muse, the Farm Programs Manager, teaches one of the interns, Martha Brummitt, how to use the tractor.

- Sarah Ullman

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This book engages and teaches the reader to use nature as a guide for their household landscape designs; how to use earth-friendly materials, rainwater collection systems, attract wildlife to the yard, and much, much more.

Now at the Visitor CenterAs warmer breezes blow across the Merck landscape, and new shoots stick their necks up from the cool soil, many of our visitors are starting to think about their gardens. The Visitor Center has a collection of new books to inspire amateur and seasoned green thumbs alike!

Merck’s Maple Cream

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View From the Farm Cabin: Why is Merck Forest Important?

You don’t have to look very far to begin to find an answer to this question; Aldo Leopold provides an excellent one in his essay The Land Ethic: “We can be ethical only in relation to something we can see, feel, understand, love, or otherwise have faith in.” To me, this quote conveys the idea that if we are close to something, and care deeply for it, we can’t help but treat it ethically.

While there is no shortage of places in Vermont (and the country altogether) for people to connect with the natural world, Merck Forest is one of the few that is free to the public year round, does not have paved roads or traffic, and, even on the busiest days, you can

By Dan Sullivan, Caretaker

While visiting this wonderful place they are seeing and feeling the forest, the farm, the warm sun, the tall grass, the spring rain, the cold snow, the hard wind. They are developing an understanding of the natural world by finding answers to questions they have, or by pondering new questions. They fall in love with the fresh air, the autumn foliage, the wild and domestic animals, the smell of wood smoke, the sound of singing birds, the squish of mud and the crunch of snow underfoot.

And finally, they learn to have faith in the landscape. Faith that as long as the natural landscape of Merck Forest exists they can come here to experience all nature has to offer. They realize that the land asks little in

The Naturescaping Workbook by Beth O’Donnell Young

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return, other than to be cared for and to continue to exist. That is why Merck Forest and Farmland Center is important: the land is cared for, managed responsibly, treated ethically, and shared with everybody, allowing for the fostering of a rich and fruitful relationship that will continue for not only a lifetime, but hopefully for generations to come.

In Part II (in the next edition of Ridge Line) will discuss how this philosophy can be applied to farm animals and the food we eat.

Delicious on toast, in coffee, or use in your cooking,

Merck’s own maple cream is a sweet addition to your

refrigerator!

5 oz for $5.00

easily find yourself alone in a quiet and beautiful place. The opportunity for people to develop a close and caring relationship with the natural world has been provided by Merck Forest for over sixty years, and in my relatively short time here I have witnessed this relationship being developed, or renewed, in thousands of people of all ages. They may be here to hike, camp, hunt, paint, take pictures, check out the farm, or just buy syrup, but whether they know it or not, they are all maintaining and strengthening their relationship to the land.

Also try out some of our products that are produced on site, such as:

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3-Corner Field FarmKathleen AchorDavid & Pippa AderJames AlcottKeld AlstrupChip AmsRobert AndersenThe Aspen at Manchester

Thank You to Our 2011 Contributors

Florence BaradStuart BartowHelen & Fred BaumHank & Nancy BelberDarla BelevichPhilip and Janie BellBennington Garden ClubRichard & Angela BerkfieldBerkshire BankPhyllis BinkleyAlan BinnickJudy BoehlertBruce & Shirlee BoselliBossung FamilyRussell BradleyTimothy & Juliette BrittonTim & Sally BrownGeoffrey BrownJerry & Nancy BurkeDavid & Mary Jo Burton

Hoa CampbellCass & Abigail CanfieldReeve CantusRobert & Anna CarnicellaJean & Gene CeglowskiCharles & Kit ChamberlainPhil & Linda ChapmanCharles “Pete” & Jane ChildsSheila & Bill ChildsAustin & Gillian ChinnJack & Juanita ClayErnie CompainKaren Gordon & Frederick CooperElizabeth CornwallEd CotterJohn, Philippa & Miranda CullyGary CunninghamGeoffrey Currier

Robert & Ginny DaringMary DawsonAlbert Day & W. Marvin DayFranklin Dean-SarrarCarlo & Susan DeRegeThomas DirnbergerBill & Joanne DixJanet Britt & John DojkaJeremy & Claudia DoleMichael DollardJennifer & Philip DuBoisPatricia DupreeJunalyn & Peter Duveen

William EberleSuzanne EdwardsRachel Gerstein & Karen EisenhauerRaymond EllermannWynn Senning & Alexander Ewing

John & Olivia FarrAustin FelisBob FergusonFidelity Charitable Gift FundEd & Sue FineganColin FisherLyons Witten & Laura FitchMary Dougherty & Marshall FormanFrank FronhoferA. Corwin FrostJohn Furman & Family

John GarderJeromy & Heather GardnerJohn GardnerRobert & Cheryl GasperettiLiz & Alan GeeGeorge Garretson Wade Charitable TrustThelma GeorgesonRobert & Salley GibneyGeorge GibsonElizabeth GilbertPeggy Burns & Jim GishJack GladeGeorge GlanzbergRobert GliddenRuth GoldstoneShelley Hill & Bill GrahamEileen & Jonathan GrantJillien GrayeGreen Mountain Vet HospitalNathaniel Baker & Ann GregoryRobert GrimmMarjorie Grout

Robert & Deborah HaasJulian HadleyNoel & Judy HanfDavid Bassani & Rob HarenRonald HarmsenJohn & Janice HarringtonTom HartJames HartRuth HarwoodWhitney & Elizabeth HatchGeorge & Marina HatchBayard HenryRichard & Joy HillHill & Thompson, P.C.Jeff & Marion HillsRussell HousmanRuth HowardRobert HoweBarbara HowlandBill & Julie HoytMary HubbardDick & Virginia Hulett

Jay & Judith InglisBill & Mary Lou Iovene

Richard & Ann JacksonEric & Barbara JaffeGay & Nelson JesupBob & Pat JohnstonWilliam JollyLouise JonesRobert JonesJon Katz

Mark KearneyKeith & Terri KelleyEric KennedyRichard & Barbara KetchumMr. & Mrs. Walker S. Kimball, Jr.Peter & Claudia KinderPhilip KirsteinTerry Peters & Gary KleeAlfred & Debora KleinScott & Susan KoblerPamela KochDerek & Kris Kouwenhoven & FamilyGerrit & Ellie KouwenhovenBruce & Jane KraheAnn Marie Couser & William & Margie Kuchinski

Lisa Lieberman & Timothy LangJohn Malcolm & Sue LaPorteEleanor LeaRoger & Ellen LeedsBonnie Hennell & Paul LeVasseurFrances LevinePam Magnuson & Joshua LevyJohn & Cynthia LhostTammara Van Ryn & Christopher LincolnAlan & Terry LindseyJ. LinvillMary LippinRobert LloydGeorge & Linda LongAnne LourieLisa & Joe LoveringSteven Luz-AltermanMichael & Heidi Lynn

Macfarlane FamilyRichard & Katherine MalleyJohn Ezell & Ellen MaloneyJohn & Jane MarinoJon MathewsonMatt & Karen MayberryRobert & Marilyn MazurSloan & Margie McBurneyRobert McCaffertyJohn McInerneyKevin McKeonTimothy McLeesAndrew MeltonRobert & Joan MensonJosephine MerckG.W. MerckAlbert MerckGeorge MerckMargaret MertzGale MetzgerHelene MinughRichard & Virginia MoleaMooney FamilyBrett MorrisonElizabeth MoseleyDaniel & Calista MosheimJoe & Jan MountJ.J. & Marion MuellerSteve MurphyCynthia & Donald Murphy

Peter NetusilAxel & Naneen NeubohnNewmont Slate Co., Inc.Dan Garfinkel & Annette NielsenChris Colarusso & Rita Nolan

Mark Lucas & Mary O’BrienSharon O’ConnorCheryl & Jim O’ConnorRobert Odess & James BogueEllen & Ned OelsnerSusan O’Leary

Theodore PaprockiMargaret ParkerDamon Smith & Mary ParkerJohn & Marian PeltonRichard & Suzanne PenneyHerb & Faith PerkinsGwenn PerkinsJohn PersonGeorge PetersonKarl & Martha PfeifferPhantom LaboratoryJack & Gail PhelanMichael Albarelli & Barbara PlonskiJohn & Cathy PlonskiErrol & Anita PomeranceMichael & Barbara PowersCraig & Donna PowersRemus Preda & Lisa RandlesBruce Putnam

Robert QuinnRick RaffTy & Alison RalliSigna ReadReadsboro Lions ClubPendennis & Barbara ReedStanley & Loretta ReismanCharles & Marcia ReissNaomi Meyer & Ron RenoniDonald RichardsRobert M. Gasperetti Furniture MakersLee & Susan RomanoCraig RoodsAdam RoyThomas RoysterJohn RunnetteStephen RussoElise Rymer

Peter & Janet Saint GermainStephen & Cheryll SaltzmanTom Peters & Susan SargentEllen SarkisianStefan Swicker & Duncan SavageTom ScarnecchiaPhilip SchenckCarlin Whitney SchererGeorge & Janie SchildgeAlvin & Annie SchlesingerBob SchoenemannGene SchoorKathleen & Kenneth SchurzkyDavid & Mary Lynn SchwenkerNorman SeegerPeter SheldonGeorge SheldonCecile & Jerry ShoreScott Silver

Pamela NalefskiPaul Mahan & Jeffrey NelsonBruce & Patricia Nelson

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Paul SippleTom Kopp & Gail SmallwoodRaymond & Joanne SmithBob & JoAnn SomersSquire House Bed & BreakfastJohn & Susan StagerDavid StrattonJim SullivanSUNY AdirondackJared & JoAnna Surething

Robert & Anna TaggartBill ThroopTruist Comprehensive DistributionCornelia Tuttle

John VaillancourtWilliam Van DykGeorge & Sue Van Hook

W.H. Shaw Insurance Agency, Inc.Carolyn WadeZaid van Giffen & Jeremy WalkerKatherine WallJohn & Ruth WardPhilip WarrenJudith WarrenGary WarzochaJames WeidawFred WeinmannBetty & Ken WhalenElizabeth Wheaton-SmithFred & Trina WhitridgeWilliam & Mona WightmanCorinna WildmanStephen WilliamsGarret & Shari WilliamsPenelope WilsonTC Halkias & Angela WingateLee & Marjorie WinslowAvery & Ned WoodTrudy WoodRob & Meg WoolmingtonGil Livingston & Amy Wright

Mark Youndt

Thank You to Our 2011 Contributors

*Please forgive us for any errors or omissions; call our office with any corrections.

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Living and working at Merck Forest and Farmland Center is an exciting adventure, to say the least. Each day brings a different task – migrating fences in the sheep pasture, prepping to tap 3,000 trees in the sugar bush, or building curtain rods in the woodshop. What is constant though, are the beautiful views, supply of fresh eggs, and the commute to and from work.

Located 1.14 miles from the visitor center (or 2,273 steps) is the cozy Lodge, home for the interns. Each morning I start my trek down the mountain along Old Town Road. For a while, a layer of ice covered the dirt road and walking along the leafy edge with YakTrax strapped on for extra traction was the only way to go. On certain sections, I take extra caution and shuffle my feet in hopes to stay standing. However, even after taking extreme caution my walk can abruptly turn into a seated and sliding position, a surprise that makes me erupt in laughter. On snowy days I carry my “Swiss Bob Sled” on the flat parts and cruise down the slopes, coffee mug in hand, hootin’ and hollerin’ as I gain speed.

At the bottom of the hill beyond the logger’s landing, the forest opens up and the view inspires. My walk calms at this point – the ice disappears, the terrain flattens, and the Adirondacks in the distance slow my pace. I pause to gaze at the layers of golden, hilly pastures in the foreground and the deep blue ridges in the background. I often think I am so lucky to work and live here!

Intern CornerBy Martha Brummitt, Winter Intern 2012

from the Lodge

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

The Fabulous Fritatta

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1 cup cleaned wild leeks or ramps (white part only, coarsely chopped)1/2 cup diced zucchini1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese1/4 cup chopped basil or parsley1/2 teaspoon salt4 large Merck eggsfreshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a 10-inch cast-iron (oven-proof) skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and zucchini and cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Add basil, one-quarter teaspoon salt and a bit of ground pepper, increasing the heat to medium-high.

3. Lightly whisk the eggs with a grinding of pepper and the remaining salt in a bowl. Blend the vegetable mix with the eggs in the bowl. Lightly wipe out the skillet and add the remaining olive oil. Return to medium-high heat. Add the egg mixture.

4. When the top of the egg mixture starts to set, take the pan off the burner, sprinkle cheese evenly over the top of the mixture, and place in the oven (or under a broiler), watching closely for 5 minutes or so until it is a golden brown. Remove from oven. Slide the fritatta out of the pan onto a serving platter. Slice into wedges and serve hot or at room temperature.

Directions:

Martha poses for a photograph while installing drop lines in the new sugarbush.

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Recipe

Recipe

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www.merckforest.org

Axel Blomberg

Jean Ceglowski

Phil Chapman, Treasurer

Austin Chinn, Vice President

Jeromy Gardner

Gerrit Kouwenhoven, President

Victoria McInerney

Margaret Mertz

Bruce Putnam

Madeline Rockwell, Secretary

Phil Warren

Corinna Wildman

Kathleen Achor

Judy Buechner

Donald Campbell

Sue Ceglowski

Ann Cosgrove

Ed Cotter

Bob Ferguson

Bob Gasperetti

Bambi Hatch

Richard Hittle

Anne Houser

Elaine Blodgett, Customer Service

Melissa Carll, Education Apprentice

Vance Griffith, Resource Technician

Tim Hughes-Muse, Farm Programs Manager

Jamie Johnson, Produce Marketer

Kathryn Lawrence, Assistant to the Director

Annette Nielsen, Communications Director

Heather O’Wril, Customer Service

Jack O’Wril, Forester

Trent Stephens, Facilities Specialist

Dan Sullivan, Caretaker

Sarah Ullman, Director of Education

Tom Ward, Executive Director

Advis

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Martha Brummitt, Winter Intern

Meghan Fahey, Winter Intern

Dena Paolilli, Winter Intern

Merck Forest and Farmland Center is an educational non-profit organization whose mission is to teach and demonstrate the benefits of innovative, sustainable management of forest and farmland. We also offer recreational opportunities for individuals and families, encouraging people to become good stewards of the land. Donations are appreciated and members are encouraged.

Please, help us continue to serve our mission of teaching and demonstrating the benefits of innovative, sustainable management of forest and farmland.

As a member, you support our educational programs and maintain over 3,100 acres of land and more than 28 miles of trails. Thank you for your help!

Sincerely, Merck Staff

Membership at Merck: Join or Renew Today!

20% discount on cabin rentals and camping10% discount on Merck’s Certified Organic Maple Syrup10% discount on select Visitor Center merchandise10% discount on workshopsCopies of our seasonal newsletter, the Ridge Line

Member benefits include:

Date:

Name(s):

Address:

Phone:

Email:

$50 Individual/Family Membership

Title:

Payment: Cash/Check/Visa

Additional Contribution:

Card #:

Total Amount Enclosed:

Signature:

Exp:

Mail to: Merck Forest & Farmland CenterPO Box 86, Rupert, VT 05768

Electronic Copy: yes/no

About Us

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Emily Hunter

Ann Jackson

Deirdre Kinney-Brennan

Jon Mathewson

Axel Neubohn

John Pless

Liz Putnam

Bob Taggart

Patty Winpenny

Visit us online at

at ‘Merck Forest & Farmland Center’

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PO Box 86, Rupert, Vermont 05768

Spring Calendar

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To register, call 802.394.7836 (for workshops, please sign-up a week prior, cost $5)

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Bring your binoculars and field guide to this early morning workshop. You’ll learn about the specific forest management techniques applied in Merck’s newest patch-cut, and how these techniques can create and sustain suitable nesting sites for migrating birds.

Foresters for the BirdsMay 12, 7am-10am

Sugarbush WalkApril 1, 9am-11am

Tour Merck’s new sugarbush! While hiking with our forester through the stand, you’ll explore a recent thinning. investigate the design of the vacuum system, and view the new energy-efficient evaporator. If weather permits, we will be boiling sap!

Wool & Weaving

Learn basic weaving techniques, the lifecycle of wool from sheep to product, and build your own lap loom (supplies provided). We encourage you to bring materials to weave. All ages are welcome to this afternoon of interactive and fun learning!

March 31, 1pm-4pm

March 24 & 25, 10am-2pmIt’s that time of year again: Merck’s Annual Maple Celebration. Visit the sap house, see our sugaring production, and enjoy our locally-sourced breakfast! Adults $10, Kids $5

Come to the final knitters’ group gathering. Bring your questions, knitting challenges, or a new project you’ve been wanting to tackle. All experience levels are welcome. FREE

April 21, 1-4pm

Join us for a four mile hike under the Full Flower Moon. The evening walk allows time to view blooming spring wildflowers, and watch the moon rise. FREE

Full Moon HikeMaple Celebration & Breakfast

Time to Knit, Part 4May 5, 6:30pm

Printed on 100% recycled paper