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Past Hogback Community College Courses |
Course Description |
| Homegrown Health Series: Part I—Herbs |
Using the herb gardens of instructor Susan Borg’s farm in Lincoln, Vermont, as their classroom, students learned to identify and harvest herbs for first aid, cold and flu remedies, immune system support, and remedies for aches and pains, and made herbal tinctures, teas, oils, salves, and syrups to take home. 16 hours of instruction. September-October 2011. |
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| Wetlands of the Hogback Ecoregion |
Wetland ecologist Shelley Gustafson taught this 1-credit course, in which students explored wetland ecology and hydrology, differences among wetlands natural communities, identification of wetland plants and soils, and management practices that protect and improve wetland health. 16 hours of instruction. September-October 2011. |
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| Wildflowers & Where the Grow in the Hogback Ecoregion |
Taught by conservation biologist Liz Thompson, this 1-credit course taught students to understand the connections between wildflowers and their habitats. Students learned about plant ID, reproduction and seed dissemination, and habitats. 16 hours of instruction. May-September, 2011. |
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| Conserving Vermont's Reptiles & Amphibians |
Herpetologist Jim Andrews taught this 2-credit course on the identification, natural history, and conservation of Vermont's reptiles and amphibians. Students attended 4 classroom presentations and 4 field trips targeting different taxonomic groups in different habitat types. 32 hours in instruction. March-September, 2011. |
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| Frost in the Forest |
Taught by long-time Middlebury College professor and author John Elder, this seminar encouraged students to deepen their experience not only of Robert Frost's poetry but also of poetry in general. Students closely read and discussed of a cluster of Frost's works, then explored surrounding forests vividly and discerningly through Frost's imagery. 12 hours of instruction. February, 2011. |
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Past VFF Workshops & Programs |
Event Description |
| Winter Solstice 2011: Occupy Winter Solstice! |
 Occupy Winter Solstice 2011 at the Waterworks was a hoot! The challenging weather broke and the best of fires, food, and festivities emerged through the mist. The Occupy Druid sends his thanks to the wood splitters Kim and Jeff, luminaria lighters Beth, Holly, Catharine and Nancy, fire tenders too numerous to mention, food providers (ditto), the brave musicians Rick, Matt, & Lausanne who occupied the moral high ground, and Cousin Kim for telling the Northwest Corner Conservation Story, the light-showers Charlie and Natasha with the great torches, Susan Borg and the South Mountain Singers for bringing in the light and for all of their tunes especially "Non Nobis" led by Dick Nessen and DEEP PEACE (WOW!), and Waterworks Poet Laureate Mary Pratt for her "Occupy the World" (Mary's Poem), and for all of the potluckers. (December 21, 2011) |
| Addison County Field Trip: Wood Biomass from Forest to Furnace |
The University of Vermont, Vermont Family Forests, and the Forest Guild teamed up to present this all-day event. The tour began in Bristol with a discussion of wood biomass supply and demand and an introduction to
the Forest Guild’s new biomass retention guidelines to protect the ecological
values of forests during harvests. The group then visited recent
harvest sites and a processing facility, eating lunch along the way. The day
concluded with a tour of Mt. Abraham High School’s wood chip heating
facility in Bristol and a discussion of the group’s observations. (April, 2011) |
| Winter Solstice 2010 |
Sponsored by The Watershed Center and Vermont Family Forests, the 13th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration on the west bank of Norton Brook Reservoir featured Rick C and friends; Susan Borg and Dick Nessen leading The Deep Woods Singers; and an eclectic mix of community drummers. (December, 2010) |
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| The Social Black Bear |
Renowned black bear rehabilitationist and author Ben Kilhan gave an informative lecture at the Lincoln Library. With all of the recent bear activity in the Five-Town Forest, this program arrived just in time! Sponsored by the Lincoln Conservation Commission. (October, 2010) |
| Conserving Water Quality While Harvesting More Forest Biomass |
Like it or not we are heading back to the forest for energy. It is not a matter of 'if' but 'how?" This workshop focused on this key question: "Can we conserve water quality while harvesting more forest biomass?" Participants looked at the design of: 1. Roads, Trails, and Log Landings; 2 Stream Crossings; 3. RiparIan and Buffer Zones; and 4. Forest Biomass Harvesting 0perations. (October 2010) |
| The Art of Action |
The Vermont Folklife Center hosted a public presentation entitled “The Art of Action: Our Working Landscape and the Future of Vermont’s Forests” led by AOA artist Kathleen Kolb and folklorist Ann Ferrell of New Haven, VT.
The presentation expand on the theme of Kolb’s body of work featuring the wood products industry centered in and around the Champlain Valley. Kolb and Ferrell led a discussion with those intimately involved in making a living from the forest. Kolb’s paintings capture this important occupational culture and the people's visions, hopes, and dreams for the future of Vermont.
For information on the complete statewide tour see the Art of Action website. (January 2010) |
Amphibians in the
Self-Willed Forest |
Herpetologist Jim Andrews led a workshop in theWaterworks property in Bristol and introduced participants to the fascinating world of amphibians who live in our area. The event started with a slide show and then a hands-on trip to meet the critters. (June 2008)
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Beltane Community Forest Celebration
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The Beltane Community Celebration offers community members a chance to gather and celebrate the return of spring. "Beltane" means bright fire and this event features a bonfire, a potluck dinner, a May pole dance, and music from local artists. Come one, come all and help usher in the first days of spring! |
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Addison County
Conservation Congress
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Held annually from 2007-2009, this event brings together community leaders, organizers, nonprofit organizations, and local citizens in collaborative discussions and strategic planning sessions to address the rapidly evolving environment in Addison County and Vermont. (2007-2009)
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Coppice Workshops |
VFF collaborated with The Watershed Center in offering
a workshop entitled "Sustainable Forestry for the Future:
Coppice Woodland Management" with Mark Krawczyk of
Rivenwood. Coppice management involves growing hardwood
sprouts on rotations of seven to 20 years and was commonly
practiced in England from 12th to 16th centuries. It will likely
be an important tool as we look to forests for more fuel. |
New
Haven River Headwaters
Conservation Project Meeting |
Lincoln
landowners contemplated conservation easements as a tool for long-term
land conservation at this meeting coordinated by VFF.
(July 2006) |
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Lincoln
Conservation Forum |
Lincoln
residents gathered to brainstorm strategies for conserving Lincoln's
natural heritage. At an earlier forum in October, 2005, residents
identified and ranked what they valued most about Lincoln's natural
heritage (Jan 2006) |
Community-Supported
Forestry Demonstration |
At the
Shelburne Farms Harvest Festival, visitors witnessed the step-by-step
process of practicing sustainable, community-based forestry —
from healthy forest to finished furniture. (Sept 2005)
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Fly Fishing and Forest Health |
Angler
Dave Henderson introduces participants
to the art of fly fishing. Geologist Kristen Underwood explains river dynamics and their impacts on fish populations. (May 2005) |
Little
Hogback Community Forest land walk |
Twenty hardy participants join Community Forests Project
leader, Deb Brighton (lower right, red hat), during two hikes to explore
the 115-acre Little Hogback Parcel that will be sold in shares to
community members through VFF's Community
Forest Project. (Winter 2005) |
Community
Forest Project Public Information Meetings |
45 community members attended three public meetings
to learn more about participating in the Little Hogback Community
Forest LLC. The meetings were coordinated by Community Forest Project
manager Deb Brighton. (Jan. 2005) |
Bird
Habitat Stewardship in the Family Forest |
Ornithologist
Warren King and VFF Founder David Brynn (right) led
this workshop, the third in the Biodiversity Workshop series. (May 2004) |
The
Art of Maple Sugaring workshop |
Ben Shepard, of Shepard Maple Production, shares the art of sugaring with
workshop participants. (January 2004) |
Winter Tracking |
Bristol resident Cassandra Corcoran
(center) and other workshop participants examine bearclaw marks in
a red spruce with workshop leader Greg Borah (center right) during
the Winter Tracking workshop, part of the Biodiversity Workshop Series.
Greg performs large mammal monitoring for the Colby Hill Ecological
Project. (Winter 2003) |
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Deer Hunting 101 |
Participants joined veteran hunter Bill Torrey for
an in-depth look at deerhunting, includingequipment choices, hunting
techniques, and ethics. (October 2003) |
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Conducting
a Biological Inventory in Your Family Forest |
Twenty-five participants joined herpetologist Jim Andrews, ecologist
Marc Lapin, and mammalogist Jan Decher to learn techniques for assessing
biological diversity. This was the first workshop in the Colby Hill
Ecological Project Workshop Series.
(September 2003) |
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Natural Community Mapping |
Ecologist Eric
Sorenson led three sessions of this course for VFF, teachinglandowners
and natural resource managers how to identify natural communities
to verify field maps. (2003) |
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| Game
of Logging |
For many years, VFF has been proud to offer Soren Eriksson's "Game of Logging" chainsaw safety training courses. We has offered Levels I-III which include basic chainsaw safety procedures, methods for maximizing your chainsaw performance, limbing and bucking techniques, and, in Level III, techniques for handling difficult trees. Participants rave about the knowledge they've gleaned from these classes. (2001-2011 and beyond! ) |
