Join the Vermont Master Naturalists for Conservation Field Day and explore everything from bedrock to birds.
Field Day Schedule
9:30am - Field trips to naturalist sites around the Mad River Watershed
12pm - Lunch at Lareau Farm in Waitsfield
1pm - Family friendly activities at / near Lareau Farm - more details to come!
12pm - Lunch at Lareau Farm in Waitsfield
1pm - Family friendly activities at / near Lareau Farm - more details to come!
Support this event
The field day is a collaboration between Friends of the Mad River and Vermont Master Naturalists. Partnerships and events like this don't happen without your support. For this event we are suggesting a donation of $20 to offset the cost of a shared lunch, while larger gifts help compensate our skilled naturalist guides and ensure these programs remain accessible to a wide and diverse audience. Your support not only sustains this event but helps us offer similar opportunities in the future that deepen our collective understanding and care for the Mad River watershed.
Registration is required to participate in the morning walks. Click the button below to register!
Field Trip Descriptions:
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Scrag Mountain Town ForestScrag Mountain is a town forest conserved with the Vermont Land Trust that has mixed and
hardwood forests with two active brooks. It provides habitat for moose, deer, bear, birds, and many other species. This guided moderate hike will focus on observing and discussing the property's natural and human history. The two-hour walk will be just over 2 miles total out and back to the upper waterfall with an elevation gain of just under 2,000 feet. It will be optional to climb up steeper terrain to the beaver pond at the end of the walk. Meet at the parking lot on Bowen Road in Waitsfield. |
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Boyce Town Forest Time Travel RambleTravel back in time to meet old neighbors that built homes, farmed the land, and raised families here. From rocks to robins, this landscape has secrets to share and stories to tell when we slow down and listen.
During this family-friendly (gentle) approximately 1.5 mile round trip hike, you will stroll up an old road through alpine meadow to gentle peak with 270-degree view, explore an old cellar hole, an apple orchard, and see who’s in the pond. Boyce Hill Town Forest is located at the top of Boyce Road in N. Fayston. PLEASE NOTE THAT PARKING IS VERY LIMITED. |
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Wetland WalkJoin Vermont Master Naturalists for a walk along a well maintained boardwalk near Lawson’s
Finest Liquids to examine a lively wetland ecosystem. We will discuss the plants and animals we find as well as the various disturbances - human and animal - that have influenced the area. This walk is suitable for all abilities although if it rains heavily beforehand a portion of the boardwalk may have standing water. |
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Lincoln Gap Catamount TrailMeet at the lower parking lot off Lincoln Gap Rd for a walk through changing forest types on the Catamount Trail. We will be investigating interesting forest features, noticing many different plant species, and discussing what constitutes an old growth forest. The trail is about 1.5 miles round trip and starts with a downhill, includes some obstacles, and we will return with an uphill hike.
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Thank you to Brad Long (header, 1 ,2), Gregg Mason (3), and Eve Frankel (4) for the photographs!