commonvoice: spring/summer 2009

S T E R L I N G C O L L E G E

CommonVoice 1


CommonVoiceThe Sterling College Community Newsletter Spring/Summer 2009

A look at what’s inside...

Black River Sketches - 14 Homeschool Students - 16 Jeff Bickart, Farewell - 26RHI: Food Renaissance - 3 Academic Voyages - 19 Alumnus: Tim Wilson - 20

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The CommonVoice is published by Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vermont.

Editors:Will Wootton Kate Camara

Design & Layout:Ethan H. Darling

Proofreaders: Micki Martin Barbara Morrow

Writers: Will Wootton Kate Camara

Photographers:Mike Seamans, Jay Merrill, David Gilligan, Farley Brown, Leland Peterson, Jeremy Brosnahan, Brandon Hill, Angie Salonikios

Contributing Artists & Writers: Harald Aksdahl, Marie Lapre’ Grabon, Susanna Bowman, David Gilligan, Hannah Morgan, Elena Gustavson, Monica Kopp, Richard Perello, Zachary Buckley, Sarah Carson, Armone Persing

Front Cover Crocuses blooming in campus perennal beds are welcomed by man and bee kind. Photo by Jay Merrill

Back Cover Sterling students and staff explore, experience, and learn, first-hand, the natural history of Adirondack State Park, NY. Photo by David Gilligan

Letters, comments, and submission of articles, poetry, fiction, and photographs are welcome and should be e-mailed to [email protected].

Mission StatementThe Sterling College community combines structured academic study with experien-tial challenges and plain hard work to build responsible problem solvers who become stewards of the environment as they pur-sue productive lives.

Sterling College Alumni and their families are invited back to Sterling College for the All-College Reunion August 28 to 30, 2009. We are gearing up for a great weekend of good food,

old friendships, and memories. Bring your partners, your children, musical instruments, and your sleeping bags—dorm rooms will be open. Camp sites are also available.

Roam the campus you used to call home—take a tour of the farm and reminisce. No doubt the days and evenings will include mountain hikes, canoe rides, spontaneous music, anecdotes, and humor. We’re open to ideas and here’s a few we’ve come up with:

• Gardens and Farm Tours • Horse and Carriage Rides • Picnic Lunches • Saturday evening Reception and Dinner• Cabaret in the Dining Hall -- This is the time to pull out your musical talents!• Work-Service Activity • Farmers’ Market• Challenge Course – Are you still up to it?

Register at www.sterlingcollege.edu/reunion—and to send your thoughts and wishes for the weekend. $35 if you register in advance—includes all meals, refreshments, and activities. $45 at thedoor.Kidsarefree.Onthereunionpageyou’llfindalistoflocalaccommodationsandalinkto what’s going on in the region. Or contact Barbara Morrow, [email protected] or 802-586-7711, ext 159.

We look forward to seeing all of you in Craftsbury Common this August!

Save the Date :

All-College Reunion Weekend

wwww.sterlingcollege.edu • 800.648.3591 3


the SeconD annual RuRal heRitage inStitute ~ June 16-18, 2009

Recently highlighted by the New York Times as a region “connected through food,” the area around Sterling College, Craftsbury, and Hardwick is home to one of the most progressive local food systems in the country. Some of the nation’s leading scholars, farmers, entrepreneurs, policy

makers, artists, and activists will be presenting for Sterling’s second annual Rural Heritage Institute: Food, Farms, and Community: Rural America’s Local Food Renaissance from June 16-18, 2009.

- With the College located at the heart of this region, Food, Farms, and Community capitalizes on the model of community and experiential learning shared by Sterling and the surrounding communities. Food, Farms, and Community seeks to balance the changing connections between rural communities and their food sources with a long tradition of community-based agriculture. The local food theme will be highlighted by threefulldaysofdiscussions,fieldtrips,hands-onworkshops,music,andtheLocalFoodsBanquetthatconnectparticipantswithpractitionersat the leading edge of sustainable food systems, organic agriculture, and working communities.

FooD, FaRmS, anD community: Rural America’s Local Food Renaissance

Selected Presentations - Clark Wolf, author of American Cheeses: The Best Regional, Artisan, and Farmhouse

Cheeses, Who Makes Them, and Where to Find Them - Andrew Meyer, owner of Vermont Natural Coatings and Vermont Soy and

founder of The Center for an Agricultural Economy - The Vermont Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA-VT) - Shelburne Farms - Vermont Sustainable Exchange - The Greenhorns: With Severine von Tscharner Fleming, director and visionary behindTheGreenhorns,adocumentaryfilmthatexploresthelivesofAmerica’syoung farming community—its spirit, practices, and needs.

Workshops & Fieldtrips - Draft Horse Cultivation - Traditional Skills Workshops - Cooking from Historic Roots - High Mowing Seeds

Partners & Sponsors - The Center for an Agricultural Economy - Northwoods Stewardship Center - Goddard College - The Donchian Foundation - Cabot Cheese

For more information and to register visit the Rural Heritage Institute website: http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/rhi

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There’s only one subject, when you think about it: how is Sterling fairing in a national economy in a shambles, and a local economy

slowly banging downhill like an old hay truck whose clutch has let go?

The news for colleges is all about disappearing endowments, staff layoffs, hiring and salary freezes, closure of academic programs, and operating shortfalls the likes of which many institutions have never experienced.OurlocalVermonteconomyreflectsexactlythebroadernational economy, where the reality of foreclosures, lost jobs, and busi-ness failures is brought home with a near universal and oppressive sense of mild bewilderment and worry.

Sterling isnot immune; it isnotprotectedby itsuniqueness.All thethreats that rumble through higher education on a national scale even-tually rumble through Sterling. They take a little longer to get here, and are adjusted for size and culture because we exist on the edge of the grid, literally and metaphorically.

The view from North House, as a result, is a wary one, because for everythreatrushingatusfromonequarter,thereisanopportunityforus in another.

The College is full, with hardly a bed to spare. The summer farm se-mester is on target for 12—14 students, and the ambitious Global Field Study programs all appear to have their compellations, even at this early date. The result will be as many as 50 students engaged in for-credit academic work over the summer, under the guidance of Sterling faculty.

It is early, but student recruitment is looking solid for fall, and our An-nual Fund is on track, although similar to other New England colleges ithasbeenaslowanddifficultyearforphilanthropyatSterling.

While faculty hiring at many other colleges has stagnated, this spring Sterling is deep into three academic searches: A Ph.D. level Sustainable Agriculture faculty member to help provide leadership in the College’s expanding agriculture program; a new position in Conservation Ecol-ogy and Natural History, and a third position divided between Garden Manager in Sustainable Agriculture and faculty member in the Outdoor Education & Leadership program.

view FoRm noRth houSe: A Vision of Sterling’s Future

Photo: The Common as seen through the old window glass inside North House.



Adding to the College’s academic reach will also be a new Americorps VISTA volunteer, the result of a successful grant written by Dean of Work Erik Hansen and others. The one to three year position, almost wholly funded through the grant, is the College’s local foods coordina-tor, working with nearby farmers and other food producers and local and regional schools.

Sterling’ssearchforamoresecurefinancialmodelbeganwellbeforethe global economic meltdown. Having never overly relied on endow-ment income, Sterling didn’t feel much loss when its small holdings shrank along with everyone else’s. Colleges that had been depending on endowment income to cover 10- and 15-percent of their operational costs found themselves in immediate trouble.

Inaddition, thosewhoknowSterlinghadalreadyfiguredout thatatraditional-looking two-semester, 100-student college is far from a manageablemodeloffiscalsustainabilityoverthelonghaul.Thusthecentralquestion forSterlinghasnot changed.Thebroadereconomiccrisis has sharpened, however, Sterling’s continuing efforts at discov-ering how the College can remain small and deeply place-based, yet economically strong.

Pieces of a new model became evident two years ago when the faculty began re-shaping the curriculum, reducing core courses, creating new tracks to graduation, and re-creating the academic advisor program, among other ideas. Generally, the adopted mantra has been: If it im-proves student engagement and success, let’s do it.

And by the doing of it—by applying the practice, by working the plan, by engaging in things the results of which are not always clear—more and more pieces of Sterling’s future seem to emerge, not like fossils out of rock but like tactile ideas that can be held in the hands and examined closely.

They emerge, I think, in the Special Topics course being taught by facul-ty members Ned Houston and Adrian Owens and architectural planner MilfordCushman,ofStowe.Forfivehoursaweek(plushomework)this is where Sterling’s new 24-bed residency will have its origins, as the students consider the design, systems, and schematics of what they are determined will be the most environmentally friendly residency in New England. The class is one part of a $65,000 Canaday Family Trust award for the design of the new structure.

There’s a piece of the future, too, in our current search for a new full-time faculty member to teach and give strategic shape to the expanding sustainable agriculture program. This summer will be the third for Ster-ling’s new summer agriculture semester—this year being conducted in twofive-weeksessions.Therearestirringsof futurecollaboration,aswell, with new and dynamic organizations, like the Hardwick-based Center for an Agricultural Economy, and new collaborative graduate levelprogrammingwhereSterlingmayfindopportunity.

Sterling has already begun developing ancillary income-producing initiatives, some slated for on campus programming, and others—one other—some 400 miles south of the Common. In March, the College

began working with a Virgin Atlantic resort under development in NewJersey.ThefirstphaseofNatirar,ultimately tobea full-servicehigh-end spa in Somerset County, will be a restaurant and cooking school opening this summer. Sterling has been engaged to develop the organic farm that will service the restaurant and school. Two 2009 Sustainable Agriculture graduates, Angie Revallo and Ben Mackie, will be responsible for almost all phases of the farm’s design and implemen-tation. Sterling faculty will serve as technical consultants and advisors.

The College’s ideas around semester-long summer programs have expandedtoincludethekindsofcredit-bearingfieldstudytripsbeingconducted this summer that range from Scandinavia to James Bay, and from Ladakh, India to the Sierra Nevada and the Alaskan tundra. In another move to more clearly understand how an expanded summer would work, the 2010 academic schedule has been shifted to provide increased latitude for a third semester.

Sterling’s $230,000 Department of Energy grant, as well, carries the Collegeforward,notonlyasaseriesofprojects,includingagasifica-tion plant, solar hot water panels for Madison, and the application of various forms of insulation, but in being able to apply some of those fundstothenewresidencyasanenergyefficiencyproject.

There is good news for the future, too, in the College’s recent record of improved retention of its students, due in part to improvements in ad-vising and curriculum. But due as well in an enrollment process aimed at admitting students most likely to persevere in Sterling’s unusual curriculum.TohelpthosestudentsandfamiliesfindSterling,theCol-legehasalsoinvestedsignificantlyinmarketingintheinstitutionalaswell as admissions arenas. Being a well-kept secret in higher education, although satisfying on one level, is problematic on another.

There is a difference, to be sure, between a vision for the future and actually getting to the future. Sterling is engaged in both: there is the immediacyoffinancialneed, reflected in theCollege’sAnnualFundappealsanditsconstantfine-tuningofitsdaily,weekly,andmonthlyoperations as they pertain to fiscal viability in a time of economictumult. And there is the path of Sterling’s academic development and projected growth and economic stabilization, revealed in on-going institutional planning, its entrepreneurial willingness, increased efforts at foundation and major gift support, and strengthening its own board oftrusteesandinstitutionalaffiliates.

The view from North House—wary, unsettled, and vaguely threaten-ing—is in reality through the old windows facing the Common that are rippled, wavy, because the glass is ancient and warped. Sometimes the Common has an impressionistic look to it; individual people are hard to identify and the world is distorted just enough to be slightly disorienting but not uninteresting. When it goes on too long or at any time, you can stand up and see through the replacement panes that the world has snapped back to clarity. Both views are true. Both informa-tive. And both say, “Pay attention!”

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Folk Art WorkshopsThe goal of Sterling’s Folk Art Workshops is to pass on the traditional knowledge, arts, and crafts of the region. This Spring’s work-shop series offers a sense of independence through practical land-based skills and cel-ebrates community through music and dance. Students and community members can spend an afternoon or weekend creating beautiful and useful crafts, or working with the plants and animals of northern Vermont. Learn more online at www.sterlingcollege.edu/folkart

aRounD campuS

From Conference to CurriculumSterling Farm Manager Mitchell Hunt attended the 2008 Annual ACRES USA conference in St. Louis, Missouri this past December. The days started early with breakfast at 5:30 am and a friendly mesh of presenters and attendees, from the Amish to soil and animal experts, “talking shop for 2 ½ hours.” Describing the conference as high energy and loaded with informative and inspiring research and testimonials, Mitch said he was excited to attend seminars with Jerry Brunetti of Agri-Dynamics, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, Andre Leu of the Organic Federation of Australia, and Dr. Fred Provenza of Utah State University. Topics varied from soils, animal grazing behavior, global organic production, and saving local foods. Mitch said he came away with curricular ideas and changes that will be implemented starting Summer 2009.

Top Photo: Sterling Students Chester Elliott and Sarah Carson coloborate in the Brown Library.



Hannah Morgan - MigrationWriting, illustrating, and self-publishing a book is no small feat — and to accomplish this at the age of 19 is exemplary. Hannah Morgan, a 3rd year Circumpolar Studies major, took her experience leading a six month Kroka high school expedition and compiled the ad-venture into a beautiful book entitled Migra-tion. The voyage took Hannah and her group skiing 300 miles north the length of Vermont, stopping long enough to build a canoe or two, and canoeing the 300 miles back.

“I was a co-instructor for the Vermont Kroka semester in 2008,” Hannah said. “Having done one trip as a student in 2006, I knew what an amazing experience it was to travel so slowly for such a long time and to really come to know what it means to feel at home.”

The book evolved naturally, Hannah said, as a way to describe her experiences to others through both narrative and drawings. Migra-tion is a combination of journal entries, pho-tos, illustrations, and interviews with elders Hannah met along her voyage.

“One of the things I have found most inspir-ing and important in the past few years,” Hannah said, “has been my relationship to elders in my community. The stories of people who have spent 70 or 80 years on a piece of land are truly extraordinary and I wanted to capture that relationship and find out what‘place’ means to farmers in Vermont…

“Through this piece I wanted to connect my trip with the natural and human history of Vermont. Iwanted tocreateavisualquilt, amerging of the beauty and complexity of the place I call home.”

Migration is available at the Brown Library.

Discovering the Unique Ecology of WinterThis winter Conservation Ecology faculty member Anja Kade took a group of, “eight wonder-ful, motivated students,” on a fun winter course entitled Winter Ecology. The group searched through snow and ice for organisms that inhabit our northern regions and studied the chal-lenges these organism face of dramatic seasonal changes, intense cold, limited energy re-sources, reduced light levels, and long-term snow and ice cover. During this course, Anja and students studied the adaptations of plants and animals to the cold and assessed the potential impacts of global warming in northern regions.

Exploring Verse and VistaIn his “spare time,” along with establishing Sterling as one of the founding members of The Natural History Network, faculty member David Gilligan has been writing up a storm and traversing the Everglades. David has self-published his latest writing project, I Believe I’ll Go Canoeing. His next project is a contributing chapter for an anthology on the practice of natural history for a project spearheaded by Professor Thomas Fleischner of Prescott College, Arizona.

DavidandhispartnerHeidiWilsonjustcompletedtheirfourthandfinalwildernessexplora-tion by sea kayak of the greater Florida Keys-Everglades region. They are moving on to new rivers this July and August as they prepare for an extended wilderness exploration by canoe of the Noatak River and Preserve in the Brooks Range of Alaska.

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Pies For PeopleThe Sterling College kitchen was a bustling hub this past November 18thwiththearomaofbutternutsquashpie,themusicofhappychefs,and the spirit of community.

Butternut squash fromHighMowing Seeds harvested byUVM stu-dents, and taken to Craftsbury’s Pete’s Greens for processing, were turned into pies using donated ingredients and volunteer cooks; the culmination of the Center for an Agricultural Economy’s, Pies for People project was a festive bake night held in Sterling College’s kitchen.

The tireless efforts of sustainable agriculture faculty member Julia Shipley assured that only locally-grown products and services were used.

Studentspouredfilling intopiecrustsmadeanddonatedbyCharlieEmers of Patchwork Farms. Sterling’s Allison Van Akkeren adapted a recipe shared by Hardwick’s Claire’s Restaurant. Sterling students, faculty, and staff from both Sterling and the Center volunteered their timeandexpertisetotransformHighMowingSeedssquash,intodeli-cious pies. Other local donations came from Cabot; butter, milk from the North Hardwick Dairy, eggs from Applecheek Farm, spices from theBuffaloMountainCoop,flourfromButterworksFarm,andmaplesugar from Butternut Mountain Farm.

The 60 pies were delivered on an early Wednesday morning to Hard-wick, with destinations including the Hardwick Food Bank, Greensboro Early Learning Center, Greensboro Nursing Home, and the Hardwick Community Dinner. Sterling College was proud to be a part of The Pies for People project—a project that resonated with the generosity of local businesses and individuals working together to share a harvest with a community.

The Natural History NetworkThisfallSterlingCollegebecameoneoffivefoundingmembersofTheNatural History Network, a nationwide organization of educators, scientists and artists promoting the values and practice of natural his-tory. Sterling joins College of the Atlantic (Maine), Prescott College (Arizona), North Cascades Institute (Washington) and the Mono Lake Committee (California) as a founding member, and Sterling students andfacultybenefitfromtheresourcesoftheNetwork,whichincludebulletins of national and regional events, an online journal focusing on ideas,techniquesandpractices,jobofferingsinthefieldandageneraldiscussion and dissemination of all things natural history.

Sterling,with its long-standing emphasis on field-based experientialeducation, geographic setting in the interior of the greater North Woods region, and recent additions of natural history concentrations and self-designed majors, is an ideal partner for the Network. This spring may see a feature article in the Network’s journal on the development of natural history programming at Sterling.

Sterling students in Marine Natural History of the North Atlantic bene-fittedfromtheNetworkwhileonanintegratedfieldtriptoGreatDuckIsland, Maine, with College of the Atlantic professor John Anderson. In January of 2010 Sterling College professor David Gilligan will join a Prescott College course in Mexico for sea kayaking and marine natural history, and perhaps will lure some students from the desert state to the verdant Green Mountain State for an exchange. Future students will benefitfrompotentialinternships,researchprojectsandexchangewithotherfoundingmembersandaffiliatedorganizations.

For more information about the Natural History Network, check out the website at www.naturalhistorynetwork.org.



Ann Spearing ~ Retires from SterlingWhen Ann Spearing began to teach at Sterling in 1999, the College had only just begun offering B.A. degrees and was in the midst of a curricu-lar transition from a two-year to a four-year institution. Ann’s strong academic background and passion for research and teaching helped bridge that considerable academic gap.

In the fall, Ann announced her decision to retire from Sterling at the end of the 2009 spring semester. Over the past ten years, Ann’s exper-tise in research laboratory science greatly enhanced Sterling’s science program and lab facilities to help students in more complex experi-ments. She has been instrumental in developing the Senior Applied Re-search Project (SARP) curriculum and has always challenged students toworkattheirhighestlevelintheirquantitativeresearch.Annalsode-veloped the position of transfer coordinator in order to make students new to Sterling feel welcome and make the challenge of transferring less daunting.

Together with Sterling faculty member Farley Brown, Ann has co-led fiveverysuccessfulstudent trips toBelize to lookat tropicalecosys-tems as part of a long-term study in and around the Monkey River wa-tershed. Students and colleagues have been engaged by Ann’s enthusi-asm for the health of the coral reef off the coast of Belize. Ann has lent her expertise both to help identify species in the coral reef and to detect diseases in the reef.

Ann is looking forward to spending time with family, traveling, and taking time to enjoy her family’s camp on the Green River Reservoir. However, there is little doubt that students (and many faculty) will miss FridayafternooncookiesinPlantScienceandthebeautifulflowersAnnbrought to every SARP presentation in which she played a part.

Heidi Wilson ~ Pursuing other PassionsThisautumnwillfindHeidiWilsonharvestingvegetablesinherowngarden while pursuing her parallel passions for song and for teach-ing children. After four years, Heidi is leaving her position as Sterling Garden Manager, Folk Arts Coordinator, and faculty in Sustainable Agriculture at the end of June. Her passion for gardening, traditional folk arts, and teaching has been infectious among Sterling students and faculty. Under Heidi’s mentorship, students have helped bring the Col-lege gardens to a level of productivity that has provided Sterling with 25% of its own produce. Heidi and her partner, Sterling faculty member David Gilligan, plan to remain in Craftsbury, and we hope she plans to visit often.

The following is a thank you note from Heidi to the Sterling College community.

I’d like to send out a heartfelt thank you to the Sterling College communi-ty. Thanks for trusting me to teach, learn, work, and play with all of you over the past four years. Thanks for joining me as we rolled up our sleeves and wrestled cabbage, made pickles, visited legislators, revised papers and presentations, prayed for seedlings, threshed grain, swam through snow drifts, dissected owl pellets, scrubbed roots, and shared our stories.

This summer I’ll be transitioning into a new set of adventures including wilderness canoeing and glacier exploration in Alaska, and a music camp where I’ll be studying traditional singing techniques from around the world. This fall I’m thrilled to be living into my dream of working with kids and spending more time in the natural world as I take a new job with a local nature-based education organization. Yahoo!

Love, Heidi

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An Experience in Field BiologySterling student Angie Salonikios, a 3rd year Conservation Ecology major, spent a busy summer looking after endangered Aplomado Fal-con chicks released in the wilds of Texas. Angie fed and monitored the young chicks until they were able to hunt on their own. Ensconced for the summer in a “little tin shack” in the middle of nowhere, Angie com-municated to the outside world through a lively blog complete with photos. The Peregrine Fund, the sponsors of Angie’s internship, pub-lished excerpts of Angie’s blog in their Fall 2008 magazine.

The following is an excerpt from her June 30th, 2008 entry:

“Hey all, or maybe I should say, hey y’all. After a few hours of a drive and a great view of the mountains separating the border of Texas and Mexico, I met up with Christine Duffy. She is a student at Prescott College in Arizona, but originally from California. We hopped in our new huge truck The Peregrine Fund provided for us, which Christine and I look absolutely ridiculous driving in, and took off to meet up with field biologist, Brian Mutch…”

To see Angie’s Hack Site blog article in its entirety go to: http://www.peregrinefund.org/pdfs/NLAR/NL39.pdf

Farm-to-School Community OutreachKitchen supervisor and faculty Allison Van Akkeren shared her lo-cal food expertise with a Farm-to-School community outreach project weaving together Sterling students with Craftsbury Elementary chil-dren. The project was funded by a two year grant from A.D. Hender-son Foundation with Shelburne Farms and involved connecting the Craftsbury Elementary students to local farms, agriculture, gardening and whole foods. Taking advantage of this opportunity was Sterling student Kacie Breault who researched for the grant as part of her se-nior project. The Farm-to-School project became part of this spring’s Environmental Education classes, taught with Heidi Wilson. Sterling students are also involved teaching the 4-Winds Environmental Educa-tion Program and the Farm-to-School program, Project Seasons, in the Craftsbury Elementary School.



Teen TeambuildingChallenge course guru and Outdoor Education & Leadership faculty member Anne Morse ran a number of challenge course programs for a variety of schools and community organizations.

Anne and three Sterling students, Kate Banyas, Amelia Klein, and Matt Hawley, took their talents to a training by High 5 this past November—combining professional development and networking opportunities. The group had access to the Hardwick Elementary School indoor chal-lenge course and the Hazen H.S. outdoor challenge course as part of the training. This opportunity led to Sterling setting up a session on the Hazen challenge course for AWARE’s teen group program, where high school studentswent through teambuildingandconfidencebuildingexercises facilitated by Sterling students.

Anne and her team also co-facilitated a cross cultural exchange expe-rience on the Hardwick Elementary School challenge course, with a dozen visitors from Nicaragua and their host students from People’s Academy High School in Morrisville.

In her “spare” time Anne volunteers on the Hardwick Greensboro Restorative Justice Program, which, she says, helps her maintain her connections to restorative justice theory and practice while keeping her interpersonal communication and mediation skills honed.

Taming Your “Flying Monkeys”Barbara Morrow, Sterling’s Director of Development & Alumni, pre-sented at the November 2008 Vermont Women in Higher Education conference on decision-making skill: “How Flying Monkeys Mess Up Decisions, and What to Do About Them.”

Here is Barb’s workshop description from the conference website:

Healthy decision making and risk taking skills are essential for a happy career and bountiful living. Yet too often, these skills become fraught with emotions, reluctance, and fear, and generate a lack of confidence for future crossroads. It seems the more we accumulate, the more we agonize over risks and decisions that might jeopardize our gains. This workshop is designed to quiet our “mon-key minds,” which are so active when these challenges come. We’ll practice get-ting the process out of our heads for a more objective look, and hopefully quiet some of the fears about making bad decisions and taking irretrievable risks.

With over 30 years experience working in higher education, economic development, and human services Barbara says her experiences have presentedmorequestionsthanever,manysurprisinganswers,andafair amount of amusement.

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Local Artists Exhibit at Sterling CollegeForthebenefitofcampusandcommunity,SterlingdisplaysanarrayoftalentedartistsinitsexhibitionspaceattheBrownLibrary.Abstracttophotographic, the College makes the work of new and well-known artists available, opening each show with an artist’s reception. Through the winterandintospring,wewelcomedtheworkofMarieLapre’Grabon,JohnMiller,HaraldAksdahl,andfiberartistPhillipRobertson.Wewouldalso like to thank Rev. and Mrs. John Paterson, of Barre, VT, for their donation of prints and originals collected during their world travels. The collection is displayed around the campus. To learn what artwork is currently on exihibit in the Brown Library gallery and when the next artist reception is scheduled, please visit: http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/art

Artwork by: Susanna Bowman Artwork by: Marie Lapre’ Grabon

Artwork by: Harald Aksdahl



A Letter from the KitchenElena Gustavson became Sterling’s new kitchen manager in January 2008. Elena works with Kitchen Supervisor Allison Van Akkeren, Ster-ling’s superior cooks Paul Sweeney, Mary Sayre, Heather McConville, and Loraine Janowski, and Sterling student assistants. Elena’s job is high-ly focusedand fastpaced. In Januaryshewroteanopen letter to theSterlingcommunity thatnicelydefinesourkitchen’s sustainable farm- to–table mission.

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

Welcome back! I wanted to take a moment to talk about the kitchen and our philosophy about food. It is by no means a comprehensive introduc-tion, but hopefully a starting point to some great discussions in the future. The best way to describe the kitchen is with the mission statement drafted by Allison Van Akkeren and other faculty members in 1994. “The mis-sion of Sterling’s Food Service is to manage the food system as an integral part of our educational programs by demonstrating a living-what-we-teach philosophy.” Our kitchen best demonstrates this philosophy through com-posting, conserving energy and resources, eating seasonally, preparing our food from scratch and recycling. Our mission encompasses much more:

Sterling Gardens and Farm:

In the middle of winter, approximately 20% of the produce in your meals comes from Sterling’s gardens. Storage crops (onions, carrots, root veggies, potatoes, etc.) and processed foods (pickles, kraut, pesto, etc.) supplement the fresh or frozen produce we purchase. We have been and will continue to use Sterling produced beef, pork and lamb alongside meat sourced from elsewhere. This semester, we are also receiving dozens of eggs each week, reducing our need to purchase them from “the outside”. As we continue to evolve and support this connection with our farm faculty, Heidi Wilson, Mitch Hunt and Rick Thomas, everyone can feel proud to be a part of a Farm-to-Kitchen connection that few schools can replicate.

Local Food:

Sterling has a long history of supporting the surrounding community. As one of the few colleges in the country that runs its own kitchen (no Food Service company here!), we extend that support by buying produce and products from our neighbors and local producers throughout the year. Al-though we buy from Vermont distributors like Black River Produce and Burlington Foods, I spend two to three days a week ordering food directly from local people. Never hesitate to ask if you want to know where the food comes from!

Our relationships with local businesses and farmers are tried, true and steadfast. The following list of local food sources is ever changing with the seasons and campus population’s needs.

Several of these folks have websites, and I encourage you to find out more about the food you are eating. We are constantly seeking out new local sources of food and I welcome your input about new potential connections.

Organic Food:

We work hard to provide organic food as often as possible without falling into the trap of buying organic shipped in from faraway. Most of the food we source locally will be responsibly produced, if not “certified” organic. We also strive to provide organic grains, nuts, beans, flour and cereal as well as many other organic products whenever possible.

All of us in the kitchen love what we do and we work hard to provide you with meals that are balanced, nutritious and delicious. I encourage you to ask questions and seek me out when you have concerns. I look forward to getting to know those of you who are new to our community as well as catching up with old friends. So, in conclusion, eat well, laugh a lot and next time you see a farmer, shake their hand and say “Thanks.”

Elena Gustavson, Kitchen Manager, Sterling College

Local Producers:Brault’s SlaughterhouseBrown’s BlueberriesBub’s BestButterworks FarmChamplain OrchardsKingdom MaplePete’s GreensWild Branch FarmVermont SoyVermont Milk Co.

Vermont Producers:Cabot CreameryKing Arthur FlourMaple Meadow FarmSheffield Seitan

Vermont Distributors:Associated BuyersBlack River ProduceBurlington FoodsSquash Valley Produce

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Students working with Leland Peterson’s Drawing From Nature class produced some remarkable pieces of artwork this semester. The class of eight students focused on creating art related to the landscape of the Black River Watershed encompassing Sterling College and Craftsbury.

Opentostudentsatalllevelsofartexperience,theclassusedacombinationofon-siteartmaking,individualmeetings,groupcritiques,andfieldtrips to museums to facilitate the understanding and the practice of creating landscape art. Students focused on drawing with pen and ink and painting with watercolors. The class combined forces with the Stories and Storytelling and Introduction to the North class visiting Ottawa and the National Gallery of Canada to study works by Canadian Landscape Artists. Pictured are several student sketches of those works.

Black RiveR SketcheS: Combining Art, Culture, & Environment

Student artwork by: Armone Persing

Student artwork by: Armone PersingStudent artwork by: Sarah Carson



Student artwork by: Zachary Buckley

Student artwork by: Armone Persing

Student artwork by: Monica Kopp

Student artwork by: Richard Perello

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The six Sterling students gathered in the small sunny classroom could have been chosen at random but they weren’t. What began

asaquietinterludewiththegroupfillingoutquestionnairesevolvedinto a passionate exchange about the intricacies and repercussions of what sets them apart from their Sterling classmates—their homeschool-ing experiences.

As a group their homeschooling varied from a couple of years to their entire elementary and secondary education. Their curriculum and ex-periences were also varied. What rang similar, however, was the ease in which they segued from homeschooling to Sterling College.

Schirin Oeding, a 1st year Sustain-able Agriculture major and the 2008 recipient of the Environmental Stew-ard Scholarship, was homeschooled for her last two years of high school. After moving from Germany to Ot-tawa, Canada, Schirin attended school from fourth to tenth grade. Feeling the need for a change, she switched to homeschooling. This change offered her time to discover and pursue what she was interested in.

“I was able to work at my own pace, travel and explore, and I was free to walk around town mid-day and observe.”

Schirin’s teachers included her mother, an art teacher, an insistent math-ematician grandfather, farmers, foreign cities, and animals—to name a few. Her curriculum included agriculture, literature and writing, and visual art. But, she said, she came to the realization that, “there are no subjects—aseverythingisconnectedandonetopicflowsnaturallyintothe next.”

Flowing naturally into Sterling from homeschooling was something all students agreed upon. Sterling’s focus on experiential education—the philosophy of educators engaging students through direct, hands-on experience—played a large part in those near seamless transitions.

“There was not a stark transition from homeschooling to Sterling,” Schirin said. “The curriculum here is full of exploring and following yourcuriosity—theeducationalportionisnotconfinedtothetimeyouare in your classroom with your teacher. And there is great indepen-dence, with the self-designed major and independent studies.”

“Sterling has a very hands-on attitude towards learning and approaches ed-ucation in a way that addresses the real world,” Hannah Morgan said. “A way that is tangible and open to many forms of learning. Most classes are flexible in the way students canexpress themselves.”

Hannah is a 3rd year Circumpolar Studies major. Until Sterling, Hannah was homeschooled, or “unschooled,” at her family’s farm in southern Ver-mont for 17 years. She had no formal schedule, and teachers were listed as, “chickens, mom, dad, art teachers, sci-ence mentor, and piano teachers.”

“I loved to read and spent hours reading all kinds of books,” Hannah said. “I played music, kept journals, and spent whole high school years Renaissance fencing. I had as much freedom as I could ask for. I never felt pressured, so I accomplished many things that I was proud of.”

One of Hannah’s “unschooled,” classes included leading a six month Kroka Expedition of high school students skiing 300 miles on the Cat-amount Trail, building a wood and canvas canoe, and paddling that canoe 300 miles back home on Vermont rivers. She wrote and self pub-lished a book of this adventure entitled, “Migration.”

Katie Connor is a 1st year Outdoor Education & Leadership major home-schooled for eight years. Her mother was her primary teacher and she also took classes at a local high school and college as well as some correspon-dence courses. Studying science, art, and English, Katie said that home-schooling helped her develop a learn-inghabitthatdidnotconfinehertoatime or place.

“Sterlingisalsonotsoconfining,”Katiesaid.“Studentsarealwaysdo-ing interesting educational things. Learning here is encouraged outside of classrooms.”

Feeling Right at home:

Sterling’s Homeschooled Students



While cross-country skiing during one of the winter intensive courses, Katie and a recent transfer student from the University of Vermont (UVM), discussed the class-assigned remote control “clickers” used duringaUVMclasstorespondtoquestionsfromtheteacher.Thetwocould not escape the stark contrast to cross country skiing with a small group at Sterling.

With only 100 students, the closeness of the Sterling community ap-pealed to the homeschoolers. Being one of seven Work-Learning-Service Colleges in the nation Sterling’s community work programs also accel-erated the sense of community.

“You are part of the community right from the beginning with A Sense of Place and the experiential theme of working as part of a community,” Schirin said.

“The close community ties of Sterling appeal to the same ethic of closeness and support versus the anonymity of larger schools,” Kelsey Evans a 3rd year Self Designed major agreed.

Kelsey was homeschooled for one year of kindergarten and four years of high school. When asked who her teachers were, she replied mostly her-self but also listed a horse trainer, Wal-dorf Preschool teacher, an artist, and her experiences from internships and volunteer positions.

Kelsey said she enjoyed the similarity of the hands-on nature between Sterling and her homeschooling experiences. Kelsey’s love and knowl-edge of horses has made her indispensible to the Draft Horse team and faculty.

“Sterling allows for real-life learning,” Kelsey said, “experiential versus simply academic. I believe a combination is needed for comprehensive learning on any subject.”

Jake Van Gorder, a 3rd year Conser-vation Ecology major, agreed. Jake was homeschooled for 18 years be-fore coming to Sterling. Self taught with parental guidance, Jake said the strength of his curriculum was his hands-on experiences and the flex-ibility and freedom to choose his aca-demic focus.

“I found this same flexibility preva-lent at Sterling,” Jake said “both with-in the curriculum and the faculty.”

The Sterling faculty members received rave reviews from this group with stories of teachers offering both academic and practical lessons—

sharing their expertise in everything from ice climbing to darning sweaters.

“A teacher at Sterling doesn’t just teach what they teach in the class-room – they seem to be always looking for other opportunities to guide and share,” Schirin said.

All agreed that there was some truth to the clichés attached to being homeschooled.

“What they say about being socially awkward with your peers is some-what correct,” Hannah said. “I had my strongest relationships with adults and the kids I babysat. I found that kids my own age were not interested in the same things.”

There was a general consensus, however, that the shared interests and philosophies of Sterling students made for a supportive and collabora-tive learning environment.

Amalia Klein was homeschooled for nine years before coming to Sterling. The 1st year Outdoor Education & Leadership major volunteered at a graded school and nature centers. She said homeschooling allowed her to “go into extremes,” with her love of entomology and birding. She com-peted in national birding conferences from New Jersey to Texas. Amalia said her transition to Sterling was a very positive one.

“I feel that while Sterling is more structured than homeschooling was; I am getting to learn and study what I want. I truly love this school and feel that I am in a great community!”

StuDent FactS FoR 2009 ▶ 57% Male / 43% Female

▶ 10 % of our students were homeschooled before coming to Sterling College.

▶ 35% of our students visit other countries through Global Field Study courses.

▶ 23% of our students come from Vermont.

▶ 77% of our students come from 22 other states and two countries.

© 2009 Karl Decker

18 CommonVoice


SenioR applieD ReSeaRch pRojectS FoR 2009:

Capstone Learning Experiences

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2009 SenioR applieD ReSeaRch pRojectS & capStone leaRning expeRienceS:Student Name Project/Capstone Title Sponsoring OrganizationChaput, Matt Target: Emerald Ash Borer Utah's Department of Forestry

Constant, Max Study of Wildlife (Predators, Deer, & Moose) Crossings on Rural Roads Craftsbury Conservation Commission

Doerfler,Keith Natural Food Preferences of Black Bears at the Vince Schute Wildlife Sanctuary

American Bear Association

Elliot, Chester An Experiential Study and Survey of High Quality, Low Impact Lifestyles Craftsbury Town Energy Committee

Gruter-Curham, Kyle A Driving Survey of Reptile and Amphibian Mortalities in Orleans County

NorthWoods Stewardship Center

Hawley, Matt Nuclear Activism Mid-Missourians for Safe Energy (Peace Works)

Klem, Anika How is the Common Loon Productivity Affected by Human Disturbances and How Effective is the Management Practice of Posting Nest Warning Signs in New England?

Vermont Center for Ecostudies

Kline, Jonathan Cooperative Agriculture Throughout Kenya and Afghanistan Kwetu Foundation & Chemonics International

Lisk, Matt Examining Spatial Decision Making for Movement: To Establish Possible Corridors for Wolves (Canis lupus) in the Northern United States.

National Wildlife Federation

Mackie, Ben A Whole System Design for Regenerative Agriculture in Northern Vermont

Prospect Rock Permaculture

Matthews, Ben The Celebration of Beauty: Conversations with a Naturalist Vermont Folklife Center

Parker, Josh Sand Dune Ecology and Morphology Town of Plymouth, Environmental Management

Ploof, Pat Ethics of Vermont Climbers Crag Vermont

Pougnier, Robert Natural History Presentations at the Craftsbury Public Library Craftsbury Public Library

Revallo, Angie Solutions to Encourage Local Meat Production and Processing: Capacity of and Demand for Vermont Meat Processing Facilities

Rural Vermont and Sam Comstock (UVM)

Salonikios, Angela Creating an Orientation Video for Peregrine Fund Seasonal Employees/Interns

The Peregrine Fund



gloBal FielD StuDieS 2009:

Sterling’s Academic Voyages

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Sterling may be tucked away in the remote mountains of north-ern Vermont—but academics at Sterling traverse the globe. The

Global Field Studies program takes students and faculty to the exotic and the sublime, complete with unique and life-changing academic experiences.

Faculty member David Gilligan took seven Conservation Ecology stu-dentsontheNorthAtlanticfieldstudytripthispastsummer.Thetwoweek course was designed as an in-depth study of marine life within the intertidal and off-shore ecosystems along the coast of Maine and the Maritimes.Priortothefieldcourse,fourdaysofon-campusprepara-tionsandstudiesincludedoceanographiclessonsonseafloorspread-ing, coastal geomorphology, wave dynamics, tides, and general marine ecology.

David’s next trip is the Wilderness Field Program in the high Sierra Nevada of California during June and July 2009. Students will spend 35 days in the remote backcountry of the highest mountains of the low-er forty-eight, studying natural history and ecology of the region and practicingthefinecraftofmountainexpeditionskillsinthecontextofan extended wilderness trip.

Sterling College students and faculty members Farley Brown and Ann Spearing journeyed to the tropics of Belize in January 2009 on the Research in Tropical Ecosystems Global Field Study to collect the 5th year of data in the Monkey River watershed and along the Belizean coral reef. Research transects in the jungle and along the coral reef was establishedin2004withthefirstBelizeGlobalFieldStudiesprogram.The 2009 group gathered data along a tributary of the Monkey River,

the Bladen River, at the foothills of the Maya Mountains. Students col-lectedbiological,chemicalandphysicaldataintheriveraswellasfloraand fauna data along transects throughout the jungle. They also con-ducted soil analysis. This information was shared with the local school in Monkey River Town, where the river meets the ocean. The Sterling students went out to the coral reef transects to monitor the health of the coral, looking at coral diseases as well as growth of the coral. The 2009fielddatawillbewrittenupthisspringandaddedtothetropicalresearch database at Sterling College.

Thefollowingisalistofourupcomingfieldstudiesthatareavalableforopen enrollment in 2009. Anyone interested in experiencing and learn-ingmoreabouttheseplacesandtopicsisencouragedtoenrollorfindmore info online at: www.sterlingcollege.edu/gfs

Sustainable Scandinavian SystemsMay11-23•3credits•$4,750*•ErikHansen,M.A.ScandinavianStudies

Tundra and Taiga Ecology of AlaskaMay18-30•3credits•$4,450*•AnjaKade,Ph.D.Biology

Natural History of the Sierra Nevada & Expedition Skills PracticumJun1-Jul5•6credits•$5,800*•DavidGilligan,M.A.NaturalHistory&Ecology

Intercultural Study of Ladakh, IndiaAug15-Sep15•4credits•$6,600*•NedHouston,M.A.SocialEcology

Sustainable Japanese SystemsSep2-17•3credits•$6,950*•ErikHansen,M.A.ScandinavianStudies

James Bay: A Study in Human & Resource ManagementSept2-17•3credits•$2,750*•JeffParsons,M.S.Recreation,Park&TourismAdmin.

* All Global Field Studies costs include tuition, travel, food, and lodging and are subject to change. Participants who choose to audit a Field Study are charged a reduced fee and will not receive credit.

20 CommonVoice


After Tim Wilson ‘06 graduated with a self-designed major in Agroecology, going back to his hometown of Chicago to trans-

form vacant lots into city farms wasn’t exactly in his plans.

But his return was foreshadowed by his 2nd year Sterling internship in Chicago,rippingout35,000squarefeetofasphaltandturningit intoa garden for area school children and the community. This internship projectbroughtTimincontactwithanotforprofitorganization,CityFarm, and the experience changed Tim’s life.

Tim is now Manager of the City Farm and the Director of Urban Agriculture for the Resource Center, a 30-year old environmental edu-cationorganizationthatpracticesandteachesinnovativetechniquesforrecycling. City Farm grew out of the Resource Center’s work of turning food waste into soil. City Farm is now a series of urban lot market gar-dens run by trained neighborhood employees.

There are tens of thousands of vacant lots in Chicago, said Tim. City Farm takes a vacant lot—often located in economically under-devel-oped Chicago neighborhoods—and transforms it into a farm, produc-ing fresh fruits and vegetables to sell to local communities and high-end restaurants. The income generated from the produce is used to pay

and train employees. Calling themselves a “moveable feast,” the Farm often relocates when the garden lots are sold, taking their compost and soil with them. For the surrounding community these farms become an education in sustainable farming, provide job training, as well as nutri-tious, fresh produce to people who might not otherwise have access.

“Thousands have come through City Farm’s different gardens to be trained or to learn about food,” the City Farm’s website states. “Replicating the City Farm model will bring more local food and jobs, and advanced training will become available for those who want to convert land and thrive off of it themselves.” Wilson notes, “People grow vegetables in many different ways; urban resources need to stop being wasted and be made available to growers who can improve their communities’ way of life. We can do that.”

Tim said that his background at Sterling College helped secure his posi-tion at City Farm. The City Farm folks were impressed by his ecologi-cal path and the mixture of sustainable agriculture and ecology from his self-designed major. “From Sterling,” Tim said, “I was able to get a strong background not only through the curriculum but the experience ofgoingatasmallnonprofitdrivencollege.”

alumni pRoFile:

Tim Wilson ‘06



Tim’s good works in urban sustainable farming received national at-tention when he was nominated to be the “White House Farmer” this past November. The nomination came from Michael Pollan’s call for a WhiteHouseFarmertotransformfiveacresoftheWhiteHouselawninto an organic fruit and vegetable garden.

Tim ranked 12th out of the 111 farmers nominated.

“Getting nominated for the White House Farmer was important to me because the sustainable agriculture movement needs to be discussed more nationally,” Tim said. “It is a regional movement but the bar-riers to agricultural livelihoods in Washington are getting thorni-er. The work of many small farm-ers over the last decades is now being recognized and discussed. Although talks need to start more actually from the White House side, I felt being from a metropoli-tan area votes could add up and of course represent Chicago. Our city’s ties now to the White House are very exciting...”

While at Sterling, Tim partici-pated in the Global Field Studies program—taking three ecological trips—one to Belize to study ma-rine and rainforest ecosystems and explore the local communities and their management issues, one voy-age to Finland to study the arctic flora and fauna, hold discussionswith researchers and villagers, and visit cultural centers, and a trip with the Sustainable Scandinavia program.

“These trips helped me feel fo-cused in a city,” Tim said. “The trips to Belize and Lapland focused on community development and showedmethebenefitsoflearningfromthelocalpeople.SustainableScandinavia was both urban and rural and opened my eyes to the lead-ing edge of sustainable systems. These academic voyages also gave me a well rounded knowledge of a lot of different ways to do things. I glimpsed how to get things started so it can change when agriculture and sustainability are not supported by society.”

As well as running the ongoing City Farm, Tim is working on propos-als to start new farms and initiate crop planting.

“The opportunities are amazing,” Tim said. “This is an exciting place to be—we are at the early stages of it. We have a lot of corn and soybean

farmers—but not a good local food network yet.”

But, Tim said, urban agriculture is on the move. “I have a lot of back-yard growers in the city – people who discover the joy of growing to-matoes and selling their sauce for $15 a bottle. We have a lot of busi-nesses looking towards sustainable agriculture.”

However, the newness of the movement, the vast opportunities in Chicago, and the work still to be done is daunting.

“The scale of what’s out there – roughly 10,000 acres of vacant lots are available for City Farm—it can be overwhelming,” Tim said.

Chicago being a transportation hub – it seems almost all produce going anywhere passes through the city. And due to lack of infrastructure – somewhere between 300 and 400 ton dump trucks of fresh produce is takentoalandfilldaily.

For a company like the Resource Center, battling this massive amountofwasteandfindingthere-sources to deal with it is something that Tim would like to do. But, as a small not-for-profit with scantfunding he feels a small player—and is looking outward for help .

“My volunteers and workers are all well intentioned and eager—they are all advocates for urban agri-culture,” Tim said. “But I lack the trained professionals like Sterling churns out.”

“This would be a great place for a Sterling student to land,” Tim continued. “I could use ten more Sterling educated people out here.

A lot of places could use more Sterling students. What we are trying to do is model systems that are self-run—what we need is more Sterling Collegestotrainpeopleinthefieldandnotjustintheory.”

Overall, Tim said his experience at Sterling has provided him with both the expertise and experience to get the job done.

“Moving from being a student to being an independent producer—it’s hard to get everything done and I often revert back to the ‘Sterling style,’ of plain hard work. I guess you could say I’ve been living off the Sterling education for some time now.”

For information on the Resource Center and City Farm go to: http://www.resourcecenterchicago.org

“I often revert back to the ‘Sterling Style,’ of plain hard work. I guess you could say I’ve been living off the Sterling education for some time now.”

22 CommonVoice


Sterling is proud to host the Sterling College Speaker Series each semester—bringing prominent environmental speakers to campus and the local community for public lectures. The speakers include both academics and professionals whose work concerns topics related to the College’s

core environmental mission. During the past year speakers have addressed issues related to wildlife management, groundwater preservation, natural history, food security, wilderness recreation, and international cooperation in the Arctic Ocean. While most of the speakers are drawn fromnorthernNewEngland,wehavebeenfortunatetobringafewspeakersfromfurtherafield.TheSpeakerSeriescontributestoSterling’spedagogical goal of involving students in the wider community. Students have an opportunity to meet and to interact with environmental experts and activists—several Sterling students have used these introductions to further their own educational and career goals through internships and research projects. The Speaker Series also builds our connections to the local community with growing public interest in and attendance at Speaker Series events. For the most recent Speaker Series line-up, keep an eye on our website: http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/speakers

SpeakeRS’ SeRieS: A Community Exchange

Photo: In celebration of “Robert Frost Days” John Elder joined the Sterling community for a discussion of the experience of work and place in Robert Frost’s poetry. Dr. John Elder, Author and Sterling College trustee, specializes in American Nature Writing, Wordsworth, Frost, Pastoral Literature, Basho and the Haiku Tradition, and Contemporary Poetry.

Protecting Vermont’s Groundwater by Annette Smith What is the state of our groundwater? Are we allowing it to be depleted? Polluted? Annette Smith, executive director of Vermonters for a Cleaner Environment will address these questions and share information about the role citizen-activists play in the protection of our vital resources.

Reading from Thin Places by Ann ArmbrechtAnn Armbrecht, local author, reading from and in conversation about her new book, Thin Places: A Pilgrimage Home. The book tells of her anthropological fieldwork inNepal and her discovery that it is people’sclose connections to each other that make a place sacred.

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail by Kate WilliamsThe Northern Forest Canoe Trail traverses 740 miles of streams and lakes following historic Native American routes. Kate Williams, executive director of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, described the re-establishment of this historic waterway as well as her experiences paddling it.

The Toxic Legacy of Thomas Edison by George HillThomas Alva Edison was hailed by Life magazine as, “The Man of the Millennium,” but as former Sterling Trustee, George Hill, will tell us, Edison’s legacy is far more lasting than his inventions. Hill shows that the Great Inventor was also a Great Polluter.

Where the Rapids Are by Matt HearnMatt Hearn, discussed the youth exchange organized by the Purple Thistle Centre and K’asho Got’ine First Nation Community Council. This exchange looks beyond tolerance to the concept of hospitality, bringing together inner-city & First Nation youth for reciprocal home-stays.

Standing Silent Nation a FilmThisfilmpresentsthestrugglesoftheWhitePlumefamilyto grow sustainable industrial hemp on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Mary Collins, a close friend of the White Plume family and an advocate for the people of the OglalaLakotaNation,introducedthisfilm.

heRe iS a Recap oF what took place DuRing the 2009 SpRing SpeakeRS’ SeRieS:



Alumni News 2000S Johanna Burdet, ’08, wrote in February: “After the New Year, I hitchhiked from Maine to CA, which took me about a month. I settled in Prescott, AZ, where I have been volunteering most of every day. I work with Karma Farms, a community powered urban farming project, which has plots around the city; they raise vegetables and animals. I also volun-teer with a radical info-shop, a Food Not Bombs, and three churches, feeding the hungry. I ride my bike I bought here all the time and have just begun dream-ing about my farm that I am now pretty sure I am ready to start. I am becoming pretty tired of travel-ling, so I am going to Minnesota to help my sister out with her new baby and 65-head dairy farm they just bought. I hope all is well at Sterling College. I think of y’all often. Much love.”

Ben Gaglioti, ’07, is a graduate student in biology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Andrew Mollahan, ‘06 and Laurel Greene, ’00, say that their daughter Eleanor attends Apple Valley Montessori, and Robert was one year old in December. Andy attends Shenandoah University’s MBA program and Laurel enjoys being a full time mom.

Jessica Smart Carter,’04, and Chris Carter, ’97, write from Virginia, “had a beautiful baby girl last September, Josephine May.” Jess is gardening has founded an online farmers market. Chris was recent-ly promoted to Timber Harvest Tech at the George Washington Jefferson National Forest.

Alyssa Holmes, ’03, says, “I am starting an herbal medicine CSA this year, my herbal products web-site will be up this spring: HYPERLINK www.ris-ingrhythmherbs.com www.risingrhythmherbs.com.

Bartering a lot with the pork we raised this past year, and looking forward to the upcoming food raising season! Love to everyone.”

Marie A. Fisk, ’03, is still project manager at Doolittle Farm, LLC, in Islesboro, Maine. “I’m do-ing well and feeling content. I bought a house on Islesboro last year, and I’m still managing the sheep farm.Ijoinedthefiredept.andI’mstudyingtobeanEMT right now. I’m thinking about becoming either aparamedicoranERnurse.DefinitelynotanythingI ever imagined myself doing but I’m really enjoying it! Take care everyone; you all have a bed to sleep in on Islesboro if you ever want to visit.”

“It was a great place,” writes Bill Dallmayer, ’03, “but unfortunately the Hatch Brook House, which Chris Carter and I bought back in 1999, was de-stroyedbyfireinmid-December.Thankfully,noonewas hurt. I have great memories of all the gatherings of friends we had there over the years and so many stories to tell. It was the end of an era, but I hope the beginning of a new one. I plan to begin rebuilding in the spring. Thank you so much to everyone for your help and support. The kindness I’ve received from my friends, family, and community has been tremendous. I can’t tell you how thankful I am to be part of such a wonderful community of people.”

Adam Lewandowski’s ’02 son arrived in December 2008. “We named him Zachary Lewandowski, and baby and mom are both happy and healthy.”

Jamie Martel Webb, ’01, writes “I am always think-ing of my days in Craftsbury and will forever crave the community that exists there! I may get to campus for the spring internship presentations; would love to attend. I live in the Mt. Washington valley and the snow keeps coming! Hope spring arrives sooner than later.”

Melissa Fisher, ’00, writes from New York that “work is moving along at the High Line. We’re look-ing at opening the park in May or early June. Lots to do but it’s very exciting! My husband Thabo and Iareputtingthefinaltouchesonourapartmentaspart of the old house we’ve been renovating with friends for the last year and a half in Brooklyn. Come visit….”

1990S Marion Sikora, ’97, is engaged and plans to be mar-ried in August 29, 2009. She invites anyone who is in the neighborhood (Pittsburgh PA) to stop in. She and Kevin have a home there. “All invited!”

Alicia Flammia, ’97, was getting ready for her an-nual trip to the Craftsbury Outdoor Center for some cross country skiing when she touched base with us. “I graduated from Antioch University New England in 2007 with my Master of Science in Environmental Studies (Resource Management and Administration department with a focus on water resources) and I’ve been working for the same company since then. ECS isanenvironmental consultingfirmand Iama project manager here working on contaminated site clean up and closure in the states of VT, MA and NH.”

Michael Fawcett, ’97 is teaching 6th grade at Fort Richardson Army Base in Anchorage.

Sarah Alexander, ’97, writes from Maine, “our fam-ily welcomed Vera June, our third girl. She is won-derful and our little ladies (Emma 4 and Lucy 2) are enjoying their new baby sister. [email protected]

Tucker Cronin, ’96, tells us he lives in Coventry, RI now. His business is Nantucket LightScapes...

Drew Conroy, former Sterling College faculty member ’87-’89, now Ph.D., Professor of Applied Animal Science at the University of New Hampshire, took a sabbatical spending just under a year in Namibia, Africa on a Fulbright Scholar program. The photo above is from a slideshow of the experience Drew shared with us. http://www.thompsonschool.unh.edu/

24 CommonVoice


nantucketlightscapes.com and his wife Kristen works for the “Silk Road Project”... www.silkroad.org-anonprofitrunbyYo-Yo-Mathatfosterscul-tural exchange and learning through music. “The College and the website look amazing as ever. Sterling was the best experience I ever had! Hello to Ned!”

Jessica Naylor, LADC, LSW, ’96, writes “I am still working as a substance abuse counselor at Sumner and Bucksport High schools and living in Hancock, Maine for the winter. In the summer I am residing in Stonington, Maine working as a sea kayak guide and sailing instructor for three months. Best to all of you there.”

Rae Powers, ’96, writes, “My husband Ian and I had a baby boy, Alexander Powers Randall, on January 1st at 3am... the first baby born in ‘09 in BrightonEngland! All are happy and healthy.”

Jessica Couture, ‘94, writes, “I have my own land-scaping business which keeps me very active from early spring to late winter. I am currently work-ing full-time seasonally at Johnny’s Selected Seeds which pairs well with my landscaping time. As the president of Save Our Strays, a non-profit animalresources group in the Central and Eastern Maine area, I do a lot of work transporting, fostering and coordinating adoptions of cats and kittens. My pas-sion is the work with feral cats. My husband, Tim, and Ihavebeenmarried forfiveyears.WehaveaGerman shepherd and three cats (and always some foster cats!).”

“Not much has changed since I spoke last,” says Sean McCann, ’93. “I’m living in Jericho, Vermont. I work for Clark’s Truck Center in their accounting department. I have my wife Noel, son, Conor, and daughter, Mairead. Most of our time is enjoyed sup-porting our children in scouting, school, and sports. All is well. Thanks for asking.”

Stephen Elsen,’93, writes “I am in welding school and loving it. I’ve been a jack of all wood and metal trades since Sterling and am enjoying the challenge of becoming a code quality multi process welder.I’ve been married for 11 years and have 2 boys ages 8 and 2. Living in Asheville NC and would love to hear from/see anyone in the area.”

Pam Bryer, ’91, says, “I’m still in the southern high plains working on applied animal welfare and swine stress physiology, in what seems to be this nation’s epicenter for backwards 1950s idealism and not a lick of ecological integrity for hours in any direction by supercharged-heavy-duty-way-up-high-extra-wide-turbo diesel. In other news, my adorable 8 month old is amazing and LOVES poking eyeballs - in books, on toys, and people too. For all the angst involved with the responsibility of bringing children into this world nobody ever told me how wonderful the experience is, but I guess that is part of the prob-lem, no? If anyone needs to employ a Ph.D. in envi-ronmental toxicology let me know, because I need to support this growing little boy!”

Alyssa Lovell, ’90, is “still living in Western MA, mourning my father who passed away last November after two years with brain cancer, work-ing on my MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry), trav-elling when possible, working as an OT in schools, maintaining as low-impact a life as I can; very, very psyched about our new President.”

1980S Ted Hobart,’88, is in the process of developing a new fundraising running event to help fund the Winans-Williams Environmental Action Scholarship, which he established at Sterling. “The event is called the Bounder8HourUltraSeriesandthefirsteventwillbe held on April 19th. I don’t expect any more than 10 runners who would be crazy enough to run for 8 hours, but you never know. The other two running events will be held in August and December at the same locations. Since this one is rather short notice, I will not be able to do any pre-fundraising for it. But for the August and October races, I will be having pre-fundraising events to promote registration and fundraising for the scholarship.”

John Hoff, ’84, says, “I think of Craftsbury almost every day and was also considering a trip to the area before our season/spring is upon us. I am mar-ried with three kids, Margaret (3), Elizabeth (20 months) and John (7 months). My wife, Heather, and I have a landscape company on Martha’s Vineyard and we just opened a nursery and garden center on the island as well. I often tell stories of Sterling and wonder how my old classmates are doing.”

Bill Brosky, 84, writes that he is head grower at GeorgeBiddenGreenhouseinHatfield,PA.“Ihavethree teenagers.”

Errett Brown, ‘83 and his wife Vanessa launched their first e-commerce website “offering our fun,tie-dyed clothing. Check us out at www.earttiedye.com”

Nan Marshall, ’82, moved to a rural town in Southwestern Wisconsin. “We’re about 30 miles south of La Crosse, near the Mississippi, in Vernon County – the U.S. county with the most organic farms!Viroquaisasmalltownofabout5,000peo-ple, but it’s been attracting a group of artsy and al-ternative people for the past 10-15 years. They have a lot of activities going on there for a small town and there is a Waldorf school. In addition to the house in town, we’ve purchased 24 acres outside of town where we hope to build a passive solar house, start a garden and orchard, keep bees, and try a lifestyle that will be more meaningful for us than the sub-urban life we’ve been leading. We expect that our 4-year-oldwillfindlifeonthefarmquitesatisfying.Despite all I learned at Sterling (oh so many years ago), we will have lots to learn – which makes life interesting and exciting. Throw in a few animals and chaos will ensue, I’m sure. Our phone number is 608-637-0577. My new email address will be [email protected] (this will probably change in a few months). I’ve been thinking about Sterling a lot late-ly, as we embark on this adventure. I hope Sterling is managing to thrive is this climate.”

Kimberly Nichols Heiselman, ’81 writes, “Alexander is in 3rd grade at Evergreen Community School, which won a place in the Ellen DeGeneres competition for Top Ten Greenest Schools in America!” Kim is living in North Carolina.

Rodney Walter, ‘80, has worked for the Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy for 9 years – a DirectorofHabitatProtection(landacquisition).Heismarried toMelodyWalkerandhasa significantsaltwaterfishhobby.Rightnowhe’s“attemptingto

spawn gramma melacara (Black Cap Basslets, which are rarely spawned in captivity).” As well, he is be-ing kept by two herd dogs, Australian Shepherds Winston and Cardamom.

Mark Carrera (Weavre), ’80, completed his AS in Business Management in spring ‘09, and is now in thefirst semester atUniversity of SouthernMaineat the Lewiston-Auburn campus. “My major is Leadership and Organizational Studies. I decided on the move north to enter my BA program to be closer to the areas I love the most. My haunts include kaya-king around places like Mt. Desert Isle, and points north of a little place called Hermit Island. Last year Iwasable togetoutquiteoftenduringthewintermonths, but this year the average temps kept me off the water. I get out when the ambient temps are in the 20’s, but much below that and the kayak, paddle, and I become too iced up for safety considerations. When not driving the books for my new courses I can be found riding either the water or the snow, and snowboarding at Sunday River - helps me for-get that I am not paddling the ocean off the Maine coast. My goals are to select my MA program after thefirstyeariscompletedintheLOSprogram,soIwill be here in Auburn for at least three years. After my MA, I will seek work once again in an Eastern European country where I can put my international resume and the recently earned degrees to some use. Cheers from Auburn, Maine.”

1970S

Sam Card, ’79, wants to hear from other 1979 alum-ni. “How are you? What have you been doing? It would be fun for us to have a reunion or informal gathering. Please let me know what you think. It would be great for everybody in our class to be con-tacted, so that we can have an inclusive reunion. With regret, I was not able to keep in communication with our alumni as I had no contact information. For me, I have not talked to or seen most of our Sterling class. It has been 30 years and we can learn so much from each other. Please know that I care about ev-erybody and would love to hear from every one of you. I know people are busy and I hope everybody is happy and well. Please contact me at my e-mail address [email protected]

Raymond George, ’78, has been married 20 years and has two kids, Caitlin and Ryan. Raymond works at Brooklake C.C. on the greens staff, and bartends at night.

Mark Brunner, ’76, says hi to all the 76ers from New York, and “I’ll be up in ’09 or ’10! Put it together!”

Jennifer Jordan Gear, ’76, writes “I can’t believe it’s been 33 years, but there is the number right in front of me. Anyway, I am living in Salt Lake City with my husband, Jeff Rhoads, whom I met in 2000 at K2 base campwhileresearchingmybookandfilm,WhileIam still a very much displaced New Englander, there is a certain charm about living at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, only hours away from the Grand Canyon, one of my favorite places on earth (besides the Common under a full moon). Watch for my latest documentary, “Kick Like a Girl,” airing on HBO in June and my second book sometime next year. Be in touch at [email protected].”



1960S Bruce Dutcher ‘69 sent greetings from Atlanta in February: “Gives me an excuse to not look at these changing stock markets! My oldest daughter Jessie is a junior at Furman University in Greenville, SC majoring in education. Jessie is captain of the Furman women’s lacrosse team -a small legacy from when I played Lacrosse for Sterling School. Younger brother Max is a freshman at Furman University having a great time. Little sister Patce is a cheer leader and high school lacrosse player. Greatly en-joyed the reunion last fall. Conclusively determined we all attended Sterling School for the same dif-ferent reasons. My longest lasting memory is of late winter-night bus rides through the back roads of Vermont returning to Craftsbury Common. Looking through a frost hole in bus window at snowdrifts and shadows and the occasional small country kitchen with single light bulb hanging on a wire. My world was simple; I was not overwhelmed by electronic distractions like TV, IPOD, computer, cell phone or even radio. How I longed to share those country kitchens, embraced by the love of a family. It was a precious time of dreams, struggles and personal development. All my Sterling friends andclassmatesareunique,aswehadsomuchroomto grow and freedom to dream… Atlanta has daffo-dils and crocus popping up and in color.

Willie Wilson, ’67, wrote from the Virgin Islands: “Since leaving Sterling’s Old Timer (or was it Pioneer?) Weekend last summer I’ve meant to send the school two things: a small donation, and a copy of each of my two books, Up Mountain One Time (1987) and Glassbottom Days (2005) for the library. The firstoftheseisachildren’snovelwithillustrationsby my wife, Karen Bertrand, and the more recent a coming-of-age memoir set in the Virgin Islands. Both books won national Independent Publisher Awards (The reissue of Up Mountain One Time in 2008 won the IPA and a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award). I am working on a book situated in Peru where I travelled and taught for two years following college and where I have returned to twice, recently. I teach High School English and World History and have directed 20-odd plays. I attribute at least some of my interest in writing to Mr. Dillingham who taught Verbal Expression (known fondly as Vex) and

to Mr. Stebbins as well. My willingness to trek in the Andes might have been partly inspired by Mr. Azoy who wrote the same two words in everyone’s year-book: Do something (some years ago I saw him do-ing just that when he was interviewed on McNeil/Lehrer related to his dealings with the Mujahidin whowere fighting the Soviets at the time). I liveon St. Thomas in a kind of hillside tree house and still (at 60!) surf whenever I get the chance. I greatly enjoyed my visit to Craftsbury Common. I had a chance conversation with a student who was com-ingoutofthedormbythefieldandcuttingthroughthe woods toward the main campus. I was wander-ing about reminiscing with a couple other old tim-ers and the young man could easily have passed us by. Instead he caught our attention and asked - in a very polite and pleasant manner - who we were. A conversation ensued and I was most impressed. Of course, I forget his name, but if an institution can be judged by the company it keeps, then it appears that Sterling continues to shape lives in meaningful ways. As a teacher of over (Lord) 30 years, I know that is no small feat. [email protected]

Juan Ricardo, a.k.a., John Richard Asbury, ‘66, sends “blessings from sunny Oaxaca. We are sort of out of the main loop you might say. There won’t be any more new babies;17 is enough and I’m a ripe old 60 year old who is more concerned with maintain-ing the kids that are here (10), then having more. But anyone with the courage to travel to Mexico is more than welcome to come see this wonderful place amongst the Mazatec Indians. The views alone are worth it. May God be with you and I am eternally thankful for the yearbook you sent me. Please make my email address available to anyone who wants it.”

Chris Stone, ‘66 writes that he graduated from Babson College in Boston, MA and some 20 years ago relocated to Dallas Texas where he owns an import business in the residential and commercial home furnishings industry. He and his wife Joan have two grown children and five grandchildren.Both Chris and his wife are skiers – a sport he rel-ished at Sterling – boaters, golfers and travelers. His business covers the western US and takes him to China occasionally. He notes that, “Sterling taught me many things, self-reliance and responsibility, but most prominently the value of personal relation-ships in life.” Send Chris email at [email protected]

“I am still working for Family Health Centers, a not-for-profitPrimaryHealthCareorganizationinFortMyers,” says Roger Ward,’65, senior vice president, operations. “I have been here twelve years. Mary and I enjoyed our trip in October. You put together a great weekend.” [email protected]

Mark Brady, ’62,’ a “Sterling Charter Member, who attended last fall’s 50th Reunion with my wife Mary, enjoyed being present and seeing former school mates tremendously. I reside in Middlebury (VT) where he manages weekly newspapers. After own-ing and operating radio stations for most of his ca-reer, I can’t get media work out of my system! I am close to launching a fun and challenging geographi-cal scavenger hunt on the web, known as The Grand Prize. Mark is creator and clue master… look for it at www.keeperoftheclues.com around April 1.”

“While standing in front of Kane Hall at the 50th reunion” says Carl Diefenbach, ’61, “I was ap-proached by a young lady in a “pumpkin orange” dress. She introduced herself and asked me about my experience at Sterling. It made a lasting impres-sion. Sterling continues to attract high caliber stu-dents. Keep up the good work.”

David Behrend, ‘60, “was pleased to co-chair, with Peter Mc Kay,’63, the very exciting 50th anniversary celebration of Sterling School pioneers last October. Over 125 alums and their family attended, includ-ing founding faculty. In honor of the 50th, David and his wife Dona gave $50,000 to the College. They live in Bryn Mawr, Pa. and would be happy to see any alums who are traveling through Pennsylvania. Dona and David are blessed to have two grandchil-dren, and both are still happily working: Dona has a Ph.D., public historian, and David as Director of Career Planning Services for Lawyers.”

in memoRiam The Sterling College community is sad to report on the passing of faculty, friends, and alumni. We extend heartfelt condolences to their family members.

Philip Edgerton, trustee. The College family is sad to report the loss of former trustee Philip Edgerton who served on the Board from 2001 to 2007. Phil and his wife, Elizabeth (Buffy), had recently moved to Wake Robin in Shelburne, Vermont after living many years in Craftsbury. He had a successful career as an engineer, developing several patents, and was a tireless volunteer of service organizations, including the American Friends Service Committee and Sterling College. At the College, he was known as a dedicated trustee, always with a kind and soft-spoken word for staff, faculty and students. He leaves his wife Elizabeth,threechildrenincludingSterling’sformerdeanPerryThomasandherhusbandfacultymemberRickThomas,andfivegrandchildren.

James “Jamie” Balivet, ’62, died at his Danville, Vermont home, in January 2009. He is survived by two brothers who also attended Sterling School, Tobias and Robert Balivet, and two sisters Jean Roper and Jennifer Johnston.

all-college Reunion

The 2009 All-College Reunion Weekend will take place August 28-30.

Learn more and register online:www.sterlingcollege.edu/reunion

26 CommonVoice


By DaviD gilligan:

On Jeff BickartI am sitting on my office floor surrounded by manila folders andboxes. Scores of them. Folders stuffed with geology diagrams, transparencies,articles,fieldactivityworksheets,lessonplans,exams;boxes full of igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, assorted minerals, all perfectly organized, ordered and labeled to the standard of the most exacting museum curator. When Jeff Bickart offered to share some of his teaching materials with me I expected a slimbinder,perhapsasparetextbook.WhatIhavehereisenoughtofilla small room, certainly the back of a pickup truck. What am I supposed to do with all this? Appreciate it. Appreciate the meticulous attention to detail that the gathering and consolidation of so much information and useful material represents. More importantly, appreciate the gifted and dedicated person who had the integrity and impeccability to pursue everything that he committed to with such thoroughness, such awareness, such zeal. Love can be defined as positive attention. JeffBickart exuded it.

Jeff Bickart was the Renaissance Man of the 21st Century: a scientist-farmer-homesteader poet dressed in handknit and brain-tanned garments carrying a top of the line spotting scope to a mucky spring wetland in search of recent migrants; an intellectual-educator-seed saving-fiber artist-closet Tolkien fanatic-husband and dad growingheirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables for his family and hand-carving paddles out of local cherry for his son. Jeff not only formally taught subjects as diverse as Geology, Ornithology, Sense of Place Botany, Organic Crop Production and Fiber Arts, but he inspired us all by his insatiable curiosity and capacity for learning, his dedication to manifesting perfection through attention to detail in all of his pursuits, and his ability to live up to the dictum of one of his own college mentors: alwaysbefinishingsomething.ThelistofthingsJeffbroughttoboththe Sterling College and the greater Craftsbury community is too long to list here, but I can sum it all up in just two simple words: HIS LIFE.

Jeff, likesuchnotablefiguresasHenryDavidThoreau,MohandasK.Gandhi and Wendell Berry approached life as a great experiment and was constantly honing his practice of it. If we really want to understand what he had to teach us, then it is to the life he practiced that we must turn. Every aspect of it. Right down to the last detail. Although Jeff himself viewed his life as a work in progress, it is a template for a way ofbeingreflectiveofahighlydevelopedconsciousness.LastsummerItaught a nature philosophy course in the Sierra Nevada of California. During a section on bioregionalism we read essays by Gary Snyder, Wendell Berry, and Jeff Bickart. During a class discussion I remember a student asking the group “so what are we supposed to do to be better citizens of the planet, I mean, who are our role models these days?” Another student promptly replied, “live more like Jeff Bickart.” All this romanticizes Jeff, but with good reason. Yes, he was human. But he was a damn good one.

After a long bout with melanoma, Jeff passed on in October, just as the last leaves of aspen were turning gold and the wind blew them off the trees,asCanadaemptiedofitsgeeseandsentthemflyingovercold,marbled gray Craftsbury skies. He approached this great transition as he did all things in life: thoroughly, simply and beautifully. He taught his last lecture on homestead orchards and fruit production, compiled his poetry into his book Paleontology, visited as often as possible with close friends, wrote dozens of letters (mostly to his wife, Jen, and children, Alex and Laura), said farewell to his loved ones, and departed for the next adventure. His exemplary life is celebrated by all who knew him. Thank you, Jeff. We send our love.

Sterling College faculty member David Gilligan, teaches courses including Natural History of the North Woods, Spring Flora, Geology, and Field Study in Newfoundland and Labrador is a master mountaineer, explorer and writer, and has published numerous articles and books. He was a close friend and colleague of Jeff Bickart.



The Man Who Drank noThing BuT WaTer By Jeff BickarT

With a round rock he knocked a chunk from

the face of a glacier, and sucked on it for three days.

Hebathedinspringshotfromtheearth’sfires,

ducked his head, and opened his mouth wide.

Thirsting to know the taste of depth, he lowered

a bottle on a weighted line three hundred feet

to the bottom of a lake, then with a string

pulled out a little plug.

Wandering back across the north in late winter

hesatisfiedhimselfwiththesweetsapofmaples,

pressing his lips to dripping white cambium

that he slashed open with his knife,

or tipping up buckets in the freshening woods.

He spent seven days at the end following up

every small stream that fed into Taylor’s Branch

fromconfluencetosource,catalogingbytongue

the variation along the length of each.

Figuringhe’dfinallytastedclarity,hewenthome,

and sat down in his bentwood chair

with a cold glass of water

from his own wellspring.

For a year he declined the bottled juices of fruits,

ignored the offerings thrust at him

of carbonated sugar water in cans,

had no truck with the mammary secretions

of cattle and goats,

had nothing to do with steeped herbs

and ground-up tropical seeds,

gave up the pleasures of fermented barley and grapes.

He lay on his back in thunderstorms

with his mouth wide open.

He held his basswood cup under waterfalls,

and he dipped it into muddy puddles and pulled deep.

He lay on his belly and sipped from vernal pools

filledwiththeeggsoftoadsandpassionatefrogs;

he tasted everywhere of marshes and ponds and lakes,

rivers, streams, brooks, creeks, rivulets, rills, and trickles.

Helikedespeciallytheresinousflavors

flowingthroughspruceforests.

Staredatbymoccasins,hefilledhiscupinblackwaterswamps.

He walked out onto a trembling sphagnum mat,

went to his knees, and sucked the brown acid bog water;

and then he tipped into his mouth the contents

of a purple pitcher plant.

Tying his cup to a long pole, he extended it

intothefloodroaringdownadrywash

after a desert cloudburst, and after he drained it

examinedcarefullythesandandgravelstillhalffillingit.

In his wandering that year he searched out with cracked lips

the stagnant traps in red rock sandstone,

swallowing down more than water;

cravingantiquity,heordereditstraightup

from the Ogallala in a dusty Texas bar.

He compared the salts of two oceans,

and he lifted his cupped hands to his lips

from a playa lake.

The enD By Jeff BickarT

There is no where from here for me.

Our children may choose other things,

this land pass into other hands.

I will be here on the hillside,

lying in a shallow grave,

covered by the native stones,

gone to rest in native ground;

mossy rocks, a gentle mound,

bones sweetening the acid soil.

28 CommonVoice

S T E R L I N G C O L L E G ES T E R L I N G C O L L E G E

CommonVoice Spring/Summer 2009

P.O. Box 72Craftsbury Common, VT 05827

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commonvoice: spring/summer 2009

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