TAMARACK FARM
MIXED GENDER
AGES 15-17
COMMIT TO IMMERSION
Creating Community and Meaning
Kate Kyros is a former camp counselor, leadership educator, wilderness trip leader, school administrator, and therapist. Kate grew up with a strong connection to both farms and wilderness and is surprised it took her well into adulthood to find her way to F&W! In her own words, “I believe magic happens when we are in community, immersed in the natural world, and doing meaningful work.”
Kate holds an interdisciplinary BA in psychology, gender studies, and farming from Hampshire College, and an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work. She completed two years of post-masters study with The Mill River Institute for Dialogic Practice. Kate is an avid gardener, an aspiring meditator, and mother to two often-muddy children. When not at F&W, Kate calls Western Massachusetts home. Kate loves facilitating growth experiences and is excited to get started with F&W and our teens!
| Session 1: | June 25 - July 17 |
| Session 2: | July 20 - August 10 |
Housing: Tamarack Farmers begin each morning with an uninterrupted view of the woods, surrounded by peers. The cabins are all open three-sided wood structures with individual bunks and storage for each camper. As we build community, it’s important each camper still has their space and campers enjoy personalizing their bunk. Cabin groups are based on gender, with more options for gender non-binary youth.
Facilities: Shared facilities are nearby for all their personal hygiene needs, including fresh water and hot showers.
WHAT OUR CAMPERS SAY
WHY THE FARM?
OUR APPROACH
Tamarack offers teens the opportunity to gain a deeper sense of confidence through meaningful work and face-to-face discussions. Given a chance to step up, our teens are trusted to act, envision and take ownership of projects in a non-competitive way. Together, they tackle new challenges as they build rafters for a new cabin or harvest beets.
Tamarack Offers Exciting Possibilities to Explore.
Dive into creating your summer community. Tamarack Farm campers share responsibilities, assume leadership roles and find growth opportunities in important issues as they explore issues of peace and justice and environmental sustainability.
Campers will spend their days in one of five areas: Environmental Sustainability, Carpentry and Construction, Artists in Residence, Agriculture and Homesteading, and the Counselor Apprenticeship Program.
Campers assist and take leadership roles in:
• Farm management
• Building projects
• Harvesting and delivering food and milking cows.
• Creating art for the soul or beautifying the camp community
• Invasive species control with the lake associations and trail design and maintenance.
EXPERIENCE LIFE IN THE OUTDOORS
Activities
Complete meaningful projects as a result of your commitment.
Environmental Sustainability (Eco)
The Eco Immersion is all about the noble pursuit of taking care of land (and steering clear of a desk job) for our young conservationists. Hands on projects build foundational skills in forestry, trail interpretation & maintenance, water quality testing, watershed & habitat exploration, native and invasive plant species identification, land use ethics & history, community science projects, navigating the woods, and more. The Farm & Wilderness camps are surrounded by thousands of acres of forestland and this crew will explore these conserved areas while gaining a deeper sense of place within the landscape and watershed here in Vermont. The conservationists might spend their morning canoeing to the floating bog on our Woodward Reservoir to take an inventory of the plant life or hike the sugarbush to take sugar maple measurements. There will be opportunities to meet guest experts and explore conserved areas of VT and NH. This immersion is for campers who want to discover connections and belonging within the forests and waters of Vermont and beyond the camp areas. There is a place both for physical work and careful analytics in this immersion - getting your back and your brain into it!
Construction and Carpentry (C&C)
This summer the C&C Immersion will design and build a cabin from the ground up and remodel two older cabins at Tamarack Farm. The carpenters in this immersion meet virtually before camp with the project lead to co-create a custom design that accounts for camp aesthetic, available materials, use of space and light, camp/ camper needs, as well as the limiting factors of building at camp. In the first days our carpenters begin to build the foundational carpentry and construction skills to work safely and effectively at a wilderness jobsite. After a bit of practice with those skills, it’s off to build a cabin in the woods!
Artists in Residence
The Arts Immersion is a creative space to explore the self and the world. No prior artistic experience is needed. We focus on sustainable materials and practices, reuse and repurposing, and reimagining our world. Artists learn about taking perspectives, building community through the arts, and storytelling. Subjects and inspirations for artist’s work at camp are often the immediate surroundings (particularly the farm) creating an enhanced appreciation of the environment, sense of shared space, and a connection to the land. We work in a multitude of mediums, which may include bookbinding, printmaking, textiles and fiber arts, puppetry, sculpture, muraling, and still life sketching. Be prepared to stretch: each summer session will have single day experimentations in some mediums as well as in-depth explorations in others, and also include both independent and collaborative projects. The studio may be visited from time to time by multiday in-residence or one-day guest artists who bring a unique project to the group. Artists often engage in service to the greater F&W community by carving or painting signs for other camps. Work is displayed at the end of each term as we open up the MoFA (Museum of Farm Arts) exhibits to the community. It is a messy and wild and beautiful way to spend a summer!
Agriculture and Homesteading
Our Agriculture and Homesteading (Ag) Immersion will be focused on running a small farm. Farmers in this immersion maintain the greens garden, learn homesteading skills, and are responsible for the farm animals. This includes the care and daily milking of our cows, weekend care and milking of the Barn Day Camp goats, daily care of the meat chickens. We also house animals from the other camps who are in need of extra care. Farmers take the lead in managing and supporting their peers during afternoon harvests as part of the TF Daily Greens operation, which supplies our whole camp with daily salad and sauté greens. Homesteading projects may include making yogurt, cheese, and kefir with the milk from our dairy, pickling and preserving, or a variety of non-food-related things like candle making. Farmers learn about regenerative agriculture, eco system support, food systems, and food justice. We’ve got incredible professional farm educators leading the program. The Ag Immersion is dynamic and badass and the teen farmers working here take ownership and practice community leadership!
Counselor Apprenticeship Program (CAP)
The CAP Immersion prepares apprentices for life as a camp counselor with hands on training and experience. Campers in this immersion live at Tamarack Farm but spend much of their time working with the youngest campers at Firefly Song or Timberlake, often departing after the TF morning routine and returning by dinner. While assigned to a rotating duty area, expect to have instruction and guidance as well as latitude and discretion in how to meet duties, whether it is leading a song, running an activity or game, or supervising a group. Apprentices set personal development goals and receive timely feedback on their progress. The program has a wide variety of elements and apprentices may learn to instruct outdoor living skills or even have the opportunity to become a certified lifeguard. Training includes how to plan and run activities, how to support kids struggling with challenging behavior, and how to create camp magic. Apprentices also learn about adolescent development, creating camp culture, upstander intervention strategies, safety protocols, creating community, and how to be a dependable camp colleague. The CAP Immersion runs both sessions. A camper can either choose a single session or attend the full summer program, which includes advanced leadership opportunities in Session 2 for campers who complete Session 1. Apprentices leave with valuable training and work experience in addition to an amazing camp experience!
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Blog Posts
It appears that Spring has finally arrived here in Vermont! As the flowers begin to open and bird activity picks up, you can feel that transformation and a fresh start is afoot. It’s fascinating to think about how humans, past and present, mark the changing of the seasons with cues from the natural world.
Because both our organizations are deeply rooted in immersing and connecting people of all ages with nature, we thought it would be interesting to ask our amazing staff at Farm & Wilderness and Farm & Wilderness Conservation about their favorite signs of spring. Follow the link to the full version of the blog to read the responses!
(Adapted from the Conservation Blog - Click here for the full version on fwcvt.org)
As vernal pool season approaches here in Vermont, the mystical fairy shrimp will also be making their yearly appearance. Yes, you read that correctly, Vermont shrimp exist but we don't suggest you eat them! This might be hard to believe as we have no ocean exposure. What we do have, are lots and lots of vernal pools! Fairy shrimp tend to be consistent in some locations and never appear in others. Mary Holland shares in her book Naturally Curious, the name fairy shrimp is thought to have come from their magical and unexplained appearance and then disappearance in vernal pools. Fossil records date fairy shrimp back to the Cambrian Period approximately 400 million years ago!
(Adapted from the Conservation Blog - Click here for the full version on fwcvt.org)
Season 2, Episode 1 of our Podcast: Exploring the impacts of Farm & Wilderness Conservation.
In the serene landscapes of Vermont, where the green of the forests meets the clarity of the waters, lies a successful example of conservation and sustainability. Farm & Wilderness wouldn’t be the same without the land it sits on. The camps at Woodward have been shaped by the steepness of the ridge on one side, the beauty of the Reserve, and the narrow land between the two the camps sit on. The camps at Ninevah have been shaped by the quiet serenity of Lake Ninevah, the marshy grounds they sit on, and the relative flatness of those spaces. Campers wake up in our three-walled cabins feeling the Vermont air. They walk over small streams on bridges built by campers. They see turkeys, salamanders, fish, birds, and chipmunks. They’re dwarfed by the large trees all around them, sheltered by their expansive canopies. Take F&W off that land, and it simply isn’t the same. That place is intentionally cared for by our campers and staff as a part of our focus on conservation and sustainability.
This episode of our podcast features Kelly Beerman, former Conservation Director of Farm & Wilderness. Kelly talks about their comprehensive approach to conservation through sustainable forest management, watershed health, and community engagement. Through a blend of monitoring, education, and collaborative projects, F&W works to protect natural resources while educating future generations on the importance of conservation and sustainability.
Sustainable Forest Management: A Legacy of Care
Beerman puts it succinctly, "Conservation has really been a part of Farm and Wilderness and the camps since its inception in 1939." Forest management is not just about preservation but about understanding and working with the natural cycles of the land. F&W meticulously monitors wildlife populations and climate change effects, guided by the ethos that 'sometimes the best action is inaction. This approach is about learning from the land, ensuring that forests remain vibrant ecosystems that support biodiversity and recreation.
F&W doesn't work in isolation. By inviting experts such as ecologists, biologists, and hydrologists to study the forest, we enrich their understanding and strategies for forest management. A ten-year management plan underpins our efforts, ensuring that actions are deliberate and aimed at long-term sustainability. Part of this plan is our responsibly timber harvesting practices emphasizing minimal impact. "We don't clear-cut," Beerman states. Instead F&W selectively removes trees, which promoting a diverse canopy structure beneficial to wildlife and aids in the forest's journey back to old-growth characteristics. This approach not only maintains ecological balance but also respects the history of Vermont's forests, many of which were heavily logged in the past.
Watershed Health: The Lifeline of the Land
"Watershed health and water quality protection," as Kelly describes, is another part of the F&W conservation strategy. There is an intrinsic link between the forests that cover the landscape and the water bodies that thread through it. As Beerman notes, "We need healthy forests because it contributes to healthy water and we want people to enjoy both of those things through recreation, through education, or our camps." Its important to make watershed health a tangible concept for campers and the community. Through activities like canoe trips, shoreline discussions, and explorations of aquatic plants, F&W integrates the concept of watershed stewardship into its camps. This hands-on approach not only educates but also instills a sense of responsibility and connection to the land and water.
Community Engagement: Fostering Environmental Stewardship
Community engagement is essential. F&W is part of the broader Vermont community and has a responsibility to be good neighbors. Beerman and her team have created spaces for collaboration and education. "It's really powerful for people, especially children, to think about [sustainability] in the face of climate change and how all of this is connected," Kelly remarks. There are so many events you can check out on their website and Instagram. Below are just a few of their upcoming events:
- Community Snowshoe – Sunday, February 18th
- Virtual Speaker Series: Vermont Loons – Tuesday, February 27th
- Virtual Speaker Series: Vernal Pools – Tuesday, March 12th
- Community Snowshoe – Saturday, March 23rd
- Virtual Speaker Series: Bogs – Friday, April 12th
A huge component of this has been their afterschool program in a few local schools. From the Farm and Wilderness Conservation website:
“In the off season when Farm & Wilderness Camps are not in session, FWC partners with our F&W Farm Team to provide farm and nature-based after school programming to 8 local elementary schools within the Mill River and Two Rivers School Districts. After school students from kindergarten to 6th grade learn about the intersections between farming and conservation and the ways we can all connect with the natural world. Each month, we provide a variety of physical and hands-on activities to around 150 students in total. Visits last between 1 and 1.5 hours. Programming themes alternate each month between an environmental education focus and a farm-based focus. “
The Future of Conservation
Reflecting on the larger impact of F&W and FWC, Beerman, "Our responsibility as a large landowner in the state is to think, how do we do more than we can in addition to all of our camp programming." This reflects the ethos of Farm and Wilderness Conservation: a commitment to doing more, learning more, and engaging more for the sake of our planet. As we continue our work in sustainable forest management, watershed health, and community engagement, we not only protect the natural beauty of Vermont but also inspire others to be part of the solution in the face of climate change.
Be sure to come to an event, check out the Farm & Wilderness Conservation website and Instagram to learn more, and definitely check out the episode below, subscribe to our podcast, or listen to the teaser!