with photographs by Marshall Webb & others
2017 Calendar
Shelburne Farms
Shelburne Farms is a charitable organization educating for a sustainable future. Our campus is a 1,400-acre working farm, forest, and National Historic Landmark on the shores of Lake Champlain, eight miles south of Burlington, Vermont.
1611 Harbor Road • Shelburne, Vermont • www.shelburnefarms.org • 802-985-8686 Design by Oh!Suzannah
Printing by Queen City Printers Inc.
PHOTO: VERA CHANG
Shelburne Farms
Educating for a sustainable future
S
PHOTO: SEBASTIAN VENTRONE
helburne Farms, a charitable education organization, is part of an international groundswell of people and organizations dedicated to shaping a better world. Our campus is a 1,400-acre working farm, forest, and National Historic Landmark on the shores of Lake Champlain. Each year more than 145,000 people — educators, students, families, guests — come to the Farm to connect with nature, agriculture, and each other, exploring pathways to build a more sustainable and just world. To extend our impact to classrooms and communities around the globe, we collaborate with networks of teachers, schools, and partners that are educating for a sustainable future. Charitable support; programs and events; our dairy, cheese, market garden, and maple sugaring operations; and our Inn and restaurant all play a critical role in advancing the Farm’s education work. The property was established in 1886 as a model agricultural estate of William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb. In 1972, family descendants launched the charitable organization with the vision of using the property to practice and inspire stewardship. Each year that vision continues to grow in wonderful ways.
Educational Opportunities
Cheese & Farm Products
Come Visit Us
• Professional learning for educators • Family, adult, preschool programs • Internships • School field trips daily • Summer camps
Award-winning farmstead cheddar handmade on the Farm from the milk of our Brown Swiss cows. Available online, through our catalog, or at our Welcome Center.
Current information on programs, events, and hours is on our website. Mid-May through mid-October: General Admission Miles of scenic walking trails, the Children’s Farmyard, and cheesemaking at the historic Farm Barn. • Property Tours • House & Formal Gardens Tour at the Inn • Tours of Our Historic Barns
Marshall Webb
Principal photographer:
Marshall grew up on Shelburne Farms and began taking photos with a brownie box camera in the 1950s. He knows every inch of the property, and exactly when sunlight will transform it into the best photograph. Marshall’s talent, vision, and love of this place brought this wall
Year-round:
calendar to life back in 2003, and his remarkable
• Welcome Center & Farm Store • Walking Trails
photography continues to enliven its pages — and inspire others.
We welcome new members! As a charitable education organization, Shelburne Farms relies on your contributions to sustain our programs and care for our historic buildings and landscape. Call 802-985-8686 or visit our website.
Come Stay with Us The Inn at Shelburne Farms offers 24 bedrooms, three cottages, guesthouses, and a farm-to-table restaurant. The Inn is open mid-May to mid-October; guesthouses are year-round. For reservations, call 802-985-8498, 9–5 EST.
For more information about Shelburne Farms: www.shelburnefarms.org, or call 802-985-8686
D ec ember 2016 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
January
Febr uar y 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
1 New Year’s Day
2
3
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5
8
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31
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Winterfest 4-H’ers fundraise for their team at this annual winter celebration with the Town of Shelburne. (staff photo)
Friday
Saturday
6
7
full moon
13
14
last quarter
20
21
first quarter
27
new moon
28
Chinese New Year
Frosted Farm Barn January’s chill doesn’t stop educational activities at the Farm Barn, whether it’s students on a winter tracking field trip or preschoolers tumbling around in the snowy landscape as part of our Adventures program. (Marshall Webb) Red fox breeding Smell for signs of courting foxes: both males and females are scenting more often and their musty smell has become much stronger. It can be detected by humans at quite a distance.
February J anua r y 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
M arch 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Sunday
Forester for a Day Our woodlands team shares the drama of felling a tree in this family program. (Vera Chang)
Wednesday
Monday
Thursday
Friday
1
2 Groundhog Day
3
Saturday first quarter
4
Tuesday
5
6
7
8
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10
12
13
14 Valentine’s Day
15
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25
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new moon
27
Presidents Day
28
full moon
11
last quarter
Shifting stars A long camera exposure captures stars moving through the night sky above the Coach Barn. Built in 1902 as a carriage house and stable, the Barn hosts educational and community events from April to November. (Marshall Webb) Sap-tappers on alert! Sap flow is caused by a pressure gradient within the tree. When the internal pressure of the tree is greater than the atmospheric pressure, sap flows out of any cut or taphole — much as air leaks out of a bicycle tire.
March Sunday
5
12 Daylight Saving Time begins
full moon
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
Tuesday
Monday first quarter
Wednesday
6
7
8
9
10
11
13
14
15
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17 St. Patrick’s Day
18
25
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20 Vernal Equinox
last quarter
21
22
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24
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27
new moon
28
29
30
31
Making the grade A field trip student examines the final product of the tree-to-syrup story. (Holly Brough)
Feb r u a r y 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
A p r i l 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Late night boil Our new sugarhouse has boosted our maple syrup production and serves as a classroom for students to learn about this Vermont forest-based industry in the context of a changing climate. (Marshall Webb) Frog choruses As the ice on wetlands begins to thaw in late March, listen for the frog choruses. Wood frogs are usually the first to call, followed by spring peepers, leopard frogs, and finally, gray tree frogs.
April
Sheep and Shear Delights Sheep farming is front and center at this annual program — baby lambs included! (staff photo)
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
2
3
9
10 Passover begins at sunset
11
16 Easter
17
18
19
23
24
25
26
30
first quarter
M arch 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
4
full moon
M ay
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Saturday
1 April Fool’s Day
Thursday
Friday
5
6
7
8
12
13
14 Good Friday
15
last quarter
20
21
22 Earth Day
new moon
27
28
29
Breeding Barn The magnificent Breeding Barn, once an arena and stable for Dr. Webb’s horses, has been stabilized to serve as a future gathering hall for educational, agricultural, and community events. (Marshall Webb) Spring ephemerals Which will be the first blooming wildflower you see this year? Strolling through rich hardwood forests, you’re likely to encounter hepatica, bloodroot, wild ginger, blue cohosh, or trillium.
May
A pril 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Monday
June
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Tuesday
Annual Dairy Day Meet our calves, welcome the cows in for milking, and milk a cow yourself ! (Vera Chang)
Wednesday
Saturday
Friday
1
2
8
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21
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29 Memorial Day
30
31
Spring’s striking palette
first quarter
3
Thursday
4
5
6
11
12
13
last quarter
19
20
new moon
26
Sunday
7
14
Mother’s Day
full moon
Ramadan begins at sunset
27
The vibrant colors of spring are a spectacular welcome to visitors as the Farm officially opens for the season, including the Inn and farm-to-table restaurant, Children’s Farmyard, and property tours. (Marshall Webb) Nest-building Watch for birds carrying nesting material in their beaks. If you can follow their flight, it will often lead you to their nests.
June Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Friday
Thursday
1
first quarter
Saturday
2
3
Wednesday
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
12
13
14
15
16
18 Father’s Day
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21 Summer Solstice
22
23
new moon
25
26
27
28
29
30
first quarter
Market Garden The Inn sources 80% of its food from our gardens, pastures, and forests, and from other local producers. (Holly Brough)
M ay 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Ju l y 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
full moon
10
17
last quarter
24
Sunset panorama Views of the lake and Adirondacks from the overlook balustrade cap the experience of the Inn’s elegant formal gardens, which continue to undergo restoration thanks to generous donor support. (Marshall Webb) Turtles on the move Look for snapping turtles and painted turtles that have left their wetland habitat in search of sandy soil where they can lay their eggs.
Professional learning for educators We inspire educators to integrate sustainability into their curriculum and connect farms to schools.
July
Saturday
1
(staff photo)
Sunday
Tuesday
Monday
2
3
4
Independence Day
Thursday
Wednesday
Friday
5
6
7
8
9
full moon
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
last quarter
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
new moon
24
25
26
27
28
29
first quarter
31
30
Ju n e 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Au g u s t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Approaching thundershower The gardens behind the Farm Barn encourage campers and visitors to touch, smell, and taste summer’s bounty — connecting to food and farming. Our working landscape is a year-round campus for learning. (Marshall Webb) Feeding fledglings Look for young fledglings and adult birds carrying food throughout the summer months, as different species fledge at different times (nesting time is often correlated with preferred food availability).
Seaberry harvest Each year, more than 660 summer campers explore our farm, fields, and forests.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
5
8
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12
(Vera Chang)
Monday
Sunday
6
7
13
14
last quarter
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
new moon
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
30
31
full moon
29
first quarter
August
Jul y 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
S e ptember 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Summer pastures The 110 Brown Swiss cows at our Certified Humane dairy are fed primarily on pasture. Each year, their raw milk is transformed onsite into 165,000 lbs. of our award-winning farmstead cheddar cheese. (Marshall Webb) Changing choruses By late summer the soundscape has shifted — katydids, cicadas, and other insects fill the air with buzzes, clicks, and chirps, while fewer and fewer birds continue to sing.
Aug ust 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Sunday
September
O c to ber 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Monday
Tuesday
1
2
7
8
9
last quarter
14
15
16
new moon
21
22 Autumnal Equinox 23
first quarter
28
Kippur 29 Yom begins at sunset
Thursday
Wednesday
3
4 Labor Day
5
6
10
11
12
13
17
18
19
20
24
25
26
27
full moon
Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset
Saturday
Friday
30
A walker’s paradise 39th Harvest Festival This annual community event celebrates Vermont farm and food traditions. (Adrienne Susinno-Jones)
More than 10 miles of walking trails invite visitors to enjoy our pastoral landscape year-round. The Farm’s 1,400-acre campus includes more than 800 acres of hayfields, pastures, and open land. (Marshall Webb) Hawk migration Northwest winds can prompt large numbers of Vermont raptors to begin their journey south. Open lookout points can provide great views of these birds in flight.
October
Environmental art Our programs allow students to simply explore the outdoors. They might create art, a fort — or both! (Colleen Wyckoff Wemple)
Monday
Sunday
1
2
8
9
15
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
3
4
5
10
11
12
16
17
18
19
22
23
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29
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31 Halloween
Columbus Day
S e ptember 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
November 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Saturday
Friday
6
7
last quarter
13
14
new moon
20
21
full moon
27
first quarter
28
Farm Barn in foliage The two towers of the Farm Barn emerge against autumn’s fiery backdrop. Our education programs continue and walking trails remain open, even as the Inn and Children’s Farmyard close in mid-October. (Marshall Webb) Fall foliage In the fall, a leaf’s green chlorophyll begins to break down, revealing the next strongest underlying pigment that gives each leaf a new fall color.
November Sunday
Monday
Wednesday
Friday
Thursday
1
2
3
Saturday
4
Tuesday
Saving 5 Daylight Time ends
6
7
8
9
10
12
13
14
15
16
17
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20
21
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23 Thanksgiving Day
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
first quarter
full moon
last quarter
O ctober 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
11 Veterans Day
new moon
December 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Flock in fall pastures Cheesemaking Production winds down as the holidays near. It’s wrapping and shipping time! (Vera Chang)
The Farm’s flock of 60–70 adult ewes is raised primarily for meat, which is served at the Inn’s farm-to-table restaurant. The sheep feed on pasture three seasons out of the year. (Marshall Webb) White-tailed deer rut Some research suggests that day length (photoperiod) and moon phase are responsible in part for the timing of the fall rut or mating season. During the rutting period, males often rub their antlers on trees or shrubs to mark their territory.
December
Dashing through the snow! Join us for a sleigh ride, daily near the holidays and on weekends through the winter. (Amanda Morse)
Sunday
3
10
Monday full moon
last quarter
4
5
11
12
17
18
24
25 Christmas
31 New Year’s Eve
Tuesday
new moon
N ovem ber 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
19
26
Kwanzaa begins
first quarter
Ja nu a r y 2 0 1 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
1
2
Thursday
Wednesday
Hanukkah begins at sunset
Saturday
Friday
6
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13
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20
21 Winter Solstice
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27
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30
Morning sun on cedars Along the Farm’s two miles of shoreline, warmer water vapor near the lake’s surface rapidly cools as it meets frigid morning air, forming tiny droplets visible as mist. (Marshall Webb) Winter adaptations Recent research has shown that in the winter, Black-capped Chickadees increase the size of their hippocampus (an area of the brain associated with memory) to help them recall the location of their food caches.