Field Workshops

Field Workshops are taught using a place-based approach to connect participants to their local landscape and community. Fuse natural history, cultural history, and forensics to develop the ability to interpret cultural imprints encountered on the Vermont landscape. Programs are customizable, and take place outside for half- or full-day exercises.

Previous examples are listed below, for more information, please get in touch!

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sTONEWALLS & cELLAR HOLES

Discover how to “read” old forested farmscapes and agricultural architecture to trace 300 years of land use history in Vermont. Stone walls, cellar holes, old roads, and other mysteries “lost” in the woods reveal stories of the families who shaped the landscape as we see it today.

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Architecture of the landscape: shelburne farms

Cultural and natural history converge on the landscape at Shelburne Farms, a late 19th century ornamental farming estate. Architectural history and landscape design offer clues for understanding the local geology. Find out what cemeteries and outdoor recreation have in common.

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Hidden in burlington

Join a treasure hunt for lost pieces of hidden history in Burlington's urban forests and parks. Trace the growth of the City over 250 years through seemingly ordinary and overlooked wild spaces. Discover how a colonial fuel source powers the City today, and learn how industrial powers shaped the waterfront.

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lAND RECORDS WORKSHOP

Municipal land records hold a wealth of underutilized primary source information all about our own backyards. Participants embark on a guided tour through the different resources housed in our town halls, and learn how to create a title chain.

BEAVERS TO BARNS

Explore a landscape transformed by the impacts of European settlement. Decisions made more than 200 years ago are still visible today. Piece together the mystery of a drowned cedar swamp and an abandoned transportation corridor using primary source materials.

HISTORY ON THE LAND: HUBBARD PARK

Peel back the layers of Hubbard Park to discover Montpelier's history and the origin of the conservation movement using hidden clues in the form of stone walls, witness trees, barbed wire, and more.