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Between Gatherings

While each group meets in person four times a year, the time between gatherings gives CHC a chance to provide alternative forms of communication, education, and updates.

    All Woodlots groups were invited to a webinar about forest stewardship programs offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Services.

    An Observation

    It’s worth noting that not all Woodlots participants want a lot of communication between gatherings. We try to strike a balance between sharing interesting information/opportunities and refraining from inundating participants with communication. What sets Woodlots apart are the in-person, on-the-ground connections that members experience, and we see “in-betweens” as a supplement to this core programming.  

    It's also worth noting that in many groups, connections initially forged at Woodlots gatherings are strengthened as participantsmeet up on their own or simply run into each other at the grocery store outside of our programming. Participants are neighbors, and the success of a program is from relationships that build trust and comfort among members with and without our help.

    Webinars and Virtual Workshops

    While webinars or virtual meetings are not for everyone, we’ve found them to be a terrific way to engage Woodlots participants between field events. Benefits include:

    • Absentee landowners are more likely to engage, as they can participate from afar.
    • They can appeal to participants in care-taking roles, such as parents of young children or those who care for elderly parents, for example.
    • These are accessible to those who are less mobile and who may not be able to join us for field walks.
    • We hold these during weekday evenings, when a different set of people are available.
    • We can reach multiple Woodlots groups at once.  
    • We can choose topics that appeal to a smaller subset of the group.
    • We can invite speakers who live far away. These speakers are more likely to agree to sharing their knowledge in this setting because it doesn’t take as much of their time. (It is therefore a lower cost for CHC to engage these speakers, too!)
    • A computer-based presentation works better for some speakers, such as those who have relevant data, diagrams, or other visuals to share. 
    • While in-person events are closed to the public, it can be appropriate to open webinars up to a broader audience, allowing information to reach more people.

    Webinars and Virtual Workshops in the CHC region have included the following topics:

    • Succession Planning
    • Coyotes
    • Vermont Geology
    • Bird Migration
    • Conservation Easements
    • Forest Hydrology & Forest Management Practices
    • Deer Herbivory & What Woodlot Landowners Can Do
    • Funding for Forest Stewardship Practices
    • Abenaki Ecology & Spirituality in the Green Mountains
    • ANR Atlas and BioFinder Workshop
    • Wood Heat and Building a Better Fire

    Emails

    CHC sometimes sends emails to let Woodlots participants know about interesting natural history events. For example, the emergence of amphibians heading to vernal pools in the spring might inspire an email to the Woodlots group list.

    Photo by Monica Przyperhart

    CHC maintains an email list that is specific to Woodlots Members, allowing us to tailor communications to this group. We encourage participation in relevant events sponsored by our partners, communicate funding or stewardship opportunities, and occasionally send seasonally-relevant updates about events happening in the natural world, such as migrations, blooms, appropriate times for management actions, etc.

    CHC’s e-Newsletter

    CHC also has a quarterly newsletter, available to all members of the public. While this is not Woodlots-specific, new Woodlots members are subscribed to receive our e-news (though they are welcome to opt out). This is where CHC can cover larger topics, many of which are relevant to Woodlots members.