The Craftsbury Outdoor Center and the Hosmer Ponds Watershed Initiative will co-host a naturalist walk as part of the Staying Connected initiative, a project working to protect a regional wildlife corridor across the Northeast. Leading the walk will be Jens Hilke, a conservation biologist with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Chip Knight of the National Wildlife Federation. The pair will lead an outdoor excursion and facilitate a discussion about the animal and plant communities in the region. They will also talk about the connectivity pinch point for wide-ranging and forestdwelling mammals in the Craftsbury, Greensboro, and Albany area. Some of you might have met Jens and Chip when they came to Craftsbury for a meeting in November. This is a chance to see them in the wild!

The Craftsbury Outdoor Center began in 1976 when Russell Spring and his family purchased the Cutler Academy campus and began remaking the facilities into lodging for guests and athletes. A Nordic trail network was cut on the land, with sculling and running camps founded shortly after, providing year round training and athletic opportunities in a beautiful natural setting.

After over thirty years of growth and guidance under the Springs, the Center began a new chapter in its life in November 2008 when Dick Dreissigacker and Judy Geer purchased the Center. Dick and Judy promptly reformed the company as a non-profit organization with a new mission.