The NorthWoods Stewardship Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 educational, research, and conservation service organization serving the communities of northern Vermont and New Hampshire since 1989. Our Education, Conservation Corps, Conservation Science, and Forest Stewardship programs interconnect to provide the knowledge and skills needed to understand the northern landscape, make use of its resources wisely, and help sustain vibrant communities and a healthier natural environment. Our Charleston, Vermont, campus is a destination for quality scientific research, youth, and adult education, sustainable land management and conservation services, and outdoor recreation.

NorthWoods operates on a fundamental belief that humans can and must live prosperously on the land while giving back to the land all that we take from it in a responsible, educated manner. We seek to enhance understanding and appreciation of the role of the natural world and to inspire direct and positive action in the restoration and conservation of our region’s natural resources. We recognize that the knowledge necessary to achieve these goals is partial, at best, and choose to use our land base as a community resource to identify and research the best-practice models of management for the most sustainable land-use patterns in our region: forestry, recreation, energy production, and, in turn, education and action. View our 2023 Annual Report.

Mission

Connecting people and place through science, education and action.

Vision

Nestled into 1500 acres of forest in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, the NorthWoods Stewardship Center is a destination for cultural and educational events, with a mission to share practical ways of protecting and preserving the northern forest environment as a resource for future generations.

The Center’s talented and enthusiastic staff, knowledgeable in forestry and conservation, is widely known for its leadership in both hands-on outdoor educational programming, and teaching and modeling sustainable land-use practices. The staff is passionately committed to the strong land ethic that guides and inspires all the Center’s work with youth, landowners, and those who enjoy being outside.

NorthWoods operates efficiently, moving toward energy and financial independence. It builds collaborations with strategic partners to expand and strengthen its offerings, and is strongly supported by the Vermont community for its long-standing efforts to integrate people into their landscape, for the benefit of both.

Land Acknowledgement

NorthWoods Stewardship Center respectfully acknowledges that we are on the ancestral territory of the Abenaki people – the first people of this land. The Clyde River Valley where NorthWoods is located was and remains an important link between the Memphremagog and Upper Connecticut River watersheds. Indigenous people from many nations live and work here today.

We recognize that acknowledgment is just the beginning of recognizing the history and future of indigenous people on this land.

Please join us in honoring their communities, their elders past and present, and future generations.

History

NorthWoods was founded in 1989 as the Vermont Leadership Center by William C. Manning, formerly President of Sterling College. The Center’s earliest programs involved consulting with local communities on town planning, working with the Northern Forest Lands Council to guide regional conservation efforts, and presenting educational and forestry-based workshops for the Brighton-Charleston area.

During the early 90’s, an ongoing youth leadership program was created for seventh and eighth grade students from a local community, and this provided the basis for participation by an ever-increasing number of area schools in environmental education and leadership programs over the next few years.

In 1995, the Center applied for and was granted non-profit 501(c)3 status, and during that same year, a youth conservation service program was initiated. Land management and research programs were added in 1996. By the following decade, the scope of the Center’s programs had grown to encompass all of Vermont as well as New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and parts of New York.

In 2004, the organization’s name was changed to NorthWoods Stewardship Center in order to reflect the region-wide impact the organization now had through its programs. At the same time, NorthWoods purchased the facilities and surrounding property from Manning, who still volunteers his time and adjacent land for the use of our programs.

In 2009, longtime board member and generous supporter Lydia Spitzer donated 1350 acres of forestland and wetland adjacent to the Center’s original property. NorthWoods’ 1500 acres are managed for sustainable timber production, experimental silviculture research, and habitat preservation, and the Vermont Land Trust holds conservation easements over nearly all of the organization’s land.