Shelburne Farms news: Historical Mask Sewing, Walking Trail Updates, and At-Home Learning

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The final days of March marked the end of a productive 2020 sugaring season, thanks in part to the expansion of our sugarbush over the winter. As sugarmaker Marshall Webb said, “When the sap turns a little sour and the bubbles want to explode out of the pan, it’s time to quit.” Take a peek inside the sugarhouse. Video by Dreamlike Pictures.


(More!) Activities from the Farm

We have a collection of new activities and games to deepen your connection to nature, wherever you are. They’re tried, tested, and approved by our dedicated team of nature-based educators.

Get Playing

Response to a Pandemic

How people at Shelburne Farms experienced and responded to the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1919 is remarkably similar to the response to the coronavirus today. The key? Volunteers doing a LOT of sewing.

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Walking Trail Update

Vermont’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order clearly allows for hiking and walking. We’re happy to say our trails remain available to you for that purpose and as a place to seek solace. However, with the increased pressure on our trails and the continued critical need to reduce exposure to this virus, we ask you to please observe these guidelines.

Read the Guidelines

School Meal Programs are More Important than Ever

Keeping children healthy, nourished, and learning are at the top of all our minds during this unprecedented time. Through Vermont FEED, our farm to school partnership program with NOFA-VT, we’re working to support school nutrition programs across the region.

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Exploring New Trails

Was that the sound of quacking ducks? Farm friends Darci and Rick Lunt made a surprising discovery on their recent (social distancing) walk on the Farm.

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What We’re Following

The Vermont Cheese Council has created an online directory to help you get Vermont cheese delivered directly to your home.

VPR asks Vermont fruit and vegetable growers how their plans are shifting during uncertain times.

Cheese is perishable and animals can’t stop making milk. The Counter explores how COVID-19 is disrupting America’s most time-sensitive industry.

If you’re outside and safely enjoying your local walking and hiking trails, join the Vermont Center for Ecostudies’ Spring Wildflower Phenology Annotation Blitz and add your observations to the records.

Certified Humane’s new resource: “Farm Brands that Ship”

Nationwide, farmers’ markets are making the case for continuing to sell local food with precautions in place against COVID-19. Via Civil Eats.


Upcoming Programs & Events

Along with everyone else, we need to do our part to help slow the spread of the virus, protect at-risk individuals, and avoid overwhelming our health care support systems. So with community health as our priority, we are suspending all public programs and events until June 1. We’re currently working on creating virtual learning opportunities — stay tuned!


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Shelburne Farms is a nonprofit education organization inspiring and cultivating learning for a sustainable future. Based on Abenaki land along the shores of Lake Champlain, our campus is a 1,400-acre working farm, forest, and National Historic Landmark.

Shelburne Farms | 1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne, VT 05482