Stowe Land Trust is excited to introduce our Summer Naturalist for the 2015 summer season. Kate Lepore, a native Long Islander from Port Jefferson Station, New York, brings a wealth of knowledge, creativity, and experience to our Summer Naturalist Program. Having earned her BFA at Alfred University where she studied ceramics, printmaking, and education, she went on to receive her New York State Art Education certificate. Upon moving to Vermont three years ago, Kate began her graduate studies at the University of Vermont, where she completed her Master’s degree in Historic Preservation. Kate’s passion for outdoor adventuring and knowledge of natural and cultural resources make her the perfect fit for the program.
The Summer Naturalist Program at the Mill Trail was founded in 2013 to provide learning opportunities – especially for children – that inspire local citizens to engage with our natural world, foster a love and appreciation for the land, and connect with Stowe Land Trust’s conservation mission. The Mill Trail property, with the help of an anonymous donor, was purchased by Stowe Land Trust in 2003 and, together with the protection of Bingham Falls in 2001, is part of more than 100 acres of permanently conserved forestland surrounding Notch Brook.
The Mill Trail property is unique for its cultural and historical significance, not least of which is the Mill Trail Cabin, built as a seasonal camp in 1935 by Dr. Margaruite Lichtenthaeler and Helen Day Montenari. “Layers of human history and land use are concentrated in this place,” says Conservation Program Manager Kristen Sharpless. Stowe Land Trust’s purchase of the property and restoration of the cabin was recently featured in Saving Land magazine where it was highlighted as an example of the natural partnership between land conservation and historic preservation. Having been carefully restored in a historically accurate manner over the last several years, the cabin is now in its third season of hosting the Summer Naturalist program.
Visit our Summer Naturalist page for more information or call Stowe Land Trust at (802) 253-7221.