It was a rather blustery evening in the Montgomery woods for Cold Hollow to Canada’s Annual Gathering, but friends of CHC certainly didn’t mind as we congregated for the evening. It was a night of catching up with old friends, finding new ones and being part of multiple conversations (sometimes at the same time!). The Blue Bike Cafe provided a fantastic and filling meal while we talked and laughed. Kent McFarland, Conservation Biologist at Vermont Center for Ecostudies & Co-Host of VPR's Outdoor Radio was our guest speaker. Kent is a talented speaker who kept us interested and awake after our meal in the warmth of the Montgomery Grange. Anyone that makes dung beetles fun and enjoyable is worth listening to! Kent showed us, through a short story and a few photos, how easy it is to bring the natural world to people that might not otherwise take the time to appreciate it. Kent makes the natural world accessible, teaching people what’s in their own backyard or favorite walking trail. As Nancy Patch says, “you only see what you know, you only love what you see, and you only protect what you love."
If you weren’t able to make the CHC gathering, read Kent’s synopsis of his talk, “Why Natural History Matters,” and support our work to protect land in the Cold Hollow Mountain range by donating at coldhollowtocanada.org/donate.