From Piglets to a Purpose: One UVM graduate’s first day at MFFC sparked a lifelong calling in environmental stewardship.
June 18, 2024 started with 12 piglets.
Keenan McMorrow, freshly graduated from University of Vermont with a degree in environmental science, arrived at Merck Forest & Farmland Center (MFFC) for what was supposed to be a trial day—a chance to see if this place, with its sprawling 3,500 acres of woodlands and working farm in Rupert, might be a fit for him. By midmorning, he was helping castrate and immunize piglets before releasing them to pasture. “It only got better from there,” Keenan jokes now, months later, with calloused hands and a phone full of farm and forest photos.
What was meant to be a temporary job turned into something much more: a calling. Keenan found purpose through long days of splitting wood, clearing trails, feeding animals, and trudging through waist-deep snow to prep the sugarbush for maple season. Along the way, he benefited from the guidance of experienced mentors Hadley and Mike Stock. Mike, MFFC’s resource manager and an urban tree management graduate of Paul Smith’s College, shares impromptu, informative lessons and gives Keenan pop quizzes on tree identification.
“I still get fooled by white ash every now and then,” Keenan says.
MFFC’s Farm Manager Hadley Stock says, “Everything we have presented Keenan with, he has taken on with alacrity. Even the things we consider challenging—like vaccinating sheep. His level of organization has upped our game here at MFFC, and his work ethic has amplified our ability to do more.”
A CLASSROOM WITHOUT WALLS
Merck Forest & Farmland Center isn’t just a place to hike, rent a cabin, or buy maple syrup (although all are highly recommended). It’s a living classroom where lessons unfold beneath the canopy of sugar maples, oaks, ash, and aspens and in barns and fields filled with goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys, and more.
For Keenan, learning took many forms: recognizing tree species, operating heavy equipment, building bluebird boxes, herding sheep (although he admits he is less efficient than a border collie), and bottling syrup to stock the visitor center shelves. He picked up skills the way others might collect souvenirs—each one a small piece of understanding and a reminder of the connection between human hands and the rhythms of nature.
Merck Forest welcomes learners of all ages this way. Local schoolchildren come for field trips and leave knowing how watersheds sustain ecosystems or how local pollinators are key to the survival of our food systems. College students work the land and may find their futures taking shape, like Keenan, who’s now set on becoming a forester and will attend Paul Smith’s this summer. Families sign up for workshops such as Tree to Cutting Board, and daily visitors wander the trails, discovering wildflowers and the quiet magic of the woods.
This immersive, all-ages, place-based education is at the heart of Merck Forest’s
mission: to inspire curiosity, love, and responsibility for natural and working lands. It’s
education that doesn’t just inform but transforms, turning visitors into lifelong stewards
of Vermont’s landscapes.
THE STRUGGLE AND THE SWEETNESS
Nothing makes a good story like a bit of suffering—and maple sugaring, it turns out, offers both. Merck Forest is an Audubon-recognized, bird-friendly sugarbush, meaning the maple syrup produced isn’t just sustainably made but also protects and nurtures wildlife. Mike Stock and team carefully oversee the forest to maintain a diversity of tree species and age classes, providing a habitat where warblers, thrushes, and woodpeckers thrive. The result is a working landscape that balances production with conservation, proving that Vermont’s agricultural traditions and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.
Keenan’s introduction to Merck’s sugarbush came with snowdrifts up to his waist, hidden branches that turned trails into impromptu slides, and boots that somehow always filled with snow, no matter how tightly they were laced or duct-taped to his snowpants.
The sugarbush itself is rugged—a north-facing slope dotted with cliffs and downed trees, where the only flat spot is the Maple Shed, a warm haven for weary workers.
Merck Forest’s maple syrup isn’t just delicious; it’s a testament to sustainable land stewardship. By maintaining a diverse mix of tree species and allowing habitats to flourish, Merck ensures that the sugarbush remains productive and a sanctuary for the many bird species that call it home. The reward, of course, is in the taste—the golden, woodsy sweetness of syrup that carries the essence of the forest itself and the knowledge that each bottle represents not just a product but a promise to care for the land, no matter how hard the work.
MORE TO EXPLORE
For those who visit, Merck Forest is rarely a one-time experience. There’s always another trail to explore, another season to witness, another lesson waiting in the woods. Some return for the monthly full moon hikes, where the mountains glow silver under the night sky. Others come to rent one of the rustic cabins, swapping screen time for the sound of chickadees and the smell of pine. Families make a yearly tradition of visiting signature events such as Maple Open House (March 22), Meet the Lambs (May 17), and Explore-A-Thon (July 17) to experience the working landscape firsthand.
This is part of what makes Merck Forest special. It isn’t just a destination—it’s a place that stays with you. It’s the deep breath you take at the trail’s summit. It’s the first time your child notices the crunching sound of leaves beneath their feet or finds a frog in Page Pond. It’s the moment, such as Keenan’s first morning with the piglets, when you dive headfirst in to something unfamiliar and come out the other side—changed by the land, shaped by the work, and maybe, just maybe, exactly where you’re meant to be.
AN INVITATION TO THE FOREST
Merck Forest & Farmland Center is sustained by the people who believe in its mission. Whether you come for a workshop, a hike, or a stay in a backcountry cabin, your visit helps keep this place thriving.
If you believe in education that inspires and protects Vermont’s working lands for future generations, consider donating to support this work. And if you haven’t been yet—come. Walk the trails, rent a cabin, and listen to the birds. Find your own moment in nature. You never know where it might lead.
