Good Morning, Beloved Earthlings!
Yes we Earthlings are still here, still breathing, still loving our one and only Mother Earth!
Living Earth Action Group has two awesome programs coming up in March! We have awakened from our loooong winter’s nap and hope you have, too.
Please join us in welcoming Vermont Author Ethan Tapper with his new book How To Love A Forest. LEAG core group member Guy Payne lives in Saxtons River near Ethan’s mother, so was able to set up this exciting event for us. It will be at the Westminster West Congregational Church on Wednesday, March 5th at 6:00 pm We hope you will join us for what promises to be a fascinating talk! With books for sale and probably snacks….
Join Vermont Author Ethan Tapper for an evening presentation about his new book:
How to Love A Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World.
Wednesday, March 5th at 6:00 PM
Westminster West Church in Westminster West Vermont
No Registration Needed, by Donation
"Only those who love trees should cut them", writes forester Ethan Tapper. Living Earth Action Group is bringing Vermont forester and bestselling author Ethan Tapper to Westminster West Church on March 5th from 6:00 - 8:00 to talk about his book How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Don’t miss this opportunity to bring home this “new land ethic,” which has been endorsed by prominent nature writers including Bill McKibben, Doug Tallamy, Ben Goldfarb, and Tom Wessels.
In How to Love a Forest, he asks what it means to live in a time in which ecosystems are in retreat and extinctions rattle the bones of the earth. As ecosystems that sustain all life struggle, we straddle two worlds: a status quo that treats them as commodities, and opposing claims that the only true expression of love for the natural world is to leave it alone. Proffering a more complex vision, Tapper argues that the actions we must take to protect ecosystems are often counterintuitive, uncomfortable and heartbreaking. How do we respond to the harmful legacies of the past? How do we use our species' incredible power to heal rather than to harm?
This event is hosted by the Living Earth Action Group. Co-sponsored by The Nature Museum at Grafton and the Westminster West Library.

Presenter Bio: Ethan Tapper is a forester, author, birder, hunter, and natural historian from Vermont. He has been recognized as a thought-leader and a disruptor in the forestry and conservation community of the northeastern United States and beyond, winning multiple regional and national awards for his work. Ethan runs a consulting forestry business – Bear Island Forestry – is a regular contributor to Northern Woodlands magazine and a variety of other publications and is a digital creator with tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook @HowtoLoveAForest. In his personal life, Ethan works, writes, hunts and birds at Bear Island – his 175-acre working forest, homestead, orchard and sugarbush – works toward a graduate degree at the University of Vermont, and plays in his 10-piece punk band, The Bubs.
Learn more about Ethan’s work on his website: ethantapper.com
UPCOMING EVENT NUMBER TWO
Friday, March 21: Roger Haydock will teach us about the local Geology! Roger knows all about our region and works all summer on creating and clearing trails for the windmill Hill Pinnacle Society. Come with your questions and an open mind, ready to learn about our corner of the county/state/planet. 5:00 to 6:30 at the Westminster West Congregational Church, 44 Church Street, Putney (not really Putney, but that’s what GPS understands). You are invited to bring a snack to share if you want to. Roger is a local treasure.

Roger Haydock has blazed many trails in the area through local nature organizations. He was in the documentary film business for over 40 years, including the PBS show Nova and several Ken Burns documentaries. Roger also presents compelling and fun presentations on a wide range of subjects and is currently writing a book about the intersection of science, nature and gambling called "Pushing Our Luck".
In other news:
Westminster Town Meeting, Saturday, March 1 at BUHS.
Cabin Fever Supper is March 8th at 5:30 at the West West Church. Sliding Scale $15-25 per person. Sharon Boccelli is the chef! A sit-down dinner for our town. Bring a Westminster story to share that warms your heart. Mine is about sheep…

A message from a neighbor, Lisa Moir:
Dear Friends, This is important! Please do it and share it! 👏
The 24-hour Economic Blackout
For one day we show them who really holds the power
Friday, February 28th
Do not make any purchases
Do not shop online or in-store (local farm stores are an exception in my book - CA)
No Amazon, no Walmart, no Best Buy
No fast food
No gas
No major retailers
Do not use credit or debit cards for non-essential spending
Please spread the word.
Important News from Cat Buxton of Vermont Healthy Soils Coalition
Devastating!! In an increasing list of federal disruption, this will hurt us bad. This is critical work supporting farms, soil health, flood resilience, and more.
Please call your State and Federal Representatives.
https://5calls.org/ is an easy way to do this. Let me know if you need help finding your State delegation. catduffybuxton@gmail.com
"With USDA cuts, VT loses researchers studying flood resilience and the transition away from dairying. More than half the members of a 17-member team at the federal agency's Agricultural Research Service at UVM appear to have lost their jobs, reports VTDigger's Klara Bauters. The nine people laid off include six scientists, "stripping the team of years of institutional knowledge focused on building a more sustainable agricultural future," Bauters writes. Says one former employee: “I really believed in the research. We were doing such good work, and it’s devastating. It just doesn’t exist anymore."
And to close with some VERY LOCAL NEWS, David saw a bobcat running in front of his car down the road! Jessie and Michael saw a whole flock of bluebirds! Sue had a large flock of robins eating her crabapples! Keep shoveling, friends! Spring is around the corner.
with love and gratitude for YOU and all the love we, collectively and individually, bring into the world,
Caitlin Adair for
Westminster West, Vermont
ps: feedback welcomed, and suggestions for posts
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