Treleven

Treleven Inc, the educational and environmental nonprofit Don and Cheryl Mitchell founded at their farm in New Haven, Vermont, has established a residential retreat for artists, writers, teachers, and activists in the annex beside the main farmhouse. This is a beautiful, sunny space of almost 1,000 square feet with a bed in one corner, a desk in another, a dining area with a table, a well-provisioned kitchen, a bathroom and shower, and a deck. It has frequently been used in the past for tourist and guest accommodation as well as for retreats.

Treleven now offers this facility for creative, Board sponsored retreats.  Both month long, week or two week long sessions are offered in the fall. The spring session typically coincides with lambing season. Costs for the room and utilities are covered by the non-profit. The person accepted for the retreat is responsible for his or her own transportation and food.

The proposed creative project should relate directly to some aspect of the Treleven mission, which emphasizes creativity, environmental awareness, education, healing ourselves and the earth, and social justice. If the project is inspired by the physical attributes of this Vermont sheep farm and its surrounding forests, so much the better. The actual project might take the form of artwork, writing, creating a film or a song cycle, development of a new social policy, or social program, or planning an ambitious new course. More information about recent programs and affiliations may be found on the Treleven website: (https://treleven.wordpress.com/about/).

The application should include:

1. cover letter with a description of the proposed project

2.whether you desire a week, two week, or month long residency

3. one to two page bio

4. brief sample of your work,

5. names and contact info of two references.

Applicants for retreats are asked to submit these materials to Cheryl.W.Mitchell@gmail.com as either Word documents or PDF files. Please write “Treleven Residency” in the subject line. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. A selection committee from the Treleven Board will read your materials and get back to you within three weeks of your application.

Amalia’s pastel, sketched during Spirit of Change Class

Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2016 Creative Residencies at Treleven. Please see the December 9 blog post for more details.

The people selected will have free and full use of the Annex from either October 2 to October 28, 2016 or October 30 to November 11, 2016.

Don rests from preparing the Annex for the fall creative residency.

Treleven 2015

Program Highlights

This felt like a full and wonderful year for Treleven. Many ideas –some old, and some new—came to fruition and there were activities all year long.

Sojourning friends (and strangers who are now friends) brought a wonderful sense of vibrancy to the farm. Board Members John and Rita Elder stayed in the Annex early in the winter while their new net-zero energy home in Bristol was being completed. From their many ideas emerged the building of a labyrinth, which people now walk in meditation on a near-daily basis. Talis Thorndike-Love came to the farm at the beginning of lambing season and now lives with Ethan and Susannah. Andrew Baker, a Brooklyn-based filmmaker, rented the Annex for periods during March and April and made a documentary about Don, the sheep and this year’s lambing season. Having Andrew on the farm and working on this film project catalyzed the Board’s decision to create a program of Treleven-sponsored Creative Residencies. Anna Mullen, the first person to be competitively selected for one of these residencies, spent five weeks during late fall living on the farm in order to observe and write about the flock of sheep from multiple perspectives. Other individuals who rented the Annex for their own purposes at different times during the year have made a growing contribution to our understanding of what a creative residency might entail: One person completed a book-length poetry manuscript, another is writing about education, and another taught us about building deeper connections with the community through her work as a substitute staff member at Porter Hospital.

Based on these experiences, the board will be offering two month-long, rent-free residencies each year. We are trying to find the right balance between longer term renters, sponsored residents, and the shorter workshops, classes, and tours that also take place at the farm under Treleven’s sponsorship.

Speaking of workshops, this year’s highlight was, once again, the Narrative Therapy Master Class arranged by Peggy Sax and taught by Sue Ellen Hamkin, which beautifully integrated the environment of the farm with work on healing approaches to issues in mental health. For the first time, the celebratory potluck and bonfire to be held at the pond as part of this event was not rained out! Kirk Webster brought his 40 students of apiculture here for a hands-on beekeeping workshop. Emma Stultz (a UVM student) shared a conservation walk with Don as part of the New Haven Conservation Commission’s PLACE Program. Treleven is the co-sponsor of two interview shows for Middlebury Community Television: Faces of Farming and Growing Bright Futures.

A dozen of Middlebury College’s current first-year students spent their orientation weekend here, and our wonderful relationship with the college’s summer Food Works program continued to flourish. Emma Homans, our summer intern this year, participated in all aspects of the farm and helped to connect us more closely with the Parent/Child Center in Middlebury. During the coming year she will be helping to coordinate the volunteers who love to assist in the barn during lambing season. As part of a conference in Rutland sponsored by UVM’s Extension Service, Don and Cheryl taught an agro-tourism workshop on welcoming visitors onto your farm. We were less successful this year in marketing NOFA’s Open Farm Week, our own Treleven summer Nature Camp, and a pasture management workshop sponsored by the Vermont Sheep and Goat Association…but all of these events did take place with at least some attendees.

We continue to love the ways the Board operates, benefits from the interests and expertise of its members, remains mindful of the connections between spirit, nature and social justice, and enjoys working and dreaming together.

Treleven Inc, the educational and environmental nonprofit Don and Cheryl Mitchell founded at their farm in New Haven, Vermont, has established a residential retreat for artists, writers, teachers, and activists in the annex beside the main farmhouse. This is a beautiful, sunny space of almost 1,000 square feet with a bed in one corner, a desk in another, a dining area with a table, a well-provisioned kitchen, a bathroom and shower, and a deck. It has frequently been used in the past for tourist and guest accommodation as well as for retreats.

Treleven now offers this facility for creative, Board sponsored retreats.  Both month long and two week long sessions are offered in the fall. The spring session typically coincides with lambing season. Costs for the room and utilities are covered by the non-profit. The person accepted for the retreat is responsible for his or her own transportation and food.

The proposed creative project should relate directly to some aspect of the Treleven mission, which emphasizes creativity, environmental awareness, education, healing ourselves and the earth, and social justice. If the project is inspired by the physical attributes of this Vermont sheep farm and its surrounding forests, so much the better. The actual project might take the form of artwork, writing, creating a film or a song cycle, development of a new social policy, or social program, or planning an ambitious new course. More information about recent programs and affiliations may be found on the Treleven website: (https://treleven.wordpress.com/about/).

The application should consist of a cover letter with a description of the proposed project, a one to two page bio, a brief sample of your work, and the names and contact info of two references.  Applicants for the retreats beginning October 2 or October 30 , 2016, are asked to submit these materials to Cheryl.W.Mitchell@gmail.com as either Word documents or PDF files. Please write “Treleven Residency” in the subject line. The closing date for applications for the Fall 2016 Retreats is August 12. A selection committee from the Treleven Board will read all materials and get back to people with its decision by August 21, 2016.

Treleven’s First Artistic Resident!

We are thrilled to welcome Anna Mullen, who was selected after a competitive process as the inaugural recipient of our new month-long retreat award. Anna will be in residence from October 15, 2015 to November 18, 2015. During this time she will be closely observing and documenting the sheep flock (and other aspects of the farm) as part of her deep interest in animal consciousness. A recent graduate of Middlebury College, Anna has spent summers teaching environmental awareness to children. Anna’s cover letter clearly explains why she was selected as our first awardee. She expects to present an overview of her work near the end of her residency, which will be open to the public.

The Treleven Residency Award is designed for individuals who share Treleven’s philosophy and interests, who need a peaceful setting in which to pursue creative or program development activities, and whose work will benefit from the sense of place provided by the farm. The next residency will be held from April 18, 2016 to May 16, 2016. The online application form will be available on this web site in January. The residency program is adding a rich new dimension to the courses, workshops, summer programs and farm internships that Treleven continues to sponsor. Please encourage your friends to apply–or apply yourself if you have an interesting project in mind. Treleven’s chief areas of concern include environmental awareness, social justice, spiritual development and mental health.

For more information about creative residencies at Treleven click here.

Announcing: Treleven Farm and Forest Camp for young children and their families.

What: Five weeks of nature lessons, explorations, experiments, arts, food, chores and fun for whole families. We will use the Four Winds Curriculum (including a puppet show) to begin each day, and then branch out into personal explorations using the farm and forest facilities of Treleven Farm. The theme this year is Patterns: Insects, Leaves, Tracks, Animal Coloration, Frogs. We will also eat our way through 5 Harvest of the Month vegetables during snack time.

When: Thursday Mornings 9:00 – 12:00 from July 9 – August 6, 2015. Families are welcome to attend on a drop in basis. Children attending by themselves must be pre-registered and have their Medical Forms completed prior to the first session.

Where: Treleven Farm: 164 Mitchell Drive, Vergennes, VT 05491 (around the corner from Field Days)

Why: A chance for families to learn together and to have fun exploring nature in a supportive environment. An opportunity for children and parents to learn more about farming and forestry management.

Cost: the suggested donation is $ 15 per session per family or $ 60 for the five session series. Pay as you feel led.

How to register: Fill out the Registration Form and Release Form and return in hard copy or electronically. Medical Forms must also be submitted for any child attending on their own.

What to bring: A brown bag lunch (snack will be provided), sun block and bug dope, possibly a change of clothes for the muddy explorations. Families are welcome to bring bathing suits and towels if they wish to stay later to swim. We regret that we do not have a certified life-guard and cannot supervise other children in the pond.

Refund Policy: If you pay in advance for the summer and find you cannot attend all sessions, we will happily charge you only for the sessions you attend and refund the rest.

To learn more: call Cheryl Mitchell 802-989-8141 or download the forms here

Treleven Farm and Forest Registration 2015

2015 Treleven Release and Consent 2015

2015 Treleven SUMMER CAMP medical

The Treleven team has a new summer intern! Emma Homans comes from Huntington, VT, and will be working both on the farm and at the Parent/Child Center through June and July. Emma is a rising senior at Middlebury College where she studies Human Ecology, a mix of environmental studies and anthropology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, and cross-country skiing. Her favorite vegetable is either kale or cucumbers.

So far, Emma has spent a few days on the farm helping to sort through wool, plant and weed the gardens, and move the sheep to new pastures with Cheryl and Don. We look forward to a great summer!

Mentors with Enid Wonnacut, NOFA CEO and Abbie Nelson, FEED program director.

This month we began two wonderful new partnership projects. We are now working with NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) and Hogback Community College. We expect that both of these partnerships will help to expand the opportunities to share the land and the skills of our Board members with an increasingly large community.  The NOFA Farm to Community Mentors provide a variety of services to both the farming and non-profit/educational communities. They help to link farmers to school classrooms through the Farmer Correspondence Program (which culminates in a farm visit for the students in the spring). They promote the value of sustainable agriculture through projects such as AG Literacy Week (Nov 17 – 23 this year). And they work on special projects; for our county we  hope to promote availability of fresh local produce for residents of our many mobile home parks. Treleven was honored to be the site of this year’s annual strategic planning session for the NOFA mentors. We look forward to learning from those in other parts of the state!

Stories Participants with Don Mitchell

Our partnership with Hogback Community College began with the course: Stories in the Land, taught by John Elder and Don Mitchell. The first session of the 5 session class included a walk through the farm fields to the wolf oak tree under a beautiful full moon. Students have been working on place-based memoirs and their essays will soon be available on the Treleven Programs tab. (you can view one example here already).

Acorns

On the farm front, we are wondering what the coming year will bring? When our friend Bob Cyr came to the farm to process the lambs, he said the wooly bears are only a bit more accurate than the Farmer’s Almanac. Who is to know? We have heard that big mast years (lots of nuts on the trees) are a way that trees can overcome the drain of rodents eating their nuts. But Audubon is not so sure. Who is to know? At least we have the pleasure of knowing that each season brings incredible beauties to the farm and we hope that you will join us to share in them.

Autumn Color: the old sugarbush

This was a gorgeous month on the farm. The day after returning from a hike on the Cotswold Way in England (we saw thousands of sheep and miles of beautiful stone fences and hedgerows) we were able to welcome the Middlebury College Orientation group. They spent the weekend exploring the farms of Addison County and the role of the Migrant Farmworkers in the VT economy. It was a thrill to spend time with such open and interested young people.

New Pasture

Our sheep became truly spoiled as fresh new pastures were opened to them every few days. It was the only way to keep up with the lushly growing grass. With the garden almost harvested, we had time to turn toward more contemplative occupations, including thinking about how to use the resources of the farm as a retreat center. The little poustinia, (this is the Russian name for a prayer cottage) provides a place for meditation and quiet reading and reflection. The mists of morning, rising from the pond, are a nice atmosphere for tai chi or yoga. Walking the ever-growing network of trails is yet another way we can offer some grounded time to our community. Please stop by!

Wind Chimes by the Poustinia