Natural History Minor

How can we recognize the plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms with which we share the world? What are their lives like? How do species and whole ecosystems evolve and change through time? What does it mean to “read the landscape?”

These are the questions that naturalists find answers to every day, and through their work as interpreters, naturalists connect people with the natural world and teach others how to find answers to these questions for themselves.

Click here to see the course requirements for the Natural History Minor.

Humans have been naturalists as long as we have been humans

The study and practice of natural history is fundamental to our existence as human beings and is foundational to our relationship with the natural world. Today, naturalists use field methods that emphasize observation, identification, description and interpretation. Natural History coursework blends natural sciences with training in field journaling, keeping species accounts and species lists, and related interpretive skills such as illustration and education.

The Natural History Minor is designed to complement studies in other areas such as Outdoor Education, Environmental Humanities, Sustainable Agriculture and related Self-Designed majors. A Natural History course of study can also be taken as an emphasis area within the Ecology major.

Naturalists find livelihoods as guides, park interpreters, environmental educators, outdoor program instructors, field technicians and conservation consultants.

Organizations Sterling Naturalists have worked for:

EarthWalk
Camp Denali
Teton Science School
Hulbert Outdoor Center
Kroka Expeditions
National Park Service
North Woods Stewardship Center
Natural History Sample Classes:
Natural History of the North Woods
Vertebrate Natural History
Field Botany of Flowering Plants
Field Botany of Mosses, Ferns and Allies
Marine Natural History of the North Atlantic
Natural History Illustration
Nature Mentoring

Organizations Sterling College Graduates have worked for:

The Nature Conservancy
Vermont Land Trust
U.S. Forest Service
National Park Service
American Museum of Natural History
Howard Gardner School
Teton Science School

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@adventurejournal talked with John Campbell, Founder of @alpine_luddites and Adjunct Faculty at Sterling College about our Gear Design and Repair class. "Well, I think I think the four-year model of education broken. I don’t think it actually works for today’s world. The skills that people are going to need due to climate change and other things that are on our radar aren’t taught in four-year schools and they aren’t taught in high school pretty much anywhere. Sterling is one of the few colleges that really takes that head-on," remarked Campbell. Read more. Link on bio.

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Sterling Alumnx (‘01) Theresa Snow, Founder and Director of Salvation Farms, conveys the origin of her non-profit and explores the practical and ethical importance of food surplus management. This conversation reveals the multifaceted potential of gleaning and surplus management activities, which serve as an eye-opening and activating type of experiential service learning while also supporting more equitable access to Vermont’s bounty of fresh produce. Theresa also speaks about her first-in-the-nation statewide study of edible food remaining on farms, and how to appropriately integrate technology and data to reveal supply-demand dysfunction and support more full food utilization for the benefit of farmers, eaters, and the environment. But in the end, she makes and defends some important claims about how change really happens -- and, despite all the good work that Salvation Farms and its organizational partners have done, Theresa doesn’t view institutions as the most important change agents. Link on bio.

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Sterling College is pleased to host an outdoor conversation with John Hayden and friends, Charlotte Rosendahl and Nicole Civita. Join us for Take A Walk on the Wild Side: An Evening with John Hayden and Friends on Thursday, July 22nd, at 7:00pm at The Farm Between in Jeffersonville, Vermont.

John Hayden has been working to design and implement agricultural systems with positive environmental and social outcomes for over 35 years as a researcher, extension agent, university educator, international consultant, and practicing regenerative organic farmer. Hayden's willingness to farm wildly and to share the bounty of his carefully tended, not-entirely-cultivated land among the more-than-human inhabitants of the farm created the foundation of Sterling's newest instructional site, The Farm Between. At the talk, John, Charlotte, and Nicole will explore the benefits and challenges of a wilder approach to farming and a more holistic approach to nourishment. The evening ends with a Q&A segment followed by light refreshments made by the Sterling Kitchen.

The talk is free and open to the public. Space is limited and parking can get a little tight. Consider carpooling with a friend. To help us fit everyone comfortably, it would be helpful to let Nakasi Fortune (nakasi.fortune@sterlingcollege.edu or 802-586-7711 x 147 know that you plan to attend.)

📷: Jessica Sipe

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New Podcast Alert: In this mini-cast, we rejoin Rick Thomas, Faculty in Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems at Sterling College, as he shares with us thought leaders that have inspired his work including Lynn Miller, the Small Farmer's Journal, Rural Heritage Magazine, and more. Take a listen and glean and apply the practical knowledge to your life.

Link on bio.

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At many higher education institutions, you are a number. At Sterling, with less than 125 enrolled undergrads, you are community. So if you've spent the spring and summer hiking and seeking out swimming holes, no worries. We got you. We will even waive the enrollment deposit to make things easy. So go for that July creemee run and come back and finish your application.

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We are saying limited seats, but that's almost funny. Why? Because Sterling prides itself on getting you out of your seat. Some call this experiential learning, we call it ecological thinking and action. So if you feel like college isn't for you because classrooms aren't for you, think again. Give us a shout and let us show you the inside scoop on outside classrooms. Send us a PM.

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They have an obsession with cheese; aged, blue, and smelly are all adored and cherished! They dream of someday being the front-human of a David Bowie cover band. They pose with chickens. If you are digging this person already, meet Moxie, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid. If you've dragged your feet all summer, have no fear. Fall enrollment is still in the cards for you, and this radical human can help make it happen. Drop us a PM and we can navigate you through the process in a way that leaves you nothing to bock, bock about.

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@guidesgonewild Podcast featured @len_tikyeler , Faculty in Environmental Humanities, and captured Laura's powerful testament to the importance of the right mentors and messaging, and how difficult it can be to see, never mind overcome, all the barriers we tend to build in front of ourselves. Take a listen. Link on bio.

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Take a seat around our virtual campfire and hear the stories we have to share: https://www.youtube.com/c/SterlingCollegeVT

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New Podcast Alert: @teaching_teamster , Faculty in Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems at Sterling College, joins us and discusses the definition of draft animal power systems, the student experience at Sterling’s Wendell Berry Farming Program in Kentucky, and the philosophy of Wendell Berry. Rick guides us through challenges of working with draft animal power and the conscious choice of doing right for the land. In this episode, we explore the failed food systems and transition from what is to what can be.

Link on bio.

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Just a friendly reminder from @onlyandeverlove , Dean of Student Life, to treat yourself to self-care with these ideas:

Rest. Nap.
Drink more water.
Take 10 minutes to breathe deeply.
Move your body in any way that feels good to you.
Talk with a friend.
Take a walk and practice using all your senses.
Make a gratitude list.
Practice saying no.
Forgive yourself.
Tell someone something you like or appreciate about them. ⁣
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#selfcarematters #selfcarelove #selfcaredaily #selfcaresaturday #goodvibes #selfcareeveryday #mindfulness #selfcareisnotselfish #loveyourself #selfcaretips #selfcaretip #selfcareisforeveryone #selfcare #positivevibes

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Here is some of what's happening behind the scenes of Sterling's Equity Council:

We co-created, funded, and hired Rachael Blansett with our friends at @collegeoftheatlantic . Rachael will start August 1 as our Diversity & Inclusion Fellow.

We kicked off a partnership with the @susucommunityfarm , a BIPOC-led community farming and healing organization. They are working on a workshop design focused on healing from embodied racial trauma for BIPOC and white allied staff and students this fall.

We formalized a partnership with the Vermont Pride Center and are together working on programming to provide skills, support, and community development for our Queer students on campus.

We cultivated a partnership with Out in the Open, an organization focused on supporting rural Queer individuals in New England. Together we are co-sponsoring a Sterling Pride event and a fundraising effort for Out in the Open.

The Offices of Student Life and Academics are reworking the new student orientation schedule to include more time and space for defining norms and supporting BIPOC & Queer students.

We are solidifying our support structure and relationship with the VA to support our current and incoming veteran students.

We are involved in a second and supported version of the Craftsbury Town Equity Team with increase structural supports from Sterling.

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Natural History Minor