Farley Anne Brown

Faculty in Ecology

Farley Anne Brown stands in front of trees, smiling while holding a medium size net.

B.A. Environmental Studies and Sociology
Sarah Lawrence College

A.A. Natural Resource Management
Sterling College

M.S. Natural Resource Planning
University of Vermont

Farley has had a connection to the land since she was young, through her family business, the Farley Lumber Company, and exploring the woods in the suburbs of New Jersey. “I have always questioned how we make land use decisions and who gets to make those decisions. Most importantly, how can we become the best stewards of the land?” Her passion for the land led her into the nonprofit field where she served as the executive director of both Vermont Woodlands Association and Vermont Coverts:Woodlands for Wildlife for several decades.

Farley has worked with landowners, loggers, and legislators throughout Vermont helping to protect the working landscape and wildlife habitat. She has witnessed the growth of the land conservation movement in Vermont over the past 30 years. In 2025, she received the Vermont Municipal Service Award from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns in recognition of her two decades of service to the Craftsbury Planning and Conservation Commissions. The award reflects her deep commitment to smart land use, her efforts to involve Sterling College students in municipal service, and her lasting impact on Craftsbury and the Northeast Kingdom.

Farley started teaching Ecology at Sterling College and several state colleges in 1989 as an adjunct faculty member and came to Sterling full time in 2006. Her connections around the state provide many opportunities for Sterling students, both in the classroom as well as in the professional world. “It is a great joy to now work with Sterling College alums in the conservation field.”

    • A.A. in Natural Resource Management from Sterling College

    • B.A. in Environmental Studies and Sociology from Sarah Lawrence College

    • MS in Natural Resource Planning from University of Vermont

    • Wildlife and forest management

    • Land conservation initiatives

    • Land use planning

    • Environmental law and lobbying

    • Directing nonprofits and grant writing

    • Experiential Endeavor

      • NS381A Forest Ecology and Management (4 cr)

    • Intensives in Civic Engagement and Environmental Justice

      • SS310 Land Use Planning and History (3-4 cr)

        SS202 Environmental Policy & Law (3-4 cr)

        INT472 Environmental Justice Beyond Borders (3-4 cr)

    • Intensives in Landscape Ecology and Forest Management

      • NS200 Watershed Ecosystems Analysis (3-4 cr) 

        NS220 Wildlife Conservation and Management (3-4 cr)

        NS240 Forestry (3 cr)

    • Intensives in Arts & Creativity

      • HM275 Black River Sketches (2-3 cr)

    • Scaffolding Seminar: INT199 First Year Seminar (1 cr)

    • “Forest Management in Orleans County, Vermont—Past and Present”, November 2025 for Memphremagog Watershed Association and the Craftsbury Conservation Commission

    • “Working the Land: Conservation and Management of Our Rural Landscape”, Rural Heritage Institute, Sterling College, June 2008.

    • “Portrait of a Local River: Results from a Bioassessment of the Wild Branch in Craftsbury and Wolcott”, EPSCoR Streams Project Symposium, April 2009.

    • “The Black River: Past, Present and Future”, Memphremagog Watershed Association, July 2010.

    • "Introduction to Watersheds”, Memphremagog Watershed Association, August 2011.

    • “Hardwick Lake Today and Tomorrow”, Northern Rivers Land Trust Annual Meeting, June 2013.

    • "Exploring a Changing Rural Culture”, Cultural Sustainability Symposium, Vermont Folklife Center, August 2013.

    • “Upper Black River Stabilization Project” Craftsbury Conservation Commission Public Presentation, February 2015.

    • “Aquatic Habitat in the Black River: A Watershed Bioassessment”, Vermont Coverts: Woodlands for Wildlife Inc., February 2021.

    • The Mad River Valley Rural Resource Protection Project. (1989) Prepared for the Vermont Land Trust.

    • Woodbury Lakes and Ponds. A summary of a report conducted by Jeff Parsons, Don Meals and Deb Lester. (1991) Prepared for the town of Woodbury, Vermont.

    • Town Plans for local Vermont communities: Craftsbury (2006, 2011, 2016, 2020), Brownington (1992), Victory (1993).

    • Hardwick Lake: Today and Tomorrow. (2013) Prepared for the Northern Rivers Land Trust.

    • Wolcott Pond Watershed Initiative. (2018) Prepared for the Northern Rivers Land Trust.

    • Vermont Municipal Service Award, 2025, Vermont League of Cities and Towns

    • Vermont Forestry Leadership Award, 1991, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation and University of Vermont Extension Program

    • Vermont Coverts Leadership Award, 2010, Vermont Coverts: Woodlands for Wildlife, Inc.

    • Water: A Natural History by Alice Outwater

    • Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America by Adrian Forsyth and Ken Miyata

    • The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America’s Man-made Landscape – Land Use History and Planning

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