August 2023

"I live on Earth at present, and I don’t know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing — a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process — an integral function of the universe."

—R. Buckminster Fuller

FLOOD UPDATE FROM MONTPELIER

Here in Montpelier, where our Mother Tree headquarters can be found, Nature has had an even greater presence than usual in a complex and devastating way: our community is slowly rebuilding from the July floods. Wilderness Trust staff returned to the office on Monday, August 15 after working remotely for four weeks to keep downtown clear during the ongoing recovery. Many of you have asked if we are still able to receive mail. The answer is yes, gratefully so, but currently only once a week. We are all supporting community efforts as best we can while Montpelier and other affected towns work towards recovery. 

Tree Alphabet by Katie Holten

Dear Sophi,

What if humans could speak the language of trees? What if we could know the language of the forest? Perhaps we already do but haven’t found a conscious way to unlock this knowingness.

Nature matters. And the words we use to understand, describe, and thank Nature also matter.

This year at Northeast Wilderness Trust we have begun a new grammatical convention: writing out Nature with capital N. We take it as our obligation and responsibility to show this respect. We don’t pretend to speak tree, but we do strive to speak as best we can for all beings making their homes in the landscapes we protect. We do this by using the tools and language available to us to protect the land, water, and wildlife who speak a language we have only begun to partially understand.

Even the words of the English language are constrained. Robin Wall Kimmerer points out in a chapter from Braiding Sweetgrass, Learning the Grammar of Animacy, that the English vocabulary is 70% nouns, or inanimate. Most indigenous languages are animate: 70% verbs. With a static language such as English our aim is to transform words, complemented by images, to reflect our beliefs, convictions, and values to include Nature. At NEWT we share limited language as best we can to thank you for your support and to thank Nature for the gift of life.

You know that Nature matters. Understanding each other through our words and images also matters. In Some Wild Words We Love by Tom Butler, we explore how certain words shape the work of Northeast Wilderness Trust—I invite you to share in these meanings with us.

Humans make meaning with words and those words reflect shared values that weave the worldviews that determine our relationships. What would the white pine tree, or the beaver, the black bear, the bobcat, or the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher say if they could speak to us? I’d like to make meaning with them; we do this by continuing to protect more wilderness and listening closely.

For the Wild,

Nadine Canter

Communications Director

MAINE

Great Oaks Wilderness Sanctuary

The exemplary Northern Hardwood Forests of the proposed Great Oaks Wilderness Sanctuary in Parsonsfield, Maine, host several rare plants and many century-old trees. Northeast Wilderness Trust is working to protect these 533 acres as forever-wild so that they may continue to grow older and wilder yet, benefitting nature and people alike.

Click below to lean more and watch our new video of Great Oaks Wilderness Sanctuary!

Some Wild Words We Love

Rewilding, untrammeled, wilderness...these are all powerful words that shape the work and story of forever-wild conservation. Explore with us the deeper meanings behind these words, and what they say about the underlying philosophy of Northeast Wilderness Trust's approach to conservation.

Moriah Wilderness Preserve adds to wildlife connectivity

Northeast Wilderness Trust established the Moriah Wilderness Preserve this summer, protecting 1,775 acres in the West Champlain Hills of New York—a region considered one of the most biologically rich parts of the Adirondack Park. 

Welcoming Janelle Jones, New York Land Steward

Northeast Wilderness Trust is thrilled to welcome Janelle Jones to the team as our New York Land Steward. In her new role, Janelle will look after the wildlands that the Wilderness Trust protects in New York.

NEWT's Jon Leibowitz joins Land Trust Alliance Leadership Council

Northeast Wilderness Trust Executive Director Jon Leibowitz has accepted an invitation to join the Land Trust Alliance's Leadership Council, an advisory group that is a forum for dialogue, collaboration, and innovation in land conservation.

Photography: Dragonfly at Great Oaks Wilderness Sanctuary by Shelby Perry | Great Oaks Wilderness Sanctuary by Jerry Monkman/Ecophotography | Book in the wilderness by Shelby Perry | Painted turtle by Brendan Wiltse | Hugging old-growth white pine in the Adirondacks by Tom Butler | Shelby hugging an old yellow birch at Bear's Nest Wilderness Preserve by Jon Leibowitz