Peacham Students Connect Nature and History

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Created on Tuesday, 25 September 2012 16:46

Written by Jessica Walsh

PEACHAM- Omri Parsons has lived in the back woods of Peacham keeping up his house, property and a 100 year old barn for 33 years.

The barn was originally used to hold oxen, which were used as a source of power for plowing the fields during the crop seasons. They were also used to help "roll the snow" during the winter.

Thanks to grants from the State of Vermont, Parsons has received money which has allowed him to restore Green Bay Farm to it's original condition. The mountains of New Hampshire are just starting to change colors background of his property and it is the perfect backdrop to this historic piece of land.

 The Peacham took a little to Green Bay Farm and were able to learn not only about the barn, but about old farming techniques as well while taking in all of the nature surrounding them. It's days like this that makes the The Green Bay farm come back to life. "I just enjoy sharing this with other people, It's a part of history and I think sometimes we forget the significance of how important the past is because without it, we wouldn't be here today," said Parsons.

Connecting nature and history was a big part of the days lesson as the students got to observe the landscape from the hill behind the barn. Neil Montieth, a forester for the State of Vermont, talked to the class about what kind of animals would be in the given environment around them. Some of the students eagerly raised their hands and talked about the moose and herons that would be near the swamp they could see in the distance. This class, in particular, had a lot of prior knowledge about the outdoors because they have many connections within their family.

Many of the students have parents that are farmers, hunters and avid outdoors man. This helps them when it comes to learning outside the classroom where they can put what they learned at school to good use. Growing up in a rural area has its challenges, of course but it also has advantages that these students can't get anywhere else. Montieth hopes that trips like these happen more often so that the students can apply what they have learned.

"Just have an appreciation, maybe they will get a job in New York City but they can appreciate there are still places like Vermont and other rural places that there is a working landscape, forestry farming, things like that," says Monteith. Students in the city don't have the opportunity to walk into their backyard and examine what types of trees are growing or explore for wildlife. Even though these students from Peacham may not have a movie theater in their town, they have a landscape and a community that is much more beneficial for their development as environmentally conscientious adults.

"They are the future, they are going to be our future leaders, buissness people, citizens, the more they understand about the enviornment and the working landscape of forests and farming. It's probably going to be a lot different for them.  They can make desicions that will benefit them in the future," says Montieth.