Ax Skills for Women at HOWL

Despite the rain today up on Crouching Lion Mountain, several of us hardy souls gather with Mary Murphy of Mountainsong Expeditions to learn basic Ax skills.

Mary covered topics such as ax types, ax handling safety, limbing, bucking, felling, splitting wood, ax blade sharpening, and ax handle replacement.

Some of us tested our skills at limbing, bucking, and splitting. And then we practiced sharpening our blades.

Then we all palavered over a delicious potluck next to the warmth of the wood stove.

Mary Murphy, Mountainsong Expeditions

Lani Ravin

Anya Schwartz

Vanessa & Lani

Sadie with hatchet

Laura bucks up log

Vanessa bucks up log

Laura splits wood

Mary Murphy, Mountainsong Expeditions

Grandmother Tree

Grandmother Tree, HOWL

Over the three decades of HOWL's existence there have been many moments and many events which have contributed to the incredible spiritual energy that many women feel when they step onto this land. For many women, coming here opens that special sense of connection to the Divine Mother, Earth in all her glory.

When the land was first founded by a group of feminist activists in the early 80's, some of the women found Grandmother Tree on the edge of what we call the South Meadow. The South Meadow is an approximately 15 acre section of the property which consists of old growth meadow and new growth forest. It is special as a habitat to white tail deer, bear, coyote, foxes, and all manner of forest creatures. The sweeping view draws the eye all the way to the distant Adirondack mountains of New York, which can be seen from the top of the meadow.

Over the years, as the meadow reverted back to trees, Grandmother Tree receded into the forest.

Today, a group of us walked up to Grandmother Tree to be held in her arms, to revere her wisdom and to know our place with her as we paused to take in her weathered bark, her gnarled limbs and her gracefully sweeping branches lifted to the sun.

The Walk Up to Grandmother Tree

HOWL LAND DAY!

 Hello Friends of HOWL

Time for our annual LAND DAY at HOWL on SATURDAY OCTOBER 19th from 9:30 am to 4 pm and beyond if you wish.

Hot lunch provided by HOWL at 1 pm.

Activities include: posting the land, clearing and marking a trail to Grandmother Tree, pulling up invasive species to help our wildlife thrive, doing a dump run to get rid of junk, cut up fallen trees, or whatever you think needs doing as you look around inside or out.

We have a lots of fun practicing our large motor skills, enjoying the gorgeous fall foliage, building community and keeping HOWL alive and well.

Please bring work gloves, clippers, chainsaws, or an apple pie if you have them. Also wear bright red or orange since it is hunting season. (Even though the land is posted and it's not yet deer hunting with rifles season, we don't want to take any chances.)  EVERYONE WELCOME!!!!

Please  visit our FaceBook page and join the event to show your support:

https://www.facebook.com/events/727929980567238/

Contact Laura at HOWL 434-3953 or Crow at 598-5868.

Howlin' Howl Music Jam!

Howlin' HOWL Music Jam!

Past HOWL Music/Singing Circle

 So maybe you didn't make it to Michigan this year, but no worries because HOWL's hills will be alive with the sound of our own music on SATURDAY AUGUST 17th.

Come to our Howlin' HOWL music jam Saturday August 17th from 2 p.m. to 4p.m. (all outside, weather permitting) followed by a pot luck dinner at 5 p.m. If you want to stay longer we may even work up the energy to have a bonfire and more music in the evening, but the main event is in the afternoon.

If you'd like to stay over and camp or obtain guest room space, please RSVP least three days in advance at so we can get an idea how many to expect and plan the tent sites.

 Everyone welcome. Bring an instrument, your voice, or a kazoo and most definitely your e for making music no matter what your skill level. Anyone can howl, remember that!

For more info call Crow at 802-598-5868 or email at howlvt@gmail.com.

HOWL on FaceBook

Check out our new FaceBook page. Feel free to join us on the journey and comment or post your own relevant event. Click here to get to the page: HOWL on FaceBook!

Spring Irises

The Memorial Garden being tended by the chicks

New Film About the Women's Land Movement

Special viewing of Lesbiana - A Parallel Revolution to be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 27th at Main Street Landing film space in Burlington, VT. This is part of a two film series exploring and documenting elements of the feminist movement.

HOWL founding mothers Glo Daly and Crow Cohen, still active on our collective today, are featured in Lesbiana.

Produced and directed by Myriam Fougère, this film takes us on a journey to meet the lesbian writers, philosophers and activists who were key players in creating a revolutionary sisterhood. Myriam encounters and documents the stories of lesbians who chose to live only among women, many of whom are in their 70's and 80's today, in her exploration of women's land/women's space.

Myriam will be present at the showing and we would love to have a HOWL contingent present. To RSVP or for further info, contact aprilwomensfilms@gmail.com and CC HOWL at howlvt@gmail.com.

Dottie the Pig, A Tale from Howl in Vermont

I recently came upon this little comic from our friend Elvis Bakaitis who visited the land a couple of summers ago...thought I would share it with you all...

http://elvis007.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/dottie-the-pig-a-tale-from-howl-in-vermont/

Thanks, Elvis!

From Elvis' blog:

Elvis Bakaitis is a Brooklyn-based zinester and future librarian. In 2012, they co-organized the NYC Feminist Zinefest with Kate Angell. This year, Elvis gave talks on queer history and/or zines at The New School, Rutgers University, the Hedrick-Martin Institute (home of Harvey Milk High School), Gotham Professional Arts Academy,  Kearny High School in New Jersey,  Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse in Baltimore. They also facilitate the monthly feminist bookclub at Bluestockings Bookstore, and co-facilitate the Radical Librarians Reading Group. Currently, they are working on Homos in Herstory, a comics zine that focuses on 19th and 20th century queer history. You can find their zines at radical bookstores, and at their online Etsy shop, Captain Elvis’ Cartoon Shack.

Snow, Snow, Snow! Happy New Year!

Almost 30" of new snow in the last week up here at HOWL up on Crouching Lion Mountain in Vermont.

Today, the sun shines, glistening on the meadows. Deer trails zig-zag across the field near the pond and the Sundance pasture looks like a moonscape. Chick-a-dees are out calling to each other and all the farm critters are munching hay and playing in the snow. We are keeping the home fires burning and watching the icicles grow longer and longer. Winter is truly upon us here at Howl.

Laura spent time laying in some snowshoe trails, working on 1/2 mile, 1 mile and 2 mile loops around the property to deliver as many scenic vistas possible. When finished, the trails will encompass part of the Catamount Trail, some of the Wundekind Bike Trail, as well as HOWL trails leading up the Catamount Trail and up to Grandmother Tree. There are several beautiful stream crossings

It's gorgeous up here with all the snow. Come on up and take a snowshoe around the land. Happy New Year!!

Orange, the wayward pig

Icelandic lambs enjoying organic winter hay

The bees...battened down for the winter

Massey Ferguson...parked for the winter

Dervo and the chickens

The Shepherdess and her sheep

Micio...the snow cat!

Holiday Carolers come to HOWL!

Several holiday carolers arrived at HOWL tonight and sang their hearts out in the sparkling snow. Who would think our little homestead at the end of a dead-end road would be on the circuit. But our steadfast neighbors from Kunsi Keya Tamakoce brought us some much needed holiday cheer...we sent them on their way with a clutch of Christmas cookies to sustain them through their next stops. Thanks, neighbors!!

HOWL Land Day

Thanks to all the wonderful women who showed up for the HOWL Land Day. It was a gorgeous day with lots of sun and beautiful fall colors.

Most of the rest of the old tin roofing material was pulled out to be hauled away, gardens were cleaned up, the trail to Grandmother Tree was re-marked and the land was posted for the upcoming hunting season.

Sue Morse Walks HOWL Land

Sue Morse, founder of Keeping Tracks and a recognized expert in natural history and wildlife tracking in New England, spent several hours with the HOWL Collective walking our land with us to help us identify core wild life habitat and to evaluate our on-going stewardship of the land.

Many important trees were identified such as Pin Cherry, Hawthorne, Apple, Service Berry, Quaking Aspen and many other shrubs and trees that wild life depend upon for food. We identified core habitat through recent evidence of coyote, bobcat, moose, white tail deer, black bear on the land.

The day after our walk, Vanessa observed a young black bear walking along the stream near the south meadow. Days earlier she spotted a red fox on the meadow near the pond. Nightly we observe white tail deer movement across the land. Porcupine, racoons, short tail weasels, bats and a plethora of small critters in the rodentia family as well as hawks, owls and other birds and critters have been observed and make their home with us here.

HOWL land abuts the Camel's Hump State Forest land and benefits from an abundance of wildlife associated with the huge tracts of undeveloped, conserved land. HOWL places a high value on the maintenance and stewardship of the 50 acres of fields and forest that we maintain as open women's land.

Sue discussed the importance of the sustainable activities of Stark Hollow Farm's stewardship of the land. Wildlife corridors are maintained open with no permanent fencing anywhere. Constant rotation of livestock and the use of highly visible temporary fencing which can be seen by deer and other wildlife ensure nature's critters can pass freely and safely through the land. The farm also maintains areas of rough meadow along field perimeters and works to open the crowns of important food trees.

It was a great visit and will support our enrollment in the State of Vermont's new conservation program.


Getting ready to head out...


Rough meadow along the field border...great habitat for fox, rabbit, grouse..


Vanessa leading the crew at the top of the south meadow...


Juniper shrub...produces small berry (cone) that feeds birds, loves the dry sunny top of the south meadow..


Sue Morse with HOWL Collective in south meadow...


Sue Morse and HOWL Collective...


Red eye vireo nest...


Hundreds of Painted Lady and Monarch butterflies adorned this patch of golden rod...


Quaking Aspen...provides an excellent protein source fruit for grouse and even black bears...


Buck rub...white tail bucks leave their scent on the trees...


Vanessa & Sue consult the map at the stone walled edge of a field...


Evidence of porcupine claw marks...


Sue speaking to the collective about food source trees in a field that has gone back to woodland in the last 20 years...


Black bear bite mark pattern demonstrated by Sue Morse on a rural electrification pole in the woods...


A lone eastern red cedar on the south meadow...definitely a keeper!


HOWL crews trekking through fields...