Contributed by Ali Wagner
On a beautiful fall morning, GMAS members met with Larry Orvis and Matt Leonard for a stroll in the southernmost portion of Camels Hump State Forest. Spanning 3 towns in as many counties (Buells Gore, Starksboro, and Fayston), this 625-acre parcel has been known by locals as The Morrison Place for over a century. Granted to the state in 1936 by Alvah Stevens, the state refers to it as The Stevens Block. By any name, it is a rare gem for birding high in the foothills of the Green Mountains.
Birders were given a rare opportunity to learn personal and “recent” historical accounts from Larry. He is a direct descendant of families who lived here, working small farms and a mill in the 1800s. The group visited apple orchards, haying fields, cellar holes, and a mill where forestry products such as butter bowls were produced (in 1870 by Buell, Thompson & Co.).
Larry, standing next to a cellar hole where his great, great, great grandparents lived, according to the 1871 Beers Atlas.
In 1987, Larry began his unwavering commitment to steward this land, working closely with state foresters. A surveyor by profession, Larry meticulously mapped out specific areas within The Stevens Block, enabling foresters to develop the best approaches for managing the land for maximum diversity of flora and fauna. Matt Leonard, a Vermont State Forester who has been working with Larry since 2002, provided a wealth of information on the beneficial gains resulting from Larry’s efforts.
Thousands of hours of hard work by Larry and several committed family members have resulted in released apple orchards and stands of native deciduous and coniferous trees that have the crown space to grow strong. With patches of managed and unmanaged forest side by side, the differences in structure were obvious once Matt pointed them out. He also showed patch cuts staggered over time and throughout the landscape, with various stages of “recovery” from the disturbance. Managed forests and patch-cut openings with various levels of regeneration provide a wide range of habitats for a greater variety of wildlife. Larry has also planted over a thousand trees, mostly oak, to enhance a forest that is already offering an abundance of mast for animals.
Bird sightings were few that day, although the birders happened upon a large group of foraging Ruby-crowned Kinglets! Rather, the focus was on the stewards of this land. Occasionally, Ali Wagner would share where and when specific species have been observed, reinforcing all that Matt imparted about the value of Larry’s work. The birders new to this site now have a sense of what birding is like when this hot spot lives up to its name. https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1527324
If they return, they might even see Larry working on one of his many projects.