Podcasts about northern forest center

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, co-founder Andrea Kihlstedt speaks with Lila Thorne, former Director of Development at the Northern Forest Center, about their groundbreaking $30 million capital campaign. Lila shares the compelling story of how the Northern Forest Center launched an innovative campaign that combined philanthropy and impact investing to support communities across a 30 million-acre landscape spanning four states in the Northeastern U.S. Lila provides a behind-the-scenes look at the unique challenges and successes of this campaign, which initially set out to raise $20 million but surpassed expectations, driving them to raise the goal to $30 million. She discusses how the organization navigated asking for major gifts and impact investments, the power of big ideas in securing support, and the importance of developing a strong, resilient fundraising team. Along the way, Lila shares valuable lessons learned, such as the importance of meticulous planning, thinking big, and investing in your team's success. This episode also delves into the innovative financial model that fueled the Northern Forest Center's impact investments, how they managed to raise funds across multiple communities and states, and how they achieved success by securing significant investments from national foundations, corporations, and even a church. Lila explains how they were able to appeal to donors and investors alike by offering both philanthropic and investment opportunities, highlighting the organization's ability to combine social good with financial returns. Throughout the conversation, Lila recounts the personal side of her journey, managing to lead a high-stakes campaign while also becoming a mother of three. Her story is both inspiring and informative, offering key takeaways for anyone involved in nonprofit fundraising, especially those embarking on capital campaigns that blend philanthropy with innovative financing. Tune in to learn: How a $20M goal turned into a $30M campaign The role of impact investing in nonprofit capital campaigns Strategies for managing large-scale, multi-community fundraising efforts How to cultivate a culture of asking for big gifts and why it works The importance of team building and leadership in campaign success Whether you're planning your first capital campaign or looking for ways to innovate your fundraising efforts, this episode is packed with actionable insights and real-world advice from a successful campaign leader. Don't miss Lila's reflections on leading through challenges, taking risks, and achieving big goals, all while balancing work and family. Plus, hear Andrea Kihlstedt's expert thoughts on what makes campaigns like this not only possible but successful. Listen now to discover how you, too, can create an inspiring and effective capital campaign! To see if your organization is truly ready for a capital campaign, download this free Readiness Assessment. This guide will help you evaluate six aspects of your organization, including the board and your case for support.

This month on Conversations from the Pointed Firs host Peter Neill sits down with Lucas St. Clair. Lucas was born in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine and spent his childhood in a hand-built log cabin with few amenities and a focus on living in harmony with nature. After graduating from high school Lucas immersed himself in outdoor wilderness adventures: hiking the Appalachian Trail, paddling the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, and fine-tuning leadership and technical skills with the National Outdoor Leadership School in Patagonia. He then pursued an interest in organic and sustainable food, and graduated from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School in London. Following his graduation he worked in the food and wine industry for nearly a decade in New York City, Seattle, and Maine. Lucas is an avid fly fisherman, boater, and mountain climber. Lucas is now the President of Elliotsville Foundation, Inc., a private operating foundation in Maine whose mission is to advance the dynamic relationship of innovative land conservation and community-based economic and community development in Maine. On August 24th, 2016, Elliotsville Foundation completed a multi-year campaign to establish Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument with an 89,000-acre donation of land to the National Park Service. Elliotsville continues to support the Katahdin Woods and Waters as well as conduct work to build more outdoor recreational infrastructure in Maine. Lucas is a former congressional candidate in ME-2 and now serves on the boards of the Quimby Family Foundation, Maine Conservation Voters, Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, Maine Public, and the Northern Forest Center. He chairs the National Board of the Trust for Public Land and serves on the National Park Foundation's National Council. He lives in Falmouth, Maine with his wife, Yemaya, and their two children.

Trail EAffect Episode 60 Abby Long the Executive Director for Kingdom Trails   Topics Covered: Abby's Backstory A career in Leadville working for the Leadville Race Series Economic Development through the Non-Profit / Race Series Transition to the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation The Move back to New England Getting Hired as the Kingdom Trails Executive Director The Mission of the Kingdom Trails 104 Private Land Owners makes up Kingdom Trails Rural and Economic Development and the benefit of Trails and Recreation Economic Impact of Trails Trail Networks Elevate Rural Communities How Trails help attract and retain a quality work force Grants from Kingdom Trails to other organizations within the community The silver linings from the loss of a core area of trails in November of 2019 The Kingdom Trail Capacity Study / Partnering with the SE Group Ride with Gratitude Partnering with the Northern Forest Center Engaging Ride with Gratitude and the local businesses Implementation of the Capacity Study Community Center Community Parking Links Kingdom Trails and Staff at KT Expansion of Trails in 2020 by Kingdom Trails Staff Making adjustments to allow for more adaptive riders access on more miles of trail The priority of Trail Maintenance at Kingdom Trails The role of an Executive Director for a Trail Organization Bike The Borderlands / Part of the Northern Forest Center Trails and Mountain Biking are part of the Forest Industry Federal Grants through the Northern Forest Center to help Trails and Communities What's on tap for 2022 in Kingdom Trails Everyone Yields to Everyone at Kingdom Trails – Ride with Gratitude Bike Bells on Trails Closing Question – The Power of trails Trails Are Essential Closing comments by Abby Engaging Youth with Trails Ride with Gratitude Links: Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation: https://www.leadvilletrail100legacy.org/ Kingdom Trails: https://www.kingdomtrails.org/ Dirt Church Brewing: https://dirtchurchvt.wpcomstaging.com/ Brice Shirbach Interview with Abby Long: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/interview-abby-long-executive-director-of-the-kingdom-trail-association.html Beta Magazine Keys to the Kingdom by Devon O'Neil: https://www.betamtb.com/culture/key-to-the-kingdom/ Kingdom Trails Capacity Study: https://segroup.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=ff307acd023440d585c3c62aec25b47c Ride with Gratitude: https://www.bikeborderlands.com/ride-with-gratitude Bike Borderlands: https://www.bikeborderlands.com/ Northern Forest Center: https://northernforest.org/ This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services Trail EAffect Show Support: Smith's Bike Shop: https://smithsbikes.com/ Evolution Trail Services: www.evotrails.com Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com Support the Trail EAffect through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/traileaffect

In Part III of this three-part series on Reimagining Rural Policy, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by the Brookings Institution, Michelle talks with Cheryal Hills, Executive Director of Region Five Development Commission, who has developed dozens of relationships that have secured investments to address critical issues in the rural communities of Central Minnesota and Rob Riley, president of the Northern Forest Center, who has guided the Center to become the respected regional innovation and investment partner it is today. Capacity building involve planning, learning, and adjustment and is a mix of practical application and theory, according to Hills. She describes a fascinating example of how Region Five drove a value-added regional food hub with Sprout, including serving as its fiscal host, co-authoring grants, providing business training and one-on-one technical assistance to food co-ops, co-sponsoring health and wellness mental health workshops to decrease suicide rates, helping to develop microloans, constructing a 10,000 square foot process facility, starting a mobile market, launching a winter indoor farmer’s market with food and art, and providing community supported agriculture shares (CSAs) to low-income veterans  and those in opioid recovery programs. Capacity building is the ability to be nimble in getting  things done, says Riley, and one of the challenges is identifying resources for stakeholders and enabling local communities and residents to build their own capacity in the forest economy in four Northern Forest states of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Regional collaboration is key in this area, explains Riley, and that involves connecting people who are otherwise working in isolation to expand broadband capabilities and broader markets, for example, that enables local projects to be scaled.  Hills discusses how EDA could channel funds to distressed rural areas, which could include not just employment and poverty rates but population decline and health outcome data, and develop creative programs for nonprofits and Native American tribes that  reduce match barriers. EDA can support local programs that better position rural areas to access the 25 percent set-aside to build on recreational and tourism opportunities, says Riley. The guests end the episode emphasizing the capabilities of the proposed Rural Partnership Program to be complementary with existing programs and what the future “could be” as opposed to “will be.” This episode and the entire three-part series are sponsored by the Brookings Institution, www.brookings.edu.  

We recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of Earth Day -- under circumstances no one could have anticipated. How is our treatment of God's creation a reflection of our beliefs and our faith? Is environmental stewardship a spiritual path and way to God in its own right? Today we speak with two guests who have connected environmentalism and spirituality in profound ways: The Rev. Stephen Blackmer, is founding executive director of Kairos Earth and chaplain of Church of the Woods, in Canterbury, NH. Steve comes to his calling with 30 years of conservation experience, having founded and built conservation organizations including the Five Rivers Conservation Trust, Northern Forest Alliance and Northern Forest Center. Deb Baker is a NH resident and Episcopalian who has been influential in getting many of the churches in the state to become a part of a new initiative from the Episcopal Church: Sustaining Earth Our Island Home. Links: Kairos Earth & Church of the Woods: https://kairosearth.org/ Sustaining Earth Our Island Home: https://www.sustainislandhome.org/ Episcopal Diocese of California's Climate Tracker & Webinars: https://diocal.org/climate

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-415 – Kate Williams – Yaks and the Planet (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4415.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to episode 4-415 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Today we have a great conversation with Kate who is the CEO of 1% for the planet.  I owe you a bit of backstory here, so try to keep up.  When I first started the podcast 11 years or so ago I was a bit worried about mixing my professional world with my running world.  I'm a pragmatist.  I made the decision early on that if the podcast ever caused conflict with my regular career the regular career would win.  I had this nightmare scenario of sitting in a board meeting and someone saying “You had time to do this stupid marathon race report, explain to us why you missed your numbers again?” As an insider to our endurance lifestyles I get it.  I know what we do is additive to our careers.  What we do doesn't make us worse at our day jobs it makes us better.  I believe that.  But my beliefs weren't what I was worried about.  It's like the old joke about marriage; “Would you rather be right, or be happy?”  I would rather be able to pay my bills than be sanctimonious. I was never that guy.  Because no one at work gives a crap about your training or your marathon times.  I built a wall between what I did for a living and my podcast adventures.  Which confused and intrigued my listeners.  Here I am talking about airplanes and board meetings and hotel stays and clients, and never sharing what I actually did for a living.  I would get questions.  What do you do for a living?  So, I made something up that fit the evidence.  I told everyone that I was a contract killer (that explained all the travel), but that my cover job was a yak farmer.  And if you have the patience to go back and listen to those early episodes you'll find all the yak farming jokes.  Here's the thing, I have never even seen a live yak.  I just randomly picked the most absurd profession I could think of.  Fast forward to a couple weeks ago.  I was in LinkedIn doing whatever it is you do in LinkedIn and I came across Kate's profile.  Here is this out-doorsy, masters runner person with an ivy league education and one of the jobs on her resume is “Yak Farmer”.  I could not resist.  I reached out to her and got her on for this interview.  Which turned out to be apropos and extremely beneficial because she leads an organization that addresses the intersection of business and the environment – a topic that I have done much rumination on.  Why can't we be business friendly and environmentally friendly at the same time?  Why are those two things antithetical?  I think you'll like our conversation and I'm grateful that this silly podcast thing has led me to engage with another outstanding individual who I would have never otherwise had the opportunity to meet.  In section one I'm going to ruminate on the Boston Marathon some more. In section two I'm going to ruminate about rumination.  And, I hope you enjoyed my attempt to be funny with the Leadville race report.  Sorry for the salty language.  Hope the kids weren't listening.  To make up for it I'll give you a Dad joke.  What kind of animal do you need to take with you on a trip to the Himalayas?  A Yak of all trades… On with the show! … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – The Boston Problem - http://runrunlive.com/the-boston-problem   Voices of reason – the conversation Kate Williams, CEO Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofit solutions, through annual membership and everyday actions. Last year, the network of 1800 members in more than 40 countries gave $24+million to environmental nonprofits. Kate stepped into her role at 1% for the Planet in May 2015 bringing a strong track record as a leader:  Professionally, Kate served as Executive Director of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and as founder and owner of the Vermont Yak Company prior to starting at 1% for the Planet. In addition, Kate served on the Board of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) for eleven years, two as chair. Kate has also served on the boards of the Northern Forest Center and Shelburne Farms (current), and served as an elected member of the Town of Waitsfield Select Board, serving three years a chair of that board. Kate earned a BA at Princeton University where she majored in history, and an MS at the MIT Sloan School of Management where she focused on organizational systems. Kate is a master's distance runner and kitchen gardener. Kate lives in Waitsfield with her husband and two children. Links would be to our website: (our podcast) MISSION We bring dollars and doers together to accelerate smart environmental giving ORIGIN Ever wonder how 1% for the Planet began? It all started when two businessmen met and bonded over their shared love for the outdoors. Realizing their responsibility to protect our planet, they decided to give 1% of their sales back to the environment—whether or not they were profitable.   In 2002, Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, created 1% for the Planet and started a global movement.    “The intent of 1% for the Planet is to help fund these diverse environmental organizations so that collectively they can be a more powerful source in solving the world's problems.” — YVON CHOUINARD IN HIS BOOK “LET MY PEOPLE GO SURFING”   Soon after our inception, 1% for the Planet's mission began to resonate across the globe. The idea was simple: because companies profit from the resources they take from the earth, they should protect those resources. Realizing their responsibility, brands such as Brushfire Records, Klean Kanteen, New Belgium Brewing, Honest Tea, Caudalie and many more followed suit to join the movement.   Our network is global and diverse, proving that anyone can make a difference. From the individual members who give back by donating to and volunteering with local environmental nonprofits to singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, who joined our network in 2004 to protect the shores of his home state of Hawaii—everyone has a 1%.   We connect our members with high-impact nonprofit partners that align with their values and add to their brand story. In doing so, we take the time to get to know what's really important to our members. Through our partnership advising process, we learned that member, Klean Kanteen cares deeply about a myriad causes, which include connecting young people to the wonder and science of our world through environmental education. Beginning in 2008, Klean Kanteen's support of NatureBridge is one of our longest-standing partnerships.   Today, we have more than 2,000 members, in over 45 countries, coming together to protect the future of our planet.   Section two – The Ruminating Brain– Outro Well, my friends, ruminated to the end of the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-415, which is a small miracle.  Two weeks after Leadville I went ahead and ran the Wapack Trail 18 miler.  I couldn't stop myself.  I had a perfectly reasonable plan.  I would do a couple hard weeks with speedwork and then treat Wapack as a long training run.  This was a wonderful idea on paper, but not so much in execution.  What I had not considered is that going into a technical trail mountain race like Wapack with tired legs result in spending a lot of time with your face in the dirt.  Yeah, If you don't lift your toes you eat dirt.  I probably fell 7 times. Then I shut it down hoping for a big bounce for the BeanTown Marathon last weekend.  I felt pretty fit and strong for the race but I only had 18 miles in me. I raced hard and hung in as long as I could but I just didn't have the legs.  Duh.  It was a 6 loop course in a park, by the ocean in southern Mass.  Pretty course with some gravel roads and a little hill in each loop.  That little hill started really getting to me by the 4th loop and I just couldn't hold the pace. Another classic Chris Russell 15 minute positive split. 18 miles at race pace and 8 more at a stumble.  I'm not terribly upset about it because I felt like I was close.  These last few cycles I haven't made my time but every one of them felt like they could have gone either way. Next up for me is Baystate.  I'm chilling this week to recover.  I was super beat up after this race. I've got a very sore hip and still have that tendonitis in my butt.  If I can get healthy I'll load up on the long runs for a couple weeks and get some speedwork in.  The challenge is going to be staying healthy. I can tell I'm a bit over trained.  And, now, I'm officially out of qualification.  If I want to run Boston this year I'll need a waver bib. Oh, and I signed up to pace another half marathon.  I'm going down to Nantucket with Gary two weeks before Baystate to pace the 1:50 group with him.  Should be pretty. And that's a good two-weeks-out workout for a marathon.  As usual, I'm hopeful and still plugging away, but I'm only in my first year of this age group so I've got to qualify 3 more times at this level before I age up 10 minutes. And what about Ollie-dog?  He is growing like a weed.  As I was writing this he was crying to go out.  I just came back in so I figured he was just bored. But, as all good puppies do, he proceeded to march into the living room and show the rug that he did indeed really need to go out.  Good thing we haven't got around to changing the carpet yet.  He's a maniac.  When he's not chewing on you he's stealing something of yours to chew on.  He like ice cubes and anything he is not supposed to have.  He's going to be a great dog if I can ever break him.  Right now he's a wild animal.  It's nice to have the pitter patter of little hooves in the house again.   And I'll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-415 – Kate Williams – Yaks and the Planet (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4415.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to episode 4-415 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Today we have a great conversation with Kate who is the CEO of 1% for the planet.  I owe you a bit of backstory here, so try to keep up.  When I first started the podcast 11 years or so ago I was a bit worried about mixing my professional world with my running world.  I’m a pragmatist.  I made the decision early on that if the podcast ever caused conflict with my regular career the regular career would win.  I had this nightmare scenario of sitting in a board meeting and someone saying “You had time to do this stupid marathon race report, explain to us why you missed your numbers again?” As an insider to our endurance lifestyles I get it.  I know what we do is additive to our careers.  What we do doesn’t make us worse at our day jobs it makes us better.  I believe that.  But my beliefs weren’t what I was worried about.  It’s like the old joke about marriage; “Would you rather be right, or be happy?”  I would rather be able to pay my bills than be sanctimonious. I was never that guy.  Because no one at work gives a crap about your training or your marathon times.  I built a wall between what I did for a living and my podcast adventures.  Which confused and intrigued my listeners.  Here I am talking about airplanes and board meetings and hotel stays and clients, and never sharing what I actually did for a living.  I would get questions.  What do you do for a living?  So, I made something up that fit the evidence.  I told everyone that I was a contract killer (that explained all the travel), but that my cover job was a yak farmer.  And if you have the patience to go back and listen to those early episodes you’ll find all the yak farming jokes.  Here’s the thing, I have never even seen a live yak.  I just randomly picked the most absurd profession I could think of.  Fast forward to a couple weeks ago.  I was in LinkedIn doing whatever it is you do in LinkedIn and I came across Kate’s profile.  Here is this out-doorsy, masters runner person with an ivy league education and one of the jobs on her resume is “Yak Farmer”.  I could not resist.  I reached out to her and got her on for this interview.  Which turned out to be apropos and extremely beneficial because she leads an organization that addresses the intersection of business and the environment – a topic that I have done much rumination on.  Why can’t we be business friendly and environmentally friendly at the same time?  Why are those two things antithetical?  I think you’ll like our conversation and I’m grateful that this silly podcast thing has led me to engage with another outstanding individual who I would have never otherwise had the opportunity to meet.  In section one I’m going to ruminate on the Boston Marathon some more. In section two I’m going to ruminate about rumination.  And, I hope you enjoyed my attempt to be funny with the Leadville race report.  Sorry for the salty language.  Hope the kids weren’t listening.  To make up for it I’ll give you a Dad joke.  What kind of animal do you need to take with you on a trip to the Himalayas?  A Yak of all trades… On with the show! … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – The Boston Problem - http://runrunlive.com/the-boston-problem   Voices of reason – the conversation Kate Williams, CEO Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofit solutions, through annual membership and everyday actions. Last year, the network of 1800 members in more than 40 countries gave $24+million to environmental nonprofits. Kate stepped into her role at 1% for the Planet in May 2015 bringing a strong track record as a leader:  Professionally, Kate served as Executive Director of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and as founder and owner of the Vermont Yak Company prior to starting at 1% for the Planet. In addition, Kate served on the Board of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) for eleven years, two as chair. Kate has also served on the boards of the Northern Forest Center and Shelburne Farms (current), and served as an elected member of the Town of Waitsfield Select Board, serving three years a chair of that board. Kate earned a BA at Princeton University where she majored in history, and an MS at the MIT Sloan School of Management where she focused on organizational systems. Kate is a master’s distance runner and kitchen gardener. Kate lives in Waitsfield with her husband and two children. Links would be to our website: (our podcast) MISSION We bring dollars and doers together to accelerate smart environmental giving ORIGIN Ever wonder how 1% for the Planet began? It all started when two businessmen met and bonded over their shared love for the outdoors. Realizing their responsibility to protect our planet, they decided to give 1% of their sales back to the environment—whether or not they were profitable.   In 2002, Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, created 1% for the Planet and started a global movement.    “The intent of 1% for the Planet is to help fund these diverse environmental organizations so that collectively they can be a more powerful source in solving the world’s problems.” — YVON CHOUINARD IN HIS BOOK “LET MY PEOPLE GO SURFING”   Soon after our inception, 1% for the Planet’s mission began to resonate across the globe. The idea was simple: because companies profit from the resources they take from the earth, they should protect those resources. Realizing their responsibility, brands such as Brushfire Records, Klean Kanteen, New Belgium Brewing, Honest Tea, Caudalie and many more followed suit to join the movement.   Our network is global and diverse, proving that anyone can make a difference. From the individual members who give back by donating to and volunteering with local environmental nonprofits to singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, who joined our network in 2004 to protect the shores of his home state of Hawaii—everyone has a 1%.   We connect our members with high-impact nonprofit partners that align with their values and add to their brand story. In doing so, we take the time to get to know what’s really important to our members. Through our partnership advising process, we learned that member, Klean Kanteen cares deeply about a myriad causes, which include connecting young people to the wonder and science of our world through environmental education. Beginning in 2008, Klean Kanteen's support of NatureBridge is one of our longest-standing partnerships.   Today, we have more than 2,000 members, in over 45 countries, coming together to protect the future of our planet.   Section two – The Ruminating Brain– Outro Well, my friends, ruminated to the end of the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-415, which is a small miracle.  Two weeks after Leadville I went ahead and ran the Wapack Trail 18 miler.  I couldn’t stop myself.  I had a perfectly reasonable plan.  I would do a couple hard weeks with speedwork and then treat Wapack as a long training run.  This was a wonderful idea on paper, but not so much in execution.  What I had not considered is that going into a technical trail mountain race like Wapack with tired legs result in spending a lot of time with your face in the dirt.  Yeah, If you don’t lift your toes you eat dirt.  I probably fell 7 times. Then I shut it down hoping for a big bounce for the BeanTown Marathon last weekend.  I felt pretty fit and strong for the race but I only had 18 miles in me. I raced hard and hung in as long as I could but I just didn’t have the legs.  Duh.  It was a 6 loop course in a park, by the ocean in southern Mass.  Pretty course with some gravel roads and a little hill in each loop.  That little hill started really getting to me by the 4th loop and I just couldn’t hold the pace. Another classic Chris Russell 15 minute positive split. 18 miles at race pace and 8 more at a stumble.  I’m not terribly upset about it because I felt like I was close.  These last few cycles I haven’t made my time but every one of them felt like they could have gone either way. Next up for me is Baystate.  I’m chilling this week to recover.  I was super beat up after this race. I’ve got a very sore hip and still have that tendonitis in my butt.  If I can get healthy I’ll load up on the long runs for a couple weeks and get some speedwork in.  The challenge is going to be staying healthy. I can tell I’m a bit over trained.  And, now, I’m officially out of qualification.  If I want to run Boston this year I’ll need a waver bib. Oh, and I signed up to pace another half marathon.  I’m going down to Nantucket with Gary two weeks before Baystate to pace the 1:50 group with him.  Should be pretty. And that’s a good two-weeks-out workout for a marathon.  As usual, I’m hopeful and still plugging away, but I’m only in my first year of this age group so I’ve got to qualify 3 more times at this level before I age up 10 minutes. And what about Ollie-dog?  He is growing like a weed.  As I was writing this he was crying to go out.  I just came back in so I figured he was just bored. But, as all good puppies do, he proceeded to march into the living room and show the rug that he did indeed really need to go out.  Good thing we haven’t got around to changing the carpet yet.  He’s a maniac.  When he’s not chewing on you he’s stealing something of yours to chew on.  He like ice cubes and anything he is not supposed to have.  He’s going to be a great dog if I can ever break him.  Right now he’s a wild animal.  It’s nice to have the pitter patter of little hooves in the house again.   And I’ll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

Maura Adams is the Program Director for the Northern Forest Center in Concord NH. They work to develop economic opportunities in the Northern Forest through a number of different programs. She is also a trail runner and mountain biker who is responsible for the new Bike The Borderlands program. Joining Quebec, Main, NH and VT, the Borderlands is a group of 7 trail systems across three states, a province and two nations all within a 2 hour drive of each other. The idea of the program is to promote the amazing mountain biking as a draw to the entire area, not just a specific trail system.Northern Forest Center - https://northernforest.org/The Borderlands Website - https://www.bikeborderlands.com/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BikeBorderlands/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bikeborderlands/

April 10, 2019 New England Dirt Show Page ABOUT THE EPISODE MTB Ben is joined by Taylor Caswell, the State of New Hampshire’s Commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs, a key member of The Mountain Bike Collaborative and The Borderlands, and the landowner of the property that makes up the Parker Mountain Trails in Littleton, New Hampshire. Parker Mountain Trails is one of the seven trail systems that make up The Borderlands. ABOUT THE BORDERLANDS Joining Québec, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, the Borderlands are home to the Northeast’s most exciting and diverse mountain biking — fast and flowy singletrack, old school technical downhill, berms, bridges, and pump tracks in endless northern forests. Discover eye-popping scenery, small villages, craft breweries, local farmstands, and a down-to-earth, friendly scene. The Borderlands is seven destinations across three states, a province, and two nations, and it’s all closer than you’d think. ------------ THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT OF THIS EPISODE Papa Wheelie’s Bike Shop – https://www.papa-wheelies.com/ ------------ Music by Addison Chase Check out his band Dressed For The Occasion: www.dftomusic.com On Instagram @dftomusic RELATED SHOW LINKS Parker Mountain Trails – https://prkrmtn.org/  The Borderlands – https://www.bikeborderlands.com/ The Borderlands on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/BikeBorderlands/ The Borderlands on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bikeborderlands/ New Hampshire Business Review article –  https://www.nhbr.com/regional-effort-seeks-economic-lift-from-mountain-biking/  Northern Forest Center – https://northernforest.org/ Northern Forest Center on Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/NorthernForestCenter  Northern Forest Center on Twitter –  https://twitter.com/northern_forest  Northern Forest Center on Instagram –  https://www.instagram.com/northernforestcenter/  Northern Forest Center Mountain Bike Collaborative –  https://northernforest.org/programs/community-vitality/mountain-biking-collaborative MOUNTAIN BIKE RADIO LINKS You can support this content by becoming a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mtnbikeradio Support Mountain Bike Radio by shopping through our Amazon Affiliate Link: http://amzn.to/1SC3svC Go to the Mountain Bike Radio Store: https://shopmbr.com/Become a Mountain Bike Radio Member: http://mountainbikeradio.bigcartel.com/category/mbr-memberships Mountain Bike Radio Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MountainBikeRadio Mountain Bike Radio on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtnBikeRadioMountain Bike Radio on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtnbikeradio/Mountain Bike Radio on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYE6EAkjP_dmm94_HbKya0Q

March 29, 2019 New England Dirt Show Page ABOUT THE EPISODE MTB Ben headed over the office of Northern Forest Center to join Program Director, Maura Adams, to discuss an interesting New England project called The Borderlands. They chat about Maura’s background, the idea to unite the area, and what The Borderlands is all about. Listen in for some great information from a positive movement in mountain biking in the East. ABOUT BORDERLANDS Joining Québec, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, the Borderlands are home to the Northeast’s most exciting and diverse mountain biking — fast and flowy singletrack, old school technical downhill, berms, bridges, and pump tracks in endless northern forests. Discover eye-popping scenery, small villages, craft breweries, local farmstands, and a down-to-earth, friendly scene. The Borderlands is seven destinations across three states, a province, and two nations, and it’s all closer than you’d think. ------------- THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT OF THIS EPISODE Papa Wheelie’s Bike Shop – https://www.papa-wheelies.com/ ------------- Music by Addison Chase Check out his band Dressed For The Occasion: www.dftomusic.com On Instagram @dftomusic RELATED SHOW LINKS The Borderlands – https://www.bikeborderlands.com/ The Borderlands on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/BikeBorderlands/ The Borderlands on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bikeborderlands/ New Hampshire Business Review article –  https://www.nhbr.com/regional-effort-seeks-economic-lift-from-mountain-biking/  Northern Forest Center – https://northernforest.org/ Northern Forest Center on Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/NorthernForestCenter  Northern Forest Center on Twitter –  https://twitter.com/northern_forest  Northern Forest Center on Instagram –  https://www.instagram.com/northernforestcenter/  Northern Forest Center Mountain Bike Collaborative –  https://northernforest.org/programs/community-vitality/mountain-biking-collaborative MOUNTAIN BIKE RADIO LINKS You can support this content by becoming a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mtnbikeradio Support Mountain Bike Radio by shopping through our Amazon Affiliate Link: http://amzn.to/1SC3svC Go to the Mountain Bike Radio Store: https://shopmbr.com/Become a Mountain Bike Radio Member: http://mountainbikeradio.bigcartel.com/category/mbr-memberships Mountain Bike Radio Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MountainBikeRadio Mountain Bike Radio on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtnBikeRadioMountain Bike Radio on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtnbikeradio/Mountain Bike Radio on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYE6EAkjP_dmm94_HbKya0Q

Stephen Blackmer is founding executive director of Kairos Earth and chaplain of Church of the Woods. Steve comes to this with 30 years of conservation experience, having founded and built conservation organizations including the Five Rivers Conservation Trust, Northern Forest Alliance and Northern Forest Center. A midlife shift led him to Yale Divinity School and ordination as a priest in the Episcopal Church, carrying the question in his heart and mind: “How can being a priest deepen my work to conserve the Earth? What does the Christian tradition have to offer to this work? How can the Christian tradition be re-understood and re-imagined in a time of need? How can the conservation movement recover its understanding of the Earth as holy ground?” (adapted from kairosearth.org)

Joe Short, Vice President of Northern Forest Center, continues the Ecosystem Services and Community Development mini-series by discussing community forest management and regional economic development.