Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

Toward a More Holistic Land Ethic: Lessons from Pastoralism, a Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series talk by Helen Whybrow, Author, “The Salt of Stones: A Shepherd’s World, A Shepherd’s Mind.”

Most of us have been taught that sheep destroyed the Vermont landscape in the mid-1800s, and that livestock ranching degrades public lands, and both are true. What is also true is that ancient and traditional grazing practices are an important and often overlooked tool in land restoration, especially in dry, brittle landscapes, those overgrown with invasives or those at risk of fire. Bringing to light lessons from pastoral traditions, this talk will explain how sheep and goats can play an important role in healing the land and also awakening our minds to be better stewards of the natural world.

Helen Whybrow draws from twenty-five years as a shepherd and practitioner of regenerative farming, as well as her background in journalism, to bring practical, historical and cultural perspectives to pastoralism and its power to restore land. Whybrow studied literature at Amherst College and earned her master’s in journalism from Harvard. Her previous books include Dead Reckoning and A Man Apart: Bill Coperthwaite’s Radical Experiment in Living. Her new book, The Salt Stones: A Shepherd’s World, A Shepherd’s Mind will be published in spring 2025 by Milkweed Editions. She lives, farms and curates a residential retreat center for social justice leaders, with her husband, Peter Forbes, at Knoll Farm in Fayston, Vermont.