New Hampshire Community Loan Fund

NorthWoods Stewardship Center Improves On-Campus Accessibility

Nonprofits Grant Writing and Project Management

Our joining forces with NCIC helped NorthWoods Stewardship Center transform into a modern and more inclusive organization with greater impact potential.

Expanding Access and Impact

The NorthWoods Stewardship Center was founded in 1989 and primarily serves the communities of northern Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as hosting projects and crews in each of the New England states. The Center connects people and place through science, education, and action. Recent partnerships with Northern Community Investment Corporation (NCIC) and the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund have allowed the Center to make significant improvements to their site and services.

NorthWoods sits on 1,500 acres of land in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont — a well-known region of New England with a unique rural history, economy, culture, and local pride. They have been proud to spearhead and support conservation projects throughout New England for over three decades. With recent support from the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, they have been able to invest more in their own land, facilities, and trails to better serve as a conservation resource for their local communities.

NorthWoods refined their vision for their campus, made a plan, and received grant administration support from the NCIC team at the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund. They were able to initiate recent and current projects that include renovations on the main lodge, a universally accessible trail, and a brand-new barn to serve as the conservation services headquarters.

When NCIC joined forces with the Community Loan Fund in early 2024, the Center was able to continue receiving the grant funding and support that have made these impactful projects possible.

Main Lodge Renovation

NorthWoods’ main lodge is a welcoming space for visiting groups to learn, gather, warm up, and dry off after their outdoor explorations. It offers a large, open event space with two wood stoves, a small deck, and a full prep kitchen for group meals. The natural history exhibit contributes to the lodge’s rustic feel and offers an interesting complement to any on-campus programming.

The NCIC team was instrumental in updating the lodge in the first major investments since NorthWoods’ founding. This stage realized the Center’s first steps in their new Access for All Initiative. With accessible restrooms and a re-imagined, welcoming entry, the lodge can now be comfortably accessed and enjoyed by all visitors, no matter their needs or abilities.

Conservation Barn Construction

Working with our NCIC program team, which has administered four successful USDA Rural Business Development Grants for NorthWoods, the Conservation Barn was completed in 2022. It features a state-of-the-art tool room and workshop space, a garage and shed for large equipment, and storage space.

The barn is the nexus of the Center’s conservation projects, whether training youth in the proper use of hand tools, maintaining forestry equipment, or prepping supplies for riparian plantings. It’s a dramatic upgrade from the three-sided tool shed that programs previously operated out of. It also expands opportunities for conservation training partners.

The All Persons Trail

Built in the summer and fall of 2024, the All Persons Trail is a three-quarter-mile loop that circles the hub of the NorthWoods campus. Part of NorthWoods’ Access for All initiative, the trail is designed to welcome all types of users in every season. The trail’s gradual slopes amble through forests, bridge streams, and offer spacious turn-arounds for adaptive equipment. The trail will be groomed in winter for the enjoyment of snowshoers, cross country skiers, and adaptive sports athletes. It connects to a large pond-side platform so all visitors can fish and take in the scenery.

The All Persons Trail transforms the NorthWoods campus into a place where all people are invited and able to enjoy outdoor connection and recreation. This project has moved forward as NCIC and New Hampshire Community Loan Fund joined forces. We’re thrilled to be part of expanding access to the environmental and educational aspects of the NorthWoods Stewardship Center.

Digging Into the Data

Let’s explore some of the numbers that tell the story of the NorthWoods Stewardship Center.

$415K+

total USDA Rural Business Development Grants funds secured by NCIC and the Community Loan Fund

18

new jobs created and 38 existing jobs retained due to the USDA funding we brought to these projects

15

weeks that the ReCon Trail Design crew was at work on the All Persons Trail

2,100

estimated NorthWoods staff hours spent creating the All Persons Trail, including crew labor, planning, and coordination

Maria Young Explains

NorthWoods Stewardship Center’s Executive Director walks us through her 15-year history with the organization and the activities that she has led over the past few years in conjunction with NCIC and New Hampshire Community Loan Fund.

For NorthWoods to accomplish these projects, the relationship with NCIC and the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund is absolutely essential. The administrative work they carry not only supports the outcomes we want to see on the ground, but truly makes it possible for us to keep doing what we're doing.

Maria YoungExecutive Director, NorthWoods Stewardship Center

NorthWoods’ All Persons Trail will be a place where anyone can recreate together and connect with nature, which is an invaluable resource for the adaptive athlete community in the Northeast Kingdom.

Kerry HusseyVermont Program Manager, Adaptive Sports Partners

Adding more resources has exponentially improved the scale of our impact, the reach of our programs, and opened the door to opportunity for more people.