Carver CEO, Novelette Peterkin, visited Carver students at The Ecology School in Maine this summer in time to participate in a special tree planting event on Wednesday. They joined local officials and representatives from the American Farmland Trust and Hannaford Charitable Foundation in announcing The Ecology School’s 200-acre addition to its regenerative agriculture learning campus at River Bend Farm alongside the Saco River.

In celebration of this historical moment in The Ecology School’s history, Carver students contributed to the installation of a native plant “guild”— a community of plants working together to enhance each plant’s natural function. Each plant is native to Maine and will support pollinators and produce food for humans and other animals.

The environmental living and learning center will use the increased acreage to expand opportunities for hands-on education in sustainable and eco-friendly farming operations. In gaining the additional acreage, The Ecology School will be able to grow more food with a wider variety of crops, including grains, livestock, and vegetable oil, while expanding conservation research, education opportunities, and community engagement and collaborative partnerships in pursuit of climate-resilient, equitable, and healthy community food systems. This acquisition comes as The Ecology School celebrates its 25th anniversary in the community following its founding in 1998.  

This new addition to the immersive River Bend Farm campus landscape/foodscape will enhance The Ecology School’s agroecology lessons that teach how the science of ecology can be applied to sustainable agriculture and is a perfect representation of The Ecology School’s AgroEcology for Resilient Communities (ARC) farming practices and the collaborative partnership between the three organizations.  

The farming expansion marks a significant milestone for The Ecology School, which has helped thousands of youth and adult program participants better understand climate-smart agriculture, conservation, and regenerative farming practices since its new campus opened in April 2021. Approximately 3,500 students visit River Bend Farm annually, including 50 Carver students this summer, for hands-on learning opportunities that inspire new ways of looking at food, farming, nature, communities, and conservation through studying ecosystems, food systems, and sustainability.  

“This 200-acre land acquisition presents a tremendous opportunity for The Ecology School to expand its already robust hands-on education in agroecology and agroforestry while ensuring that farmland is protected for future agricultural use,” said Amanda Beal, Commissioner, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. “The Ecology School is clearly a leader not just in demonstrating sustainable farming practices but also in inspiring new ways of approaching agriculture and our food systems as a whole.”  

The Ecology School’s original River Bend Farm campus was 105 acres. The expansion includes the neighboring 201.9-acre Fogg Family Farmland, which is under an agricultural conservation easement with Maine Farmland Trust and encompasses the rest of the “bend in the river,” transforming the campus into a 307-acre living and learning laboratory that supports sustainable food systems programming for communities across the Northeast. The additional acreage allows The Ecology School to expand its agroecology farming operations, workforce training, educational programs, conservation, agricultural research, and support collaborative partnerships. Additional fresh food production will benefit program participants through The Ecology School’s Farm-to-Table Initiative and food pantry donations to support community members experiencing food insecurity. With expanded land access, The Ecology School looks forward to continuing to build collaborative partnerships with community organizations and businesses to promote resilient, healthy, and equitable community food systems.