Teaches safe, efficient use and maintenance of tools important to outdoor natural resource work, primarily: axe, crosscut saw, and chainsaw. Weekly applications cover skills needed for timber harvesting, firewood processing, trail construction and maintenance, and outdoor building projects and form the foundation for skills developed further in other classes. Woodlot and trail-work skills are applied to the management of Sterling's land, and the management goals are discussed. Teamwork, personal responsibility, and personal confidence building are also goals of the class. Students are required to provide their own axe and personal protective gear.

Prerequisite for woodlot work crew. Practical work experience in a variety of woodlots. Students develop safe and efficient techniques for carrying out silvicultural prescriptions, including thinning and harvesting of forest products using hand tools and chain saws. This class is treated as an employment situation with emphasis on good work habits and productivity. Prerequisite: AS100, or permission of the instructor.

Explores specific topics in animal and crop husbandry. Selected skills will be taught along with the theoretical background needed to apply those skills appropriately. Each semester focuses on those skills most appropriate to that time of year. Fall semester may include cider pressing, handling livestock and understanding animal behavior, poultry, garden season extension, composting, winter vegetable storage, and food preservation.

See Agricultural Techniques I for general description. The spring semester course includes livestock housing, lambing, shearing, sugaring, pruning apple trees, starting chicks, starting vegetable and flower transplants, and garden planning.

Introduces specific skills encountered in forestry related work: tree measurements, log and lumber measurements, forest sampling, and mapping.

This course addresses the basic issues of backcountry emergency care. The Patient Assessment System is the foundation from which we learn skills to manage injuries and illness. Classroom sessions include lecture, discussion, and practicing such skills as bandaging and splinting. Outdoor sessions include scenarios and a mock rescue, with an emphasis on environmental considerations. Successful completion results in Advanced Wilderness First Aid (AWFA) certification. A Laboratory Fee of $85 covers the cost of the textbook, first aid materials, and the S.O.L.O. registration fee.

Provides first-hand experience with livestock management. Students purchase, manage, and market their own animals. Plant-based farm projects are also a possibility. A satisfactory proposal for a project must be completed and approved in the previous semester. Permission of the instructor required to take more than two semesters.

Provides first-hand experience with livestock management. Students purchase, manage, and market their own animals. Plant-based farm projects are also a possibility. A satisfactory proposal for a project must be completed and approved in the previous semester. Permission of the instructor required to take more than two semesters.

Provides first-hand experience with livestock management. Students purchase, manage, and market their own animals. Plant-based farm projects are also a possibility. A satisfactory proposal for a project must be completed and approved in the previous semester. Permission of the instructor required to take more than two semesters.

Through guided readings, hands-on learning and daily interactions with horses, this course will develop and implement the systems required to successfully manage working horses. As background, we will discuss the natural history of the horse, investigate domestication theory, and learn basic genetics while researching historical trends in breeding practices and read stories and myths connecting the role of the horse to the rise of civilizations. Students will study the anatomy and physiology of the horse, investigate common health assessment procedures, emergency first aid and learn the fundamentals of Farriery. As a culminating event, each student will construct a comprehensive management plan for the horses housed at the College barn. Co-requisite: In addition to scheduled lecture requirements, students must be able to attend four laboratory sessions each semester that occur during regular farm chore times (6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.).

This course focuses on acquiring the necessary skills to successfully harness, hitch, and drive horses. Students begin by exploring the psychology of the horse as a working animal through a series of investigations designed to place the student into the role of a horse. A set of readings associated with the history of the working horse in the northeastern United States will be assigned and discussed through a journal project. Students will investigate the design principles and learn the anatomy of two styles of harness as well as how to fit a harness to a horse. Horses will be hitched single and double to a variety of carts, wagons, and implements to demonstrate the various adjustments required for successful and safe operation. Co-requisite: AS166 Foundations in Draft Horse Management or permission of the instructor.

This course explores the working horse as a viable source of power for a small-scale, mixed crop and livestock farm system. During the early part of the course, we will be active in the woodlot skidding logs. Once the sap begins to run, the horses will draw the sap tank to the sugar woods to collect sap and return to the sugarhouse. As the snow melts, we will be involved in tillage work in the row crop area as well as dragging pastures and spreading manure. Economic considerations of using horses on the farm will be considered as we compare and contrast Amish and English farm systems. Prerequisite: AS174 Draft Horse Management I: Driving Principles.

Crag, cliff, and beyond dealing with challenging situations, trusting in others and ourselves, moving through fear and doubt to attain goals. Outdoor sessions begin with an introduction to the history of rock climbing and then proceed to ground school training in knots, rope-handling, and belaying. Next balance, movement, and technique are practiced on the climbing wall. In addition students are introduced to rappelling. We then climb at more extensive sites, while practicing all the basic skills and working as a group to ensure each member feels both supported and challenged. Final activities include simulated mountain rescue scenarios to provide a group challenge and teamwork practice.

Focus is particular to the management and sustainability of many species of livestock. The course concentrates chiefly on the Sterling College farm, but will also integrate other local systems. Study will blend pasture management and renovation, forage identification, pasture fencing and water systems, and livestock health, nutrition, and housing needs.

In this course students explore the ecological underpinnings of sustainable vegetable production and come away with the practical skills necessary to plan and manage a small scale market garden. An applied research project provides the opportunity for students to learn about the design and implementation of on-farm research. The course combines lecture, reading, and discussion with guided practice in the field. The practicum includes planning, planting, and managing the Sterling gardens and greenhouses, as well as selling value-added products at the local farmers' market.

Students learn skills necessary for leading an extended trip (6 or more days) on the waterways of northern New York, northern New England, or Canada. Students are involved in trip planning, food packing, and equipment choice. During the trip, students refine their paddling, portaging, navigation and leadership skills. Written reports before, during, and after the trip place the student in the role of a commercial canoeing outfitter with emphasis on detailed planning, risk management, and setting appropriate expectations for clients. Prerequisites: SS105, SS110, and AS220, or permission of the instructor.

Covers a traditional Canadian style of canoeing in both tandem and solo positions. Students will learn, review, and teach each other canoe and paddle nomenclature

Students improve technical paddling skills, safety judgment, and teaching techniques by challenging the turbulent Spring run-off of local rivers. Teamwork is emphasized for tandem boat control and hazard avoidance. Some solo canoeing and rescue training are also involved. The course meets American Canoe Association standards for moving water and whitewater training. Fundamental skills such as understanding water dynamics, boat lean, powerful body mechanics, and efficient strokes lead to precise maneuvers including ferries, eddy turns, and peel-outs. Students must supply clothing and equipment for cold-water conditions. Some weekend classes will be required. Prerequisite: SS105: Sense of Place

An introduction to ice climbing that familiarizes students with modern ice climbing equipment, builds an understanding of safe top-roped ice climbing (including basic knots, communication, belaying, and general site safety), develops the skills of movement on steep ice, and helps foster cooperation and support in a group activity. Indoor introductory session and two full days in the field at nearby climbing areas.

Prepares students to be able to lead groups in top-rope or belayed ropes course instructional (or recreational) settings. Specifically, by the end of the course, students will be asked to demonstrate their ability to perform or explain the following as needed for top-rope instruction: general knowledge of equipment; awareness of the physics of stresses in climbing situations; knots for anchors, tie-ins, rappelling, and rescue; belaying and rope handling; scene safety management; site impact. Students will practice skills on constructed facilities and natural crags. Prerequisite: SS205 or permission of the instructor.