Brendan and Dorothy Whittaker Honored
Gary Moore
February 19, 2026
Northeast Wilderness Trust, the Montpelier based regional land trust that focuses on wilderness conservation, announced the creation of a new scholarship to send two local campers to Buck Lake Conservation Camp in Woodbury, Vermont each summer.
Buck Lake is one of the Green Mountain Conservation Camps, a program administered by Vermont Fish and Wildlife. The scholarship, partially funded by an anonymous donor and to be supplemented in
the future by additional fundraising, honors Brendan and Dorothy Whittaker, long time Brunswick, VT residents.
Brendan served as Secretary of the state’s Agency of Natural Resources from 1978 to 1985. A forester by training he has served Vermont and New Hampshire and the U.S. in so many ways that it would take me a full page to list them.
Brendan is an ordained Episcopal priest in the Diocese of NH who, over the years, has served churches from Colebrook and Berlin in the north to Woodsville and Lisbon in the south.
Dorothy, who passed away last year, has also had a lifetime of community service and had as strong a conservation ethic as her husband’s. Her career in teaching continued long after she left a formal classroom. She was a talented gardener whose fruits and vegetables won a loyal following at her Route 102 roadside farm stand and on the menus of restaurants in northern Vermont and New Hampshire.
She and Brendan stewarded an award-winning 67-acre tree farm in Brunswick for more than 60 years while raising three children.
The inspiration for the scholarship came from Seville Murphy, a senior at Hazel Union School in Hardwick who has been both a camper and a junior counselor at Buck Lake. He approached Northeast Wilderness Trust about the idea in early 2025.
“When I was working as a counselor at Buck Lake, I noticed that there were very few campers from Woodbury,” said Murphy. “I started thinking about how to get more Woodbury students into the GMCC camp.”
Murphy and his family live in Woodbury, not far from the Wilderness Trust’s 6,257-acre Woodbury Mountain Wilderness Preserve, the largest nongovernmental wilderness area in the state.
The Wilderness Trust’s sponsorship of a scholarship to send two local youths to Buck Lake, Murphy thought, would be a great way to enhance connections between the organization and the Woodbury community.
Around the same time, an anonymous donor contacted Northeast Wilderness Trust with the intention of seeding a scholarship in honor of the Whittakers. That happy coincidence resulted in the creation of the Brendan and Dorothy Alden Whittaker GMCC Scholarship, which
sent two campers to Buck Lake last year and will be available, contingent on further fundraising, for the same number of campers each coming summer.
Those interested in contributing to the Brendan and Dorothy Alden Whittaker GMCC Scholarship may contact Anna Dundas, Development Director, at anna@newildernesstrust.org for more information.
I congratulate Bren and Dorothy, two wonderful and very deserving people and Seville Murphy for wanting to help local youth attend Buck Lake Conservation Camp.
Moosilauke! Voices in the Wind
I have been enjoying reading the latest of the books about Mt. Moosilauke and the region around it by Robert W Averill and Kris Pastoriza.
Moosilauke! Voices in the Wind is the last volume in the Moosilauke trilogy which includes, After the Ice and Where Long Shadows Fall.
The book is more than 500 pages and is filled with historic photos and maps. The stories are well documented and are told in their own words by those who were there from two centuries.
Not only did I learn a lot about my favorite mountain, but I also got to relive memories as I saw photos of and read accounts of old friends.
Among them, former Bradford farmer Put Blodgett who spent huge amounts of time working on trails and cabins that Dartmouth College owned on the east side of the mountain. Few have climbed to the summit more times than Put.
Earl Jette, former Director of Dartmouth Outdoor Programs, became a friend when I was in graduate school at Dartmouth in the mid 70s. I often accompanied him as he checked cabins and other facilities owned by the Dartmouth Outing Club.
Another person who appears in the book multiple times is Jack Noon who was the manager of Ravine Lodge for a decade and whom I came to know during my many visits.
The Moosilauke History Series Books 1998-2025, of which the trilogy are part of, consists of twelve volumes. I have read them all and found them enjoyable and educational at the same time.
If you love Mt. Moosilauke and the region, especially the history, you can’t go wrong reading any or all of the books.
They are available from the Mountain Wanderer in Lincoln, https://www.mountainwanderer.com/ or Bondcliff Books in Littleton, https://www.bondcliffbooks.com/.
Bits and Pieces
Tune in to WYKR 101.3 FM or 1100 AM on Thursday at 6 p.m. for The Outdoor Edge. Thoughts on the Out-of-Doors airs as a segment of the program and my guest will be Vermont Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jason Batchelder.
***
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is asking the public to help document flocks of wild turkeys this winter by participating in the 2026 Winter Turkey Flock Survey. The survey runs through March 31.
Information regarding the status of wintering wild turkeys is important because severe weather and limited natural food supplies can present serious challenges for turkeys. It’s easy to participate by visiting https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/wild-turkeys-new-hampshire/turkey-surveys.
***
Wednesdays through March, AMC’s Pinkham Notch Visitor Center offers an immersive celebration of global flavors and outdoor storytelling.
Each week spotlights a different country with a chef-inspired, four-course dinner and a short, lively presentation from an intrepid traveler. Upcoming dinners include: India, February 18; Scotland, February 25; Panama, March 4; Kenya, March 11; Slovenia and Germany, March 18; and Indonesia, March 25.
I have attended in past years and can attest they are enjoyable and educational. If you live far, reserve a room at Joe Dodge Lodge right next door.
To reserve a seat call 603-466-2727 Mon–Sat, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
***
If you are 12 to 14 years old and want to learn about Vermont's wildlife and gain outdoor skills, consider attending one of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department's Green Mountain Conservation Camps this summer. If you are a GMCC alum,16 or younger, consider coming back for another summer.
The one-week camp programs are held at Lake Bomoseen in Castleton and Buck Lake in Woodbury.
Conservation Camps open June 21 and continue until August 21. Tuition is $300 for the week, including food, lodging and equipment, and financial assistance is available.
Information and registration are available on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website.
For more information, contact FWGMCC@vermont.gov or call 802-522-2925.
***
The National Weather Service declared Lake Champlain frozen over on Friday. It is the first time in seven years.
***
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on
February 17, 2017: “Snowy start to February; 40 inches of snow in 14 days in St. Johnsbury.”
February 23, 1972: “Blizzard on the 20th, followed by a late-season spell of arctic cold. Readings plunged to -34 in West Burke and Enosburg Falls, VT, and -38 in Colebrook, NH.”
Parting Shots
I wrote about a scholarship for youths to attend Buck Lake Conservation Camp that honors Brendan and Dorothy Whittaker as a lead for this column.
The press release from the Northeast Wilderness Trust included the following.
“But Whittaker would like the scholarship to elevate more than just him and his professional accomplishments. ‘None of these achievements were solely my own,’ he said. ‘They were all done by wonderfully dedicated staff.’ He expressed a wish that the dedication and service of
Edward Kehoe and Gary Moore, both former commissioners of Vermont Fish and Wildlife (then known as “Fish and Game”), are also honored by the scholarship.”
I was very surprised but deeply appreciative that Brendan named me.
***
Linda has a recliner in which she spends much of the time she is up since her cancer returned with a vengeance and it is where she is fed and where she receives most of her meds. After two years of trying to get it re-upholstered, we finally found Burkholder Upholstery in Newark.
We got the chair back Friday after just two weeks and Linda is very happy.
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2026 Gary W. Moore
Buck Lake is one of the Green Mountain Conservation Camps, a program administered by Vermont Fish and Wildlife. The scholarship, partially funded by an anonymous donor and to be supplemented in
the future by additional fundraising, honors Brendan and Dorothy Whittaker, long time Brunswick, VT residents.
Brendan served as Secretary of the state’s Agency of Natural Resources from 1978 to 1985. A forester by training he has served Vermont and New Hampshire and the U.S. in so many ways that it would take me a full page to list them.
Brendan is an ordained Episcopal priest in the Diocese of NH who, over the years, has served churches from Colebrook and Berlin in the north to Woodsville and Lisbon in the south.
Dorothy, who passed away last year, has also had a lifetime of community service and had as strong a conservation ethic as her husband’s. Her career in teaching continued long after she left a formal classroom. She was a talented gardener whose fruits and vegetables won a loyal following at her Route 102 roadside farm stand and on the menus of restaurants in northern Vermont and New Hampshire.
She and Brendan stewarded an award-winning 67-acre tree farm in Brunswick for more than 60 years while raising three children.
The inspiration for the scholarship came from Seville Murphy, a senior at Hazel Union School in Hardwick who has been both a camper and a junior counselor at Buck Lake. He approached Northeast Wilderness Trust about the idea in early 2025.
“When I was working as a counselor at Buck Lake, I noticed that there were very few campers from Woodbury,” said Murphy. “I started thinking about how to get more Woodbury students into the GMCC camp.”
Murphy and his family live in Woodbury, not far from the Wilderness Trust’s 6,257-acre Woodbury Mountain Wilderness Preserve, the largest nongovernmental wilderness area in the state.
The Wilderness Trust’s sponsorship of a scholarship to send two local youths to Buck Lake, Murphy thought, would be a great way to enhance connections between the organization and the Woodbury community.
Around the same time, an anonymous donor contacted Northeast Wilderness Trust with the intention of seeding a scholarship in honor of the Whittakers. That happy coincidence resulted in the creation of the Brendan and Dorothy Alden Whittaker GMCC Scholarship, which
sent two campers to Buck Lake last year and will be available, contingent on further fundraising, for the same number of campers each coming summer.
Those interested in contributing to the Brendan and Dorothy Alden Whittaker GMCC Scholarship may contact Anna Dundas, Development Director, at anna@newildernesstrust.org for more information.
I congratulate Bren and Dorothy, two wonderful and very deserving people and Seville Murphy for wanting to help local youth attend Buck Lake Conservation Camp.
Moosilauke! Voices in the Wind
I have been enjoying reading the latest of the books about Mt. Moosilauke and the region around it by Robert W Averill and Kris Pastoriza.
Moosilauke! Voices in the Wind is the last volume in the Moosilauke trilogy which includes, After the Ice and Where Long Shadows Fall.
The book is more than 500 pages and is filled with historic photos and maps. The stories are well documented and are told in their own words by those who were there from two centuries.
Not only did I learn a lot about my favorite mountain, but I also got to relive memories as I saw photos of and read accounts of old friends.
Among them, former Bradford farmer Put Blodgett who spent huge amounts of time working on trails and cabins that Dartmouth College owned on the east side of the mountain. Few have climbed to the summit more times than Put.
Earl Jette, former Director of Dartmouth Outdoor Programs, became a friend when I was in graduate school at Dartmouth in the mid 70s. I often accompanied him as he checked cabins and other facilities owned by the Dartmouth Outing Club.
Another person who appears in the book multiple times is Jack Noon who was the manager of Ravine Lodge for a decade and whom I came to know during my many visits.
The Moosilauke History Series Books 1998-2025, of which the trilogy are part of, consists of twelve volumes. I have read them all and found them enjoyable and educational at the same time.
If you love Mt. Moosilauke and the region, especially the history, you can’t go wrong reading any or all of the books.
They are available from the Mountain Wanderer in Lincoln, https://www.mountainwanderer.com/ or Bondcliff Books in Littleton, https://www.bondcliffbooks.com/.
Bits and Pieces
Tune in to WYKR 101.3 FM or 1100 AM on Thursday at 6 p.m. for The Outdoor Edge. Thoughts on the Out-of-Doors airs as a segment of the program and my guest will be Vermont Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jason Batchelder.
***
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is asking the public to help document flocks of wild turkeys this winter by participating in the 2026 Winter Turkey Flock Survey. The survey runs through March 31.
Information regarding the status of wintering wild turkeys is important because severe weather and limited natural food supplies can present serious challenges for turkeys. It’s easy to participate by visiting https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/wild-turkeys-new-hampshire/turkey-surveys.
***
Wednesdays through March, AMC’s Pinkham Notch Visitor Center offers an immersive celebration of global flavors and outdoor storytelling.
Each week spotlights a different country with a chef-inspired, four-course dinner and a short, lively presentation from an intrepid traveler. Upcoming dinners include: India, February 18; Scotland, February 25; Panama, March 4; Kenya, March 11; Slovenia and Germany, March 18; and Indonesia, March 25.
I have attended in past years and can attest they are enjoyable and educational. If you live far, reserve a room at Joe Dodge Lodge right next door.
To reserve a seat call 603-466-2727 Mon–Sat, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
***
If you are 12 to 14 years old and want to learn about Vermont's wildlife and gain outdoor skills, consider attending one of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department's Green Mountain Conservation Camps this summer. If you are a GMCC alum,16 or younger, consider coming back for another summer.
The one-week camp programs are held at Lake Bomoseen in Castleton and Buck Lake in Woodbury.
Conservation Camps open June 21 and continue until August 21. Tuition is $300 for the week, including food, lodging and equipment, and financial assistance is available.
Information and registration are available on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website.
For more information, contact FWGMCC@vermont.gov or call 802-522-2925.
***
The National Weather Service declared Lake Champlain frozen over on Friday. It is the first time in seven years.
***
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on
February 17, 2017: “Snowy start to February; 40 inches of snow in 14 days in St. Johnsbury.”
February 23, 1972: “Blizzard on the 20th, followed by a late-season spell of arctic cold. Readings plunged to -34 in West Burke and Enosburg Falls, VT, and -38 in Colebrook, NH.”
Parting Shots
I wrote about a scholarship for youths to attend Buck Lake Conservation Camp that honors Brendan and Dorothy Whittaker as a lead for this column.
The press release from the Northeast Wilderness Trust included the following.
“But Whittaker would like the scholarship to elevate more than just him and his professional accomplishments. ‘None of these achievements were solely my own,’ he said. ‘They were all done by wonderfully dedicated staff.’ He expressed a wish that the dedication and service of
Edward Kehoe and Gary Moore, both former commissioners of Vermont Fish and Wildlife (then known as “Fish and Game”), are also honored by the scholarship.”
I was very surprised but deeply appreciative that Brendan named me.
***
Linda has a recliner in which she spends much of the time she is up since her cancer returned with a vengeance and it is where she is fed and where she receives most of her meds. After two years of trying to get it re-upholstered, we finally found Burkholder Upholstery in Newark.
We got the chair back Friday after just two weeks and Linda is very happy.
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2026 Gary W. Moore
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