A New Face at Vermont Woodlands: Welcome, Stephen!

Please join us in welcoming Stephen Peters-Collaer as our new Education Program Coordinator. Stephen joins Catie Raishart to round out our education team.

In this role, Stephen will help lead our climate initiatives and support our landowner outreach and education efforts, helping to build resilient, healthy forests for generations to come.

Below, Stephen shares a bit about his background, his connection to Vermont, and what inspires his work in the woods.

Stephen can be reached at stephen@vermontwoodlands.org or by calling 802-214-4848

Hi! I'm Stephen Peters-Collaer, and I'm excited to be joining VWA as the Forest Stewardship Education Coordinator. I recently finished my PhD in William Keeton’s lab at UVM where I led research into how New England forests have recovered from historic land-use, and how we can expect these forests to change into the future. I’m excited to use this background to help promote sustainable, climate resilient stewardship on private lands across the state!

I grew up in Middlebury, Vermont before attending Vassar College in New York State. After college I worked as an ecological technician on projects across the US, from forests in Michigan, to sagebrush in Utah and orchards in California. Much of my free time is spent outside skiing up and down hills, canoeing, and improving my lackluster gardening skills. When not in the woods or thinking about trees, I can be found playing funky music with friends or sledding with my nephew.