The White River Natural Resources Conservation District (NRCD) invites the community to join in celebrating its 85th Anniversary on Friday, October 10th, at Cedar Circle Farm’s Sunny Fields Farmhouse in Thetford. Established in 1940, the White River NRCD has been working for generations to serve Vermont’s wild and working lands, waterways, and wildlife habitats through partnerships, technical assistance, education, and community-led initiatives.

This milestone event will honor the legacy of the District, recognize the service of its Supervisors, and highlight the importance of ongoing conservation efforts.

Event Schedule
11:00 AM – Local Forest Kitchen Cooking Class with Chef Kyra and Chef Reuben ($20)
3:00 PM – Soil and Plant Research Stations and Activities (Free)
5:00 – 7:00 PM – Forest Kitchen Dinner with Guest Chefs ($20)

Featured Chefs
Chef Kyra Kristof (Massachusetts) – Creator of Forest Kitchen dinners, known for immersive culinary experiences that connect food, art, and ecology.
Chef Reuben (U.S. Virgin Islands) – Celebrated for his Caribbean-inspired cooking rooted in island agriculture and local foodways.
Together with community participants from the pre-dinner cooking class, the chefs will craft a farm-to-table feast that blends Vermont’s seasonal harvests with Caribbean flavors, utilizing foraged ingredients, perennial crops, and produce from local farms.

More Than a Meal

• The celebration offers hands-on opportunities for learning and connection:
• Cook alongside guest chefs in a workshop before dinner.
• Explore soil health and plant biodiversity stations.
• Engage with District staff about local conservation projects.

Tickets

• Cooking Class: $20
• Dinner: $20
• Soil & Plant Stations: Free
• Guests may also sponsor a farmer’s ticket by purchasing an additional dinner ticket.
• RSVP and purchase tickets at whiterivernrcd.org/events

About White River NRCD

The White River (Wassabaastekw) NRCD is a local, non-regulatory subdivision of Vermont's state government. It supports land stewards in 26 towns across the White, Wells, Waits, Ompompanoosuc (Pmômanosek), and Connecticut (Kwenitekw) River Watersheds. The district provides agricultural outreach, education, workshops, and technical assistance to producers and municipalities. Established by the 1939 Soil Conservation Act, its mission has expanded from reducing soil erosion to addressing all natural resource concerns. A publicly elected Board of Supervisors oversees the District.