Historic Barn at Ohana Family Camp to be Preserved

Great news!!!! The State of Vermont’s Division of Historic Preservation, has granted the Aloha Foundation a $10,000 matching grant to start renovation on Ohana’s historic barn, one of the few original buildings from the 1800’s hillside farm that preceded Shanty Shane and more recently Ohana Camp. . The state awarded this grant to a handful of worthy renovation projects, with the goal of preserving the historic barns of Vermont, such an important part of our landscape and our cultural history. The award of this grant, and the exciting possibilities, reminded me of the days when this barn and the adjoining fields were part of a subsistence farm over 130 years ago, and the day I spent haying in that field last summer.
The Robinson’s Family has been haying these fields since the 1800's. Their ancestors, the Bacon Family, worked this land, now called Ohana Camp, before there were motorized vehicles or even electricity – most likely before the civil war. So it was with that wonderful sense of history that I had volunteered to help with the haying of the main field late last summer. With Ken Robinson, his wife Janice, their daughter Jessica, their granddaughter Charlotte, and her friend AJ, we set about to harvest the golden hay on one of the most beautiful days I can remember. The sky was a clear blue juxtaposed with the late summer green of the woods and the warm hue of golden grass. Jessica and her mother, Janice, drove the tractors and turned the hay to dry one last time. Ken drove his ancient, but reliable, Allis Chalmers tractor which pulled the baler. Charlotte, AJ and I walked behind and threw bales of hay onto the wagon. As we worked and talked, I felt a connection with this land and its historic use; hay, animals, even playing fields. The old homestead barn was the back drop for our day. I wondered how many years it had seen haying like this, and how many bales of hay had been stored in it. By mid-afternoon we were ready for a break. Like magic, Janice, Ken’s wife, who had stopped turning hay and left for a bit, arrived with warm homemade bread and butter, and cold water. It could not have been more tasty. We loaded the wagons with 190 bales of hay that afternoon and headed for the barn at the Robinson homestead up the road. As we unloaded, Jessica talked about the way to stack the hay efficiently and showed how to put salt down to keep the fire danger low. She backed the hay wagons around with the skill of a woman who had grown up driving farm equipment. Now the field was cut, tidy and ready to grow next year's crop of hay. Ken, in his dry Vermont way, commented that the field was a little “bumpy,” meaning that it had quite a few ruts from tractors haying when it was too wet. But he added, “got more good hay than I expected from it.” That day, as I worked with the three generations of Robinsons, I had the sense that this land was part of a continuum, and that we, as stewards of this new piece of property, had the responsibility to respect it as the extended Robinson Family has done for many generations. It was a beautiful day that I will hold in my memory for a long time. On cold winter nights, I will think of cows munching on that hay, in some warm barn down the road, as they have for generations, and as they did here at the Ohana Camp barn when it was a small hillside subsistence farm. It is good to have a connection to this land.

Deb Williams

Ohana Family Camp's First Season is Humming Along

Our fifth week of Ohana Family campers arrived on Saturday to a beautiful sunny day. The waterfront was a popular spot that afternoon. Kayaks, canoes and sailboats were out on the crystal clear lake which was sparkling as it often does. The new swimming docks were full of laughing children and happy parents and grandparents. Families of all manner have been joining us this summer for our inaugural season. A number of extended families have experienced the joy of a multi -generation vacation. Grandparents have their own cabins, children can play with cousins and visit with aunts and uncles whom they may not see as often as they like. The families are all anxious to return next year and have made their reservations already. So Ohana Camp is up and running. Our wonderful and dedicated staff are having fun being a part of the first year of camp – creating the Ohana Camp culture - as they like to say. From hiking to contra dances to campfires to reading on the front porch and enjoying the views, it all seems so natural here at this historic site.
Mid-summer is upon us and the days are long and green. Wildflowers are everywhere and our gardens are producing a wonderful bounty. Crickets are beginning to sing their August songs. Haying on our fields will start in another few days. It is all part of the natural cycle here at Ohana Camp on Lake Fairlee, and having the joyful sounds of children and families having fun, just adds to the beauty of this special place.

April at Ohana Family Camp

It's late April and Spring is bursting out all over Ohana Camp. Little leaves are emerging on every tree and the grass is starting to green up. The hillsides are glowing with the soft hues of many shades of green and the reds of the maple buds. There is a pile of snow left on the north side of the dining hall, but we suspect it will be gone in a week or so. It's time to get out our rakes and start cleaning up after a long winter. The loons have been back on Lake Fairlee for a couple of weeks, where they will start nesting along the shore in early May. Our loons have most likely wintered along the coast, although some may stay on Lake Champlain's open water. Vermont Loons have finally been taken off the endangered species list, but are still being carefully monitored by the Vermont Loon Recovery Program www.vtecostudies.org/loons/. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reminds us that it is important for humans to stay at least 300 feet from nesting sites, and adults with young. This summer at Ohana, we will participate in the official Loon Watch on the third Saturday of July. We hope for good results.

How to Get to the Waterfront - 1930's Style.

Perhaps we should think about going back to low-tech transportation for Family Camp?

Historic Photo of Shanty Shane now Ohana Camp

Historic photo of Ohana Camp Lodge/Dining Hall, originally called Shanty Shane, and built around 1911 by the William Clendenin family, teachers from Yonkers, New York.

Barred Owls are Calling at Ohana Family Camp

The “who-cooks-for-you” hooting of the barred owls began some weeks ago on Robinson Hill, signaling that mating season has begun for these medium size woodland owls. We hear them all summer at Ohana Camp, but we know that March is the time when nests are being readied for clutches of 3-5 white eggs. Barred Owls normally pair for life. Nest sites are most commonly in hollows of old trees, but they may also use abandoned squirrel or crow's nests. Incubation, done exclusively by the female, lasts about a month. The male owl will bring food to his mate(rabbits, voles, mice) while she keeps the eggs, and then the young warm. At about 4-5 weeks old the young will begin to leave the nest to nearby branches, but they do not fledge until they are about 6 weeks old, and they may receive food from their parents for up to 4 months. So when we hear those wonderful calls on summer nights, it could be parent owls calling to their young or even young barred owls practicing their calls. They are such a special part of our woods around Ohana Family Camp. For more information on Barred Owls visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Barred_Owl.html

Winter Views from the Porch of Ohana Family Camp

Looking Northwest over Lake Fairlee and up the Middlebrook Valley

Welcome to the Ohana Camp Journal

Ohana Camp, formerly known as Shanty Shane, Lake Fairlee Club and Lake Fairlee Camp, is a family program of the Aloha Foundation, Inc. of Fairlee Vermont. Ohana Camp is the newest addition to the six camps of the historic Aloha Foundation founded in 1903.

It is our hope to enter periodic journal notes in order to chronicle the exciting changes happening on this beautiful hill which overlooks Lake Fairlee and the Middlebrook Valley. We hope to keep you updated on the rythms of the natural world outside our doors, the restoration work being done on this 100 year old site, the goings and comings of happy family campers, and all the wonderful little events occurring day to day, year to year.

These are exciting times for all of us.