NorthWoods was founded in 1989 as the Vermont Leadership Center by William C. Manning, formerly President of Sterling College. The Center’s earliest programs involved consulting with local communities on town planning, working with the Northern Forest Lands Council to guide regional conservation efforts, and presenting educational and forestry-based workshops for the Brighton-Charleston area.

In 2004, the organization’s name was changed to NorthWoods Stewardship Center in order to reflect the region-wide impact the organization now had through its programs. At the same time, NorthWoods purchased the facilities and surrounding property from Manning, who still volunteers his time and adjacent land for the use of programs.

Located in a rural setting near Island Pond, NorthWoods sits on a ridge astride an international border region that is part of both the Connecticut River and Memphremagog watersheds. Northeast to the Canadian border stretches one of the last wilderness tracts in New England providing an ideal setting for natural resource education and cross-country exploration as well as offering opportunities to demonstrate sustainable management practices and monitor the long-term effects of climate change and other variables on natural communities.

The TrailFinder website has a description and map of a hike at NorthWoods Stewardship Center.