WELCOME TO THE
Carbon Footpath at Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment
Whether you choose to walk this self-guided tour on our property or tour it on your computer, on this journey you will learn about the carbon cycle and how its balance is important to our health and environment.
When walking our Carbon Footpath
You will see the work we do here at Wolfe’s Neck Center to build healthy soils and environments and how we partner with other organizations for research and collaboration, inspiring our community to participate in a food system that works for people and the planet.
The Path Forward
Carbon footprints are just steps along a Carbon Footpath that we walk together. It is a journey of discovery and shared learning about how our lives are composed of the building blocks of a livable planet that was made possible by the soil alive beneath our feet and the biodiversity all around us.
By traveling on this carbon footpath, we hope the invisible parts of nature become visible and valuable, and you use the knowledge to steward and improve the ecology in your community. By sharing the knowledge of people as part of nature, people become part of the solution for a healthier and happier planet.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Planning to walk our Carbon Footpath on site?
About the experience:
The Carbon Footpath is located on our campus at 184 Burnett Road in Freeport, ME. The path will take about an hour and a half to walk and is about 2 miles with 10 interpretive stops along the way. Covering much of our campus, you will walk in the woods, across pastures, and on roads. Good walking shoes are recommended, as is anything else needed for a walk, such as sunscreen, bug spray, and water.
If you have young children, we recommend hiking strollers or child carriers; standard strollers may not be able to handle all parts of the path.
Stops along the Carbon Footpath
Each stop along our Carbon Footpath talks about one aspect of the carbon cycle and the work Wolfe’s Neck Center and its partners do in the field.
The Path Forward
Learn about the carbon cycle and how people can play a positive role in becoming the solution for a healthier planet.
Wetlands: Nature’s Water Filter
How wetlands play a major role in storing carbon and how important it is to preserve them.
Healthy Soil
Soils rich in organic matter are the backbone of a healthy ecosystem and climate-resilient environment.
Oceans and the Carbon Cycle
Oceans play a huge role in storing carbon but they may also be a solution to curbing methane production in cows.
Forest Ecology
Diverse forests are an essential part of storing carbon and releasing oxygen while feeding and sheltering the ecosystem around them.
Rooted in Good Stewardship
Managed grazing keeps these fields healthy and productive , while storing carbon in the soil.
People and a Carbon Positive Food System
The choices people make about what they eat, where it comes from, and how it gets to their tables matter.
Power of Observation
Long-term data collection helps inform policymakers and helps us manage our grazing practices.
Cow Lab: Not Your Average Herd
Our cows are active participants in exciting research to see if seaweed added to their diets can help with methane emissions reduction.
Biodiversity: Our Insurance for a Healthy Future
When an ecosystem has a wide variety of interconnected species, we have resiliency to changes such as weather and disease.