I interviewed a Christmas tree farmer in Craftsbury for this week's paper, but it's a destination I more often associate with cross-country skiing over frozen, Zhivagoesque lakes. The Craftsbury Outdoor Center — nordic paradise in winter, sculling sanctuary in summer — has been a model of land stewardship and outdoor education under the Spring family, which has owned the property for 32 years.

And it's likely to stay that way because 82-year-old Russell Spring recently sold the center and the 130 acres around it to a nonprofit organization that is committed to its continuation. The org's head is Dick Dreissigacker, one of the founders of Concept2, the company that makes rowing machines and sculling equipment in Morrisville.

Andrew Nemethy wrote about the details of the deal in a November 23 story in Barre-Montpelier Times Argus. Looks like the only changes planned so far are good ones. "Dreissigacker plans to substantially cut ski-touring fees and promote more of a membership model," Nemethy wrote. He's also added an additional 100 acres to the center's tracts. "Schuss" fund?