1月16日, 2024 — Marist's distinctive Red Fox mascot stands as a source of pride for the entire College community, but one alumna has elevated this enthusiasm to new heights—literally.

海蒂·理查兹08, 是谁的想象力, 创造力, and enthusiasm for her alma mater led her to build the Copper Fox, a treehouse shaped like a fox's head perched in the heart of the picturesque landscape in Pownal, 缅因州.

The former runner for the Marist track and cross country teams drew inspiration from her days on the Poughkeepsie campus. 红狐成了这个项目的灵感来源.

"The first response to people's reactions that comes to my mind is 'I promise I'm not obsessed,' but I feel like that's a hard argument to make now,海蒂说. "Being a three-season athlete at Marist had a great influence on my attachment to our mascot. I would not be into foxes if I wasn't a Marist Red Fox."

Heidi and 尼古拉斯 work on construction of the treehouse. 照片由海蒂·理查兹于08年提供.

现在是缅因州的一名社会工作者, Richards merged her passion for the environment with her creative spirit to initiate the construction of the treehouse. This not only complements the local landscape but also underscores her commitment to environmental stewardship.

“当我开始在bet亚洲365欢迎投注时, I was actually an Environmental 科学 major hoping to get into environmental conservation of some sort,”她说。. “I ended up changing majors but my passions around living lightly on the land and doing everything I can in my daily choices to decrease my environmental impact have continued.”

The inspiration struck after Heidi discovered a pair of large windows on Craigslist. A vision came to Heidi in a dream in which the windows appeared to her as the ears of a fox. 跟随她夜间的想象, she sketched her vision on paper and shared it with her husband, 尼古拉斯, who embraced the idea of shaping the structure like a fox’s head. The fox became the focal point of a genuinely unique and meaningful design.

尼古拉斯 was intrigued by the concept from the outset, 在组装过程中，它带来了挑战, 事实证明，这是一个有趣而有益的项目.

“When designing it we just took each section step by step and built out the layers of the fox individually,他说. “It was time-consuming and stressful trying to figure out how to make everything work cohesively and structurally.” 

In the end, “It became fun again once we started the hands-on building phase,他说.

The treehouse’s fox-inspired shape begins to take form. 照片由海蒂·理查兹于08年提供.

bet亚洲365欢迎投注 85% of the wood used in the construction of the 520-square-foot treehouse was locally sourced from trees within 30 miles of the site. Heidi and 尼古拉斯 also utilized recycled materials and sustainably managed construction by-products to further minimize waste. 这所房子, 可容纳五到六人, is powered by solar panels and insulated with hemp wool, 为生态友好做出贡献.

"We wanted to finish this project knowing that we did everything we could to ensure the health and well-being of our guests, 我们那片缅因州的小树林, 还有我们的星球,海蒂说.

From Heidi's parents painting and installing windows, to 尼古拉斯' mother crafting cushions and pillows, 邻居们贡献艺术品, a motivated team of friends and family helped turn the dream of the Copper Fox Treehouse into a reality.

Heidi Richards gives a smile and two thumbs up as she works on the treehouse’s construction. 照片由海蒂·理查兹于08年提供.

这房子可供出租 他们的网站 和Airbnb, but Heidi and 尼古拉斯 envision it may become part of their private residence in the future.

"Now that I'm not a student-athlete at Marist, the fox is still with me always,海蒂说. "I loved my time at Marist, and it has guided and shaped me as a person in more ways than one."