CONNECTICUT Woodlands

THE WORLD OF CURTIS VEEDER INVENTOR WHO DONATED . ALSO: SLOW CLIMATE CHANGE BY USING MORE WOOD

The Magazine of the Forest & Park Association Fall 2013 Volume 78 No. 3 The Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Inc. OFFICERS

PRESIDENT, ERIC LUKINGBEAL, Granby VICE-PRESIDENT, WILLIAM D. BRECK, Killingworth VICE-PRESIDENT, GEOFFREY MEISSNER, Plantsville VICE-PRESIDENT, DAVID PLATT, Higganum VICE-PRESIDENT, STARR SAYRES, East Haddam TREASURER, JAMES W. DOMBRAUSKAS, New Hartford SECRETARY, ERIC HAMMERLING, West Hartford FORESTER, STEVE BRODERICK, Eastford

DIRECTORS

RUSSELL BRENNEMAN, Westport ROBERT BUTTERWORTH, Deep River STARLING W. CHILDS, Norfolk RUTH CUTLER, Ashford LAURENCE DIAMOND, Coventry THOMAS J. DEGNAN, JR., Old Lyme CAROLINE DRISCOLL, New London ASTRID T. HANZALEK, Suffield DAVID LAURETTI, Bloomfield DIANE FRIEND EDWARDS MICHAEL LECOURS, Farmington DAVID K. LEFF, Collinsville Ferns on the Saugatuck Trail. See page 18. MIRANDA LINSKY, Middletown SCOTT LIVINGSTON, Bolton JEFF LOUREIRO, Canton LAUREN L. McGREGOR, Hamden JEFFREY O’DONNELL, Bristol Connecting People to the Land Annual Membership DEBORAH C. SPALDING, Guilford Our mission: The Connecticut Forest & Park RICHARD WHITEHOUSE, Glastonbury Individual $ 35 Association protects forests, parks, walking Family $ 50 HONORARY DIRECTORS trails and open spaces for future generations by GORDON L. ANDERSON, Glastonbury connecting people to the land. CFPA directly Supporting $ 100 HARROL W. BAKER, JR., Bolton involves individuals and families, educators, RICHARD A. BAUERFELD, Redding Benefactor $ 250 community leaders and volunteers to enhance GEORGE M. CAMP, Middletown ANN M. CUDDY, Ashland, Oregon and defend Connecticut’s rich natural heritage. PRUDENCE P. CUTLER, Farmington CFPA is a private, non-profit organization that Life Membership $ 2500 SAMUEL G. DODD, North Andover, MA relies on members and supporters to carry out JOHN E. HIBBARD, Hebron its mission. GRACE W. ELLSWORTH, Haddam Corporate Membership JEAN CRUM JONES, Shelton Our vision: We envision Connecticut as a PHILIP H. JONES, JR., Shelton place of scenic beauty whose cities, suburbs, Club / Non-profit $ 75 EDWARD A. RICHARDSON, Glastonbury and villages are linked by a network of parks, L. P. SPERRY, JR., Middlebury Sustaining $ 100 forests, and trails easily accessible for all people SALLY L. TAYLOR, Mystic Landmark $ 250 SIDNEY VAN ZANDT, Noank to challenge the body and refresh the spirit. We picture a state where clean water, timber, farm STAFF Stewardship $ 500 fresh foods, and other products of the land make COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE, JENNIFER BENNER, Roxbury a significant contribution to our economic and Leadership $ 1000 EDUCATION DIRECTOR, LORI PARADIS BRANT, Rockfall cultural well-being. FOREST & PROGRAM DIRECTOR, GOODWIN FOREST CENTER, STEVE BRODERICK, Eastford TRAIL STEWARDSHIP DIRECTOR, CLARE CAIN, Niantic Connecticut Woodlands MEMBERSHIP & MARKETING DIRECTOR, MARTY GOSSELIN, Durham Published quarterly by the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ERIC HAMMERLING, West Hartford Connecticut Forest & Park Association, WalkCT DIRECTOR, LESLIE LEWIS, Lyme 16 Meriden Road, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, JAMES W. LITTLE, Hebron Rockfall, CT 06481-2961 LAND CONSERVATION DIRECTOR, LINDSAY MICHEL, North Haven Indexed in the Connecticut Periodical Index, Printed on 60% Recycled, ADVANCEMENT ASSISTANT, KARA MURPHY, Guilford ISSN 00106257 FSC and Green-e Certified Paper OFFICE MANAGER, TERESA PETERS, Durham Telephone: 860-346-TREE Fax: 860-347-7463. EDITOR, CHRISTINE WOODSIDE GRAPHIC DESIGNER, KAREN WARD E-mail address: [email protected] World Wide Web site: ctwoodlands.org

2 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 CONNECTICUT Woodlands

The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association FALL 2013 Volume 78 No. 3

CONTENTS FEATURES DEPARTMENTS

6 CURTIS VEEDER, PENWOOD, 4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE. AND THE CONFLUENCE OF NATURE Considering nonnative trees. AND CULTURE. By Eric Lukingbeal. The most famous Connecticut person you’ve never heard about. 5 EDITOR’S NOTE. By David K. Leff. Trail work musings. By Christine Woodside. 11 REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS— USE WOOD. 5 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE. Sustainable tree growth and using Make your plan and react to CFPA’s. local wood products offer keys to By Eric Hammerling. slowing the rate of carbon dioxide emissions. 14 FROM THE LAND. By Gail Braccidiferro MacDonald. Connecticut-grown Christmas trees. By Jean Crum Jones. 16-17 CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY. Get to know the Connecticut 18 TRY THIS HIKE. Forest & Park Association's The Saugatuck Trail: Enjoy pristine historic milestones, conservation woods, water views, and wildlife in programs, and board members. Centennial Watershed State Forest. By Diane Friend Edwards.

20 FORESTER’S NOTES. The Bridgeport chain saw massacre: Vicious attack, motivations unclear; an

urban forester assesses the evidence. By Christopher Donnelly.

22 BOOK REVIEWS. An novel. A naturalist’s New England. The trap On the Cover: rock ridges. Reviewed by Robert M. Ricard, Scott Gray, and Christine Woodside The view from the Pinnacle in Penwood State Park. See page 6. 26 OBITUARIES. DAVID K. LEFF John S. Greacen. Louis A. Magnarelli. Katharine Truman Smith Coley.

27 WalkCT. What in Blue Blazes? A quick refresher course. By Leslie Lewis.

28 ON THE TRAILS. New England Trail artist-in-residence mounts exhibit.

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Considering nonnative trees

BY ERIC LUKINGBEAL der if my friend doesn’t have a point. Dave showed me street tree plantings he’s write from my kitch- done in the past year for the town of Caze- en table in upstate novia, and for the City of Syracuse. These New York. About I five years ago, my are either balled and wrapped in burlap, wife and I bought an or grown in his nursery using the Missouri 1850 farmhouse in Gravel Bed system (irrigated gravel, nutri- Cazenovia, New York, ents added). This system results in a very near Syracuse. We’ve dense root mat, with much more root sur- been modernizing it at a pace hindered by face area than bare rootstock. But it has the our meager skills. Our neighborhood is called light weight and ease of planting that balled Pompey Hollow, which is a broad valley about and wrapped in burlap lacks. Volunteers can 500 feet lower than the north-south ridges on manage it easily. You can pick up a 2.5-inch either side. Everyone has a sump pump; ours caliper tree and hoist it over your head. Try runs almost constantly in the spring. Dave, our neighbor several houses to the that with a balled and wrapped in burlap Connecticut Forest south, is the retired owner of a landscap- tree. & Park Association and ing business. He was born here, attended He has supplied a mix of natives and non- local schools and then the State University natives to these two municipalities. His fa- Connecticut Woodlands of New York for a degree in landscaping. In vorites among the nonnatives are Japanese Magazine retirement, he runs a small tree and shrub tree lilac, village green zelkova, amur maack- nursery on the other side of the road, near ia, katsura, maidenhair (gingko) tree, Persian Connecticut Woodlands is a quarterly the creek that winds through our valley. magazine published since 1936 by CFPA, ironwood, hardy rubber tree, and stewartia. the private, non-profit organization Now and then, I’ll help him with some small Japanese tree lilacs are lovely. They line dedicated to conserving the land, trails, landscaping job. My contribution is un- part of the main street in Cazenovia, and and natural resources of Connecticut. skilled, manual labor—digging and hauling. their snowy white blooms in June are a pleas- I am supervised closely. Members of CFPA receive the magazine I’ve described Connecticut Forest & Park ant surprise. None of those trees he listed are in the mail in January, April, July, and particularly rare or any more expensive than October. CFPA also publishes a newsletter Association’s work to him. Recently, I hap- several times a year. pened to mention the Two-Storm Panel natives. Dave grows some of them in the that Eric Hammerling chaired. I told Dave gravel beds. They are all hardy, and around For more information about CFPA, to join or donate online, visit our website, www. about the effort to replace damaged road- Syracuse, that is saying something. ctwoodlands.org, or call 860-346-TREE. side trees with native trees. And I told him At CFPA, we have always thought that about the “Right Tree, Right Place” list public policy—and our policies—ought to Give the gift of membership in CFPA. and about Kathleen Groll Connolly’s article Contact Marty Gosselin at 860-346-TREE. be based on sound science. It is certainly about replacement trees in the summer issue sound science to support native trees and of this magazine. His reaction was not what shrubs as replacements. But my conversa- I thought it would be. ADVERTISING RATES “What the heck is wrong with nonnative tion with my neighbor in upstate New York trees?” he asked, adding, “Often they are leaves me uneasy to be too rigid. Nonna- Half page: better suited to street conditions than na- tives, as long as they are not invasive, could $180 per issue / $600 yearly tives are. At least, be open to the possibil- have a place in our efforts. (four issues) ity that a nonnative, noninvasive tree could Eric Lukingbeal is an environmental lawyer Quarter page: work just as well as a native.” for Robinson and Cole in Hartford. He lives $90 per issue / $300 yearly I had to admit to him that somewhere I in Granby with his wife, Sally King. He is Eighth page: picked up a bias in favor of native trees, es- $60 per issue / $200 yearly pecially as replacement trees for those we’ve the father of two grown daughters, serves on lost in recent storms. With a single excep- his town’s planning and zoning commission, Design services available for a fee. tion—a Dawn Redwood—all the trees I’ve and likes to hike, bike, and renovate old houses, planted myself have been natives. But I won- with supervision.

4 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR‘S MESSAGE Make your plan and react to CFPA’s

BY ERIC HAMMERLING 4. Desired Future Conditions: implementa- sion, vision, values, and conservation programs? tion steps to meet landowner goals in the future P What are the most pressing political, fi- ou never plan Simply put, a forest management plan is nancial, demographic, and environmental to fail, but you critical both to understand where you are challenges CFPA will face in the next five to can fail to plan. and to figure out where you want to go. 10 years? Y If you have a After all, as Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t management plan P What are the most tangible measures to know where you’re going, you’ll end up for your forest, you assess objectively whether we are making someplace else.” know what I mean. progress and furthering our mission? While we’re on the topic of planning, I Each forest manage- CFPA’s strategic plan will be our road map want to make sure you are aware that Con- ment plan for each landowner is unique, but necticut Forest & Park Association is work- showing where we are and where we want there are several common elements (excerpt- ing on its next three-year strategic plan, to go. Although we are planning concretely ed from the Forest Management Plan Crite- which will cover 2014 through 2016. We in three-year increments, we understand that ria of U.S. Department of Agriculture and want to hear from you. A landowner can many elements such as estate planning de- the Natural Resources Conservation Service determine his or her own desired future con- mand a longer planning horizon. Warren in August 2012): ditions independently, but an organization Buffet recognized this when he stated, “Some- 1. Background: map, existing practices, that cares about its members and supporters one’s sitting in the shade today, because some- land use history, and any resource concerns should not, especially if it wants to be vital one planted a tree long ago.” 2. Landowner Goals: income, forest stand for another 119+ years (and we do!). If you have thoughts or would like to improvement, wildlife habitat, recreation, etc. Just as experts handle a forest manage- meet to provide input to CFPA’s next stra- tegic plan, please send me an email (eham- 3. Resource Assessment: composition of ment plan, we will consider fundamental [email protected]) or give me a call forest, potential woodland products, natu- questions from an organizational perspec- at 860-346-TREE. ral and cultural features, roads and wildfire tive, such as the following: risks, insect and disease infestations, wildlife P What is unique about the Connecticut Forest Eric Hammerling of West Hartford has served habitats, invasive species, water features, etc. & Park Association’s niche? What are our mis- as CFPA’s executive director since 2008.

EDITOR’S NOTE Trail work musings BY CHRISTINE WOODSIDE Loop Trail. (The Mattabesett is part of the es on the main trail. In the woods, a blue New England Trail, the federally designated circle doesn’t look that different from a blue decade ago, just after my husband Nat National Scenic Trail now attracting more rectangle at Old Burn Crossing, so it looked and I had been named volunteer trail hikers than back then.) as if the main trail went simultaneously in managers for the Connecticut Forest & The problem was where the main Blue- four directions. A Park Association, some people got lost Blazed Hiking Trail on our section intersects On other side trails in the 800-mile trail on our assigned trails in Middletown. They were with the loop trail at a spot locals used to system, hikers could easily miss the marks, not in physical danger, but they called the police. call Old Burn Crossing. I myself had got- which often were blue blazes with tiny col- We were so brand new to our duties that ten confused at this junction on one of my ored dots in the centers. The year before I’d staffers at CFPA cut us a break and asked first scouting hikes as a trail manager. I’d become a trail manager, I’d spent an after- the Roving Trail Crew to go right out and grabbed my cell phone and called old-timer noon traipsing on a side trail instead of the repaint all the blazes on the side trail, using a George Arthur. When he’d answered, I’d in New Britain, not notic- new system CFPA was then putting in place. greeted him with, “George, where am I?” ing those little dots. I’d corrected myself by Blocks of yellow and blue would distinguish “Chris, I don’t know,” he said. hiking through downtown New Britain back it from the plain blue blazes of the main trail. He later had some fun reminding me of this. to my car. This would fix a navigation problem on Why did I and those other hikers get con- All this initiated me. I really got it—why our section, which includes the stretch of fused? At that time, painted circles marked we must blaze side trails with blocks of col- the near the Connecticut many of CFPA’s side trails. On our section, or. I was humbled, too. For a few years, Nat River and a side trail known as the Reservoir the circles were plain blue, just like the blaz- continued on page 26

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 5 BY DAVID K. LEFF transplanted still sustains.” He combined that signature Connecticut mix of creativity ust north of Connecticut Route 185 and drive, building a precision manufactur- and a few miles from Hartford lies a ing business. In his life and legacy, he also il- stretch of the Metacomet portion of lustrates the very heart of Connecticut iden- the New England National Scenic J tity, the marriage of nature and culture. He Trail remarkable for its confluence of wild served for many years on the Connecticut nature and human-made curiosities. With Forest & Park Association’s Board of Direc- occasional distant views west beneath mature tors, and he willed his roughly 800-acre farm oak, hemlock, tulip, and other large trees, and private nature reserve bestride Talcott the path passes angular traprock outcrops, a Mountain in Bloomfield as Penwood State boggy lake, wildflowers, and groves of ferns Park. His home on Elizabeth Street in Hart- in an atmosphere alive with birdsong. Old ford later became the headquarters of the roads and trails beckon—there’s a stone pedestal, fragments of broken pavement, Connecticut Historical Society, which holds and large metal pins that look like truncated the state’s cultural and social artifacts. knitting needles embedded in ledge. Curtis Sometimes when walking along the ridge Veeder cultivated or created them all. through Penwood or entering the hushed Mr. Veeder may be the most famous recesses of the Connecticut Historical Soci- Connecticut personality most people have ety, I feel as if I’m stepping into the linger- never heard about. He invented counting ing penumbra of Mr. Veeder’s restless and devices, among many other marvels, and somewhat eccentric genius. His singular his mechanical genius is apparent each time ingenuity remains in evidence 70 years af- you fuel your vehicle. Pennsylvania born and ter his death despite myriad changes at both reared in New York, he is quintessentially places and in the world at large. I find it

CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL SOCIETY characteristic of his adopted state of Con- hard to visit either place without feeling Mr. Curtis Veeder. necticut, whose motto proclaims, “He who Veeder’s presence. CURTIS VEEDER, PENWOOD, AND THE CONFLUENCE OF NATURE AND CULTURE The most famous Connecticut person you’ve never heard about

The Curtis Veeder house, which today is home of the Connecticut Historical Society. DAVID K. LEFF

6 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 Drive into the park on the very narrow entry road and you find the front coat closet. your vehicle straddling mushroom cap drains in the center of the Despite his prominence, Mr. Veeder was an exceedingly private pavement, Mr. Veeder’s innovation to keep water off the road with- man, and little is known about his personal life. The Connecticut out having to widen it by use of Historical Society holds a thin file conventional side drainage. They and only one photo even though remain not only a curiosity, but they occupy his home and recent- also a hazard to unwary cyclists ly researched his background to and hikers gazing at the landscape. reinterpret the building. The brick and poured concrete barn built early in the 20th century Mechanical Genius has the structural integrity of a fac- Born in 1862, Mr. Veeder had tory or bomb shelter, and even Dutch ancestors who immigrated the loft has a concrete floor. On to New Amsterdam in the 1600s. the first level, part of the floor is Early in his life, his family moved made from the butt ends of fram- to Plattsburg, New York, where ing lumber for a purpose that has he completed high school before been lost, but perhaps to make returning to Pennsylvania for an standing easier on the feet. A me- engineering degree at Lehigh ticulous hobbyist surveyor, Mr. University, graduating in 1886. Veeder left large steel pins set in Son of a mining engineer, he is cement at various reference points said to have demonstrated me- like the markings of some modern chanical ability from an early age. day druid. Throughout the park, At 6, he had devised a waterwheel there are old piping, stonework, in a brook near home. At 10, he some subterranean enclosures, and built some small furnaces in hard other quirky structures. sandbanks in which he burned Completed in 1928, the two- soft coal. When he was 12, he story Hartford house looks rela- built a foot-powered jigsaw, and tively modest for an industrialist’s by the time he was 18, he’d creat- mansion. Its facade is made of ed an old-fashioned high-wheeled limestone blocks in a happy mix bicycle from magazine pictures, of colonial revival and French cha- spending most of his time after teau styles. It has a hip roof with school riding and repairing it. The several prominent chimneys and saddle of flexible leather stretched an entrance with a formal porte- over a steel spring frame was so cochère. Despite much reconfigu- good that he had it patented in ration and additions to create a 1881. During college vacations, museum, an archive, and a library, he made bicycle ball bearings, a the building still bears Mr. Veed- two-speed gear for tricycles, many er’s idiosyncratic imprint. Beyond electrical parts, and photographic the limestone skin, the building is shutters. In 1883, he sold his made of steel reinforced concrete American bicycle seat patent to and so over-engineered that it Pope Manufacturing Company of could be the last Hartford build- Hartford for $1,000. ing standing after an apocalypse. After college, Mr. Veeder Mr. Veeder’s son-in-law, Charles worked for a number of compa- Tilton Sr., described the “all ce- nies, inventing mining hoists, lo- ment and spotlessly clean” attic as comotives, automatic regulating

“like the interior of a battleship.” DAVID K. LEFF apparatus for naval searchlights, Among the house’s oddities is a From top, Veeder's former library, now an office at the Connecticut Historical and the mechanical portion of the wall of cabinets featuring narrow Society; the entry hall; and the former dining room, now the CHS gift shop. first three-phase motors built by zinc-lined drawers in what is now the General Electric Company, the society executive director’s of- among other devices. At his death, fice. Their purpose remains a mystery. Mr. Veeder hungered for the he held more than 150 patents. latest technology; the house features a central vacuum, an incinerator, His signature invention was the cyclometer, which arose out of his an elevator, and a car wash in the garage tucked beneath the house. passion for bicycling in days when signs were few and stated mileages Servants used an electronic paging system. A telephone was placed in both seldom given and inaccurate. He invented complex machinery

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 7 and even designed power plant layouts, but he yearned simply to know how far he’d peddled his bicycle. Much tinkering led to a breakthrough in 1894—compound dif- ferential gearing. When Pope decided not to make them, Mr. Veeder formed his own business in Hartford, and by 1896 had sold 50,000 of the devices. The Veeder-Root Company (so named after a 1928 merger with a Bristol, Connect- icut, firm) made counting devices to control all sorts of manufacturing processes as well as parts essential to speedometers, odom- eters, tachometers, voting machines, cash registers, telephones, and other products. In World War I, Mr. Veeder’s counting devices were used on aircraft machine guns and on battleship and submarine instruments. In 1930, the Hartford Courant declared that the company was “the world’s largest manu- facturer of precision counting equipment.” In the decade that followed, Veeder-Root counters were incorporated into gas pumps. Today the company (headquartered in Sims- bury and part of a larger conglomerate) touts itself as “the number one supplier of automated tank gauges in the world.”

Nature Lover Mr. Veeder acquired Penwood in 1913 to indulge his passion for nature and the out- doors, a counterweight to his vigorous and demanding business life. He saw it as a forest DAVID K. LEFF preserve, farm, and wildlife sanctuary. It was Top, Veeder's former barn still stands at Penwood State Park. Above, the entrance to the Veeder-Root a deeply personal place where he could pre- Company in Simsbury, now part of a conglamerate. Originally it was a large supplier of precision serve his equilibrium with fresh air and phys- counting equipment; today it makes automated tank gauges. ical challenge, cultivate ease and contempla- tion, and find sanctuary from the noise and came from England with his family and lived recalled in a 2008 article for the Bloomfield clutter of the outside world. near the barn in a house that has since been Journal. “The best of the garden produce,” During his lifetime, Mr. Veeder shared demolished. At the request of Mr. Veeder’s she wrote, “fruit, milk, cream . . . homemade Penwood’s pastoral fields, rugged trails, and widow, Louise, both men continued to butter and eggs and sometimes firewood spectacular views with friends and family. He work at Penwood as state employees, Mr. were taken to the Veeder residence.” Ducks willed Penwood to the people of Connecti- Brooks retiring in 1954 and Mr. Hocking in were raised, ice was cut on the pond, and cut to “be kept in a natural and wild state so 1961. As late as 1966, Mr. Brooks did con- vegetables stored over winter in the barn’s that those who love nature may enjoy this tract work at Penwood for $1.25 per hour. lower level. property as I have enjoyed it.” It’s widely re- Among other duties, the men ran a small Just below The Pinnacle, the property’s peated that Penwood was so named because farm, mostly to supply themselves and the high point, and a bit beyond the bustle the word “veeder” means “pen” in Dutch, a Veeders, though during World War II the of the farm, Mr. Veeder built his sanctum charming notion that is, unfortunately, not cow herd was enlarged sufficiently to en- sanctorum, a five-room chestnut log cabin. true. More likely, the park is named for Cur- able sale of milk to a local dairy. “Our rec- With bark left on the logs, it was a distinctive tis Veeder’s Pennsylvania origins. reation was getting the cows in for milking, structure into which he injected a preserva- By 1919, Mr. Veeder had hired Fred gathering eggs, teaching the calves to drink tive of his own devising. Finished with pine, Brooks as caretaker of Penwood Farm. Mr. from a pail, haying, digging potatoes, help- the interior included a dining room with a Brooks and his wife lived in an old house ing to put up a fence, picking the currants long table. Over the fireplace was mounted that stood at the edge of the property until and raspberries, and helping with the harvest a trout taken from nearby Lake Louise, the it burned in 1972. In 1921, Mr. Brooks was of cherries, pears, peaches and apples,” Mr. high ridgeline pond Mr. Veeder named joined by William Hocking, a relative who Hocking’s daughter Joan Hocking Goetjen for his wife. The two bedrooms each con-

8 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 tained built-in bunk beds and a washbasin with running water, but the bathtub and toilets were in the lower level. A 12-by-6- foot open porch featured rustic wooden furniture. Mr. Veeder used the house as a family getaway and entertained friends. Ms. Goetjen remembered them arriving in chauffeur-driven cars and that Mrs. Brooks would do the cooking. During World War II, when U-boats snuck along the coast and people feared Nazi saboteurs, the cabin became a secret safe house for the governor, whose staff was expected to occupy the farm buildings should an attack occur. In 1992, an illegal campfire, burning out of control, destroyed the cabin. The Metacomet Trail goes by the site, now overgrown with brush and small DAVID K. LEFF trees. No evidence of the cabin remains. This plaque at the entrance to Penwood State Park in Bloomfield introduces visitors to the park's donor, I’ve walked Penwood’s trails and roads Curtis Veeder, “a great lover of nature.” and bushwhacked its forest in all kinds of weather. It’s seldom that I fail to feel Mr. tant ridges, it rises almost 600 feet above the “I was absolutely horrified to see how the Veeder’s presence. From a rare photo, I thickly forested and field-patched Farming- lovely place has been neglected, the roof of imagine him tramping through the woods ton Valley, also revealing historic structures the house leaks, the road up the mountain at just past middle age. He’s a slight, dapper on Simsbury’s Hopmeadow Street. Our pic- is almost impossible, the wild flowers have man with rimless glasses and a thick brush nic of cheese, strawberries, chocolate, and completely disappeared while outdoor fire of a mustache looking for wildflowers and wine surely contributed to that romantic places have been built, which with their ad- gazing skyward for birds. Ms. Goetjen de- atmosphere, reprising perhaps the emotions joining garbage cans are horrible eyesores.” scribed him as “a man of foresight . . . an swirling around Curtis and Louise when he Even before seeing Penwood, Mrs. Veeder intelligent man, constantly seeking more proposed to her on this very spot. was not happy with the state and “exceed- knowledge.” He always addressed her uncle Mr. Veeder’s interest in forests and the ingly hurt” that no commemorative entrance as “Brooks” and not by his first name, sug- outdoors was not limited to his own proper- plaque had been erected to memorialize her gesting, perhaps, a patrician air. His friend, husband’s gift. “I . . . wish the property had the legendary early 20th century Connecti- ty. As an active member of the CFPA Board of Directors from 1915 until his death in been sold instead,” she wrote. cut state forester Austin Hawes, noted that In November 1949, the State Park and 1943, serving stints as vice president and Mr. Veeder “loved to explore new areas and Forest Commission ordered a bronze plaque treasurer, he sought to promote parks and frequently took hikes in the State Forests.” from McAdoo Foundry Company in New forests throughout Connecticut. He served The Pinnacle is “a very romantic place,” Britain for $110. It was dedicated in a cer- a decade on the Hartford Park Commission my fiancée, Mary, remarked recently about emony at CFPA’s spring field meeting held and in 1924 was appointed by the governor this bare traprock knob. With a view to dis- at Penwood on June 10, 1950. Still attached to represent the state at the Fourth National to a boulder near the park entrance, it pro- Conference on State Parks. claims Curtis Veeder as donor of the land Penwood State Park and “A Great Lover of Nature.” Fortunately, Mrs. Veeder’s view of the Mr. Veeder was devoted to Penwood. But park changed. In 1954, she wrote to parks the property suffered extensive damage from director Donald Mathews that she was “im- the 1938 hurricane, and it’s said that he was mensely pleased to find so many picnic tables so distressed by the destruction of trees that & benches in all kinds of fascinating spots he could no longer visit his ridgeline retreat. and places and be told by Mr. Brooks that Like many lands donated to the public, big crowds of families came out Saturdays Penwood is not as well maintained as it was and Sundays. It is just what my dear hus- under private ownership. Louise Veeder re- band had wanted to happen.” luctantly visited Penwood State Park at the While picnickers flooded the fields near the DAVID K. LEFF This strange-looking mushroom-shaped drain on urging of friends. In a 1949 letter to CFPA barn on weekends and family picnic suppers the park entrance road was Veeder's design to keep (which she often confused with the State were common on summer weekday evenings water off the narrow driveway. Park and Forest Commission), she wrote, in the 1950s, a couple of buildings near the

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 9 cabin served as a “security cloaked” state civil defense communications center. On the near- by Pinnacle, where the Veeders would hear hermit thrush calls, another kind of surveil- lance was conducted from a 60-foot-tall fire tower. By the late 1960s, both were obsolete and the structures demolished. At about the same time, the crowds began to change at Penwood, and instead of fami- lies, the park was overwhelmed with young partiers. There was loud music, drunken- ness, litter, vandalism, and trespassing on neighboring property, according to current park manager Vincent Messino. A 1971 let- DAVID K. LEFF ter from one neighbor complained of “car- Above, the site of Veeder’s cabin. Right, Veeder’s nival-like activities . . . with a great overload tank gauge in action at a New Hampshire gas on the park’s facilities.” Although there have station. been controversies over snowmobile and Along the beams and at the top of the walls equestrian use, a parachutist got caught in is a frieze depicting various animals, reflect- a tree in 1971, and a mountain biker fell ing Mr. Veeder’s interest in wildlife. Across off the precipice to his death in 1998, to- the grand entrance hall is the library, which day Penwood is a quiet place, the crowds also has oak paneling and an arched brick are gone, and the park is now a hiker’s and fireplace along with those curious cabinets nature lover’s paradise, much as Mr. Veeder bearing zinc-lined drawers that are labeled originally envisioned it. as map cases. What was once the dining Elizabeth Street room houses the society gift shop with a limestone fireplace, dark wood paneling, a Legacy Although Mr. Veeder’s legacy in the hidden cabinet, wooden ceiling beams, and outdoors was carefully planned, his cul- Mr. Veeder’s Hartford factories are gone, a brass-nailed swinging leather door leading tural contribution is serendipitous. The big and the company that bears his name is to a butler’s pantry. Elizabeth Street house became too much tucked away in a suburban-style office park. The basement ballroom is now a rabbit for Mrs. Veeder, and in 1950, she moved Although his name has long slipped from warren of cubicles, and the partially below- to West Hartford, selling her home to the public consciousness, he continues to have grade garage that features chauffeur quarters Connecticut Historical Society, long housed a tangible impact on our landscape. Pen- with a shower and other accommodations in cramped quarters at the Wadsworth Ath- wood State Park and his Elizabeth Street eneum. There’s no evidence that Mr. Veeder has become a storage area. The elevator, home exist for all to explore the outdoors belonged to any historical or cultural institu- with its big spool of wire and sliding bird- and the past. Together they epitomize the tions or had a particular interest in the past, cage door, well represents Mr. Veeder’s me- very essence of Connecticut. Yet it’s not in but he built a substantial structure combin- chanical interests and takes a visitor from the the forests, a building, or inventive artifacts ing elegance and practical intelligence that cellar to the second floor where a long, nar- was intriguing enough to attract those who row hallway opening on small rooms is the that Mr. Veeder so well represents the spirit did. Still, it wasn’t until recently that the so- least renovated portion of the house. This of this place, but in the way in which his ciety realized that the house itself had his- wing retains enamel heaters, a large linen legacy stands at the confluence of nature and toric value and started offering “behind the closet, and common bathroom. Now used culture. Their proximity is the hallmark of scenes” tours for the public. mostly as offices and storage, it was once the our state. Each time we contemplate a walk Though the once meticulously gardened servants’ quarters. in the woods, encounter an object evocative grounds along the Park River have largely Perhaps it’s fitting that the home of a man of our heritage, or top off the gas tank, we been given over to building expansions and who liked to tinker and create practical prod- raise a toast to Curtis Veeder, regardless of parking, and the second floor bedrooms ucts should become a grand repository for whether we remember him. have been reconfigured to accommodate all things Connecticut, from tavern signs to exhibition space, Mr. Veeder’s sense of dig- clocks, silverware, furniture, hand tools, and David K. Leff is a writer based in Collins- nity, proportion, and creative inventiveness the wide variety of manufactured objects that ville and a member of the CFPA Board of are still very much in evidence. Visitors usu- have long made this state known for inventive- Directors. He was deputy commissioner of the ally start in the living room, now a gathering ness and craftsmanship. Curtis Veeder prob- Connecticut Department of Environmental space, which features quarter-sawn oak pan- ably never contemplated such a use for his Protection. Visit Mr. Leff’s website at www. els, a fireplace, and decorative plaster ceiling. house, but it’s unlikely he’d be surprised. davidkleff.com.

10 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 IF THE FOREST IS MANAGED SUSTAINABLY, THE MATURE TREES ARE HARVESTED AND MANUFACTURED INTO WOOD OR PAPER PRODUCTS WHICH CONTINUE TO STORE THE CARBON— AND THE FOREST IS REGENERATED WITH YOUNG TREES THAT ONCE AGAIN BEGIN ABSORBING CO2.

—“Tackle Climate Change—Use Wood” report

KAREN WARD Campbell Grain Building in Pawcatuck, CT. REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS —USE WOOD Sustainable tree growth and using local wood products offer keys to slowing the rate of carbon dioxide emissions

BY GAIL BRACCIDIFERRO MacDONALD in common with the rundown grain storage building. But the old building and the large forest hold potential keys to better forest man- n a weed-choked gravel lot, the old silver-colored grain building agement as the rate of climate change has accelerated. Four years ago, lies vacant. It towers above the nearby railroad, doughnut shop, a report concluded that the key to slowing the rate of carbon dioxide and the once heavily industrial Pawcatuck River on the Connecti- parts per million in the atmosphere lies in growing trees sustainably cut–Rhode Island border. Still known locally as Campbell Grain I and using more local wood products. If that’s true, then both the old for its original use more than a century ago, the building is one of Campbell Grain building and the nearby Yale Myers Forest could be countless industrial age giants in various states of decrepitude that integral to shrinking the state’s carbon footprint. line the state’s waterways. ... More than 50 miles north of Pawcatuck, thick stands of oak, hem- lock, maple, and pine stretch north and east for 12 square miles from A West Haven–based nonprofit worker cooperative is hoping this a slim gravel road in Ashford. The 7,840-acre Yale Myers Forest links fall to begin training a team of military veterans in deconstruction with numerous private and public forests ranging in size from tiny to techniques using the grain storage building as its initial project. An vast, forming the typical leafy and serene landscape of Connecticut’s estimated 200,000 square feet to 500,000 square feet of wood in the “Quiet Corner.” building—from staircases to floor planks to framing—will be disman- The expanse of trees spilling into Massachusetts from the northern tled and “repurposed”—made into other products. At the Yale My- reaches of Tolland and Windham counties might seem to have little ers Forest, graduate forestry students are writing forest management

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 11 BIOFUELS SUCH AS ORGANIC WASTE, WOOD RESIDUES AND AGRICULTURAL FIBER ARE CONSIDERED CARBON NEUTRAL AND ARE NOT COUNTED IN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS CALCULATIONS.

—“Tackle Climate Change—Use Wood” report

plans for nearby private forest landowners. Many Connecticut residents consider them- en, cannot present a strong defense against The plans aim to encourage more sustain- selves green thinkers, but they retain an in- the more frequent, more severe storms the able forestry that in turn will mean increased accurate equation in their heads: that log- state has experienced in recent years. A more carbon sequestration. ging equals bad practice. Not so. “People uniform forest also is less resilient to pest in- Connecticut’s carbon footprint can shrink drive by a logging site and think, ‘Oh, how festations and can’t sequester carbon to its through these two techniques, deconstruc- terrible,’” said Rob Viani of Pomfret, who is full potential, foresters say. tion and sustainable forest management, president of the Eastern Connecticut Forest A sustainably harvested or thinned forest according to Thomas Worthley, an assis- Landowners Association and the Wolf Den will produce more brushy growth and young tant extension professor at the University of Land Trust. “But if they drive by again the forest that grows more quickly. Such a for- Connecticut’s Cooperative Extension who following spring, they’d see all kinds of new est can hold in more carbon. This younger has studied and taught forestry for many growth.” growth has other ecological benefits, such years. “Trees harvested and manufactured Campaigns that spread the word about as serving as “rabbitat” for the dwindling into durable goods double the sequestration the ecological devastation of deforestation numbers of New England cottontails, Mr. time of carbon,” Mr. Worthley says. But he hit a nerve or hit too many nerves. North and other foresters believe that without new America is not losing too many trees. Hous- Barrett said. Making flooring, cabinetry, and public policies and economic incentives, ing and commercial developers have cut pine siding out of older local trees sequesters putting such knowledge into widespread down some forests, but, over time, other more carbon because it prevents those trees practice will take time, even though some forests have sprouted on former agricultural from rotting in the forest and releasing CO2 promising efforts are under way or planned. land. Foresters say that the healthiest forests, that way. “We’ve had tax incentives to keep for- those that sequester the greatest amount of But to manage and make products out of est land forested. But forest management carbon from trees growing most robustly, local forests, the forest owners must know is more or less voluntary.” It is up to the are those that are sustainably managed. about those practices. “How do you get private citizens who own most of the state’s Sustainable management includes selec- people to manage their forests? That is re- forests. Connecticut’s land was open farm- tive harvesting of older trees, using those ally the $64,000 question,” Mr. Barrett said. land a few hundred years ago. When many harvested trees for local building products, The challenge is especially great in Connect- farms stopped operating, the land reverted and aiming for a diverse forest in age of trees icut, where an estimated 80 percent of the to its natural state. When that happened, the and types of habitat provided. forestland is privately owned. trees all grew, more or less, at the same time. “What we have now (in forest land) is like an More Forests, But How to Manage? One project aimed at encouraging bet- unweeded garden,” Mr. Worthley says. “It ter forest management is the Quiet Corner About 58 percent of Connecticut is con- just grew up.” Initiative now in its third year in the north- sidered forest. That percentage has shrunk The 2009 report called “Tackle Climate eastern part of the state. Students at Yale’s during the past two decades, but recent land Change—Use Wood” was a project of the School of Forestry and Environmental Stud- conservation efforts have held it steady. Alex British Columbia (Canada) Forestry Climate ies are working to build a strong network Barrett, forest manager for Yale school for- Change Working Group and the California of private forestland owners. The main out- ests, said Connecticut has one of the highest Forestry Association. The report urged three densities of land trusts in the nation. “We’ve come: student-written forest management actions: done a very good job of conserving the plans for privately owned forestland. P Increase sustainable forestry practices land,” he said. “We’ve written two groups of plans so Once a forest is conserved, however, too far,” Mr. Barrett said. “A long-term goal is P Recycle and “repurpose” older wood often landowners consider their job done. to both write the plans and revisit them.” products An even-aged forest does not present a di- This would allow for follow-up measure- P Burn “woody biomass” for heating versity of habitats and, as trees age and weak- ment of management plan effectiveness.

USING LUMBER AND WOOD FURNITURE STORES CARBON—THOSE ITEMS ARE ABOUT HALF CARBON BY WEIGHT.

—“Tackle Climate Change—Use Wood” report.

12 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 HOW TO USE FORESTS IN AN AGE OF ACCELERATED CLIMATE CHANGE

Given the contention that sustainable and local wood products are keys to dealing with Private School Burns Biomass for Heat climate change, forest experts say Connecticut lawmakers should The Hotchkiss School, an independent boarding secondary school in the Li- tchfield County hills, has a goal to make its 827-acre campus carbon neutral P Teach consumers that buying local wood is within seven years. The school took a leap toward the goal when it completed a as important as eating local food. 16,500-square-foot biomass heating facility in the summer of 2011. Instead of burning some 375,000 gallons of heating oil annually, the facility’s P Offer economic incentives to sustainable heating plant burns wood chips from forests that ar e both local and sustainably forest management managed. The estimated two barrels of ash waste produced weekly by the facility is used to help fertilize the Hotchkiss Farm. Josh Hahn, assistant head of school P Establish an undergraduate forestry degree and director of environmental initiatives, said the school supports local timber at a Connecticut college or university. companies and the cost of wood chips is equivalent to spending 55 cents a gallon P Increase the number of public foresters in on oil. The biomass plant saved them $800,000 in heating costs, Mr. Hahn said. the state. Each of the state’s eight counties had Although the price of heating oil is difficult to predict, given current prices, the field foresters at one time. Today, just three field $14 million biomass facility could pay for itself in five to seven years while also foresters cover the entire state. reducing the campus’ carbon footprint nearly in half. Older wood stoves release too many particulates, but newer stoves meet revised P Encourage public procurement of wood in federal standards. Wood pellets burn hottly, quickly, and more cleanly than logs. public buildings—such as biomass to heat Biomass is a green project that also has economic benefits. That fact motivates prisons or universities and Connecticut timber consumers to switch to biomass stoves, foresters believe. “With the unpredictabil- to furnish public buildings being renovated, for ity of oil prices, it just really makes sense,” Mr. Hahn said. just two examples. From Old Timbers to New Furniture P Make it easier for people to buy Connecti- Christopher Duffy points a flashlight beam toward the century-old planks in cut wood so that local timber producers don’t a dank-smelling, cavernous room inside the Campbell Grain building. He envi- resort to shipping it overseas. sions the chestnut timbers illuminated by his flashlight repurposed as new floors or furniture. The once-prolific hardwood commonly used by local carpenters and P Lure more people to go on educational forest cabinetmakers in the early 1900s is now relatively rare because blight decimated walks and to attend lectures and workshops the chestnut population a century ago. the land trusts and forest groups (such as the Mr. Duffy oversees a workforce training cooperative called Union Rangers, Connecticut Forest & Park Association) offer. which focuses on hiring military veterans. The planned Campbell Grain building P Connect local timber producers with such deconstruction is another example of a project that would produce both economic groups as the Connecticut Homebuilders As- and environmental benefits. Planned deconstruction of old buildings yields wood sociation to use more local wood products in products that will continue to sequester carbon as their useful life is extended as buildings. new flooring, siding, furniture, or mulch. The old wood also can be repurposed as carbon neutral wood chip fuel. Recycling the wood also prevents demolition These suggestions were derived from conversations debris from ending up in already clogged landfills. As for economic benefits, such with Alex Barrett, forest manager, Yale School Forests; projects will create jobs, in this case primarily for underemployed veterans, and Katherine Blake, partnership coordinator, MassConn provide municipalities and landowners with new opportunities for economic de- Sustainable Forest Partnership; Steve Broderick, velopment on formerly blighted sites. forester, CFPA, and program director, Goodwin Forest Mr. Duffy and Mark G. Roberts from Nightingale Cooperative, a New London- Conservation Education Center; Chris Martin, director based worker-owned green industry cooperative, praised state officials responsible of forestry, Connecticut Department of Energy and for making Connecticut the first state to formally recognize deconstruction as an Environmental Protection; Joan Nichols, president, official trade. They hope 15 workers will be trained on the site as the building is Connecticut Timber Producers Association; Ken Sig- deconstructed. Mr. Duffy and Mr. Roberts are hoping to begin work this fall, fridson, owner, Sigfridson Wood Products, Brooklyn; although the project hinges on a state grant that has not been officially awarded. Rob Viani, president, Eastern Connecticut Forest Land- “Wood is a fun product to work with. It can be put to work in so many ways,” owners Association and Wolf Den Land Trust; Thomas Mr. Duffy said. “We’ll take the wood out of the building. We’ll create jobs. People Worthley, assistant extension professor, University of will use the repurposed wood. I’m excited about it.” Connecticut Middlesex County Extension Center. Gail Braccidiferro MacDonald, a longtime reporter from Pawcatuck, teaches jour- nalism at the University of Connecticut.

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 13 FROM THE LAND

BY JEAN CRUM JONES Christmas tree farm, Suffield, Connecticut. he first recorded observa- LIBRARY OF CONGRESS tion of a decorated Christ- mas tree in America was in tries put an even heavier toll on T Windsor Locks, Connecti- the land. One-half of the origi- cut, in 1777. This seems incon- nal timber stands in the United gruous because the predominant States were depleted by 1900. Puritan religion actively discour- President Theodore Roosevelt, aged the celebration of Christ- who took office the next year, mas. Legend has it, though, banned Christmas trees in the that a German Hessian prisoner White House. (His sons, Archie of war named Hendrick Rod- and Quentin, cut a tree from the demore (who had been captured White House grounds and hid it at the Battle of Bennington that in a closet!) August) was working as a farm- Mr. Roosevelt’s head of the new Bureau of Forestry was Gif- hand for Samuel Denslow in CONNECTICUT-GROWN ford Pinchot (who became the Windsor Locks. He cut a small chief forester). Mr. Pinchot knew tree and decorated it. A com- that forests can replenish them- memorative stone marks the selves if seed trees are left stand- location of his cabin at Noden- CHRISTMAS TREES ing. He suggested that Christmas Reed Park in Windsor Locks. trees could be gathered sustain- Throughout the Americas in Cutting Down a Red Cedar ably. He had started to promote the early 1800s, as Germans settled into East the practice of scientific forestry as he had Coast communities, their neighbors from Rural residents could easily find a native seen in Europe, where the forests were well Britain noticed their quaint Christmas tradi- grown tree in their back woodlots. For our tended and still able to produce materials Jones family ancestors, it was usually a red tion of “dressing a German tree” with gin- people needed. gerbread wafers. The publication of a sketch cedar tree. City folks relied on entrepre- of Queen Victoria and her family celebrat- neurs who went out into forests and cut New Methods of Cultivation down wildlings. What quickly distinguished ing Christmas around a bright, candle-lit, By the 1920s, most Americans were put- the American style of Christmas trees from festively decorated evergreen tree in Godey’s ting up Christmas trees in their homes. Most their European counterparts was the size Lady Book magazine in 1850, however, were still being cut from naturally reseeded created a huge stir and started the winds of the tree. Americans favored trees that forests or from abandoned farms and pas- of change. Within a few years, fashionable reached from floor to ceiling. European tures and then transported by rail or water Americans began gracing their homes with trees sat on tabletops. to market. A few pioneers began to consider decorated trees for the Christmas holidays. As the Christmas tree craze spread the idea of Christmas tree farming. Several Availability of beautiful shimmering glass through the last half of the 19th century, of the initial effective efforts were in Penn- ornaments at F. W. Woolworth’s and other entrepreneurs searched farther from cit- sylvania. The Christmas tree entrepreneurs department stores after 1880 accelerated ies and became more ruthless to meet the learned that naturally reseeded wild trees the desire for a holiday tree. By 1900, one growing demand for tees. They showed did not grow into quality Christmas trees, in five American households were setting up little regard for replanting or forest conser- even when shaped. Andrew Abraczinskas, Christmas trees. vation. The fuel, lumber, and paper indus- an immigrant from Lithuania, became in-

14 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 terested in lumber and Christmas trees. The Fairfield County. As there was a shortage of Growing and selling quality Christmas family had settled in the anthracite coal re- Christmas trees, the new suburban neigh- trees is a never-ending quest. Former CFPA gion where Scotch pine was being planted bors asked if they could come to the farm Executive Director John Hibbard helped to transform the ugly scars from mining into and cut down a tree. In 1947, he sold about the fledgling organization starting in 1963 green ridges. He noted that the trees stolen 15 Christmas trees, and a new business idea by serving on the publicity and nominating for Christmas trees were the slower-grow- germinated. While still running the family’s committees for several years. Tree farms in ing, dense trees. The idea of seriously plant- dairy business, he began planting Christmas Connecticut combine Christmas tree grow- ing and culturing trees for Christmas use was tree varieties. ing along with woodlands management. born. In the 1920s, Mr. Abraczinskas began Christmas tree farms have been sites for a Scotch pine plantation on his farm and Cows Sold, Christmas Trees Thrive CFPA field meetings. then developed a technique for shearing the In 1966, my family sold its cows while trees that attracted the attention of univer- our cut-your-own Christmas business pros- Fewer Christmas Tree Farms sity foresters and other tree growers. Today, pered. Now almost 95 years old, Philip has most of the Christmas trees grown in North the pleasure of watching his family tend 200 Around the year 2000, Connecticut had America are pruned into this conical shape, acres of Christmas trees and seeing the third about 500 tree farms and 5,000 acres devoted like an ice cream cone upside down. generation of many original customers still to Christmas tree production. Today fewer Another pioneer, Fred Musser, of Indiana, come to the farm each year to harvest the than 4,000 acres grow these trees, and the Pennsylvania, rapidly expanded the market family’s Christmas tree. number of farms has declined to about 400. for planted Christmas trees by promoting As one of the pioneer Christmas tree The Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers good green color and long-lasting needle farmers in the state, Philip collaborated with Association is concerned about this down- retention. He produced his own seedlings other innovative growers, to establish the ward trend and has begun to offer work- in a nursery, which he expanded for other Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers As- shops for beginning Christmas tree growers. growers. He became a major supplier in the sociation. Floyd Callwald, extension forester Consider the benefits of Christmas tree farm- Northeast. at the University of Connecticut (later presi- ing for Connecticut’s environment. Grow- Another important pioneer in Christmas dent of Connecticut Forest & Park Associa- ing trees can help mitigate climate change. tree farming was President Franklin D. Roo- tion from 1967 to 1975), had been urging sevelt who, as a teenager, had studied for- the growers to form an association in the late Real trees are rooted in the soil that is not est practices in Germany. FDR planted his 1950s to share Christmas tree research and tilled, so they are able to sequester carbon. first plantation of Christmas trees (Norway to furnish information on the production Only 10 percent of a farm’s Christmas trees spruce) in 1926. They were harvested from and marketing of Christmas trees. However, are cut a year, so the air cleaning process of 1936 to 1940 and sold to a chain store food it took a crisis to galvanize the early growers. absorption is constant. Christmas tree farm- company. His plan after retiring from the In early December 1959, the state’s fire mar- ers replant immediately, often at the ratio of presidency was to return to Hyde Park to shal ruled that all places of public assembly two trees for every one tree removed. Christ- further pursue the occupation of Christmas should not use a Christmas tree because of mas tree farms preserve open spaces because tree farming. fire danger. The well-publicized order and they are generally grown on marginal soils By the early 1950s, more than 30 million aggressive enforcement had the effect of not suitable for other profitable agricultural Christmas trees were being grown in the alarming the state’s citizens about Christmas uses. and Canada. My father-in- tree fires. In actuality, the Christmas tree re- And as I can readily attest, tree farms are law, Philip H. Jones Jr., was inspired in the tailers that season got “burned.” The tragic homes for many species of birds and other 1930s to plant trees. He was a teenager. The fire at the Niles Street Convalescent Hospi- wildlife as well as habitat for native vegeta- United States was still recovering from the tal in Hartford, where 21 patients died on Dust Bowl years, and as part of a 4-H proj- Christmas Eve of 1945, was often cited as tion and bees. Local Christmas trees are the ect, he began planting evergreens around evidence that Christmas trees were danger- best environmental and economic choice for the boundaries of the family’s dairy farm in ous. (Analysis of the tragedy revealed mul- communities, environmental groups now Shelton. He enjoyed working with trees, so tiple problems, only one being the extremely are saying. Some community-supported- he decided he wanted to grow trees to have dry Christmas tree.) agriculture farms include Christmas trees as a sawmill and shingle mill. Philip went to the In 1960, a dozen Christmas tree growers part of a special holiday winter pickup. Year- Bartlett Tree School, and after the hurricane met with the state fire marshal and deputies. round farmers’ markets are encouraging the of 1938, he spent two years clearing up tree They worked out a kindlier set of rules. Arti- participation of local Christmas tree grow- debris on Long Island and around New Ha- ficial lights were banned from public display ers. Christmas tree farms have been a benefi- ven. During World War II, he was required trees, and freshly cut Connecticut trees in a cial component of Connecticut’s landscape, to stay on the farm to produce food for container of water would be used. Archibald health, and economy as well as being places the war effort. He continued to plant pines Hurford, executive secretary of CFPA from of many happy family memories. and spruce on the rocky soil patches of the 1952 to 1963, facilitated the meeting. In farm. After the war, Philip began his shingle June 1960, the Connecticut Christmas Tree Jean Crum Jones works with her family run- business, which did well as the Cape Cod Growers Association incorporated with 149 ning the Jones Family Farms and Jones Win- house suburban movement spread through charter members. ery in Shelton. She is a registered dietician.

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 15 CONNECTICUT FOREST & PARK ASSOCIATION HISTORIC MILESTONES CONSERVATION PROGRAMS

1895 Connecticut Forestry Association founded in the Weatogue section of Simsbury, Connecticut, on CFPA December 30, 1895, at the residence of Reverend CONSERVATION ADVOCACY Horace Winslow. Every year since 1897, CFPA has provided legislators with an 1901 Facilitated establishment of the first state forester position Agenda for Connecticut’s Land and People. CFPA’s advocacy in the nation. priorities have included securing adequate resources for the 1901 Initiated a state forest acquisition policy, making Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protec- Connecticut the first state in the nation able to acquire tion to manage state parks and forests; support the preservation of land for state forests. working forests and agricultural lands; and lead efforts to secure 1903 Encouraged the acquisition of the Portland (now National Scenic Trail designation and ongoing support for the Meshomasic) State Forest, the first state forest in New England Trail. New England. 1905 Secured enactment of the Connecticut Forest Fire Law, BLUE-BLAZED HIKING TRAILS the first such law in New England. The Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System, established in 1929, is one 1913 Secured enactment of the 10-Mill Law, the first of CFPA’s most visible and lasting contributions to recreation. reducing taxation on land committed to forestry. The Blue Trails total more than 825 miles in 88 towns. The 1920 Envisioned, acquired, and donated infrastructure for managing this massive area consists of CFPA’s to the state of Connecticut. trail stewardship director, the CFPA Trails Committee, and more 1921 Secured enactment of a bill authorizing state purchase than 100 volunteer trail managers who through work parties and of the first 100,000 acres of forest. ongoing maintenance activities donate more than 15,000 hours 1923 Secured enactment of a bill requiring spark arrestors on of volunteer time each year. railroad locomotives. 1928 Became incorporated as Connecticut Forest & Park ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION Association. Three elements make up CFPA’s Environmental Education 1929 Established the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System. program: (1) CFPA co-sponsors the nationally acclaimed Project The was the first. Learning Tree (PLT) Program and offers hands-on professional 1930 Established the prototype for the Civilian Conservation development workshops for teachers and non-formal educators Corps at Peoples State Forest. on forests and related natural resources topics; (2) The James L. 1936 Published the first issue of Connecticut Woodlands Goodwin Forest Conservation Education Center in Hampton magazine. features native plant wildlife gardens, an 80-acre demonstra- 1937 Published the first volume of theConnecticut Walk tion forest, a museum, hiking trails, and a classroom to provide Book. forestry, wildlife, and general conservation education programs 1963 Secured enactment of Public Act 490, the first law in for youth and adults; and (3) CFPA has long been known the nation to allow forests, farms, and open space to be for its conservation-themed publications such as Connecticut taxed based upon use rather than development value. Woodlands (published since 1936), the Connecticut Walk Books 1971 Secured enactment of the Landowner Liability Law to (published since 1937), and Forest Trees of Connecticut (recently

CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY | FALL 2013 | FALL THE COMMUNITY IN CFPA protect landowners hosting trails. republished in 2012). 1986 Established the James L. Goodwin Forest & Park Center in Middlefield. LAND CONSERVATION 1986 Coordinated Project Learning Tree in Connecticut. Over the past 100 years, CFPA has been instrumental in the 1991 Secured enactment of the Connecticut Forest Practices acquisition of more than 100 state parks and forests for public Act. use and enjoyment. CFPA owns properties or holds conserva- 1993 Began as Connecticut coordinator of National tion restrictions on approximately 2,000 acres. The conservation Trails Day, the American Hiking Society’s initiative. priorities for the program are in lands associated with working Connecticut Trails Day features more hikes than any other state. forests and/or hiking trails. 2002 Secured enactment of the Metacomet-Monadnock- Mattabesett Trail Study Act of 2002, directing the WalkCT to study the feasibility of making Describing 130 walks and growing, CFPA’s WalkCT.org website these trails a National Scenic Trail. provides information on places to walk throughout Connecticut. 2009 The federal government designated the 220-mile-long CFPA sponsors free WalkCT Family Rambles. Volunteer leaders MMM Trail in Connecticut and Massachusetts as a are trained to connect families to the outdoors with fun, engag- National Scenic Trail, called the New England Trail. ing, family-friendly walks every month of the year. 2011 Led efforts to amend the state Landowner Liability Law to restore liability protection to municipalities on Visit ctwoodlands.org for more information recreational lands. on CFPA programs and activities.

16 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013

ONNECTICUT FOREST & PARK ASSOCIATION’S JEFF LOUREIRO is volunteer Board of Directors members are the president and CEO of guardians of CFPA’s conservation mission and Loureiro Engineering Cleading ambassadors for CFPA in the community. Associates Inc., a group In June, CFPA welcomed three new talented board of engineering, con- members to its ranks and said farewell to a wonderful struction, waste man- veteran of its board who, fortunately, will continue to agement and property contribute to Connecticut Woodlands magazine and be development companies a dedicated friend. headquartered in Plain- ville. In this role, Jeff is THOMAS DEGNAN responsible for leading graduated from Uni- the development, and versity of Massachu- implementation of the setts, Amherst with a strategic plan for contin- bachelor of science in ued growth and profit- Forest Management ability of the business; in 1991. Tom worked ensuring an efficient as a private consulting organizational structure; and fostering a culture that forester and arborist in reflects Loureiro’s core values of integrity, client satis- Connecticut and Mas- faction, work environment, quality, safety and health, sachusetts for 15 years, and sustainability. Jeff earned a B.S. in civil engineering CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY | FALL 2013 serving municipalities, from Northeastern University in 1978, is a licensed pro- conservation groups, fessional engineer in Connecticut and is a licensed en- fish and game clubs, vironmental professional in Connecticut. He currently and private landown- serves on the Board of Examiners of Environmental Pro- ers. He has also served fessionals, appointed by then-Governor John Rowland as auditor and certi- in March 2000, and is currently chairman of the Board fication forester for Smartwood, working with forestry of Trustees of the Wheeler Clinic having served on the and lumber companies throughout the Northeast. Since board for more than 10 years. Jeff lives in Canton with 2006, Tom has been with Burns & McDonnell, an engi- his wife, Sheryl, and their four children. neering, environmental, and construction management firm in Wallingford as a senior environmental scientist. JEAN CRUM JONES

CFPA BOARD MEMBERS BOARD CFPA Tom also serves as the tree warden in Old Lyme, where is retiring from CFPA’s for eight years he chaired the Inland Wetlands Com- board after serving mission. Tom also serves on the Board of Managers for with distinction since Connwood Foresters, Inc. 1998. Her passion has been supporting the MIRANDA MICHIYO education mission of LINSKY has been CFPA. Jean manages, the coordinator of with her family, Jones WesCFPA, CFPA’s Family Farms, a seven- affinity group at Wes- generation hospitality leyan University, for farm in Shelton. More the past two years. She than 200 acres of the expects to graduate in farm are devoted to 2014 as an East Asian Christmas trees and studies major with a woods. Jean earned a

MEET THE concentration in lan- master’s degree in public health from Yale University guage, literature, and and a bachelor of science from the University of New film. She coordinates Hampshire. She is a registered dietitian and operates the the Outreach Program farm’s Harvest Kitchen cooking studio, where guests at the East Asian Cen- learn healthy approaches to eating. She will continue her ter and works at the column, “From the Land,” in Connecticut Woodlands Center for the Arts. magazine. Jean recently was appointed an honorary She plays on the Varsity Squash Team and in her free director of CFPA. time likes to take photographs. She was born and raised in Hawaii and has also spent time in Taiwan.

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 17 TRY THIS HIKE THE SAUGATUCK TRAIL Enjoy pristine woods, water views, and wildlife in Centennial Watershed State Forest

BY DIANE FRIEND EDWARDS

n a warm day in late July, it was a good thing I had chosen a relatively short hike. My friend Donna Potwin and I O set off at 10 a.m. on a stretch of the Saugatuck Trail in Weston. We finished the 4.8-mile roundtrip four hours later. No, the hike wasn’t hard; it was easy to moderate in difficulty. We simply enjoyed savoring the pristine woodlands in Centennial Watershed State Forest, home to the Saugatuck Trail. The trail parallels the southern, western, and northern shorelines of the Saugatuck Reser- voir in Redding and Weston. As trained master wildlife conservation- ists, Donna and I both see the woods as a place to hike and as a habitat where every rock, log, and stream might reveal a critter or two. We felt like two kids at a candy coun- ter pointing at all the “goodies” we found: Three green frogs plopped into brooks at the sound of our approach and peered up at us through the water. A chipmunk kept popping in and out from behind a log, as if torn between caution and curiosity. Wood peewees, vireos, and great crested flycatchers

A hiker navigates the beautiful fern ground on the Saugatuck Trail. DIANE FRIEND EDWARDS

18 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 sang out (Donna was the one with the birding ear). A woodpecker tap-tap- tapped into a tree. A robin flitted among the branches. Two swallowtail butterflies skittered along the muddy shore of the reservoir before wafting WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE away. A red-tailed hawk flapped across the water, then soared off over the HIKING THE SAUGATUCK TRAIL forest. The flora—including triple-trunked trees, lush ferns, velvety moss, and The Connecticut Forest & Park Association Trails many mushrooms—also kept our rapt attention. Committee adopted the Saugatuck Trail as a Blue- The Hike Blazed Hiking Trail in 2005. Nearly the entire trail We hiked enough lies within Centennial Watershed State Forest, uphills and down- Connecticut’s newest state forest. Centennial re- hills to provide a mild sulted from a partnership formed in 2002 among the workout that wasn’t state Department of Environmental Protection (now too taxing on a hu- Energy and Environmental Protection), the Kelda mid day. We hiked Group and its Aquarion and Bridgeport Hydraulic in the summer, but in fall the trail should Company subsidiaries, and The Nature Conser- be especially pretty vancy to preserve more than 15,000 acres of water because the maples, oaks, birches, beeches, shagbark hickories, and sassa- utility land as open space. The watershed protects fras are turning color. If you hike there after the foliage has fallen, you’ll the water quality of the Saugatuck, Far Mill, and have wonderful views of the reservoir. Even in midsummer, we enjoyed one West Pequonnock reservoirs, which supply drink- good view and several others partially obscured by leaves. ing water to Greater Bridgeport. The blue-blazed Saugatuck Trail is 6.9 miles long, from Redding in the north to Weston in the south. Ten parking areas spaced out along the trail To keep the area waters pristine, you should know give you many options. To hike the whole trail, you would no doubt want some important requirements before heading off to spot a car at each end. Donna and I didn’t want to do that, though, on this hike. Among other requirements: because we live near each other, about an hour’s drive from the hike. So we took one car to the southernmost parking lot, on Davis Hill Road in P You must carry a trail-use permit. A trail map Weston, hiked 2.4 miles up the trail, and then turned around. serves as the permit. The map is available in Along the way, we walked over footbridges or stepped on rocks to cross the Connecticut Walk Book West (Connecticut small streams or wetlands. We passed through openings in stone walls, mus- Forest & Park Association) or as a free down- ing about the backbreaking work it must have taken to build them. After load from the Aquarion Web site (aquarion. crossing Godfrey Road, we saw a steep, boulder-strewn hillside directly com; click on “Connecticut,” “Recreation,” ahead of us. Fortunately, the trail veered left, taking a roundabout route to and then on “Trail Use”) or the Connecticut the top of the hill. At Valley Forge Road, we followed the blue blazes to the right, walking DEEP Web site (ct.gov/deep; click on “Outdoor along the road a short distance, then back into the woods. Right after that, Recreation,” and then on “Maps, state park and the trail traversed a shallow stream a few dozen feet from where it trickled forest recreational areas, hiking and camping into the reservoir. We sat on rocks there to enjoy our lunch and the great maps.”) view of the water. We continued past a rock promontory that in late fall should offer a fabu- P Pets and horses are prohibited. lous view of the reservoir and the surrounding forest. When we reached a P Bow hunting is permitted in the forest surround- blue-blazed spur trail at the 2.4-mile mark, we turned back and retraced ing the Saugatuck Trail from September 16 our steps to the car. through December 31, 2013. If you hike dur- Directions to Davis Hill Road Parking Area ing that time, wear blaze orange or hike on a From the intersection of Routes 57 and 53 in Weston, drive north on Sunday, when hunting is banned. Route 53 for 3.5 miles. Turn right onto Valley Forge Road. Go 1.8 miles, P A small section near the northern end of the then turn right onto Davis Hill Road. The trailhead and parking are about 500 feet up the road, on the right. trail is closed February through July to protect For other trailhead parking areas, see the Connecticut Walk Book West or nesting goshawks. the trail maps. Diane Friend Edwards is a writer, photographer, and lifelong lover of the outdoors. She lives in Harwinton with her husband, Paul. FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 19 FORESTER’S NOTES

CHRIS DONNELLY Steve Hladun, the Bridgeport parks department’s special projects coordinator, inspects the baffling vandalism done to several London plane trees along the walkway at St. Mary’s by the Sea. THE BRIDGEPORT CHAIN SAW MASSACRE Vicious attack, motivations unclear. An urban forester assesses the evidence

BY CHRIS DONNELLY ANYONE WHO KNOWS A LITTLE BIT planted London planetree that had snapped off during the storm. What caught their at- t was a dark and stormy night. So begins ABOUT TREES KNOWS THAT GIRDLING tention, however, was that the storm alone a rather sad story of tree vandalism in A TREE IN THIS MANNER OFTEN SPELLS was not responsible for this tree’s failure. Bridgeport that is also a story of tree re- THE DEATH OF THAT TREE. KILLING THESE They were astonished to see that this tree, Isilience, people stepping forward to help and 14 others along the walkway, had been trees, and, ultimately, survival as a natural TREES WAS APPARENTLY THE INTENT OF cut partly through by a chain saw. Someone force. But, we need to start at the beginning. THE PERSON WHO DID THIS. had run a chain saw completely around the On March 13, 2010, a severe wind and trunks of these trees, about 2½ to 3½ feet rainstorm hit southwestern Connecticut, off the ground, and an inch or so into the a seawall that runs from Ash Creek to Black Westchester County, and Staten Island. In wood of the tree. Anyone who knows a little Rock Harbor. It is a distance of about six- lower Fairfield County, many trees fell. The bit about trees knows that girdling a tree in tenths of a mile, often full of walkers, jog- damage was significant and extensive. Clean- this manner often spells the death of that up went on for days. gers, people fishing, or others just sitting tree. Killing these trees was apparently the During the cleanup operations, the tree and enjoying the scenery, especially in the intent of the person who did this. crew from the City of Bridgeport worked summertime, when most of the walk is shad- Altogether, 15 of the 18 trees on the west- its way through the Black Rock section of ed by several mature London planetrees. ern half of the walk were attacked. The trees the city, adjacent to Fairfield. St. Mary’s by During the cleanup, as the crew mem- ranged in size from 5 inches in diameter at the Sea is in Black Rock. St. Mary’s, as most bers moved along the roadway adjacent to breast height to 23 inches dbh. Because one people know it, is a beautiful sidewalk along the sidewalk, they came across one recently of the smaller trees had already snapped, the

20 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 4 remaining smallest, all less than 9 inches They suggested waiting and allowing nature in diameter, were removed, leaving 10 dam- and the trees to respond. aged trees and 3 undamaged. The decision was left in the hands of Steve No one knows what actually happened, Hladun, special projects coordinator for but the likely scenario is fairly bizarre. Neigh- Bridgeport’s Department of Parks and Rec- bors report hearing a chain saw about 11:30 reation. Mr. Hladun consulted Dick Jaynes, p.m. during the height of the storm, when owner of Broken Arrow Nursery, and Jeff that section of the city was blacked out. At Ward, station forester at the Connecticut the time, no one thought much of hearing Agricultural Experiment Station. Both ad- a chain saw because trees had been coming vised that the damage was too extensive. If down all over the place. High tide was at 11 the trees were to survive, they had to make p.m., and peak gusts from the storm were re- it on their own. Mr. Jaynes did suggest put- ported in Bridgeport at 60 mph. The scene ting duct tape over the wounds, as moist air along the seawall must have been harrow- ing, with the wind blowing and huge waves around the cut ends of the bark might en- crashing over the wall onto the adjacent courage callus growth from the bark, and so street, where sand, shells, and seaweed could the trees could then survive by reconnecting be seen for all of the following week. themselves—if they could live that long. Whoever did this to these trees chose the The Outcome cover of darkness and of a tremendous storm to undertake this well-planned and deeply I have kept close watch on these trees dur- malicious attack. ing the intervening three years. Nine of the 10 trees that were left standing are still sur- The Response viving. For several, their vigor is surprising Word of the damage spread fast. The and impressive. A quick inspection of those Black Rock Garden Club began raising crowns would not indicate at all the severe money for a reward for finding the perpe- trauma they suffered. Others are not doing trator, and soon had more than a thousand as well. Superstorm Sandy was not nice to dollars to offer. The mayor, Bill Finch, these trees, and probably contributed to the condemned the vandalism in the strongest death of the one that did not make it. possible terms and ordered the police to in- This story of survival is a powerful story. vestigate. Passersby lamented the damage Trees and people are inextricably linked, es- caused, and one local artist wrote poems pecially in cities. Despite the outrageous ac- that were placed on stakes in front of each of tion of one individual, all but one of these the trees. Theories,as to the who, what, and why, abounded. Sadly, during the past three trees are still alive today. They became the years, no perpetrator has yet been found. focus of a great deal of positive energy and The vandalism also brought forward many good will, as people became aware of just tree experts from throughout the state. Sci- how important these trees are to them. At entists, arborists, and foresters all volun- the time of the immediate aftermath, ap- teered their time and expertise to help save preciation of trees had probably never been these trees. The hope was that somehow higher. People could readily see that we the trees would be reconnected across the need to have healthy trees if we ourselves are girdle. This would allow the phloem tissue to survive and to live as we want to live. within the inner bark of the trees to rejoin, In the end, however, it was the trees’ own and each tree to carry sugars from its crown life force, the tree’s intrinsic ability to over- down to the roots, as is essential to keep a come, that has allowed the trees to survive. tree alive. Several arborists suggested bridge In turn, these trees continue to support the grafts, in which a twig is grafted across the buzz and energy of so much human activity girdled bark, one end below the girdle along the St. Mary’s by the Sea walkway— and one above, providing the lost connec- CHRIS DONNELLY which is still one of Bridgeport’s most pleas- tion through the twig. Many foresters had Following the attack with the chainsaw, duct ant and active spots. themselves girdled undesired trees as part of tape helped the trees to send up shoots. But it is the growth of new tissue from the inner bark a timber stand improvement operation and Chris Donnelly is an urban forester for the that is saving these trees. so knew that girdling often does not work. state of Connecticut.

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 21 BOOK REVIEWS

A JOHN STEINBECK-LIKE TAKE ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL CULTURE

Stumbling Thru: Hike Your Own page book, we learn why Walter/Bartleby is Hike (Book One) hiking the trail, and it is an interesting story. But then we lose track of him for a while. By A. Digger Stolz. Follyworks Publishing, Walter resurfaces much later, and he has LLC, 2013 transformed some after making it that far, BY ROBERT M. RICARD suggesting Mr. Stolz is setting the reader up for book number two. We do follow and The Appalachian National Scenic Trail learn more about Bawdy and Flutterby and (generally known as the Appalachian Trail a bit about all the other characters Mr. Stolz or AT) seems to be the gold standard of wishes us to know. trail systems in the United States. “Thru- I am not a hiker. I prefer the challenges hikers”—hikers who make the approximate- of rivers and surf. (And deer flies don’t ly 2,200 miles from Springer Mountain in snorkel.) So I have not experienced the Georgia to Katahdin in Maine (or reversed) AT, but I appreciated the rich narrative in in a single season—are the trail’s rock stars. Stumbling Thru. I enjoyed the many char- Outdoor adventure literature has morphed acters (I counted 26, and I am sure I missed and blossomed dramatically the past two de- a bunch). I did, though, become lost and cades. Most of it is wrapped around survival confused often with so many characters in and survivor narrative, often about search this menagerie and with real and trail names. and rescue with many tales of mishaps and I would have preferred that a select few body retrievals. The modern outdoor litera- characters were better developed, notably ture is not so much a descendent of Henry also is fascinated by the ridiculousness of trail Bartleby, Flutterby, and Bawdy. I wanted to David Thoreau and John Muir. It is more life—and he describes it well. That is the best care about them more than I did for Walter. akin to James Fenimore Cooper and The What I enjoyed most is Mr. Stolz’s abil- aspect of his book. Leatherstocking Tales, filled with risk, ro- ity to use multiple senses to help the reader The book’s protagonist is Walter. “Noth- mance, and rewards. experience the AT. I assume this is because ing. Walter felt nothing,” is our introduc- Digger Stolz’s book is different. Very dif- as a thru-hiker, you are mostly alone and so tion to Walter and the book. He is out-of- ferent. This book is more John Steinbeck all your senses are more fully engaged. He shape, ill prepared, and not wanting his wife than Jon Krakauer; more Cannery Row than creates great images with sound: “Walter to dump him off at the trail in Georgia. This Into Thin Air. Walking the AT is mostly heard the spring-slap of an outhouse door grabs our attention. about endurance and fortitude rather than whinging closed.” Who doesn’t remember We then follow Walter’s hike for a while high risk (some stretches of the AT are dan- this sound from campgrounds and summer as Mr. Stolz introduces hiker after hiker (all gerous, especially in foul weather); risk does camp? And the visual: “He was spindly thin, have some quirk or quirkiness) to us first by not seem to be a prime thru-hiker motive. grayed over and weatherworn. Like how means of Walter but for the most part in- Mr. Stolz’s book reflects this. teak patio furniture gets after being left out- dependent of him. We learn of how scary The book is a work of fiction yet often side for a few winters.” the start of a thru-hike is through Walter’s reads like nonfiction. It is also something of This is the first book (part one) of what eyes. Walter encounters hiker after hiker a memoir and first-person narrative (“write might become (I am unaware of specific fu- and learns their “trail names” mostly, rarely what you know”). Mr. Stolz deftly tells what ture publishing plans) of a series of books. it takes to make it on the trail regarding best their real names. A second primary charac- Mr. Stolz’s first book is likely to be most clothes, best gear, planning, and prepara- ter is introduced—“A silky blonde pony-tail enjoyed by hikers who have thru-hiked and tion; something you would find in many AT bobbed along in her wake”—and we learn who dream of thru-hiking the AT. Some trail guides and hiking/wilderness manuals. more about her (“Flutterby”) later (“tan- readers may simply enjoy (I did) the Stein- (He should know. He thru-hiked in 1999 ning away her ring finger”). After watching beck nature of the character development. and has spent some months on long-dis- hiker after hiker, Walter is struck by the im- It is certainly a good and fun read for Con- tance treks since.) Only about 10 percent of age of “Romero’s old school zombies,” and necticut’s hikers. people attempting to thru-hike make it all meets a third primary character, Jack—trail Robert M. Ricard is a senior extension educa- the way. name “Bawdy” chosen for him by Wal- tor for the University of Connecticut Coopera- The best part are the many stories of what, ter, now called “Bartleby” (a name Bawdy tive Extension. first, drives a person to thru-hike, and then, chose). what makes a person succeed at it. Mr. Stolz By the end of the first third of the 263-

22 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 FINDING INSPIRATION IN A PATIENT NATURALIST’S NEW ENGLAND In the Company of Light Beston’s The Outer- the life cycles of terns out on the ocean’s edge. most House (Selwyn Describing the swallows nesting in his barn By John Hay. Beacon Press, 1999 & Blount, 1928); from the essay, “Tern Island”: BY SCOTT GRAY they all share an I am always surprised, no matter how ability to capture the many times it has been repeated, by the The essays in John Hay’s In the Company essence of the prim- shortness and intensity of a season of nest- of Light were published years ago, and they itive, natural aspects ing birds. Courting, nesting, brooding, and touch on natural sites in Massachusetts, New of what was once an rearing chicks is accomplished with such Hampshire, and Maine, but I find many undeveloped and dispatch, flying through all accidents and di- strong connections between Mr. Hay’s ideas wild North Atlantic sasters. But the swallows’ performance dur- and the forests, waterways, beaches, and es- shoreline. ing this vital season is never hasty. Theirs is tuaries of Connecticut. We can embrace Mr. Mr. Hay co- a ceremonial with an earth experience and Hay’s thoughts, images, controversies, and founded the Cape Cod Museum of Natural rhythmic consistency behind it. When the experiences with equal intensity. History in his hometown of Brewster and swallows leave, they carry the great principals Mr. Hay (1915–2011) was one of New served as its president for 25 years. Peter Mat- of space on their wings. England’s premier public naturalists and writ- thiessen and Annie Dillard praised him for ers and published In the Company of Light this work. Robert Finch noted, “Mr. Hay is At various locations both along the Maine coast when he was 83. This became his last released an observer of what most of us don’t see—he and Cape Cod, Mr. Hay captures the magical es- book of essays, followed by Mind the Gap, a shares well-honed insights from the wisdom sence of patiently following the ebb and flow of memoir of his life, released in 2004. of age.” tide, the sweep of shorebirds, and the ever-chang- Over a 50-year span, Mr. Hay wrote 18 In the Company of Light takes the reader ing sky and seascape. He goes beyond mere obser- books, winning the John Burroughs Prize in from the shores of Cape Cod, to the forests and vation to fully immerse himself in the richness and 1963 for The Great Beach (Doubleday, 1963). lakes of New Hampshire, as well as to Downeast vastness of the connection. That collection of essays on Cape Cod is often Maine, where several essays focus on birds. Mr. Mr. Hay grew up in New York City, the ranked among classics such as Thoreau’s Cape Hay observes barn swallows through their an- son of an American Museum of Natural His- Cod (Houghton, Mifflin, 1893) and Henry nual rituals as they raise their young and follows tory archeologist, spending summers at Lake

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Fall 2010 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 15 Sunapee, New Hampshire. In the essay “The At the source of the stream, he encounters a gazing experiences, the work of beavers, and Source of the Brook,” Mr. Hay returns to that large tract of land under development. The top migrating birds and fish. A theme threaded lake and traces the course of a mountain brook of the hill was shaved of its trees, scarred with throughout examines how human population near his grandparents’ cottage. Bringing us wide access roads leading to excessively large affects our ever-changing landscape. along from the lake shore through a wooded summer homes under construction. Mr. Hay But Mr. Hay always seems to be drawn back to the ocean. He accurately evokes that hillside, Mr. Hay shares his detailed observa- speaks cautiously of unchecked development atavistic stir we all feel, but can’t always de- tions of the flora and fauna, historical aspects and growth, of the disregard for and uprooting of local people, animals and places. He believes scribe, when we sit and quietly contemplate of the landscape, and his reminiscent thoughts: we humans are at our best when connected to life at the edge of the sea. Mr. Hay succeeds I once peered in at an early age and sensed nature on an intimate and daily basis, allowing where we often stumble. the magic in that brook, but I was never fully that these connections affect our lives in ways Scott Gray calls home a snug log cabin overlook- aware of how much promise it carried with we can’t quite understand or explain. ing Spring Lake in Wallingford. He and his it. This time, I remembered my father, a sen- Within In the Company of Light, other wife are retired and volunteer as trail manag- sitive and generous man, who knew that we essays touch upon such topics as biolumi- ers for the Connecticut Forest & Park Associa- can never tell the land what it is meant to nescence found both on land and in water, tion and stewards of Wallingford’s Tyler Mill contain; you have to wait for it to tell you. intimate tree and fungal relationships, star- Conservation property.

RARE BOOK ON CONNECTICUT’S GEOLOGICAL MARVELS Trap Rock Ridges of Connecticut: Connecticut state law gives further protection. the surfaces of the trap rock ridges and Natural History & Land Use This research bulletin, which languished left behind sediments, or till. Connecticut in state offices for a decade until the Con- highways offer the amazing sights of these By Penelope C. Sharp with Ralph S. Lewis, David necticut College Arboretum got involved, tilted layers and the steep cliffs overlooking L. Wagner, and Cara Lee. Connecticut College Ar- joins important work environmental man- flat valleys. It’s a wonder people can stay on boretum and Connecticut Department of Energy ager Cara Lee compiled in West Rock to the the road. As Mr. Lewis explains, the ridges’ and Environmental Protection, 2013 Barndoor Hills (State of Connecticut, 1985) asymmetrical shapes, the steep slopes with BY CHRISTINE WOODSIDE with summaries for the layperson of perti- loose talus (rock debris) below, and the sedi- nent data gleaned from wider-range taxo- ments on top create unique natural commu- The trap rock ridges of Connecticut rep- nomic surveys. Penelope C. Sharp, a private nities. The rock itself, he adds, is high in resent a string of small hills stretching from natural resources consultant, wrote most of iron, which makes the soils in this region the coast of Long Island Sound to the state’s the 57-page volume. Former Connecticut basic (with a high pH). The rock also is very northern border. Each hill is a freestanding State Geologist Ralph S. Lewis explains the high in minerals. Ms. Sharp notes that most hump (to put it unscientifically), with a violent past of glaciers and volcanic activ- of the endangered, threatened, or “species west-facing cliff and a very gradual incline ity that pushed the hills into position. The of special concern” plants and animals in facing east. Because the trap rock ridges rise section on insects is by David L. Wagner, Connecticut are those living on the edges of less than 1,000 feet above sea level and over- professor of ecology and evolutionary biol- their normal ranges. Northern species at this look interstate highways and cities, many ogy at the University of Connecticut. Their southern end of their ranges rely on the trap people don’t notice them. The authors of a collaboration begs the question: Shouldn’t rock ridges because the ridges provide cold- new bulletin, Trap Rock Ridges of Connecti- scientists spend more time on these amaz- er climates beneath the cliffs. Warmer spe- cut, contend that these ridges, which harbor ing, if small, natural communities? The trap cies find refuge in the ridges, too, because threatened animals and plants, remain vastly rock ridges so far have inspired few separate as a whole, these massifs hold heat. The two undervalued as habitat in southern New scientific studies, but this book could push microclimates on the ridges, plus the high- England. others to do more. pH limestone soils, increase species diversity. Most of the ridges remain in private hands. The ridges are nothing short of incred- Therefore, the gentler eastern slopes pro- Development threatens from all sides. Quar- ible. They line the state’s Central Valley. vide moist forestland, where sugar maples ries still remove 7,000 metric tons of stone, About 250 million years ago, continental (Acer saccharum), Dutchman’s breeches crushing it for mostly local roadbeds and rifting (tearing apart) that followed con- (Dicentra cucullaria) and spring beauty foundations. But more than a hundred miles tinental collisions of earlier epochs caused (Claytonia virginica) thrive. In the cracks of of hiking trails allow access to these beautiful blocks of rock to drop lower than surround- the steep western cliffs, Canada (red) colum- hills, which provide long views and a refuge ing regions, creating some of the trap rock bine (Aquilegia canadensis), lives. On the from the nearby road noise. During the past hills. Other ridges formed from lava flows, west-facing talus slopes, so-called because decade and a half, some of the ridge town which created layers of rock, which then blocks of basalt shade the soil, northern officials have passed zoning rules that forbid tilted to the side when other rocks crashed certain actions or building on the ridges. A into the layers. Later, glacial ice smoothed continued on page 28

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WINTER 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 25 Fall 2010 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 21 OBITUARIES EDITOR’S NOTE continued from page 5

would stand up at the annual trail workers’ din- KATHARINE TRUMAN SMITH COLEY ner and announce, “As usual, we got lost on Katharine Truman Smith Coley, 89, who was known as Kätchen, our own trail this year.” died on August 19, 2013 of pancreatic cancer at her home in Mid- Therefore, one of our first projects was de- dletown. She had lived in Middleteown since 1955. Mrs. Coley was signing a trail sign for Old Burn Crossing. The an ardent conservationist and environmental activist. She worked Sign Subcommittee of the CFPA Trails Com- with many Connecticut organizations, including the Connecticut mittee made the signs and procured the posts. Forest & Park Association, as an environmental advocate, and she Nat and I grabbed our friend Skip Weisenburg- participated in efforts to preserve large swaths of open space in Mid- er, and the three of us spent an afternoon dig- dletown and elsewhere. She, along with others, spearheaded the preservation of the ging a deep hole and installing the sign, which Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate, a Middletown landmark, and served on its has saved (I hope) a lot of people from getting Parkland Committee. She had an active role as conservation chair of the Middletown lost at the intersection of the Mattabesett and Garden Club, and she served on the Middletown Conservation Commission, and the Reservoir Loop trails in Middletown. Steering Committee of the Connecticut Land Conservation Council. When hikers get lost today, they tend to Mrs. Coley was the co-founder, in 1972, of The Connection, one of Connecticut’s write about it on trail blogs. If they go out be- most successful social-service agencies, and the former wife of William Coley, Wesleyan fore I’ve cut back brush that season, they post University professor emeritus in English. remarks like, “The trail is a bit overgrown, so She was born on May 15, 1924, in New York, the daughter of U.S. Army Col. you might have to search a bit.” Truman Smith and Katharine Alling Hollister Smith. Her mother had returned to the Or this one, from hikethegiant.blogspot. United States from Germany after her father’s first posting there. She attended U.S com, in 2011: “If you’ve ever hiked utility Army public schools, German and Swiss schools, the Master’s School in Dobbs Ferry, corridors and power lines, or better yet tried New York, and Smith College, from which she graduated in 1944. Mrs. Coley’s early to maintain a trail there, you know how fast career was as a reporter and columnist for the Washington Times-Herald. She then the bushes and vines take over a clearing. . . . moved to New York in public relations at the United Nations International Children’s Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great trail here— Fund (UNICEF), where she was instrumental in starting the UNICEF Christmas cards nothing a chain saw, brush cutter and a little blue and the fundraising boxes known as Trick or Treat for UNICEF. paint wouldn’t fix!” It’s annoying, in a way, but it While her daughters were still young, in 1963, she received a master of arts degree serves a purpose. in psychology from Wesleyan for her research on Navajo tribal government. She then But the main reason trail managers spend so taught anthropology at Middlesex Community College. much of our time marking the way is that old Mrs. Coley begin volunteering at Connecticut Valley Hospital, where her experiencs trails and woods roads crisscross the Blue Trails. with young heroin addicts would lead to the founding of The Connection, in 1972, In the section I maintain with Nat, a veritable with late friend Nancy Flanner. A small initial program of counseling and support has warren of unmarked paths and rogue dirt-bike become a statewide, multi-million dollar social service agency, on whose board Coley tracks branch off the Mattabesett Trail. Every remained for 41 years. Coley’s outgoing nature, instinctive generosity and leadership few tenths of a mile, you come to another fork of also led her to begin, with other parents, the Independent Day School in Middlefield. some kind. Hikers must be vigilant for the blazes Mrs. Coley was the mother of Phyllis (Lissy) Dewing Coley (who is a professor of here. I feel as if I never stop reevaluating where biology at the University of Utah) and Katharine “Kitty” Lancaster Coley, a geologist we need blazes or turn-blazes (double blazes and naturalist in Austin Texas. marking a right or left turn), or where we should Her daughters have established two memorial funds: the Kätchen Coley Conservation move or change the height of a blaze. Fund, for the preservation and enhancement of open space in Middletown and adja- Getting it right on my section is a work in cent towns—please make checks payable to CFMC-Katchen Coley Conservation Fund, progress. And that work is very, very different Community Foundation of Middlesex County, 211 South Main Street, Middletown, than hiking. I’m not very mathematical, but CT 06457. And in tribute to her work with The Connection, the Kätchen Coley Society I’ve developed a formula. I believe that I spend has been established to give successful participants a hand up—write The Connection about 10 times as long maintaining a section Fund, c/o Kätchen Coley Society, 100 Roscommon Drive, Middletown, CT, 06457. of trail as I do walking it. I want the work to A service was scheduled for October 3 at Wesleyan University. count. Of course, people who go into the woods must take responsibility for themselves, but trail managers’ mission is this: Make it bet- JOHN S. GREACEN, former Blue Trail manager ter for them. John Stuart Greacen, who maintained the for many years, died June 14 Christine Woodside is a writer who has been edit- in Bloomfield. From the 1970s through 1990s, hikers on the Tunxis and on the Con- ing Connecticut Woodlands since 2001. Visit her necticut section of the Appalachian Trail were guided by signs he made. at chriswoodside.com. She and her husband, Nat Mr. Greacen was born October 28, 1921, the son of Joseph Wiggin Greacen and Ethel Eddy, live in Deep River and maintain a section Halsted Greacen of Morristown, New Jersey. Mr. Greacen graduated from Phillips Exeter of the Mattabesett Trail (part of the New Eng- continued on page 29 land Trail) in Middletown.

26 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 WalkCT

WHAT IN BLUE BLAZES? Things to take on a hike ere at CFPA, we talk a lot about the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails. We are proud of them, and rightly so. It’s quite an accomplishment to P Take a map. CFPA's Connecticut Walk Book develop and maintain trails that now cover more than 825 miles with volumes contain excellent maps of the Blue-Blazed only volunteer labor. What is a blue blaze, though? How should one Hiking Trails. Some trailhead signs allow you to H download maps. The state park maps can be found follow them? at ct.gov/deep.A note on cell phones and GPS units: Keep in mind that cell phone coverage is not universal Here is a quick refresher course on how to follow and that a 911 call from a cell phone does not neces- these markings on our Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails: sarily supply your location. That is information you must provide. GPS units can be useful in giving loca- tion coordinates, but accuracy varies depending on the unit you are using. You will still need to provide a reference related to a map landmark, e.g., nearest state highway. It is your responsibility to know which town you are in and your approximate location.

P Take a friend. Four-footed is good, two-footed even better. This is especially true if you are not an experienced hiker. Always try to let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back, Name: Name: Name: just in case. Confidence Turn Blaze (left) Turn Blaze (right) Blaze P Take refreshments. Water is most important, Meaning: Meaning: but a small snack won’t weigh you down, and it could Meaning: Trail Turns Left Trail Turns Right keep you going in a pinch. Continue in this direction P Take out your trash. Do not litter. This is a basic tenet of trail etiquette.

P Take stock of your ability. If you are a novice or a lapsed hiker, don’t expect to be able to do a day’s worth of challenging hiking right away. It can be scary to get down a big hill and then realize that you have to get back up again.

P Take your time. For most of us, the journey is as Name: Name: Name: important as the destination. The Blue-Blazed Hiking End Blaze Alternate Trail Alternate Trail Trails traverse some of the most beautiful countryside in Connecticut. Give yourself the chance to soak it Meaning: Meaning: Meaning: all in. Trail Ends Here Loop, Side or Loop, Side or Access Trail Access Trail P Take a whistle in case you need to be heard/ found.

Keep in mind that blazes may fade over time or that trees can come down, P Take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but so it is important that you keep your eyes peeled and that you have a good footprints. Do not disturb or damage vegetation or idea of where you are going before you start out. I can’t tell you how many wildlife habitat. calls our office gets from people who have lost their way and want to know where they are. Saying, “I’m by a big rock,” or, “I see a stream,” doesn’t help much.

Leslie Lewis is the WalkCT director at the Connecticut Forest & Park Association.

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 27 ON THE TRAILS

BOOK REVIEWS continued from page 24

species such as striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) and American yew (also known as Canada yew) (Taxus canadensis) live. The talus piles help northern trees such as mountain ash to live beneath the cliffs. These trees usually live in northwestern Con- NEW ENGLAND TRAIL ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE MOUNTS EXHIBIT necticut, where the elevation is much higher. On a 93-degree Fahrenheit day, scientists have measured soil be- low a talus cliff at 34 F. Animal experts believe the trap rock ridges provide refuge to mam- mals, reptiles, and birds, including the bobcat (Lynx rufus) and por- cupine (Erethizon dorsatum), the Northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) and (in vernal pools on the slopes) the Jefferson’s salaman- der (Ambystoma jeffersonianum), and the peregrine falcon (Falco per- egrinus). Insects thrive there, too, photography exhibition by National providing information about where viewers including 25 species of butterfly. Park Service Artist-in-Residence Bar- can find Ms. Bosworth’s photographs on dis- The Xerces Society’s annual butterfly bara Bosworth will be on display play and guiding them to spots along the NET count on West Rock in New Haven through November at nine venues, A where the photographs were taken. A full col- has enumerated more butterflies in including three in Connecticut, along the or catalogue will also be available. a single day than any other counts New England National Scenic Trail. The exhibit will create its own “trail” that runs in Connecticut; the columbine Renowned photographer Barbara Bo- alongside the NET at the following sites in duskywing (Erynnis lucilius), one sworth spent the fall and summer of 2012 Connecticut through November 2013: of the state’s rarest butterflies, lives hiking sections of the New England Nation- only on the trap rock ridges. Some al Scenic Trail (NET) as the National Park PNew Britain Museum of American moths like the orange sallow (Rho- Service’s first artist-in-residence for the trail. Art, 56 Lexington Street, New Britain, CT doecia aurantiago) only live on these Taken with her large-format view camera, 06052, 860-229-0257. ridges, because its caterpillars rely on Bosworth’s photographs of the NET are a PConnecticut Forest & Park Asso- the yellow false foxglove (Aureolaria striking visual responses to the vistas and ciation, 16 Meriden Road, Rockfall, CT paths she encountered. flava), a rare plant that only grows 06481, 860-346-TREE. From September through November on the ridges. 2013, the National Park Service, in coop- PHartford Art School, University of Hart- Hikers experience this intense eration with the Connecticut Forest & Park ford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hart- trap rock world on the New Eng- Association and the Appalachian Mountain ford, CT 06117, 860-768-4393. land Trail, the National Scenic Trail (combining the Mattabesett and Club, will present “To Be at the Farther Visit the NET artist-in-residence exhibi- Metacomet Trails) that climbs and Edge: Photographs along the New England tion blog for updated information about descends the string of trap rock ridg- Trail,” which features 20 of Bosworth’s pho- exhibition-related events and programs, a tographs of the trail. They will be on display es. These trails are part of the Blue- new video showing the artist at work on the at nine different sites—each with its own Blazed Hiking Trails, maintained NET, interviews with the artist, and much relationship to the trail—in a unique exhibi- by the Connecticut Forest & Park more at net-air.com/BarbaraBosworth. tion that viewers can experience at their own Association. Rock climbers explore Learn more about the NET at neweng- pace as they follow their own paths. Works Ragged Mountain and hang-gliders landtrail.org, and follow NET activities on on view at each site will range from single jump off . These the NET Facebook page at facebook.com/ large-scale, multipanel panoramic images to adventure-seekers compose a small NewEnglandNationalScenicTrailNet. small groupings of single photographs. but fervent constituency for conser- A free map will accompany the exhibition, —Source: press releases vation of the trap rock ridges.

28 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 BOOK REVIEWS OBITUARIES continued from page 24 continued from page 26

in 1940 and Yale University in 1944. He served in the U.S. Army as a field artillery first lieutenant in the Philippines during World War II. His engineering career centered on the design and construction of re- search reactors for universities and equipment for nuclear submarines and commercial power plants—for which he was awarded two patents. He liked to sail in places ranging from the Caribbean to Nova Scotia, and in the waters of British Columbia. A serious, kind, and service-minded person, Mr. Greacen also volunteered as a tax preparer for the AARP, delivered Meals on Wheels, and built homes with Habitat for Humanity. He built fine furniture. He served on the board of the Avon Land Trust and as a deacon of the Avon Congregational Church. He is survived by his wife, Enid Robertson Greacen; daughter Anne Beerits and her husband Peter of Deer Isle, Maine; his sons Stuart Halsted Greacen and his wife Davida of Collinsville and James Robert- son Greacen and his wife Heather of Groton, Massachusetts. A private interment took place in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Tarrytown, New York. —Source: Death notices LOUIS A. MAGNARELLI Tick researcher who directed Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Louis A. Magnarelli, 68, of Durham, who directed the Connecti- cut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven for nine years, died July 11 at home after battling a long illness. Dr. Magnarelli was known internationally for his work on ticks, tick-associated diseases, serological testing for vector-borne pathogens, and many SCOTLAND HARDWOODS other scientific accomplishments. His contributions to Connecticut A ROSSI COMPANY and science were extensive and appreciated. Through the course of his Acareer, he published more than 218 scientific articles. FORESTRY SERVICES DIVISION Dr. Magnarelli received his Ph.D. in medical entomology from P.O. BOX 328, SCOTLAND, CT 06264 Cornell University and came to the Experiment Station in 1975. He served as chief entomologist and state entomologist from 1987 I Dedicated To Helping Landowners through 2004, served as vice director from 1992 through 2004, Meet Their Objectives and was appointed the agency’s eighth director in 2004. Mr. Magnarelli was born in Syracuse, New York, on March 27, I In Business Since 1925 1945, son of the late David and Genevere Impeciato Magnarelli, and was husband to Sharon Dishaw Magnarelli. The funeral was private. I Fully Automated Sawmill Facilities Ǡ Forest“Lou trails was not and only landings our director, he was our colleague and most of I Complete Line of Forestry Services and all, our friend,” station employees announced. “His keen scientific and Ǡ Access roads and access control Consultation Provided By A Full Time analytical mind was only exceeded by his desire to bring this institu- Ǡ Riparian forest buffers Staff of State Certified Professional tion’s scientific knowledge and experience to the benefit of the citizens Foresters Ǡ ofTree/shrub Connecticut. site He preparation, was a strong planting, supporter pruning of Connecticut agricul- Ǡ ture,Upland the wildlifestate’s trees management and woodlands, and the green industry. Lou’s Ǡ wisdomWetland and wildlife skillful management stewardship as our leader will be sorely missed. TO FIND OUT HOW A ROSSI FORESTER Ǡ EvenForest through stand improvementhis illness, his forthoughts habitat were and always soil quality of the Experiment IN YOUR AREA CAN HELP YOU Ǡ Station.Hardwood All Station crop tree staff, release both present and future, will take tremendous MEET YOUR OBJECTIVES, pride in honoring and continuing Dr. Magnarelli’s unwavering com- CALL US TODAY AT (877)-209-9906 Ǡ Multistory cropping, sustainable management of mitmentnon-timber for “Putting forest plants Science to Work for Society.” Ǡ Restoration —Source: of rare or Connecticut declining habitats Agricultural Experiment Station Ǡ Renovation of windbreak, shelterbelt, or hedgerow for wildlife habitat FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 29 Ǡ Silvopasture for wildlife habitat

Applying for Assistance Forest landowners can apply for assistance programs by visiting the USDA Service Center in their area, where USDA staff can col- lect all the necessary information and begin the application process. Several items for documentation purposes may be required, such as copies of deeds, tax identification or Social Security numbers, bank information, and so on, so it would be a good idea to call first and ask about needed documentation when setting up the appoint- ment. Once entered into the system, each landowner will work with a member of the NRCS staff to develop a plan for the landowner’s project. If a landowner has a specific idea, or already has a written forest management or stewardship plan that suggests certain activities, it will help streamline the process. A certain fixed amount of funding is allocated for the these pro- grams each year, and if there are more applications than funding available, applications will be ranked and approved accordingly. If your project is not approved during one fiscal year, it may still have a good chance the following year. Projects that are recommended in a forest stewardship plan, that address certain conservation pri- orities, or that enhance key habitats are likely to receive higher rankings.

Thomas Worthley is an assistant extension professor for forest stewardship at the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension in Haddam.

Fall 2010 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 19 vinced that a Thanksgiving might unite the turkey farming became a profitable sideline tic turkey, probably Norfolk blacks, brought country. In 1863, the year of the Battle of for many American farmers. Turkeys were to this country by the English in the 1600s. Gettysburg, Lincoln established the national easy to raise because they ranged for insects All the popular Bronze breeds favored in holiday on the last Thursday of November. in the fields. At our farm in Shelton, after New England until the industrial turkey At that time, turkey was the most festive high school graduation in 1934, Newell takeover were descendants of the Narra- meat the average American family could put Jones annually raised a flock of about a hun- gansett. Sadly today, the Narragansett and on the table, especially as urban living took dred turkeys until he was drafted into World her descendants are all considered endan- hold. To demonstrate charity at Thanksgiv- War II. The neighboring Beardsley Farm was gered. Neither the Beardsleys nor the Joneses raise turkeys anymore. ing, the prosperous often distributed turkey noted for its fine turkeys until the 1950s. to workers or poor neighbors. Of course, In Connecticut and Rhode Island, the Jean Crum Jones, a registered dietitian, is a member everyone assumed turkey had been on the Narragansett turkey was very popular. It of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association Board of menu of that 1621 feast. descends from a cross between the native Directors. She and her husband, Terry, and their fam- From the 1800s through the 1960s, Eastern wild turkey and the English domes- ily, operate the Jones Family Farms in Shelton.

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conservation COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF Helping to protect CONNECTICUT Connecticut’s treasured WOODLANDS land resources. TRY THIS AT HOME

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30 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2013 CFPA LOGO TO ORDER: SHOP ONLINE T-SHIRTS 100% cotton, heavy AT CTWOODLANDS.ORG weight T. Available in khaki only. Sizes: S, M, L OR CALL (860) 346-TREE or XL. Allow 4-6 weeks ALL PRICES PLUS SALES TAX AND for delivery. SHIPPING AND HANDLING $15.00 CFPA STORE CFPA LOGO HATS Khaki floppy hat or two-tone low profile baseball cap with khaki crown and blue/gray bill, and embroidered logo. The floppy hat is one-size-fits-all and the ball cap has an adjustable strap. Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. $15.00

FOREST TREES OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND a 56-page paperback publication of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association. This manual is a simple description in accurate and nontechnical terms of the forest trees common in southern New England. It is intended for the general public to meet a pressing demand for a pocket manual which is easy to use and A SHARED LANDSCAPE understand. $7.95 A Guide & History of Connecticut’s State CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Parks and Forests, by Joseph Leary, THE CONNECTICUT WALK BOOK, A Century’s Story of the published by Friends of Connecticut State WEST, AND THE CONNECTICUT Connecticut Forest & Park Parks, Inc. in 2004. Richly illustrated in Association, by George four-color with maps and photographs, WALK BOOK, EAST McLean Milne, published by the this 240-page guide offers an intimate look provide a comprehensive guide Connecticut Forest and Park at Connecticut’s public lands and tells you to hiking throughout the state. Association in 1995. A fascinat- everything you need to know about where Published by the Connecticut ing history, not so much of the to go if you love to hike, bike, camp, fish, Forest & Park Association, the two Connecticut Forest and Park swim, hunt, watch birds, learn about ecol- volumes are the 19th edition of Association as it is of the dedi- ogy or cross-country ski. $25.00 the guidebook first released more cated men and women who than 75 years ago. Both volumes have cared about Connecticut’s include the Metacomet and Mat- forests and fields, hills, valleys, tabesett Trails of Central Connecti- and parklands. Scattered SEASONS OF CONNECTICUT cut. Both volumes include detailed through these pages are inspir- Seasons of Connecticut, by Diane Smith, is a full color, two-color topographic maps that ing accounts of courageous season by season celebration of the Nutmeg state. Diane are crisp, clear, and easy to read. struggles to protect the rich presents more than sixty vignettes - inspiring, warm, Complete trail descriptions ac- and varied natural environment funny, and sometimes downright strange - that will make company the maps. of the state. you feel good about living in Connecticut, or make you Each volume $19.95 members $25.00 want to visit. Limited quantities available. $24.95 Each volume $24.95 non-members

FALL 2013 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 31 U.S. POSTAGE PAID STANDARD Permit No. 344 New London, CT

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WILL YOU SAVE YOUR SPECIAL PLACES IN CONNECTICUT? Your support of CFPA’s Annual Fund is a resounding YES!

There IS reason for concern. Without your support, public Forests and Parks might end up as private parking lots. Look for the Annual Fund request in the mail or give easily online at ctwoodlands.org

Your support of CFPA ensures that: P Advocates are representing your interest in protecting valuable public lands from being given away. P 825+ miles of blue-blazed hiking trails are maintained, new trails are created, and working forest lands are protected for your benefit. P Forest landowners and children – your present and future leaders – are taught how to manage and appreciate the outdoors.

Please protect Forests and Parks by supporting CFPA, their strongest statewide advocate. Go to ctwoodlands.org or call us at 860-346-TREE (8733).