CONNECTICUT Woodlands TRY THIS AT HOME SPROUTING ENVIRONMENTALISM IN THE KITCHEN AND BACKYARD The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association Winter 2014 Volume 78 No. 4 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 STEVE BRODERICK MICHAEL LECOURS, Farmington A demonstration “shelterwood” management area along one of the Goodwin State Forest trails, DAVID K. LEFF, Collinsville designed to stimulate new growth of oak, tulip poplar, and associated species. See Steve Broderick's story MIRANDA LINSKY, Middletown about teaching at Goodwin, starting on page 20. 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, Rockfall 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 | WINTER 2014 CONNECTICUT Woodlands The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association WINTER 2014 Volume 78 No. 4 CONTENTS FEATURES DEPARTMENTS TRY THIS AT HOME 4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE. The power of land trusts and humility 6 PUT ON THE GOGGLES AND in saving forests. WEIGH THE GARBAGE: By Eric Lukingbeal. Taking school’s “green teams” home. 4 LETTERS. By Lori Paradis Brant. On nonnative trees and Curtis Veeder. 9 NATURE LITERATURE. 5 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE. Explore the language of landscapes in What does conservation mean to you? a high school English class. By Eric Hammerling. By Rich Novack. 5 EDITOR’S NOTE. 11 ON LIFELONG LEARNING AND Mr. and Mrs. Beaver. BEING OUTDOORS. By Christine Woodside. A teacher explains why she takes 18 FROM THE LAND. children out of the building. The importance of ice in days gone by. By Lynn Kochiss. By Jean Crum Jones. 12 REJUVENATE OUTDOOR 20 ESSENTIAL FACTS OF LIFE. LIVING SPACES. The value of teaching at Goodwin State Learn from CFPA’s experience. Forest and Conservation Center. By Caroline Driscoll. By Steve Broderick. Also, recipe for environmental 13 TRUMBULL CAN SAVE ENERGY. understanding. Student’s proposal for holiday light timers and other strategies. 22 BOOK REVIEWS. By Anuj Sisodiya. A new book on East and West Rock. Children’s book on forests. Urban trees 14 AMARI, THE APPLE: in the Northeast. Reviewed by Nat Eddy, A story to read aloud; tips for reading Kathy Consoli, and Robert M. Ricard. to children. By Kathy Consoli and Danielle Beerli. 24 TRY THIS HIKE. Bigelow Hollow State Park. On the Cover: 17 CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY. By Diane Friend Edwards. Meet three CFPA board members The Livingston children dumping the who serve on its Education Committee. 25 WalkCT. vegetable and fruit scraps into the compost When walking helps learning. bin, in Bolton. By Leslie Lewis. DEBORAH LIVINGSTON 28 LAND CONSERVATION. Land acquisition: Past and present. By Lindsay Michel. 29 OBITUARIES. Donal O’Brien. Robert L. deCourcy. 29 ON THE TRAILS. Nipmuck Marathon Report. By Scott Livingston. WINTER 2014 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The power of land trusts and humility in saving forests BY ERIC LUKINGBEAL ber of the Granby Land Trust, which was enough, but it transferred the land to the founded in 1972. It owns 1,100 acres and state to become part of Enders State Forest. ur Connecticut holds conservation easements on another And the trust partnered with the state and forests appear heal- 900. It stewards more than 60 properties. It the Town of Granby to preserve a commer- thy and thriving, accepts donations of land and conservation cial apple orchard that would otherwise have O covering about 59 easements, and it purchases land in bargain become a subdivision. On other occasions, percent of the landscape. sales. Like all local land trusts, it has a few This is more than at any the trust has raised money to purchase land big advantages over the state or other large time since about 300 or an easement, which was then transferred entities. Granby residents on the land trust years ago, when the to the state. As a result of the trust’s actions, know the family circumstances that may lead colonists arrived. But more than three-quarters more than 8,000 acres in one contiguous to decisions to preserve land. Land trust of our forests, 77 percent, are owned by pri- piece were preserved. members can make repeated contacts over vate landowners, and the average parcel size of As Mr. Brown put it, the trust tries to be a many years. A land trust does not have to act those forests is not large. Most of our private catalyst. “No one is afraid to talk to us,” he quickly in response to impending develop- forests are owned by 138,800 families, which said, “because we aren’t going to grab all the ment. It can take the long view. together hold 47 percent of the state’s forests. glory.” It reminded me of Harry Truman’s The Granby Land Trust’s annual meet- Only 9,000 of those owners hold tracts of at remark, “It is amazing what you can accom- ing was a potluck lunch followed by a hike. least 25 acres apiece. Overall, the average tract plish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” size of those family forests is only 6.2 acres. All I asked one of its long-time leaders, Put this means that the large, undisturbed tracts of Brown, what he thought were the secrets of Eric Lukingbeal is an environmental trial forestland are vulnerable as development con- its success. Here’s what he told me. The land lawyer for Robinson and Cole in Hartford. tinues to advance. trust embraced the notion that it doesn't He lives in Granby with his wife, Sally King. The forces of development are apparently re- matter who preserves land because we’re He has two grown daughters. Besides the land lentless. Time and mobility often result in private all in the game together. As examples, Mr. trust, he serves on Granby’s planning and zon- forestland being lost as distant heirs often opt for Brown described occasions when the trust ing commission. money. It appears unlikely that the state has the turned down donations of land, referring the donor instead to the McLean Game Ref- resources to protect private forests. EDITOR’S NOTE: The forest statistics in Mr. Lukingbeal’s article One countervailing trend is the work uge, which would be an abutting property come from the University of Connecticut’s Center for Land Use Edu- done by local land trusts. Most Connecticut and a more logical steward. The land trust cation and Research, known as CLEAR; the U.S. Forestry Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis program; and Mary Tyrrell, who di- towns have one. Let’s take the one in my has also accepted properties on a temporary rects the Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry for the Yale School town (Granby) as an example. I am a mem- basis when the state could not move fast of Forestry & Environmental Studies. LETTERS Native trees host more native species larger spaces would seem to offer a broader ar- encourages members of the nursery trade to In the Fall 2013 issue, CFPA President ray of planting conditions, plant selections are invest in these high value plants.