T h e Fr i e n d s o f G o o d w i n Fo r e s t

V o l u m e 3 , N u m b er 2 Fall 2012

Goodwin News & Notes

The Goodwin State Forest and Conservation Education Center were gifts to the people of Connecticut from James Lippincott Goodwin, one of Connecticuts first professional foresters. The Education Center is operated under a unique public/private partnership by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Inc.

MUCH NEEDED UPGRADES C O M E TO G O O D W I N C E N T E R !!

reat news has come to Goodwin! As many of you know, lack of funds has resulted in many years of postponement of needed repairs to the Goodwin Center and grounds. But now, were excited to share three terrific developments that promise to turn around this difficult situation. First, in partnership with UConn Landscape Architecture faculty and students, weve begun an ambitious project to redesign the Center entranceway and create a new focal point and information center for visitors. The schematic on the next page shows you the overall plan. That project is underway and should be completed early next year. Second, a crew of 15 young adults employed by the Connecticut Conservation Corps spent several weeks this summer at the Goodwin Center. This hardworking crew built picnic

The Friends of Goodwin Forest

is a local, all volunteer group whose mission is to enhance, support and advocate for the education, recreation and conservation activities of the historic James L. Goodwin State Forest and Conservation Education Center.

Goodwin Horticulture Director Kim Kelly and Friends of Goodwin President Lynne Warren apply their considerable stone mason skills to the front walkway redesign project
tables, re-roofed the picnic pavilion, created a handicapped access path and extended trail heads up to the Center as part of the overall plan. In the process, these young people gained numerous job skills that have already helped several of them find other employment. Finally, in September the Connecticut State Bonding Commission approved funding to re-side and repaint the Center, as well as to install new energy efficient windows and repair chimneys. This job will go out to bid soon and should begin in the spring. Once completed, these improvements will both preserve the historic Center and create a whole new and more functional look and feel for visitors. We like to think Mr. Goodwin would be very happy!!

www.ct.gov/deep/Goodwin

www.ctwoodlands.org

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This image, developed with the help of UConn Landscape Architecture faculty and students, shows the Goodwin grounds master plan currently under development. All hiking trails will now originate right across the street from the Goodwin Center, and a new front walkway will welcome visitors into the Center. The Forest Discovery Trail includes a self-guided brochure that explains what visitors see at various stops along the way. A new Childrens Discovery Trail loops around behind the Center, and is full of surprises designed to be fun for kids, to increase both their love of the forest, and to heighten their powers of observation and awareness of their surroundings.

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EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
By the end of September, Naturalist Juan Sanchez and our other staff and volunteers had combined to offer 61 workshops, interpretive hikes, short courses and other educational programs to nearly 1,900 people in 2012! Topics included winter tracking, forest management, harvesting equipment demonstrations, invasive plant control, junior forester day, plant and animal identification and ecology, scout badge training, and scientific illustration.

NEWS

The Friends of Goodwin Forest

SAVE THE DATES!

Beginning Wednesday, November 28 through Saturday, December 8 "Producing Quality Maple Syrup A 3-part short course (pre-registration required) Chainsaw safety Instructor Bill Girard explains the details of a felling cut to students at a Game of Logging training program Saturday, Nov 24 Seasonal Transitions Walk Saturday December 8 Black Spruce Pond Walk *******************

You cant see him from here, but these folks are all watching Juan Sanchez make a point about plant ecology at one of his many interpretive hikes.

CFPA 100-Hour Volunteer Club: Congratulations!!

At the CT Forest & Park Association volunteer recognition dinner in November, the following Friends of Goodwin volunteers were recognized for providing over 100 hours of volunteer time in 2012:

Educational Intern Michael Grady uses a live northern water snake to explain identification characteristics.

Lynne Warren Fran Zumpano Bob Schoff Stan Crawford Al Kausch Lisa Vroman
We cant thank you all enough for this remarkable milestone. The Goodwin Centers success is built on volunteerism. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!

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Forest & Trail News

A brand new 10-year forest management plan is now complete and available for viewing at http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2697&q=322868&depNav_GID=1631 Dan Evans and Jim Parda of the DEEP Division of Forestry are now in full plan implementation mode, including invasive plant control, habitat improvements and a planned timber sale. Our intrepid trails committee, working hard on trail improvements as always, ensures that Goodwin will continue to provide terrific recreational opportunities. At the same time, they are ensuring that people can easily get out into the forest to see and learn from these forest management activities.

Boardwalk building has been one focus in 2012, including the nearly 200 foot boardwalk (depicted on the left) on the Natchaug Blue Blazed Trail.

The DEEP Forestry and Parks Division partnered to raise and improve the causeway out to Governors Island this fall, so our wonderful wildlife observation platform there can once again be accessed with dry feet!!

Our trail junction kiosks now sport place names so hikers can associate their specific location with key landscape features around them.

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Haley Gardens News

If you havent taken a walk in the Haley Native Plant Wildlife gardens recently youre missing out! Some great additions and upgrades were added in 2012, including: a re-design & restoration of the Bird and Butterfly Garden; An expansion of the plant propagation and native plant sale program, that brought in over $750 for the Friends; Expansion to two new garden areas; Self-interpretive garden stations that teach visitors about the principles being demonstrated in each garden.
Work also began in earnest on our new Childrens Discovery Trail this year. Its goal is to connect youth to the forest environment through enhanced observation and discovery. The trail, which connects to the Forest Discovery Trail and the Youth Camping Area, will have several stations, each with a separate educational theme.

FGF Docent Gary Kettle and his Kanga working on the entrance to the Childrens Discovery Trail.

Garden volunteers Joe Manfre and Meredith Poehlitz (right) working on the restoration of the Bird & Butterfly Garden. The finished product is pictured above.

One of the many surprises awaiting kids along the Childrens Discovery Trail!

T h e F r i en d s o f G o o d w i n Forest
Primary Business Address Your Address Line 2
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C O N N E C T I C U T C O N S E RVA T I O N C O R P S COMES TO GOODWIN!!

Were on the Web! www. ct.gov/deep/Goodwin www.ctwoodlands.org

The Friends of Goodwin Forest Officers Lynne Warren, President Kim Kelly, Secretary Anne Latham, Treasurer Fran Zumpano, Trails Committee Chair We hold 5-6 meetings each year, open to any and all.

Members of the 2012 Connecticut Conservation Corps (CCCs) milling boards on a portable sawmill at the Goodwin Center. The logs came from a thinning on the Goodwin Forest, and the boards were later used by the CCCs in repairing the roof on our picnic pavilion. The Connecticut Conservation Corps program is designed to provide employment for 18-24 year olds, along with job training that makes them more employable in the future. This summer fifteen CCC members spent part of their time working on the Goodwin State Forest and Conservation Education Center. Many jobs were completed that would not have been otherwise, including extensions to our trail heads, reroofing of our picnic pavilion, invasive species control, picnic table construction and much more. The Cs received job training in a variety of areas including chainsaw safety, pesticide application, plant ecology and identification and use of heavy equipment. By summers end several of them had already been successful in finding full time permanent employment using their new skills.

Goodwin Forest Conservation Education Center Staff Steve Broderick, Forester & Program Director Juan Sanchez, Naturalist Kim Kelly, Horticulture Director Jim Poole, Maintainer

Roofing the picnic pavilion