PREVIOUS WEATHER REPORTS
Seeing the Forest for the Bees with Biologist Kass Urban-Mead
Pollinator Conservation Biologist & NRCS Partner Biologist
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
As a pollinator conservation specialist at Xerces, Kass Urban-Mead works with staff and research partners to develop technical guidelines and provide training on pollinator conservation practices. She directly assists with planning, designing, installing, and managing habitat in forested, agricultural, and urban areas. She completed an MSc at the Yale School of Forestry. Her PhD work in the Cornell Entomology Department characterized the wild bee communities active in early spring forests and forest canopies. She quantified the canopy pollen consumed by spring-active bees, and the movement of bees between forests and spillover into apple orchards. Kass grew up raising 4-H dairy goats in the lower Hudson Valley of NYS.
DATE: Saturday, January 17, 2026
TIME: 12:00 PM- 1:30 PM
LOCATION: The Norfolk Library
9 Greenwoods Road East
Norfolk, CT
GMF Mindful Forest Immersion Series
Step into the stillness and beauty of Great Mountain Forest with our three-part Mindful Forest Immersion Series. Guided by certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Leaders, each seasonal gathering invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and connect with the forest—and yourself—through practices of mindfulness, creativity, and community.
Celebrate the turning of the seasons with contemplative outdoor experiences designed for all levels. Each session includes a gentle guided walk, sensory awareness practices, seasonal tea and snacks shared in circle, and a unique creative or reflective activity inspired by the rhythms of nature.
- 🍂 Fall Forest Immersion: Nature’s Ephemeral Art
Saturday, November 1, 2025 · 10:00am – 12:00pm - Location: 177 Canaan Mountain Road, Falls Village, CT
- Create a collaborative forest mandala while exploring themes of impermanence and beauty.
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❄️ New Year Forest Immersion: The Art of Wintering
Sunday, January 4, 2025 · 12:00pm – 2:00pm -
Location: 90 Golf Drive, Norfolk, CT
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Honor the wisdom of winter with a fire-gazing meditation and reflection on resilience and renewal.
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🌱 Spring Equinox Forest Immersion: Emerging Light
Saturday, March 21, 2026 · 1:00pm – 3:00pm -
Location: East Gate, 201 Windrow Road, Norfolk, CT
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Welcome the balance of light and dark with movement, meditation, and nature journaling.
No hiking or meditation experience is required. Open to participants ages 14 and up (maximum 25 per session). Tickets: $25 per person.
Join us in honoring the forest as teacher and companion—an invitation to pause, notice, and grow alongside the changing seasons.
Winter Lecture Series -Conservation and Restoration of The Venezuelan Andean Cloud Forests
Carlos García Núñez is a professor at the Institute of Environmental and Ecological Sciences at the University of Los Andes in Merida, Venezuela. Visiting Scholar at Trinity College Center of Urban and Global Studies.
Dr. Garcia Nunez earned his PhD in Tropical Ecology from the University of Los Andes. He has an extensive record of teaching, research, and fellowships, including serving as a visiting scholar at Harvard University, Universidad de Alicante in Spain, and Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
His focus as a scientist is on understanding the structure and functioning of tropical terrestrial ecosystems and the requirements for their conservation and restoration. His research provides essential guidance for sustainable development and reforestation programs, while considering the impacts of global changes in land use and climate change.
