Events

Join us for a one-day land use history program at Yale Camp. We’ll begin indoors with an overview of the cultural and ecological forces shaping this landscape, then head into the field to explore the historic Mansfield/Chattleton farm and, after lunch, the Dorman Farmstead site. Though these farms are now overgrown with mature forest, subtle traces remain - stone walls, cellar holes, wolf trees, and forest patterns - waiting to be uncovered. Participants will take on the role of landscape detectives, piecing together stories of past land use hidden among today’s trees. Along the way, we’ll also look more deeply at how soils, climate, and ecological processes shape forest composition and interact with human activity. This hands-on program blends discovery and critical thinking, offering fresh insights into how the past lives on in today’s forest.

Curious about Connecticut’s most adaptable wild neighbor? Join Master Wildlife Conservationist Ginny Apple for an engaging program on the natural history of coyotes—from their behavior, habitat, and reproduction to the important role they play in our ecosystem. Known for her dynamic, story-rich presentations, Ginny draws on her years of field experience in Peoples State Forest, where she closely observes and documents wildlife for DEEP biologists. She weaves science with folklore, exploring why coyotes are often called “tricksters” in Native American legend. This interactive program includes practical tips for coexisting with coyotes, current management efforts, and hands-on learning with coyote artifacts. Perfect for anyone interested in wildlife, conservation, or better understanding the creatures who share our backyards.

Brian Donahue, author of Slow Wood: Greener Building from Local Forests in conversation with Mike Zarfos Executive Director, Great Mountain Forest.

Over the course of three days, participants will develop core competencies in tree and shrub identification, explore the ecological processes that shape forest dynamics, and become familiar with a range of landowner goals and forest management approaches—from enhancing wildlife habitat to managing for timber or leaving land “forever wild.” Each module builds upon the last, ensuring participants leave with a well-rounded introduction to the science, values, and techniques behind responsible forest stewardship.

The Icebox Gravel is a 30-mile ride of mostly gravel roads. The Tour-de-Forest is a 13-mile ride with an even mix of gravel and paved roads.

The "New Beginnings" Field Tour will take foresters on a magical history tour of Northwest Connecticut's Highlands Forest. We will introduce the attendees to the history of the famous Salisbury Iron Works that ran smelting furnaces from colonial times into the beginning of the 20th Century, all fired by charcoal made from the forested hills and mountains surrounding the furnaces. Over a century later, our maturing oak and mixed hardwood forests are now providing timber and wood fuel once again to markets for local use and export. As the forest is harvested, adaptive management schemes must be applied to establish and grow the forests of the future, addressing the pressures of deer browsing, optimization of carbon sequestration, disease, noxious insects, and invasive plants.

Join us in honoring the forest as teacher and companion—an invitation to pause, notice, and grow alongside the changing seasons.