Connecticut Chapter, The American Chestnut Foundation - Publicity

ORTV Tours Woodbridge Orchard

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:44:00 -0700

By Bill Adamsen

Stephanie Valickis of The Office of Radio and Television (ORTV) recorded a segment featuring interviews with TACF Director and Chapter President Bill Adamsen, and CT-TACF Chapter Director/Secretary Dr. Phil Arnold. ORTV's mission is bringing good news to life by producing values oriented programs of professional quality to listeners and viewers throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. It is an agency of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut - and its programs are broadcast on cable channels throughout the region.

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Chestnut Research Orchard for Middletown

Tue, 05 May 2009 08:45:00 -0700

The Honorable Sebastian N. Giuliano, Mayor of Middletown, today signed land-use and germ-plasm agreements with the Connecticut Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation. With these agreements in place, CT-TACF will collaborate with the Middletown Urban Forestry Commission and the Middletown Garden Club to create a 1.5-acre American chestnut orchard on land near the city's Higby Reservoir. [More]

Chestnut Poster and Frame

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:20:00 -0700

A discussion with Sara Fitzsimmons got me thinking about creating this poster and frame. I'd been thinking about this for some time and had been limited by the ability to actually get the chestnut wood for the frame. Sara suggested she might be able to help find someone that would be willing to donate the wood ... donations of this sort are always appreciated. To better provide her with some "vision" of the idea I decided to use Sketchup to create the design and video. It took several hours (I considered it training) but as the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words." The Frame is designed of 1.25 inches by 2.75 inches American chestnut. Frames stand 68 inches tall, and would be joined by either knife-hinges mounted top and bottom, or double-acting hinges mounted to style edges. Posters would be mounted front and back on foam or plywood panels, and would slide in from the top so that they could be readily updated.

After creating the model, I was able to animate the model in Google Sketchup. Click on this link to see the Youtube animation video which is of decidely mediocre quality. A better quality rendering of the animation can be seen in this site hosted Avi quality video [5mb] which gives a better idea of the integration of poster and frame.

Sketchup also allows the exporting of photo realistic jpeg images. Click on any of the images below to see a higher resolution version. [More]

Science Cabinet Statement from TACF Spring Meeting

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is breeding chestnut trees for ability to survive the blight disease, which killed almost all our native American chestnut. TACF?s goal is to confer on American chestnut the ability to thrive in our nation?s woodlands, as it once did. Last fall, TACF began harvesting nuts that it expects will be suitable for planting back into the forest. However, these breeding lines are still in the testing phase and their value needs to be proven on many forest sites until 2015 to 2020.

A gradual increase in seed production is expected over the next few years. These will be distributed to cooperators who are assisting in a formal, rigorous testing program. In addition, seeds that are not needed for this purpose will be distributed principally to members of TACF for informal testing. At the same time, TACF is continuing its breeding program to make further gains in disease resistance and forest competitiveness.

Chapter Spring 2008 Newsletter

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:58:00 -0700

In draft mode currently, we expect the newsletter to go to print next week. Click on the "download" link below to view (900kb).

Below are the links to the Newsletter in several formats

Booked and ready for print - no indicia [20 mb] huge download!!!
Web Resolution [1 mb]

Guilford Conservation Commission Announces Orchard Plans

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:34:00 -0700

Fay Abrahamson of the Guilford Courier writes

"Last year, the American Chestnut Foundation approached the town with a request: to use a section of a former community garden at Nut Plains Park to bring back healthy chestnut trees. Using enetics and plant pathology, a special breeding program would mate Chinese chestnuts that are disease-free and blight-resistant with native Connecticut saplings. Last year, a group volunteered and planted a test orchard of 20 plants at the park ... The initial planting turned out to be a success, according to Conservation Commission site coordinator Jennifer Allcock. ?On that basis we are proceeding with the planting of 125 trees per year,? she said. At its Jan. 22 meeting, the Board of Selectmen approved Phase II of the orchard agreement with the foundation, in which the Conservation Commission will maintain the space."

CT-TACF Featured in Hartford Courant

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:37:00 -0700

Today's Hartford Courant features a story by Columnist Steve Grant, focused on TACF efforts to restore the Americant chestnut. The article contains a picture and quotes by Leila Pinchot, and additional quotes by Sandy Anagnostakis. Hopefully it will provide some publicity for our efforts. A PDF copy of the story can be retrieved from the "download" link below, or you can access the story on-line at The Hartford Courant.

Northeast Utilities Saves Chestnut and Paper!

Sun, 20 May 2007 08:14:00 -0700

Last September Northeast Utilities (NU) pledged their support to The American Chestnut Foundation through a creative matching grant program tied to shareholder acceptance of a paper reduction program. Northeast Utilities System recently initiated a program in which the company will donate $5 for every shareholder that agrees to receive electronic, rather than paper, copies of the annual shareholder report. As of May, aver 1700 shareholders signed up for the program, raising about $8500 for TACF. Not only is this program helping restore American chestnut, it is reducing paper, ink, and other materials used for the hefty one-pound shareholder reports.

Most of the money raised from this program will be awarded to CT-TACF, because Connecticut is home both to NU?s headquarters and 40% of the company?s shareholders. Leila Pinchot, TACF?s New England Regional Science Coordinator, was presented with a check at the 2007 NU Shareholder?s Meeting in Windsor, CT on May 8th.

Presentation of check for $8500 to TACF Northeast Regional Science Coordinator Leila Pinchot by Northeast Utilities Chairman, Pres, and Chief Executive Officer, Charles Shivery, and Pat McCullough, Diector of Environmental Management. Photographer Gerry DeSimas [click on photo to see larger version]

Autumn 2006 Newsletter

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 10:33:00 -0700

Attached is the Connecticut Chapter Newsletter. Inside are details on ...

The CT Chapter Annual Meeting (November 11th)
Pollination Report
Orchard Manager Reports
2 Year Term Board Nominees

Click below to download your copy!
CT-TACF Spring 2006 Newsletter Color - low resolution [781kb]

Northeast Utilities Support to Help Restore the American Chestnut

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 08:45:00 -0700

I'm very pleased to announce that Northeast Utilities has made The American Chestnut Foundation the beneficiary of a shareholder "challenge" grant opportunity. Northeast Utilities, with 50,000 registered shareholders, is offering to make a $5 donation to The American Chestnut Foundation for each shareholder who elects to receive the company's annual report and proxy materials in electronic form to reduce NU's use of paper.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to promote the revival of a great American tree while also providing greater convenience for our shareholders,"
Charles W. Shivery, NU chairman, president, and chief executive officer.

"This example of thought leadership on the part of Northeast Utilities, provides an opportunity for Northeast Utilities and their shareholders to play a significant role in helping restore the American chestnut to CT and New England."
Bill Adamsen, President CT Chapter of TACF.

Read more in the Northeast Utilities Newsroom or the news release
Or in the Danbury News Times article Tuesday October 3rd. live or archived

Grant Award

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:42:00 -0700

I'm very excited to announce that we have been awarded a $4000 grant by the Norcross Wildlife Foundation, Inc. We applied for funding last December to cover orchard deer exclosure fencing, and our submittal was just granted.

This significant award will have an extremely positive effect on our program this year, and long into the future. In addition, its impact will be felt at the Regional, and National level of our program, since the CT Chapter is a keystone of the broader attempt to bring regional diversity into the American chestnut breeding program.

We look forward to living up to the terms of the agreement, and reporting back on the success this Norcross Foundation grant has enabled.

Spring Newsletter

Tue, 23 May 2006 22:26:00 -0700

This should be in your mailbox by the Memorial Day weekend, but if not, you saw it here first.

Click below to download your copy!
CT-TACF Spring 2006 Newsletter Color - low resolution [347kb]
CT-TACF Spring 2006 Newsletter Color - high resolution [768kb] [More]

Stand of Rare Chestnut Trees Discovered

Sat, 20 May 2006 07:42:00 -0700

A stand of American chestnut trees that escaped the blight, has been discovered near President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Little White House at Warm Springs, Ga.

This find has created quite a flurry of news and stirred excitement among those working to restore the American chestnut raising hopes that scientists might be able to use the pollen to breed a more resistant tree. [More]

CT-TACF and Northern CT Land Trust Prepare Test Orchard Site

Thu, 11 May 2006 11:55:00 -0700

On April 17th, volunteers from the Northern CT Land Trust (NCLT) and CT-TACF joined forces to prepare a section of NCLT?s Swann Farm for possible use as a chestnut orchard. Located in Ellington, the Swann property has been preserved as working farmland and also helps provide income for NCLT?s land preservation activities. The site offers excellent access to well-drained Narragansett silt loam soils adjacent to a forest with numerous chestnut sprouts. [More]

Woodbridge Land Trust Plants their Orchard

Mon, 01 May 2006 20:43:00 -0700

The Woodbridge Land Trust planted their Calistro tree harvest at the Town's Fitzgerald property on Beecher Road. The Amity Observer captured the event in this fantastic article appearing April 26th. [More]