Connecticut Chapter, The American Chestnut Foundation - About Us

2010 Report of CT-TACF Nominating Committee

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:21:00 -0700

CT-TACF Nominating Committee members Robert Gregg, Woods Sinclair and Jennifer Allcock are recommending the following slate of candidates for Board membership and for Chapter Officers: Nominees for Board membership
Under the revised bylaws, as many as 10 Board members can be elected each year. Six current Board members have expiring terms and they have agreed to serve for another two years (terms ending in 2012): Dr. Jennifer Allcock, Dr. Philip Arnold, Dr. David Bingham, Jim Gage, Dr. Robert Gregg, and Woods Sinclair. Two additional candidates have been identified and they have agreed that their names can be added to the nominating slate: John Baker from Litchfield and Susan Kelsey from Falls Village. Please find short biographies below. Two other Board positions have been left vacant so that additional candidates could be considered during the year ahead. Nominees for Officers
The current officers have agreed to stand for re-election and the Nominating Committee presents the following slate of officers for election, each to a one-year term ending in 2011 : Bill Adamsen President, John Anderson Vice-President, Jim Gage Treasurer and Philip Arnold Secretary. Respectfully submitted, Jennifer Allcock, Chairperson, on behalf of the CT-TACF Nominating Committee.

Biographies of individuals nominated for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting on March 6th, 2010. John Baker is Treasurer of the Litchfield Hills Audubon Society (LHAS) and was instrumental in the acquisition of the property, now known as the Wigwam Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, on which the Society's chestnut plantation will be located. He has been a member of TACF since 1998. Born in New York City, but raised on a farm in Litchfield, CT, John received his B.S. from Cornell University in 1956 and joined Cargill, Inc. After serving his country for three years in the U.S. Air Force as a navigator, he spent 34 years with Cargill as the country manager in the Philippines and in Thailand. Upon retiring to Litchfield with his wife Janet, he started beekeeping and joined the LHAS. Then, after building their retirement home, John joined the Litchfield Housing Trust where he shepherded their affordable home building program. He is also President of the C.B. Ripley Land Trust, the CT Director of the Eastern Apiculture Society and is also a member of the Litchfield Conservation Commission. Needless to say, John has a great affection for the outdoors and the beauty of nature.
Susan J. Kelsey Received a B.A. in Biology from Skidmore College and M.F.S. from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Interned and worked at Manomet Bird Observatory (now 'Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences') where also participated in seabird and mammal observer program through NOAA out of Woods Hole, MA. Worked for National Audubon Society Sanctuary Department at Miles Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon, CT. Employed by a land surveying firm in Salisbury, CT, conducting title searches, field work and assisting in map preparation. Currently am working as a Connecticut licensed forester and have a forestry consulting business, 'Kelsey Forestry'. Majority of work involves certifying private lands as "forest land" for tax assessment purposes, in addition to working with land trusts of northwestern Connecticut. Have served as a member of the Canaan ("Falls Village") Inland Wetlands/Conservation Commission for more than 25 years. "I feel privileged to be in a position that allows me to explore, experience and appreciate the woods of Connecticut. I am endlessly captivated by the history of our forests and am lured to every stonewall , charcoal bed and stone foundation I wander across."

Annual Report of CT Chapter Operations

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:33:00 -0700

By Bill Adamsen
Director of The American Chestnut Foundation
President, CT Chapter TACF
Wilton, CT

With the rush of autumn harvest over, The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF®) and its Chapters finally get the opportunity to look back and take stock of the past year. Some of you will know that it was just four years ago that the CT Chapter TACF® planted its first back-cross orchards (April 2006). In those four years our efforts have been met with remarkable success. We now have seven orchards and have planted several thousand trees - an accomplishment of which to be very proud.
*Note: Charts have been updated as of February 10, 2010 and are now complete and current.

Table 1. CT Program Overview *

[click for larger image]

[More]

New England Poster for TACF Annual Meeting

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:28:00 -0700

Just finished creating the posters for the TACF® Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh. Regional Science Coordinator Kendra Gurney wrote the copy and ran the review process with the Chapter Officers. I made a few design simplifications from last year's versions that I think make the posters easier to read. I also updated a few of the photos. Click on any panel below to see a larger version - right click to further expand. TACF® Director Bill Adamsen

Housatonic Heritage Tour of TACF Great Mountain Orchard

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:13:00 -0700

Interested in seeing one of Connecticut's beautiful chestnut orchards?

The Great Mountain Forest Orchard sits nestled at the base of Great Mountain off Undermountain Road in Falls Village - Photo by Bill Adamsen
Click on photo for larger view.

Join Ellery "Woods" Sinclair of the Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council and the Connecticut Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation for a brief walk into a 300 plantings American Chestnut orchard in Falls Village. This walk includes a presentation about the sudden loss of this valuable, majestic hardwood of the Eastern forest, the dramatic ecological impacts of that loss and the process of restoration. The walk is this Saturday, September 19th at 10:00am - with a rain date for inclement weather (see below). If you are interested in learning more about the Great Mountain Forest there is a fantastic article written by Mr. Sinclair on pages four and five of the Spring 2009 CT-TACF Chapter Newsletter [~600kb] which can be downloaded in printable form using the link provided. [More]

Selection of Summer 2009 CT-TACF Intern

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:20:00 -0700

We're extremely excited to announce that Christine Cadigan has accepted the position of summer intern for the CT Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation. The internship is made possible by grants from the Stanback Scholarship Fund at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University, and the CT Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation. [More]

Web-site Redesign and Publication of Spring 2009 Newsletter

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:49:00 -0700

The Spring 2009 Newsletter is at the printers and will be headed to the letter-shop for mailing any day now I am assured. We had a slight mixup with mailing related to the status of our non-profit bulk mail authorization. This required a last minute indicia change. We'll be looking to e-mail as many members as possible to advise about any time-sensitive spring issues.

A pdf version of the newsletter is available on-line [600 kb] or via the Newsletters page via the drop down above, as shown in the screen shot below (red arrow).

If you are a regular visitor, you may have noticed some subtle changes to the web-site. We've created a navigation designed with the intent to appeal to the frequent visitor as well as the first-time user. We also hope it will please the search engines. All your old links and functionality should have remained the same. Hopefully, this should just provide you with a better user experience. The goal was to make it faster for you to find what you seek, and improve our ability to communicate what we're doing. The web-site still leverages Ray Camden's blog cfc engine to provide a slew of features (rss, comments, trackback, search, stats, form content and properties management) that would have been resource intensive to create on our own. Thank you Ray!

Please feel free to provide input on ways we can improve the site to serve you better.

Northeast Utilities Helps Support Restoring the American Chestnut

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:14:00 -0700

Northeast Utilities' paper reduction program has once again made The American Chestnut Foundation beneficiary of a shareholder "challenge" grant opportunity. Northeast Utilities, with 50,000 registered shareholders, raised $8500 in 2008 for TACF and the CT Chapter by making a $5 donation for each shareholder that agreed to receive the Annual Report in an electronic format. We are fortunate to benefit from Northeast Utilities' vision.

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.

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Northeast Utilities VP Jeff Kotkin hands check to TACF CEO Marshal Case during a summer celebration at the new Guilford Orchard. Shown from left TACF Director Bill Adamsen, former Regional Coordinator Leila Pinchot, Marshal Case, Jeff Kotkin, and also representing Northeast Utilities - Susan Stotts and Pat McCullough.

Report of the Nominations Committee

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:40:00 -0700

Chair Dr. Jennifer Allcock, members John Anderson and Bill Adamsen comprised the Nominating Committee. They respectfully present the following for your consideration. [More]

2009 Annual Meeting

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:40:00 -0700

This is a reminder to mark Saturday March 14th on your calendar for the annual meeting of the CT Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation. The meeting will be held in Guilford, CT. The program is free for both members and non-members, as is lunch for those who advance register. To advance register simply call, or preferably e-mail to indicate your interest in attending.

We'll be presenting 2 1/2 hours of scientific lectures about the American chestnut. We'll also provide an update on both TACF's, and the CT Chapter of TACF's progress toward growing blight resistant trees. Those members collecting credits for the CT Arborists License can earn 2.5 CEUs for attending the program. The necessary paperwork will be available when you check in in person.

The presentations will be followed by operational meetings attended by those of you with an interest or business in attending. We hope you'll take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to hear Dr. Dane and find out more about the The American Chestnut Foundation vision and success. You are welcome to attend just those sections of the meeting that interest you as outlined in the agenda below.

Agenda
9:30am Opening Reception
10:00am Introduction - Chapter President Bill Adamsen
10:15am Keynote - Dr. Fenny Dane - Evolutionary history of American Castanea species
11:15am Sara Fitzsimmons - TACF Goes to China and propagation techniques used by TACF
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Kendra Gurney - Cold Tolerance for American chestnut. Plus TACF Operational Updates.
1:30pm Chapter Business (Bylaws, Elections, and then close of Annual Meeting)
2:00pm CT-TACF Board Meeting - Open to All!
4:00pm Expected close of Chapter business

About Our Keynote Speaker
Dr. Fenny Dane earned her B.S. at Wageningen in the Netherlands, her M.S. at New Mexico State University and Ph.D. at Colorado State University.

Dr. Dane's research program is geared toward unraveling stress tolerance mechanisms in plant species, and to the investigation of the phylogeny and biogeography of Castanea species. Dr. Dane discovered that chloroplast (cp) DNA sequence data set patterns were geographically structured, and has used cpDNA patterns to explain hypothesized migration and dispersion for chestnut and chinkapin.

Home page of Fenny Dane at Auburn

Migration of Castenea Article

Meeting Location
Nathanael B Greene Community Center -- 32 Church Street, Guilford

Driving Directions
I-95 northbound: Take exit 58 -- Keep right off the ramp and turn right onto Church Street/CT-77 southbound. Follow for .7 miles, through one traffic light. The Community Center will be on your right.

1-95 southbound: Take exit 58 -- Turn left onto Church Street/CT-77 and follow for .8 miles, through one traffic light. The Community Center will be on your right.

Parking
There is parking at the community center. For directions day of the event (in case you're lost) call the Community Center at -- 203.453.8068

Reservations
E-mail or call 917.796.4284 to reserve (for the free) lunch.

View Larger Map

Strategic Vision

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:58:00 -0700

The Annual Meeting on March 14th features an excellent program with Prof. Fenny Dane as our keynote speaker, and excellent presentations by TACF Science Coordinators Sara Fitzsimmons and Kendra Gurney. If terrestrial ecology, species restoration, or simply the American chestnut interest you - please get this on your calendar and plan on joining us. We look forward to seeing you there.

As we enter 2009 and take stock of our status, I can report once again that we?re tracking closely the Chapter?s goals in our Strategic Plan. The CT program may lag a few years behind TACF Meadowview, and our nearby chapters in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts ? but that lag also presents opportunities in terms of experience gained, better technology, and the leveraging of new knowledge. A few years in a breeding program is almost insignificant, and we are racing to the finish line together with the promise of species restoration.

In Connecticut, our next big challenge will be in creating our seed orchard. Needed will be land, and money for fencing and other supplies. If this is an area you?d like to help, please contact me. As a volunteer run organization, your donation goes far. CT-TACF is a tax exempt, 501(c)(3) public charity under 509(a)1, with contributions fully deductible from federal taxes as applies under section 170. [More]

New Regional Science Coordinator Announced

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:20:00 -0700

Leila Pinchot has been the TACF Regional Science Coordinator for two years (May 2006) and has recently decided to pursue a PhD program at University of Tennessee, working with Dr. Scott Schlarbaum and Dr. Stacy Clark on a project that will include chestnut silviculture. Leila will make the shift from Yale to Knoxville in mid July.

Kendra Gurney, recent graduate of University of Vermont-MS in Natural Resources with a forestry concentration-will be joining our staff in mid-May for a smooth transition with Leila in the New England Science Coordinator position. [More]

Great Mountain Forest Orchard & Education Opportunities

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:00:00 -0700

This first year of the Great Mountain Forest orchard on Under Mountain Road in Falls Village provides a new orchard for CT/TACF and on-the-ground education for me and local students. The most satisfying part of this experience is the inclusion of the Housatonic Valley Regional High School Vo Ag Science/Tech Department students as project partners. In late May under the tutelage of Leila Pinchot, these students laid out the planting, mixed soil and fertilizer, rolled tubes, and planted the nuts: In half the time anticipated! according to Leila. Subsequent Ag/Ed classes will follow through with chores when school is in season. Several individuals have offered summer help.

Canaan Mountain Rises behind the Orchard which is a partnership of GMFC, TACF and Housatonic Regional High School - Photo by Leila Pinchot

Arranged by Leila, the land--donated by Great Mountain Forest for TACF use -- is an acre and a half lot on the slopes of Canaan Mountain. This perfect setting is conveniently a few hundred yards from Chubby Bunny Farm, a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) operation owned and farmed by Dan and Tracy Hayhurst. I asked Dan whether he would be my back-up when I was unable to tend the orchard; his reply: Wow! American Chestnuts! That's great! I'll help any way I can. Dan has deep rototilled to prepare the land for planting and watered when I was unavailable, as well as providing me with the watering equipment for those dry summer weeks. In addition to my initial brush hogging of this old Christmas tree lot prior to planting, I have mowed twice--with the red tailed hawks swooping from high pine perches on the sides of the field to snatch voles and rabbits.

With seventy-five percent germination, and an average height between 17 and 20 inches this third back-cross generation is doing fine, now wintering over in blue tubes poking through the meadow snow, the tall ones with bag-caps to discourage the deer. We are working toward financing for a fence to keep the deer out, probably to be in place this coming summer. Toward that end, the Berkshire - Litchfield Environmental Council Executive Committee has just authorized a small grant.

I thank, in addition to teachers Mark Burdick and Dave Moran, the community members who have taken an interest, volunteered to work, weed and wonder that the American Chestnut is on its way back to our woodlands.

Ellery W. Sinclair, Manager
Great Mountain Forest Orchard

Foundation Announces Major Grant

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:25:00 -0700

The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF), kicking off its 25th anniversary this year, has even more to celebrate with the recent $1 million lead gift from the Stanback family of North Carolina. This gift serves as a challenge grant as TACF crosses the halfway point in a $2.5 million capital campaign. [More]

Rod Longley Honored for Service

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:46:00 -0700

By unanimous vote, the Board recognized Rod Longley as a Distinguished and Honorary Director of the Connecticut Chapter TACF in recognition of his many years of service, unwavering commitment and contributions.

Rod joined TACF in 1991, and was a founding member of the CT Chapter in 1992. He resigned as Director in 2006 after fifteen years as a member, with many of those recently as Director and Vice President. Those of us that worked with Rod miss his friendly and inquisitive nature and unlimited reservoir of ideas. I would like to thank Rod for his years of service and hope that he continue reaching out an participating. [More]

Man Joins Effort To Save Nut Trees

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 04:02:00 -0700

CT-TACF Director Dr. David Bingham is highlighted in this local Connecticut TV broadcast in front of the Old Lyme Library.

"Man Joins Effort To Save Nut Trees - News Links Story - WFSB Hartford"

http://www.wfsb.com/newslinks/14110153/detail.html?taf=hart