Taking Care of Forests and Open Space

The Jonah Center for Earth and Art invites the public to learn about woodland management and its role in open space conservation on Wednesday, March 12, 7 – 8:30 p.m. in the DeKoven House at the corner of DeKoven Drive and Washington Street in Middletown. Local experts Tom Worthley, UCONN Professor of Forestry from the Middlesex County Extension Center, and Jeremy Clark, a CT Certified Forester and newly elected member of Middletown’s Planning and Zoning Commission, will lead the discussion.

Middletown has been successful at protecting key parcels of open space – woodlands, farms, floodplains, and shrub lands – to preserve the community’s rural beauty and biodiversity. Now, in our role as stewards of these properties, what steps should we take to manage them for their optimum benefit to human residents and the many other plant and animal species in our ecosystem? What are the potential benefits of timber harvesting on public land, as well as the potential risks or costs of this activity?  How can additional open space acquisitions contribute to the health of these lands by linking isolated parcels for wildlife migration?

(The photo shows "before and after" views of a forest management project at Middlesex  Community  College.)

This program is co-sponsored by The Jonah Center for Earth and Art and Middletown’s Environmental Collective Impact Network (Ecoin), which includes Middlesex Community College, Middlesex Land Trust, Middletown’s Conservation Commission, Middletown’s Urban Forestry Commission, Earth Ministry, and The Rockfall Foundation.  Those organizations all contributed to offering this program. Representatives from other Ecoin members will be present as well, to take part in a rich and informative discussion.

The event is free, open to the public, and no reservations are required.  For more information, call the Jonah Center at 860-398-3771, or visit www.thejonahcenter.org to learn more about the Jonah Center or Ecoin.