Mother Nature's Child Film and Discussion
Mother Nature's Child movie trailer
Forest Lyceum Book Talk - Coyote at the Kitchen Door: Living with Wildlife in Suburbia by Stephen DeStefano
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Forest Lyceum Book Talk - Deep Travel: In Thoreau's Wake on the Concord and Merrimack by David Leff.
On Saturday, March 5, Collinsville author David Leff discussed his book Deep Travel: In Thoreau's Wake on the Concord and Merrimack. In 2004, Leff and several companions followed the route taken by Henry David Thoreau and his brother John on these two rivers in 1839. His idea of "deep travel" - looking deeper into our surroundings, rather than just drifting by - gave the audience a different outlook on places we travel to and even on our own neighborhoods.
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Forest Lyceum Book Talk - Home is the Hunter: The James Bay Cree and Their Land by Hans Carlson
On Saturday, Jan. 15 at 4:00 p.m. at the Norfolk Library, author Hans Carlson discussed his book Home is the Hunter: The James Bay Cree and Their Land. He told the story of the Cree's relationship with their land in northern Quebec as their home, their garden and their memory of themselves as a people. Now, an indigenous people struggling for environmental justice, they are living with the consequences of Quebec's massive development of hydroelectricity, timber and mineral resources. Attendees enjoyed a wine and cheese reception and a chance to meet the author prior to the book talk.
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On Dec. 5, 2010, Wayne Jenkins once again taught wreath making at Great Mountain Forest. With a collection of greens, berries, cones and birch bark gathered by foresters Jody Bronson and Russell Russ, everyone was well supplied with materials. Under Wayne's guidance, everyone was able to complete a wreath to take home. Wayne's wife, Wendy demonstrated how to make beautiful bows to decorate the wreaths. With a wood fire, Christmas carols, hot cocoa, spiced cider and cookies, everyone got in the holiday spirit. Sign up early next year so you don't miss out on this popular event.
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Lecture Series
Dr. Paul K. Barten, Executive Director of the Great Mountain Forest, presented a series of three lectures this spring at the Norfolk Library. On April 10 and 17, "When Two Worlds Met: How the Fur Trade Shaped the Forests, People and History of North America" was the topic. This was followed by "Learning from the James Bay Cree" on June 12. Dr. Barten spent two weeks with the Cree in northern Quebec this past winter. For more information on the lectures, click on these links: Fur Trade Lectures April 10 and 17; Cree Lecture June 12. Watch our website for book signings this fall on related topics.
Cordage Making/Introduction to Wilderness Survival Workshop
On Saturday, June 5, a cordage making workshop was held at the Shelter on Golf Drive. Joe Brien of Lost Art Workshops (lostartworkshops.com) began the day with an introduction to wilderness survival skills and materials needed for survival, including cordage (string, twine, rope) to make shelters, snares, fishing line, bow strings and nets. Dogbane, a common plant growing in open fields throughout New England was used by the children and adults in the workshop to make cordage. Dried stalks of dogbane were crushed and split into strips, then rubbed between the palms of our hands to make long flexible strands. The strands were then twisted to make strong twine, which we fashioned into bracelets. Afterward, Joe demonstrated a snare for hunting small mammals and showed us how to harvest spruce roots, also useful as cordage.
Bat Box Building Workshop
On Saturday, May 22, 2010, a bat box building workshop was held at the Shelter on Golf Drive. Joe Brien of Lost Art Workshops (lostartworkshops.com) instructed a group of children and adults in construction techniques using hand tools. By the end of the day, everyone had a completed bat box to take home, all hoping to help this important species in its struggle to survive.
Spoon Carving Workshop
On Saturday, May 8, 2010, a spoon carving workshop was held at the Shelter on Golf Drive. It was a stormy morning, but a blazing fireplace fire, some camp coffee and a simmering pot of homemade mulligatawny soup made everyone glad that they came. Joe Brien of Lost Art Workshops (lostartworkshops.com) taught a group of adults and children to carve wooden spoons with whittling knives. A coal from the campfire was used to hollow out the scoop of the spoon. Everyone got to eat the tasty soup with their finished spoons before going home.
Camp Fire Cooking Workshop
On Saturday, April 24, 2010, Joe Brien of Lost Art Workshops (lostartworkshops.com) taught a group of children and adults to cook meals on a campfire. This workshop was held at the Shelter on Golf Drive, a turn-of-the-century stone pavilion that is the perfect setting for our series of Forest Skills Workshops. Participants learned to cook stew in a Dutch oven, boil water with hot rocks, broil meat over coals and bake biscuits and cookies in a reflector oven. After a fun morning of learning all these techniques, the best part was eating all the delicious food!
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Centennial Celebration
On September 26, 2009, Great Mountain Forest held its Centennial Celebration. About 250 friends of the forest came for a day at the Yale Forestry Camp. The program included lectures and field walks by staff, board members and researchers. Topics included invasive species, climate change, forest entomology, quantifying forest change, a century of conservation at Great Mountain Forest, forest soils and water, old growth forests, forest measurements and wildlife habitat management. Children took part in an animal awareness program and learned traditional woodworking skills, both taught by Joe Brien of Lost Arts Workshop. A delicious lunch, a woodsmen's demonstration by Henry and Heinz Gundlach, an art show of GMF scenes by local artists, a birds of prey exhibit by Bob Alex and door prizes of items unique to GMF rounded out the day.
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Christodora is a New York City organization that brings inner city youth to the Yale Forestry Camp at Great Mountain Forest every summer. Their staff teaches a Summer Ecology Program with support from GMF’s forestry staff. Other community members have become involved with this group, teaching the students about organic vegetable farming, dairy farming, owl calling, edible wild plants and fly fishing. GMF researchers have enhanced Christodora’s program with lessons on their current scientific research.
Troops have learned orienteering skills at Great Mountain Forest. Our forestry staff teaches basic compass skills and guides them on a course. They also helped to host a Special Olympics soccer team from the Czech Republic during their stay at the Yale Forestry Camp.
Troops visit Great Mountain Forest for hiking, camping and activities involved in completing their forestry badge. Basic tree identification, forest products and forest ecology are introduced at a suitable level. Other lessons include forest forensics (past land use history) and meteorology, including a tour of GMF’s weather station.
Members of these commissions have toured GMF and had discussions with GMF foresters about land use concepts. Tours included demonstrations of sustainable forestry management.
GMF hosted a 2 day workshop to educate state forestry staff on matters concerning estimating timber volumes from trees with a variety of defects that may or may not influence grade and timber volumes.
Classes have attended tours at GMF to learn about basic forest management concepts.
Fire fighters from all the New England states and the eastern Canadian provinces have attended training drills at GMF. The fire fighters were housed at Yale Forestry Camp and simulated drills were practiced throughout the forest.
The Connecticut Division of Forestry recently conducted a
field training exercise at the Great Mountain Forest with Wildland firefighters
interested in learning the world of water delivery to Wildland fires.
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This Federally recognized class, written by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, is designed to give students maximum exposure to portable, high pressure pumps that are used in wildfire suppression. In addition to learning about the mechanics of the pumps and engines students learn the many other requirements to effectively deliver that right amount of water, at the correct pressure, efficiently and on a sustained basis. |
Twenty three Wildland fire fighters from the Connecticut DEP and members of the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew (those that are sent nationally to assist the U.S. Forest Service) spent 2 ½ days at the Forest and were given instruction on different types of hose, adapters, the hydraulics of water movement, pump trouble shooting, topographic considerations, Class A Foam, and suppression techniques. Many of the activities were scheduled and conducted outdoors.
Photos above are random images from our latest events.
