Woodbridge Park Association
2004 Annual
Letter
Dear Friends,
It is a tremendous pleasure and
honor for me to serve you as the President of the Woodbridge Park
Association. I am extremely fortunate
to have a terrific 21-member Board of Directors who actively support our
endless work for open space and conservation.
This has been a very busy year for us.
With surprise and profound sadness, all Woodbridge Park Association Directors and Officers
regret the passing of longtime Director Pat de
Man on Sunday, July 4th, 2004.
Pat dearly loved the Alice Newton Street Memorial Park. She would walk in the park daily. She also would go for walks around Woodbridge
with her good friend Bebe Shee. She was
a consistent Director of the Park Association, rarely missing meetings, and
always supporting our work and conservation and open space efforts in
Woodbridge. Some think of Pat as an
outside person, splitting her own firewood.
Pat lived on Cedar Road; her late
husband, Paul de Man, was a Professor of Comparative Literature at Yale
University. Pat exhibited her love of
literature, art, nature and equestrian sports throughout her life. She was also a talented translator of French
Literature and published a widely used edition of Flaubert’s novel, Madame
Bovary.
Her daughter Patricia L. de Man of
upstate New York and the two children of her son, Michael, who pre-deceased
her, survive Pat. Pat’s Memorial Service occurred on Saturday, September 4th
at the First Church of Christ, Woodbridge with the Rev. Boyd Johnson
officiating.
We believe the Woodbridge Park
Association, a 501C3 non-profit organization, is the fourth oldest land trust
in Connecticut according to the listing maintained at the Convocation of
Connecticut Land Trusts. From our
Articles of Association recorded in the Woodbridge Land Records on November 21,
1928, the Park Association has the following purposes:
“To acquire by gift or purchase
lands within the town of Woodbridge and to hold the same for any or all of the
following purposes: to establish such lands as a bird refuge and for the
preservation of birds, fish and other animal life, and of trees, shrubs and
plants; for the planting and care of trees in accordance with the principles of
scientific forestry; to build roads and paths therein and to make accessible to
the public any historic locations therein; to establish its holdings as a park
for public use and recreation, in accordance with such rules and regulations as
it may adopt…”
We are all so lucky as Woodbridge
residents to live in our beautiful town, with all the properties we have set
aside for public access held by the town of Woodbridge, the Woodbridge Land
Trust and the Woodbridge Park Association.
It is indeed an unusual situation to essentially have two land trusts
within one town.
As we celebrate the 75th
anniversary of the founding of the Woodbridge Park Association this year, it is
my pleasure to report to you on our recent activities. The Park Association has been active in
joining other supporters of open space initiatives in Woodbridge to encourage
the Town to devote additional funds to the acquisition and preservation of open
space.
The Woodbridge Park Association
recognizes its shared mission with the Town, the other land conservation groups
in Woodbridge, and the many citizens of Woodbridge who cherish the town’s rural
quality to preserve the open spaces that make it special. We are pleased that
First Selectman Amey Marrella and her team, Senator Joseph Crisco and
Representative Themis Klarides, show strong leadership and commitment to open
space initiatives.
This year, we have conducted
numerous maintenance activities. Eagle
Scout Candidate Andrew Dickgiesser of Woodbridge Boy Scout Troop 963 completed
his project to re-blaze an 1,840-foot section of the trails in our Newton Road
property. As a part of this project,
Andrew repaired a badly deteriorated plank walk bridge and additional sections
over wet areas, and re-blazed our trail system north of the Amity High School. With the assistance of other scouts, he also
had to clear brush and small trees, rake trails and make these trails more
attractive to hikers, as these had been rarely used in the past. It has been 15 years since the last
significant project in this area. We
are in the process of preparing our Newton Road property for public use once
again; this project has significantly positively affected this effort.
We conducted a very successful annual workday at our Alice Newton
Street Memorial Park property on Saturday, April 24th. Coordinated by Park Superintendent Win
Hubbard, significant clean-up efforts occurred at the entrance to the
park. This area is also benefiting from
some new plantings provided by Officer Barbara Adams and Director Becky Daymon. Additionally, crews worked in the park meadow
and along the park’s North Boundary Trail.
This
workday occurs annually near Earth Day (this year April 22nd) to
prepare the park for its most heavily used summer season. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of a number
of volunteer workers, “the meadow is now exquisite, the entrance inviting, and
the northeast boundary trail intriguing” commented one observer. Assisting us this
year were the Amity High School Girls Cross Country Team and the Amity Boys
Throwing Team.
Adults
who assisted included: Win Hubbard, Richard Zambarano, Barbara Adams, Becky
Daymon, Judy Williams, Jay Daymon, Karen Hluchan, Geoffrey Smith, Chris
Dickerson and Richard Forselius.
The 75th anniversary
celebration of the Woodbridge Park Association was held on Sunday, May 16th
at 3:00 PM at the entrance to Alice Newton Street Memorial Park in Woodbridge
center.
In preparation for celebrating our
75th anniversary, the Park Association’s Archives Committee began a
long-term project to research and write a history of the Park Association, and
produced a wonderful display of Park Association historical documents,
including the handwritten minutes from the first Directors meeting. Through an
examination of old records, it was determined that the Park Association was
incorporated on October 4, 1928. It was not until January 14, 1929, however,
that the Board of Directors consisting of eight members was elected. Subsequent
records indicate that the latter date has since been viewed as the founding
date for the purpose of marking anniversaries.
We also express our thanks to
Woodbridge First Selectman Amey Marrella for her long-standing support of the
Park Association and open space and conservation efforts.
We were thrilled to have members
of the Street family in attendance at the 75th
Anniversary celebration. These were Brad Street of Madison, and Bruce
and Janet Street of Atlanta, Georgia.
Bruce told us “the family enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm of the Board and
other involved people…the family has always been proud of Newton and Ethel for
their desire to protect the land in its natural state. Newton would feel honored that so many
people have continued to come together and add land, time and monetary
contributions to expand this dream.” We express our most sincere appreciation
to Brad, Bruce and Janet, as well as Roseann Street of Maine and Mary Ellen
Fleming of Virginia.
Also in attendance at the 75th anniversary were Winifred Daniell and her son Gordon. Winifred is a long-time supporter of the Park Association. According to our 1994 newsletter, the lovely granite bench and red maple on the Woodbridge Town Green were dedicated in memory of Winifred’s husband Martin H. Daniell on June 13, 1994. Gordon was among the family members present at the dedication, as was daughter Ellen. Winifred was Park Association Secretary from 1971-1975, then Treasurer from 1981-1994, remaining as a Director in the interim between holding these offices. She resigned as Treasurer upon her move to Wallingford at the death of her husband.
In a note to former Park Association President Susan
Matheson this spring, Winifred wrote, “As a family we were lucky to live near
the park. We walked the trails frequently, enjoying wild flowers, birds, and
the falls. It was a favorite place for
a holiday stroll.”
At the 75th
anniversary, several active and recently retired Directors and Officers were
recognized for their long-term service to the Park Association. These are:
1. Don Rowland, Vice President and
President of the Park Association, who is mentioned in the historical records
as far back as 1966 as Park Superintendent.
2. Louise Rowland, who served as Secretary for many years.
3. Paul Konwerski, a Director of long standing, who also served as
both Vice President and President.
4. Susan Matheson, past President and Secretary of the Park
Association, who is now Archives Committee Chair.
5. Win Hubbard, who became active in the Park Association in the
mid-1960’s, and became assistant Superintendent in 1970, and Superintendent in
1973, a position he continues to serve in to this day.
6. Katherine Hubbard, a former
Secretary and a Director for a decade.
7. Richard Zambarano, a Director for many years, served as Vice
President and Treasurer.
I have had the pleasure of working
with these generous and dedicated Park Association Directors for many years,
and speak for everyone involved with the Park Association in thanking them
profoundly for their devotion to the park and our goals. They have been true
friends to the people of Woodbridge, each serving the community in other
capacities, also.
Connecticut Yankee Council
Wepawaug Valley District Boy Scout Commissioner Tim Wilkins spoke to us at the
75th anniversary. He
credited the long relationship between the Boy Scouts and the Park
Association. At least 27 Eagle projects
have been completed successfully at the Park Association’s properties over the
past four decades. Eagle Scout Jeffrey
Stauffer also told us about his project to build a new bridge over a branch of
the Wepawaug River on the Alice Newton Park’s main trail.
We would also like to credit the
dedicated work of Griff Bedworth in acquiring the Historic District designation
for the Woodbridge Center area. Griff also addressed the gathering at the 75th. It is indeed fortunate that our Alice Newton
Street Memorial Park property is a part of this designation, for it will allow
us some advantages in seeking funding and in perpetual preservation in the
present natural state.
Also at the 75th
anniversary celebration, a flowering dogwood tree was planted near the memorial
stone and the park map, in acknowledgement of the founders of the Woodbridge
Park Association. Bruce and Brad
Street, and Superintendent Win Hubbard and Assistant Superintendent Mike Walter
together planted this tree, similar to one planted at the 50th
anniversary.
At the annual meeting in May, the
Park Association received and accepted with great regret the resignation of
long-time Director and Officer, Richard Zambarano. Dick has served as Vice President and Treasurer to the Park
Association and his skills and insight will be sorely missed.
The annual meeting marked the
beginning of my first year as President, and I want to take this opportunity to
thank my fellow Officers and Directors for their dedicated stewardship of the
Alice Newton Street Memorial Park and the generous vision of the Park
Association’s founders, and their energetic efforts in moving toward
preservation goals. I am also grateful to attorney David W. Schneider for his
wise and expert guidance in the increasingly complex issues surrounding open
space preservation. I have an outstanding slate of Officers to work with:
Christopher R. Dickerson, Vice President; Barbara W. Adams, Secretary, and
Michael E. Burt, Esq., Treasurer. Winchester L. Hubbard continues as Park
Superintendent, and Michael Walter serves as Assistant Superintendent. We have two new members on the Board of
Directors this year: Sarah M. Davison and Carrie R. Swigart, MD; we welcome
them warmly. I look forward to working with this exceptional team of leaders
for the benefit of the park and the open space preservation goals that so many
of us in Woodbridge share.
On Arbor Day, April 30th,
2004, the Woodbridge Garden Club
and the Woodbridge Park Association announced a joint project to identify and catalog
notable trees within the town of Woodbridge.
The purpose of this project is threefold. Primarily, it is a way for the Woodbridge Garden Club and the
Woodbridge Park Association, both concerned with maintaining the beauty of our
natural environment, to work together and with other interested members of the
community to document notable trees of Woodbridge, on both public and private
property. Secondly, it is a terrific
way to celebrate the Park Association’s 75th anniversary, and the
Garden Club’s 70th, highlighting the work of both organizations as
well as the interest and concern for one of Woodbridge’s greatest historical
assets and natural resources. A third
benefit of this project is to register Woodbridge grand and unique species with
the Connecticut Notable Trees Project, which automatically enters identified
town trees in the National Registry of big trees. I especially wish to express my appreciation to Betty Fearon and
Leslie Martino for their vision to bring this valuable project to Woodbridge.
We would encourage you to visit
our newly established website at www.woodbridgeparks.org. We provide trail maps there for your
downloading and other items of current interest, such as a printable Notable
Tree Nomination Form. We also maintain
a photo gallery; your submission of photos taken in our park properties is
welcomed.
In a resolution of May 1995, the
Park Association moved to encourage gifts of land located within the town of
Woodbridge. Frank D’Ostilio chairs our
active Land Acquisition committee. We
continue to actively seek opportunities to purchase or acquire open space land
for preservation as part of the Park Association’s holdings, to supplement the
Alice Newton Street Memorial Park and our preserve east of Newton Road. The Park Association is considering several
parcels, however, these are out of our financial capability. Several grant writers have offered to assist
us in applying for government and foundation grants, but these can only
supplement the contributions of Woodbridge residents.
We have a finite period of time to
acquire additional properties; as there are very few parcels remaining in
Woodbridge. Please keep this in mind
when you consider your tax-deductible donation in the enclosed donation
envelope; we encourage you to become a sponsor or patron this year; please
remember we function solely on the voluntary contributions from Woodbridge
residents and a few corporations. The
Park Association gratefully wishes to acknowledge the essential support through
donations or in-kind assistance from individuals and organizations.
We wish to express our special appreciation to our Park
Association’s Lifetime Members, who have contributed significant amounts of
funds over the years. Several years ago, our Treasurer recommended doing away
with the Lifetime Membership category.
This was due to our not having an adequate up-to-date listing of living
Lifetime Members; it is the responsibility of our Treasurer to receive gifts and
renew the listing every year for publication in the annual newsletter. We did away with all membership categories
as we also recognized there is a subtle nuance regarding matching funding
opportunities. Corporations, which
provide matching gift contributions, only do so when the funds are gifts or
donations, not for a membership category.
We encourage all company matching gifts; please provide details about your company’s gift program.
Please walk in the Alice Newton
Street Memorial Park frequently and encourage others to enjoy our fabulous
forestland in Woodbridge. I especially
invite you to hike some of the lesser-used trails. Please also feel free to contact me at any point at President@woodbridgeparks.org. We sincerely welcome your support and active
involvement in the dedicated work of the Woodbridge Park Association.
With all best wishes,
Richard J. Forselius
President