THE WOODBRIDGE PA=
RK
ASSOCIATION, INC.
WOODBRIDGE, CONNECTICUT<= o:p>
FOUNDED IN 1928
ANNUAL LET=
TER
2008
![3D"Text](3D"AnnualLetter2008withoutpictures_files/image001.gif")
Dear Friends,
Mirroring the rest of the =
world,
2008 was a year of highs and lows for the Woodbridge Park Association, a 50=
1(c)(3) non-profit organization. We experienced some important loss=
es to
our Board, but on a brighter note have some great additions as well.
Win and Katie Hubbard reti=
red from
the WPA Board of Directors in May.
On behalf of all the directors, I would like to thank Win and Katie =
for
their decades of service and support.
Win and Katie cited advancing years as the reason for their retireme=
nt,
although I have observed both of them working recently with the strength and
enthusiasm of people half their age.
Win quietly went about his responsibilities as our Superintendent,
diligently keeping our trails clear, while Katie remained steadfast in her
desire to keep our private organization viable and focused on our important
mission to protect our open space holdings. Win and Katie were cornerstones of=
the
WPA and will be missed.
We also lost Director Ron =
Hedberg, who passed away on September 24th=
, and
former Director and long-time supporter Winifred Danie=
ll,
who passed on July 7th.
Ginny Schneider has written a brief obituary for Ron in this letter.=
We are excited to welcome =
two new
members to our Board. Nan
Birdwhistell and Suzanne Werth will fill the large shoes left by Win and Ka=
tie.
Becky Daymon has written a brief introduction of our new directors below.
We
were the recipient of a truly unique gift by James Ver=
inis
and Shayna Cohen. James and Sha=
yna
asked that the WPA be listed on their wedding registry. James and Sha=
yna
were married on June 15th, 2008 on a wooded piece of property that they own=
in South Kingstown, RI. They have both lived and wor=
ked in
New York for many years and are currently doing so in Greece,
but they have long considered the Verinis house=
on
Tulip Tree Lane where James' mother Marie lives a second home, from which t=
hey
walk the many trails of the Woodbridge Greenway System. In fact, James has =
been
running, walking, cross-country skiing, and bicycling along these trails si=
nce
the day his family moved to Woodbridge in 1976. They would all like to help
them remain as beautiful as they are and to increase the presence and stren=
gth
of the Woodbridge Park Association. Consequ=
ently
the thought of putting the WPA on their wedding re=
gistry
came to both James and Shayna simultaneously. It
proved to be a great idea, as $1025 was raised to benefit the WPA. We appreciate such a thoughtful wa=
y to
celebrate their marriage and support our efforts.
Finally, we are happy to r=
eport
the sale of the Hitchcock Farm on Center Road to a local family and they ha=
ve
already begun restoration and farming activities. As you may remember, in 2006 the
Woodbridge Park Association teamed with the Amity & Woodbridge Historic=
al
Society and the Town of Woodbridge to purchase a conservation easement from=
the
Hitchcock family. This easeme=
nt
will keep the property intact and safe from development. Marc and Lisa Santoro are moving
steadily forward in transforming this homestead into a jewel for our town.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> We wish them the best of luck and
support in their efforts.
The
Life of Ron Hedberg – Ginny Schneider
We are
deeply saddened by the loss of long time director Ron =
Hedberg,
who passed away on September 24th. During his 28 years as a member of the <=
span
class=3Dyshortcuts>Woodbridge Park Association Board, he was active =
in
doing title searches, researching town data,
creating extensive mapping, and working with Boy Scout projects, land acquisition, and park maintenance.
The WPA benefited from Ron's most impressive
background. He received a BS from Penn State Unive=
rsity,
a Master's in geology from the University of Kansas, and a doctorate from <=
span
class=3Dyshortcuts>Harvard University in geological sciences. He was=
a
member of Sigma Xi, a very prestigious science honorary, and Sigma Gamma Epsilon, an earth science honorary, a=
s well
as several professional associations. He worked as a geologist and
oceanographer in the United States, Africa, Burma, India, the Netherlands, Greece, Spa=
in,
and Latin America. He authored at least 14
publications as well.
Although
Ron's "laboratory" covered the globe, he focused much of his
attention on Woodbridge, especially in the past 28 years. In addition to his
leadership as Vice-President of the WPA, he was a member of the Woodbridge
Conservation Trust, the Woodbridge Land Trust,
the Regional Council of Governments, the
Woodbridge Inland Wetlands Committee, and the Committee on the Use of Publi=
cly
Owned Properties.
In
addition to Ron's technical and scientific expertise, he also had a love of
nature, including the smallest creatures. An example of this was his decisi=
on
to eliminate mice intruders in his house by catching them in a Havahart trap and releasing them alive into the outdo=
ors,
rather than killing them.
Woodbridge has benefited from Ron's extensive contributions to open
space and stewardship of the earth. We are thankful for his dedicated servi=
ce
and extend our sincere sympathy to his family.
New members o=
f the
board –
With Win and Katie Hubbard stepping down from being ac= tive board members we had 2 sets of very large shoes to fill. We are pleased to announce our new members of the Board, Nan Birdwhistell and Suzanne Werth. Most everyone knows Nan, not only = from being a past First Selectman but also from her active role in the preservat= ion of open space. The Alice Newt= on Street Park has been a special place for Nan and her family for many years. She has logged “countless happy hours in the park, hiking, mountain biking, running,= and cross-country skiing.” = Nan appreciates that the Park is an amazing and important gem of Woodbridge and= is looking forward in helping with its stewardship.
Suzanne had her first introduction to the Park last ye= ar at the Fall Harvest Hike. She immediately saw the beauty of the Park and was extremely interested in lear= ning about the WPA. Having summere= d in New Hampshire as a child, Suzanne developed an appreciation of open space a= nd its importance at an early age. She has been living in Woodbridge for the past 15 years and has had a great interest in the Woodbridge Land Trust as well as the Bethany Historical Society.
We welcome both Nan and Suzanne as Board Members and w= e are looking forward to working with them on the Mission of the WPA for the preservation on open space.
What
is a "Land Trust"-=
David Schneider, Esq.
The term "land trust" is a generic reference that can apply to a
number of different types of entities. However, it generally refers t=
o a
not-for-profit, private (as opposed to public) corporation whose primary
purpose is to preserve open space land. Usually the corporation does =
this
by acquiring full ownership of land or an “interest” in a parce=
l of
land (often referred to as a conservation easement=
).
Most likely, a land trust will be set up to guarantee that land it acquires
will be kept for open space and not developed. A land trust will often
permit passive recreation on its property (such as hiking), sponsor educati=
onal
programs on environmental issues and the like.
The words "land trust" can be in the corporation's name, but they
need not be. The Woodbridge Park Association=
,
Inc. (WPA) is a land trust, even though those words do not appear in its
official name. In fact, the WPA, established in 1928, is either the t=
hird
or fourth oldest land trust in Connecticut.=
The WPA owns a number of parcels of land in Woodbridge, including the Alice
Newton Street Park, which was its initial holding. It also has a
conservation easement (along with the Town and the Amity-Woodbridge Histori=
cal
Society) on the Hitchcock property on Center Road. The WPA is in the
process of negotiating other conservation easements on several parcels of o=
pen
space in Woodbridge.
The WPA usually acquires property or interests in property as gifts, althou=
gh
it has also made purchases. A donor, in addition to having the
satisfaction of helping to preserve open space, may also be able to obtain a
significant income tax deduction.
The WPA is governed by twenty-one active volunteer directors, all of whom
reside in Woodbridge. For more information on the WPA, to discuss the
possibility of a donation of land, or to obtain information about land dona=
tion
tax deductions, please contact the WPA president, Chris Dickerson at 203-430-0034.
Harvest Hike –=
Sarah Davison
In our efforts to introduce the Alice Newton Street Me= morial Park to the Beecher Road School Community, the Woodbridge Park Association sponsors an annual “Harvest Hike” during the third week of October. Beecher Road School principals, teachers and staff join Woodbridge Park Association trail guides and Beecher Road School children and their families on a 1-hour walk through the Alice Newton Street Memorial Park. are pleased that the hike has become a yearly welcomed event on Beecher Road School’s calendar, and we hope to develop more collaborative programs with the elementary school and other community groups. The Harvest Hike has become an imp= ortant public relations event for the WPA, and a popular event for families who ha= ve recently moved to Woodbridge.
This year’s Fifth Annual Harvest Hike was held on October 23rd, an absolutely glorious day with the leaves still at their height. A group of more than = 60 hikers “leaf-peeped” as they looped through three different tra= ils in the Park, learning about local flora and fauna from WPA directors who accompanied the hikers. We al= ways spend a few minutes at the famous Wepawaug Fall= s, a highlight for the children, and the event is completed with post-hike refreshments provided by the Beecher Road School PTO.
The Woodbridge Park Association encourages the greater= Amity community to join us at one of our annual events, and if you are interested= in developing a club or community program with us, contact Director Sarah Davi= son at 389-8843.
Park Maintenance Report – Michael Walter, Superintendent
Park maintenance is an on-going process through-out the year. A few of these activiti= es include our annual spring cleanup, brush cutting along trails, checking for erosion, picking up fallen branches after storms, litter control, and cutti= ng and removal of unsafe or dead trees that have fallen on trails or impose a threat to hikers.
The newest item added to the park is a raised boardwal= k. It is located on the North Boundary Trail. The boardwalk is the result of Troop 907 Eagle Scouts Aaron Altman and Greg Wirak. T= he project was completed in late fall of 2007. The boardwalk is raised off the gr= ound to keep hikers out of an area that has a few intermittent streams. It was b= uilt in two sections. The first section is approximately 110 feet long and the o= ther about 25 feet. This was also = the date of our 5th Annual Harvest Hike.
We are continuing our efforts to re-mark the trails so hikers can easily tell if they are on the trail and which trail they are on. The new map on our website (see below) should help you as well. Look for so= me new changes to the map in 2009 as we continue to upgrade trails and marking= s.
With Fall and Winter here a= gain, the Meadow area of the park has just been mowed, and the leaves will soon be cleaned up there, at the Park’s front entrance off Meetinghouse Lane,= and at the rear parking lot area behind the First Church of Christ. The leaves = are removed to allow the continued growth of grasses in these areas. Some decid= uous trees in the Meadow will be cut to promote more growth of the meadow grasses and to help sustain the inventory of cedar trees located there.
Our Association is fortunate to have many individuals = who volunteer their time to help with maintenance items. I want to express my thanks to all of them at this time. More people are encouraged to get involved. Please visit our website= and send the WPA an email if you are interested in helping. We hope to see you on the trails!<= /p>
The Woodbridge Park Associ=
ation
was incorporated on October 4, 1928 and on January 14, 1929, the Board of
Directors, consisting of eight members, was elected. Records indicate that the latter d=
ate
has since been viewed as the founding date for the purpose of marking
anniversaries. We believe the Woodbridge Park Association is the fourth old=
est 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 principle=
s of
scientific forestry; to build roads and paths therein and to make accessibl=
e to
the public any historic locations therein; to establish its holdings as a p=
ark
for public use and recreation, in accordance with such rules and regulation=
s as
it may adopt…”
While there remains undeve=
loped
land in private hands, we need your assistance and especially generous
donations to help us continue to preserve open space in Woodbridge. Please
consider the need to preserve open space and donate generously to us this
year. Please also consider us=
in
your estate planning: We are able to assist with this. We have a finite period of time to
acquire additional properties because 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 and remember that we function solely on the voluntary contributions
from Woodbridge residents and a few corporations. The WPA gratefully acknowledges the
essential support through donations of in-kind assistance from several local
companies. We encourag=
e all
company-matching gifts, so please feel free to provide details about your company’s gift program, if available
We encourage you to visit =
our
website at www.woodbridgeparks.=
org. We provide trail maps there for
downloading and other items of current interest.
Please walk in the Alice N=
ewton
Street Memorial Park frequently and encourage others to enjoy all the fabul=
ous
forestland in Woodbridge. I
especially invite you to hike some of the lesser-used trails. Please also feel free to contact m=
e at
any point at president@woo=
dbridgeparks.org. We sincerely welcome your support =
and
active involvement in the dedicated work of the Woodbridge Park Association=
.
Best wishes,
Chris Dickerson
President 2008