The Suffield Land Conservancy will be holding its annual meeting on November 8 at 7 p.m. at the Suffield Senior Center. We are very excited this year to have Justin Kaput, a 2018 National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, be our speaker. Justin, a lifelong Suffield resident, teaches environmental science at Suffield High School. During his talk, he will discuss the impact of nature on children, conservation and environmental stewardship, and his desire to create a land ethic in young people. In particular, he will discuss the design of his environmental science courses (both at SHS and in a UConn Early College Experience Class) and their focus on ecological resilience and restoration ecology. He will discuss his trajectory from a troubled youth finding solace in the wild places of Suffield to a teacher who is trying to create synergistic relationships between students and their local environment. Kaput believes that this is a great place to start kids learning about the natural world and that everyone benefits from a deeper connection to nature. Come and hear him speak.
The Land Conservancy came together with local volunteers on October 14 from 9 a.m. to noon to begin trail work for the new South Grand Street property. Around a half mile of trail was built, starting at the parking lot of the property, curving through the property’s tree line, passing Stony Brook. Small trees, branches, and brush were cleared to provide hikers a chance to connect to the beautiful woodland that outlines two larger fields found on the property. Pressure-treated bridges were added to allow hikers the ease of walking over small streams feeding into the brook. More work will be done, including a trailhead sign and trail markers.