FALL FESTIVAL… just around the corner

Always the first Sunday in October, our annual nature bash - aka “Fall Festival” - falls on Sunday, October 6, 10:00-4:00, rain or shine (may the weather gods be smiling!). A well-loved local tradition, Fall Festival features something for all ages and tastes: nature programs, hay rides, pumpkin painting, arts & crafts, farm animals, musical performances, story reading, food, and more.

We are seeking additional crafters this year, people who have a talent for offering and (ideally) demonstrating a unique craft or talent like weaving, tin-smithing, wood carving, tole painting, etc. For additional information, contact Jolynn Rostowsky, Director of Education at Flanders.

Hope to see you at our 22nd annual Fall Festival!

Auction Delights

Saturday, October 26, 2002 5:50 PM, Southbury Hilton Open bar… Tasty hors d’oeuvres… Sumptuous dinner… Silent Auction...Live Auction...

A delightfully fancy evening with old friends and new, along with an opportunity to bring home some wonderful auction items ... and the satisfaction of knowing that your support will be earmarked for environmental education programming at Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust! Check the website in September for a preview of auction items.

This is an important fundraiser - our largest of the year. We need your support and we hope to see you there!

Horsin’ Around

Many thanks to Bob Sullivan and Lea Church, who organized two unusual programs featuring equine species this spring at Flanders.

Kim Dorre, trainer and mentor in CT for the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, gave a demonstration featuring her adopted horses and burros. A wild horse is defined by federal law as an unhandled, unclaimed, free-roaming horse or burro found on Western public rangelands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service. These horses are descended from Spanish explorers, ranchers, miners, US cavalry and Native Americans - a real slice of American history!

A draft horse plowing demonstration was conducted by Henry Church of the New England Draft Horse Association and his teams, who plowed gardens at Flanders in preparation for the 2002 growing season.

An enjoyable and educational time was had by all who participated in the programs!

Congratulations on a Brand New Naturalist

We are very happy to announce that Flanders instructor Laura Smith and her husband, Garrison, became the proud parents of a baby boy born in May. Master Smith has already made an appearance at Flanders, as he accompanied his parents to the barn raising in June.

But alas, Laura will be focusing her efforts for the foreseeable future on motherhood, so we are seeking an instructor for our Outdoor Rangers program - the ongoing Nature Education series for 3-5 year olds throughout the school year (Mondays & Tuesdays). We would love to hire an outdoors-oriented individual who enjoys working with young children, is knowledgeable in the field of nature education, and has plenty of enthusiasm! Contact Jolynn Rostowsky, Flanders’ Director of Education for more information.

Skygazers’ Group

Local naturalist Deron Ash is a multifaceted Flanders volunteer. If he’s not at the computer overseeing our web site, then he might be working on the Land Trust Committee. Recently, he’s been generating ideas for the Skygazers’ Group, a new series he has started at Flanders on the third Friday evening of each month, rain or shine.

“Skygazers” connects participants to the cosmos through a variety of programs touching on topics like night sky objects, ancient sky lore, stars and constellations, and, of course, the planets. Deron has run similar programs elsewhere, and hopes to develop a group of “regulars” at Flanders. The programs are appropriate for amateur astronomers of all ages. For additional information and registration, call Flanders.

EDMUND L. BRIGGS, JR.: 1935-2002
Long-Time Flanders Naturalist

The familiar face and gentle ways of a man who trod Flanders’ paths for nearly four decades will be sorely missed, as Ed Briggs succumbed to cancer in May, after a long illness. Ed was the Naturalist and Land Manager at Flanders for 28 years, retiring in 1996.

Originally hired by a committee consisting of founder Natalie Van Vleck and Board members Bob Whittemore and Whitey Frew, Ed consulted almost daily with Miss Van Vleck over a period of years, as he brought her vision of a nature center and land trust to reality. Mr. Frew fondly remarked at Ed’s memorial service, “Hiring Ed Briggs was one of the best things I ever did for Flanders”.

Ed worked for several nature centers before coming to Flanders, but it was here that he made his mark: working with school groups, running the summer programs, leading trail walks, conducting education sessions for folks of all ages, maintaining trails and wildlife habitats throughout Flanders’ many properties, overseeing Flanders’ daily operations - an exhausting array of responsibilities. He loved it. A newspaper article from a while back quotes Ed as saying, “It’s a way of life. If I weren’t working in this field, I’d still be doing the same thing. I’m always taking long hikes, fishing, canoeing. Even on my days off, I’m out here, looking at the birds through field glasses, looking at new flowers coming up. I never take beauty for granted. Just the reverse. When I go out there, I am more aware of the plants and the animals. I don’t just walk by blindly. If I know the names of the plants and trees, it makes it so much more personal. I really don’t think you appreciate nature as much if you don’t know what these things are and what they’re doing here”.

Ed’s widow, Nancy, described him as, “...an encyclopedia of knowledge, reading constantly. Almost until the day he died, he was reading about nature. His knowledge was remarkable. Even as a kid, Ed was interested in nature - when his relatives visited him as a boy in Maine, he set up a little turtle museum and charged them a penny to see it! I still have five turtles that Ed kept at our house, including one that he brought home from the first nature walk he ever took with our son, nearly 35 years ago”.

A devoted family man, Ed recruited Nancy and his two sons to get involved at Flanders. Nancy says, “Since Ed worked every weekend, we all came over just to be together as a family. We all helped out with nature classes, maple syrup making, Christmas tree sales - Ed used to reach into his wallet and give the kids a dollar when they sold a tree!”

Ed will be fondly remembered by Executive Director Arthur Milnor as an important link in Flanders’ history: “When my wife, Elaine, and I arrived at Flanders five years ago, Ed used to walk us through the various properties and tell us background stories, often very humorous, about the people and the places that went into forming the nature center as we know it today. His level of knowledge was phenomenal, and he was completely devoted in spirit to the nature center, even in his retirement and illness. He was an inspiration to Elaine and me, and we were very touched by how warmly he oriented us and brought us into the fold. His is a unique and rare breed; Ed was a ‘a renaissance man’ of nature”. His spirit will live on. Nancy Briggs graciously requested that memorial contributions be made to Flanders to benefit the Edmund L. Briggs, Jr., Nature Trail at the Van Vleck Farm Sanctuary.

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. Ecclesiastes 1:4

From Camper-To Volunteer-To Staff: One Young Man’s Flanders Story

If you’ve been a part of the Summer Nature programs at Flanders over the past decade, then you might have met Justin Cleary.

Maybe you knew him when he started as a camper at Flanders, twelve years ago. Maybe you met him as a young teen volunteer in your child’s nature class. Or perhaps he’s the friendly young man who greets you on our staff this year. As Justin puts it: “I came here when I was four years old, and I’ve been here ever since!” And we’re glad he has!

Justin says, “As soon as I was old enough, I started volunteering at Flanders. I wanted to be a role model for the kids, to do for them what other people did for me. I’ve volunteered in just about every summer program here. I’ve helped the kids with crafts and games, watched their comings and goings, and helped keep them safe. This is my first summer as a paid staff member. I still work with the kids, and I also do some administrative work, including overseeing other student volunteers”.

Justin has enjoyed working with other teens at Flanders, and has recruited several volunteers to the summer staff. He says, “I’m pretty proud that I’ve gotten some of the volunteers started here. I told them about Flanders and how much I loved it. Now they’ve been coming back, too”.

What has kept Justin connected to Flanders for twelve of the sixteen years of his life? “I love nature, fresh air, being outside. I love sharing what I know about nature, even if it’s just showing a child a little piece of knowledge, and their response is ‘Wow, cool!’. I love working with children. A little girl came up to me at the end of her week here and handed me a flower - ‘so you won’t forget me’ she said. It’s great”.

Justin plans to continue at Flanders for the foreseeable future, perhaps adding to his Flanders’ repertoire: “It wouldn’t be summer without coming here! And I’d like to expand, maybe learn more about gardening by working with Josh [Rapport] and his garlic farm [Sacred Organics, located at the Van Vleck Farm Sanctuary], which is one of my interests”.

Jolynn Rostowsky, Flanders’ Director of Education, believes Justin is a real treasure, “When I came to Flanders several years ago, Justin was one of the people who showed me around. He’s a wonderful counselor. Parents love him, and so do the kids. The other teens look up to him as a role model. He loves Flanders and wants everyone to have a great experience here”.

Justin’s story has come full circle. He came to Flanders as a child, fell in love with nature, has given a tremendous amount of energy back to the nature center, and continues to influence those around him in a very positive way. From camper, to volunteer, to staff member, Justin epitomizes the principles and values that are at the heart of our mission at Flanders. There could not be a stronger statement to demonstrate what we are all about.