Around two dozen people bundled up and braved the cold, windy weather for Newtown Conservation Commission’s New Year’s Walk and Seed Bomb Launching on Saturday, January 4. People young and old dressed up in hats, gloves, and coats, and walked up to High Meadow at Fairfield Hills for the special occasion.

Residents were invited by the Conservation Commission to “throw and grow” seed bombs made out of clay, dirt, and native seeds as a way to plant native seeds across the meadow. Attendees launched these seed bombs with slingshots made by Conservation Commissioner John Robinson.

One hundred seed bomb kits were distributed before the event, which people could obtain from Newtown Community Center and use to make their own seed bombs. However, there were still plenty of seed bombs on-hand at the event for people who didn’t have any.

Conservation Commission Chair Holly Kocet said that the native seeds came from Tiny Meadow Farm in Danbury, and gave them thanks for their “very generous” donation.

The launching was another step in the Conservation Commission’s High Meadow Restoration Plan, which aims to increase the diversity of native wildlife and provide a pleasing meadow experience for any and all visitors. It also aims to be a viable model for future Newtown environmental restoration projects.

According to Kocet, the Conservation Commission was charged with putting together a plan for managing the future of High Meadow back in 2016. From there, she said that they all got together and “did just that.”

Their ultimate goal, according to Kocet, is to “create a natural meadow for pollinators.”

It is a natural extension of the Conservation Commission’s mission, which is to conserve and maintain the natural resources of Newtown, including water resources, forests, historic features, scenic vistas, and meadows. Kocet said that the group is dedicated to acquiring and protecting open spaces such as High Meadow, which is only one of the several local open spaces that it preserves and takes care of.

As stated on the pamphlet passed out by Conservation Commission members at the event, High Meadow is of particular importance because it is part of a larger significant swath of habitat stretching across Wasserman Way through Governor’s Field and state- and town-owned fields along Deep Brook and up Queen Street.

Large contiguous habitat areas such as this are more beneficial to wildlife than fragmented areas of land, as they provide food and nesting opportunities for various animal species. According to the Conservation Commission, grasslands and meadows are among the most threatened and rare habitats in Connecticut.

The loss of this habitat due to factors like development and fragmentation is a major contributor to the decline of many different and valuable pollinators and animal species.

Through the efforts of the Conservation Commission, which has worked to restore the meadow through conducting area studies and seeding projects such as the New Years seed launching, High Meadow has blossomed from hayfields into an environment for pollinators and other wildlife.

As for the reason they picked a day with cold weather for the launching, Conservation Commissioner Lisa Shirk said it’s because most native seeds need 30-90 days of stratification, a survival mechanism so that seeds don’t prematurely germinate.

Shirk said that this means many native seeds need the cold weather, as well as the rain, snow, and sun, and use those elements to break down and get ready to germinate.

“So, if we try to do this in the spring on a nice day, the seeds wouldn’t be able to do anything this year,” Shirk said. “They might lay in the field and do something next year, but that’s why we’re doing it now.”

The chilly winter winds that blew in that morning didn’t stop attendees from smiling as they watched seed bombs soar through the air and land on the ground. For every seed bomb fired off into the meadow, someone else was there to cheer them on and clap when they successfully made their shot.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.