A Sanctuary Flourishes At Greenleaf Preserve

By Kendra Bobowick

Sunrise dries the nighttime dew on drooping meadow grasses that soon straighten — their shadows shrinking toward noon. Last year’s fallen leaves steep in a stream where light sparks off the surface. A stand of milkweed splits abruptly where a deer leaps for the tree line.

“Where are these places?”

Newtown Forest Association President Robert Eckenrode echoes the question often tossed at him when he shows off photographs of the association’s preserves. “Right here,” he tells people. “Right here.” Greenleaf Farms Preserve, specifically, is the location Mr Eckenrode walked this week, clipboard in hand, noting the abundance of living things literally jumping through the overgrowth that reached past his shoulders at times, but parted most easily where deer had already worn a thin path.

Looking closely at one of Newtown’s quiet habitats that is only recently regaining its foothold as a harbor to songbirds, squirrels, and deer that run between the trees, Mr Eckenrode saw the property as he feels it should be. Rather than the regularly mowed open field that the preserve had been — without buffers along the waterways running through it and no place for a bird to nest, a butterfly to land, or a frightened deer to hide, he glanced around and a now reestablished meadow filled with thistle, wildflowers, and brush.

Obvious to him in the quick dash of a fawn and flutter of birds rustling overhead, he said, “This is what it wants to be…”

With a new mowing plan to cut back the diverse fields only a few times throughout the season and leaving at least 100 feet of undisturbed growth along the waterways, he compared the preserve now to the “monoculture” it had been previously when it was regularly cut back. “Suddenly there are tons of birds nesting, song birds…” Turtles, amphibians, deer, butterflies all returned, he said. “It was more a matter of not doing something than doing the wrong thing.”

Stepping over rocks and fallen branches, Mr Eckenrode found a spot to rest as he looked back at the sweeping preserve. “That’s the beauty of Mother Nature,” he explained, “We make mistakes, and more mistakes, and she grows back.”

The town’s forests, wetlands, ponds, and meadows add up to more than 1,000 acres under the association’s care, prompting both hope and a dose of concern as Mr Eckenrode ponders stewardship, volunteers, neighbors, and setting a good example. “We’re becoming more and more public and are reaching out to the community to share resources.” Why? “We are in everyone’s back yard,” Mr Eckenrode said, explaining that the association’s properties come from many separate parcels throughout town.

How should the land be treated? He hopes the association’s efforts will light the way.

With a nod toward Greenleaf Farms Preserve, he said, “This is the perfect example of leading by example.” He hopes he will find “good neighbors” here and adjoining the NFA’s other 1,000-plus acres. Luckily, the NFA has town support regarding environmental conscientiousness.

Expressing confidence in the “bright set of people in town moving forward with determining the health of our natural resources,” from NFA members to town officials to individual residents, Mr Eckenrode mentioned the opening doors connecting the NFA to town agencies.

With both the Land Use Agency officials and Conservation Commission members showing an interest, he said, “What we’re doing combined with the town’s efforts can have a huge impact.”

Land Use Agency Deputy Director of Conservation Rob Sibley explained the emerging working relationship. “We had hit a point where we recognized large property owners of open space should coordinate.” Land management was the issue. Mr Sibley hopes landowners can work in tandem. Both he and Mr Eckenrode agree, “Newtown has incredible spaces,” he said. Referring to the Newtown Forest Association’s volunteer efforts, Mr Sibley said, “I am continually impressed.”

Looking ahead, he said the care and custody of open space by the Conservation Commission and others will help identify tools important to the open space in town and will identify partnerships in land management and responsibilities. A natural resources inventory is also underway.

Learn more about the NFA at NewtownForestAssociation.org, and read about the Good Neighbor Program. According to the website, “The Good Neighbor Program is for a family or individual that either directly abuts, or frequently visits,” a property and “periodically reports to the NFA on the property’s condition, trail hazards, inappropriate encroachment, dumping, hunting or ATV trespassing.”

For information or to participate, leave a message at 270-3650, send a letter to PO Box 213, Newtown CT 06470, or e-mail nfagoodneighbor@newtownforestassociation.org.