Highstead Director To Discuss New England Woodlands

DANBURY — Highstead Director Bill Toomey will discuss the future of New England’s woodlands and natural habitats in a talk at 4 pm on Wednesday, October 27, at Western Connecticut State University.

Mr Toomey’s lecture on “Wildlands and Woodlands: A Vision for the New England Landscape” will be presented as part of the Research Seminar series sponsored by the WCSU department of biological and environmental sciences. His presentation will be in Room 219 of the WCSU Science Building, on Osborne Street.

A reception with light refreshments will follow the talk. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Founded in 1982, Highstead now encompasses about 150 acres of varied woodland, meadow, pond, and swamp habitats in Redding, providing extensive trails for habitat viewing, plots and plant collections for conservation studies, and facilities for lectures, workshops, and research. In 2005 Highstead’s board of directors approved a broadened mandate for physical expansion of the arboretum and introduction of additional research and outreach programs to promote woodlands conservation at the local, regional, and national levels. Dr David Foster, director of the Harvard Forest at Harvard University and president of the Highstead Foundation board, served as co-author of the “Vision for the New England Landscape” report released in May by the Massachusetts-based Wildlands and Woodlands Partnership.

For more information, contact WCSU Associate Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences Dr Patrice Boily at boilyp@wcsu.edu or 203-837-8569.