Connecticut Forest & Park Association

11/01/2026

Get ready to make change count! CFPA’s Mug of Change fundraiser kicks off NOW through Giving Tuesday (Dec 1). 💰☕

Grab a mug (or a few!), gather your friends, coworkers, or family, and rally for Connecticut’s forests, parks, and trails. Every penny you collect helps power trail care, forest stewardship, and education programs across Connecticut.

Make change this Giving Tuesday, one mug at a time! Register and learn more: https://bit.ly/48lG1nX.

10/27/2026

Make the most of fall with us! 🍁🥾

Grab a wristband at Elicit Brewing Co - Fairfield and unlock discounts that support forests, parks, and trails. Then get to know the trees behind those fall colors on an Autumn Tree ID Hike in New Hartford or kick off your holiday shopping at our Holiday Artisan Fair in Middlefield.

And backpackers! 🎒 Back by popular demand, the Ultralight Backpacking Seminar with Mat Jobin (Reach Your Summit owner, guide, and thru-hiker) and Kristen Gardella (thru-hiker and FKT record holder) will give you the tips you need to lighten your pack.

However you like to spend your time outdoors, there’s a spot for you with us. Find details and register at ctwoodlands.org/events and ctwoodlands.galaxydigital.com. ❄️

10/27/2026

Animation meets trail stories! 🎬 Join us on November 10 at our headquarters for the premiere of People of the NET, featuring the people who hike, maintain, and love the New England National Scenic Trail - NET. Q&A with the artist to follow. Register: https://ctwoodlands.org/events-calendar/video-premiere-people-of-the-net/

📣We are pleased to announce the premiere of the 2026 Artist-in-Residence animated film, People of the NET! 📣

Join us on November 10 at 5 p.m. for a screening of the animated project documenting conversations with the people who frequent, maintain, and love the Trail. Featuring interviews with thru-hiker Greg Gregory, trail adopter Wayne Desroches, archaeologist Jay Levy, hiking enthusiasts Rosie and Jeremiah Shea, and NET Superintendent Kelly Fellner, this film shares how their love of getting out into nature is deeply connected with love for their family, their community, their people, and themselves.

Following the film, Alex will share a behind-the-scenes look into the unique process of using animation to illustrate people’s real-life stories, and there will be an opportunity for Q&A.

This event is being held at the Connecticut Forest & Park Association office in Middlefield, CT. We will be hosting another screening in MA later in November. Keep an eye out for that announcement!

For more information and to register for the screening: https://ctwoodlands.org/events-calendar/video-premiere-people-of-the-net/

📸Thank you to Alex for providing the animation slide!

10/23/2026

Need something to brighten up your week? Hopefully this does.

A dog owner’s worst fear turned into a happy ending when our fall trail crew found Nola, a Yorkie missing for more than a week, and got her safely home.

While packing up camp at Breakneck Pond, the crew spotted her, small, wet, and very lost. They dried her off, contacted her owner, and Assistant Crew Lead Riley kayaked her back to safety.

Nola’s the second lost dog this crew has found and gotten home this season. And the story behind this season’s crew name: the Canine Carpenters. 🐶 ⚒️

Caring for this land means caring for everyone who shares it, including the four-legged ones. 💙 Want to see what this crew built at Breakneck Pond? Check out the recap on our page to see more care in action.

10/23/2026

No road to the worksite? Then the lumber goes by canoe. 🛶

The Canine Carpenters 🐶, our fall Connecticut Woodlands Conservation Corps (CWCC) crew, finished a 100-foot elevated boardwalk on the Breakneck Pond View Trail at Bigelow Hollow State Park. The raised walkway keeps hikers dry and protects the wetland underneath. Swipe from the before photo to see the difference.

Getting there was half the job. Every board, tool, and camp supply crossed Breakneck Pond over multiple trips by canoe and a pontoon/trimaran built from the project’s own lumber. Once everything was on site, the crew waded into the marsh to drive posts and set stringers.

It was their first backcountry spike of the fall. No cell service, no bathrooms, no running water. Just tools, waders, and 9 days of work. Oh, and some amazing sunsets. 🌅

10/21/2026

Because of you, the Metacoment/New England National Scenic Trail at Ragged Mountain Preserve is cleared again. This summer, a storm dropped hundreds of trees across it.

Within weeks, the CFPA-certified sawyers and volunteers you support put in 315 hours to clear over 70 blowdowns.

You made that possible.

When you give, you say YES to open trails after storms, YES to woodland owners who need help caring for their forests, and YES to open space and trails protected for good.

Right now, your Annual Fund gift of $100 or more is doubled through December 31. Help make sure the trails you love are ready for the next storm. Double your gift at https://bit.ly/4dhYFQO.

10/21/2026

Field learning day for our Master Woodland Manager participants! 🌲 Thank you, Hull Forest Products, for welcoming our cohort into your sawmill.

The MWM program gives woodland owners and managers the knowledge and skills to make the right decisions for their woodland. Participants learn from Connecticut’s top forestry and wildlife professionals through field programs like this one, plus virtual learning, and join a community of woodland supporters.

Learn more about the program and apply at https://ctwoodlands.org/our-work/learn/adult-learners/master-woodland-manager/

10/20/2026

“Our past, as much as our present, has become inextricable from the Connecticut landscape.”

For the past twenty-some years, Mark and Stephanie have explored the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails, writing down every hike in spiral notebooks. Earlier this year, they finished all 800 miles of the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail Challenge.

In his story for Connecticut Woodlands, Mark looks back on how those miles got woven into their lives. New jobs, losses, and big milestones are now all remembered by the trail they were on at the time. Read their story: https://bit.ly/4seiZsx

10/19/2026

More photos by J.Koteen Photography from our Summer Connecticut Woodlands story on the Connecticut Tree Climbing Competition at Lighthouse Point Park.

Pictured: Competitors high in the branches, plus a few young climbers watching from afar. Valentin said it best: “It’s all about learning and growing together. Someone gets crowned victor, but at the end of the day, if you show up, you already won,” he says. “The stuff that I really enjoy are the memories that I get to build with all my other climbers and people that I meet throughout this journey."
🌳

Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4gqAsK1

CT Tree Protective Association, Blue Collar Tree Service, L.L.C., International Society of Arboriculture, New England ISA

10/16/2026

Bigfoot's whole thing is not being seen. This fall, don't be like Bigfoot. 🧡

Connecticut's fall hunting seasons are underway, and many Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails cross private, town, and state land where hunting is allowed. Here are a few easy ways to stay safe and visible:

🦺 Wear something bright orange, like a hat or vest. We recommend it for everyone hiking during hunting season.

🗓️ Stay on the trail. On Sundays, hunting is allowed on private land, but not within 40 yards of a blazed trail open to the public. State and public lands stay closed to Sunday hunting.

🐕 Keep pets leashed and in orange, too.

🔎 Ticks are still out. Tuck your pants into your socks and do a tick check when you get home. Bonus tip: roll a sticky lint roller over your pants after a hike.

Know a Bigfoot who should get an orange vest or hat? Send this their way. 😉 More safety info from Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP): https://bit.ly/4i1XtCx