About
Founded on February 14, 2018, members of our local community, stewards, and activists formalized a nonprofit organization to promote educational and recreational activities, conservation management, volunteerism, and community support for the Pachaug State Forest. This forest was bestowed upon the people of Connecticut for future generations to enjoy. We choose to educate, inform, and volunteer to preserve and protect this essential piece of history. The forest touches on six towns and is visited by 85,000 individuals annually.
Mission
Friends of Pachaug Forest, Inc. is a group of volunteers whose mission is to sponsor, and/or participate in events and activities that promote educational opportunities about Pachaug Forests resources; and to preserve and protect the unique quality and character of Pachaug Forest.
Guiding Principles
A. Support the implementation of approved Conservation and Development Plans with Griswold, Voluntown, Preston, Plainfield, Sterling, and North Stonington.
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B. As a stakeholder of the Pachaug Forest, assist CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in their Forest management activities by providing both scrutiny and advocacy of proposed actions of CT DEEP in their management of the Forest. This includes current and future DEEP Forest Resource Management Plans and other Forest management policies and practices.
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C. To provide opportunities for the public and students of all ages to engage in agricultural, aquatic, forestry management, conservation, recreational, and wildlife use and education.
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D. To sponsor, host and/or participate in events and activities that promote educational opportunities about Pachaug Forest’s resources and to preserve the forest for future generations.
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E. Involve a focus on sustainable development, ecotourism, native American culture, conservation biology, community health, land use planning, and social justice.
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F. To purchase, accept, exchange, inherit, lease, transfer/ sale and otherwise acquire real and personal property/ assets for the purposes of furthering the mission of Friends of Pachaug Forest, Inc.
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G. Our programs are to include, but not limited to, raising social consciousness about the Forest and its conservation on a local and state level, and to hold fundraising events in order to provide immediate protection to the forest. To maximize our impact on current efforts, we may seek to collaborate with other non-profit organizations which fall under the 501(C)(3) section of the internal revenue code and are operated exclusively for educational and charitable purposes. At times, per the discretion of the board of directors, we may provide internships or volunteer opportunities which shall provide involvement in leadership, activities, and programs in order to have a greater impact for change.
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H. To identify and survey the needs for community support and develop better coordination between other stakeholders to promote ingenuity/creative solutions to conserve the forest.
Who's woods are these, I think I know
Robert Frost
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has
Margaret Mead
We don't inherent the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children
Native American Proverb