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2010 Report of CT-TACF Nominating Committee

CT-TACF Nominating Committee members Robert Gregg, Woods Sinclair and Jennifer Allcock are recommending the following slate of candidates for Board membership and for Chapter Officers:

Nominees for Board membership
Under the revised bylaws, as many as 10 Board members can be elected each year.

Six current Board members have expiring terms and they have agreed to serve for another two years (terms ending in 2012): Dr. Jennifer Allcock, Dr. Philip Arnold, Dr. David Bingham, Jim Gage, Dr. Robert Gregg, and Woods Sinclair.

Two additional candidates have been identified and they have agreed that their names can be added to the nominating slate: John Baker from Litchfield and Susan Kelsey from Falls Village. Please find short biographies below.

Two other Board positions have been left vacant so that additional candidates could be considered during the year ahead.

Nominees for Officers
The current officers have agreed to stand for re-election and the Nominating Committee presents the following slate of officers for election, each to a one-year term ending in 2011 : Bill Adamsen President, John Anderson Vice-President, Jim Gage Treasurer and Philip Arnold Secretary.

Respectfully submitted,

Jennifer Allcock, Chairperson, on behalf of the CT-TACF Nominating Committee.


Biographies of individuals nominated for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting on March 6th, 2010.

John Baker is Treasurer of the Litchfield Hills Audubon Society (LHAS) and was instrumental in the acquisition of the property, now known as the Wigwam Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, on which the Society's chestnut plantation will be located. He has been a member of TACF since 1998.

Born in New York City, but raised on a farm in Litchfield, CT, John received his B.S. from Cornell University in 1956 and joined Cargill, Inc. After serving his country for three years in the U.S. Air Force as a navigator, he spent 34 years with Cargill as the country manager in the Philippines and in Thailand. Upon retiring to Litchfield with his wife Janet, he started beekeeping and joined the LHAS. Then, after building their retirement home, John joined the Litchfield Housing Trust where he shepherded their affordable home building program. He is also President of the C.B. Ripley Land Trust, the CT Director of the Eastern Apiculture Society and is also a member of the Litchfield Conservation Commission.

Needless to say, John has a great affection for the outdoors and the beauty of nature.

Susan J. Kelsey Received a B.A. in Biology from Skidmore College and M.F.S. from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Interned and worked at Manomet Bird Observatory (now 'Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences') where also participated in seabird and mammal observer program through NOAA out of Woods Hole, MA. Worked for National Audubon Society Sanctuary Department at Miles Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon, CT. Employed by a land surveying firm in Salisbury, CT, conducting title searches, field work and assisting in map preparation. Currently am working as a Connecticut licensed forester and have a forestry consulting business, 'Kelsey Forestry'. Majority of work involves certifying private lands as “forest land” for tax assessment purposes, in addition to working with land trusts of northwestern Connecticut. Have served as a member of the Canaan (“Falls Village”) Inland Wetlands/Conservation Commission for more than 25 years. “I feel privileged to be in a position that allows me to explore, experience and appreciate the woods of Connecticut. I am endlessly captivated by the history of our forests and am lured to every stonewall , charcoal bed and stone foundation I wander across.”

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🌰 "The evolving story of New Jersey’s chestnuts" by Alison Mitchell
Check out this article that features insights from our North Central Regional Science Coordinator, Lake Graboski, and also highlights New Jersey Nut Farms’ separate hybridization efforts—showing the range of work underway to bring back the American chestnut.

Click the following link to view the full story: www.newsbreak.com/south-jersey-media-302714994/4444458578919-the-evolving-story-of-new-jersey-s-c...

#americanchestnuts #nature #chestnuts #restoration #conservation #quote #article #explorepage
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🌰 The evolving story of New Jersey’s chestnuts by Alison MitchellCheck out this article that features insights from our North Central Regional Science Coordinator, Lake Graboski, and also highlights New Jersey Nut Farms’ separate hybridization efforts—showing the range of work underway to bring back the American chestnut. Click the following link to view the full story: https://www.newsbreak.com/south-jersey-media-302714994/4444458578919-the-evolving-story-of-new-jersey-s-chestnuts #americanchestnuts #nature #chestnuts #restoration #conservation #quote #article #explorepage

14 CommentsComment on Facebook

I have one of the original American chestnuts growing on my land.. it grows to about 12 feet tall and it dies. it comes back from the root and does the cycle again. it's done this for the last 63 years.

I've got a half dozen proven American chestnut trees in the country park across the street. 60 + feet and bear nuts every year by the ton. the nuts seem to be sterile. no saplings ever. .

Resilience.

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Learn more about this remarkable standing American chestnut in the article “We The People: How Iowa Is Part of the Effort to Save the Rare American Chestnut Tree.” Courtesy of Grace Vance and KCRG.

Visit: www.ktiv.com/2026/01/12/we-people-how-iowa-is-part-effort-save-rare-american-chestnut-tree/

#americanchestnut #chestnuts #restoration #conservation #explorepage
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69 CommentsComment on Facebook

Georgia has a stand of chestnut trees in a secret location. Can they borrow some pollen from this tree to add to their breeding collection? They need a varied gene pool for the future.

A guy named Bill Deeter has just recently observed that trees that have crown gall seem to be warding off the blight. Im really hoping that this will bring back the longevity of the American Chestnut

My Neighbors have a vet old chestnut tree - they have contacted several conservation groups about getting a sapling of a second . So it would produce chestnuts once again-

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A month ago, our President and CEO, Michael Goergen, got to visit the New York Botanical Garden and see the original documentation of chestnut blight taken from a tree in the Bronx Zoo. Feeling a sense of inspiration from the experience, Michael wrote, "Holding that bark brings both grief and resolve. Grief for what was lost. Resolve for the work ahead.

Because for the first time since 1905, we are no longer documenting decline.
We are documenting return.

The American chestnut is not a memory. It is a restoration mission and The American Chestnut Foundation is building the tools and partnerships to finish what Merkel, Murrill, and others could not.

Seeing the original blight records didn’t make the work feel more challenging. It made it feel inevitable.

Restoration is the next chapter. We get to write it."

#explorepage #americanchestnut #history #chestnuts #learn #nature #forestry #trees #blight #restoration #conservation
... See MoreSee Less

A month ago, our President and CEO, Michael Goergen, got to visit the New York Botanical Garden and see the original documentation of chestnut blight taken from a tree in the Bronx Zoo. Feeling a sense of inspiration from the experience, Michael wrote, Holding that bark brings both grief and resolve. Grief for what was lost. Resolve for the work ahead.Because for the first time since 1905, we are no longer documenting decline.We are documenting return.The American chestnut is not a memory. It is a restoration mission and The American Chestnut Foundation is building the tools and partnerships to finish what Merkel, Murrill, and others could not.Seeing the original blight records didn’t make the work feel more challenging. It made it feel inevitable.Restoration is the next chapter. We get to write it.#explorepage #americanchestnut #history #chestnuts #learn #nature #forestry #trees #blight #restoration #conservationImage attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

2 CommentsComment on Facebook

Whoo hoo! Sorry, you were not the first to know this. The Chestnut Lady.

Our New England Regional Science Coordinator, Deni Ranguelova, made an appearance on the podcast "Across the Fence" to discuss the American chestnut tree and why we are working to restore them.

Check out the podcast on Youtube at youtu.be/c9EeOc5WIaE?si=80CQtoY4-qeQhjtI

#americanchestnut #chestnuts #podcast #history #restoration #conservation #nature #forestry #explorepage
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4 CommentsComment on Facebook

So like Covid?

This was all because someone in upstate Delaware thought it would be a good idea to grow a Chinese chestnut in their yard so they could show it off to their friends.

😂

New year, new opportunities! Now’s the perfect time to get involved with the American chestnut. 🌱

Check out our January & February events and join the movement!

Visit out events calendar for more info on each event

#americanchestnut #events #volunteer #pennsylvania #castaneapa #Maine #rhodeisland #pennstate #chestnuts #explorepage
... See MoreSee Less

New year, new opportunities! Now’s the perfect time to get involved with the American chestnut. 🌱Check out our January & February events and join the movement!Visit out events calendar for more info on each event#americanchestnut #events #volunteer #pennsylvania #castaneapa #Maine #rhodeisland #pennstate #chestnuts #explorepageImage attachmentImage attachment+2Image attachment
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