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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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If you’ve ever wondered why we keep planting wild‑type American chestnuts, even though they eventually succumb to blight, this is why.

Any other questions we can answer? Drop them in the comments!

#reels #explorepage #americanchestnut #ecology #nature
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11 CommentsComment on Facebook

Maybe one will mutate and not get the blight .

I had a co-worker who was experimenting with this 20 or 30 years ago. He dug up the soil from the base of the tree and made a poultice. At the time, I didn't know a Chestnut from a ham sandwich. Now I have a dozen of my own stump sprouts and am planting four of their genetically selected trees this year.

The Canadian chestnut council initiated the blight resistance breeding program and planted out these trees in 2020. We fortunately have collected seeds and propagation of these seedlings are available at the Little Otter Tree Farm Tillsonburg Ont

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Rogueing has officially begun! Late last year, Meadowview Research Farm staff selected the best trees in our 2018 progeny test to be genetically tested this year, and now our Director of Land Management, Dan McKinnon, is removing the trees that weren’t selected. The 2017 progeny test is also being cleared to make way for future plantings. Removing undesirable trees on a regular basis provides space for the trees of tomorrow.

#AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress #ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ConservationScience
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3 CommentsComment on Facebook

if you dug them I am sure some of us could plant them.. i mean if there is a chance they make it

Can't you replant the "undesirable " trees else where as they're important to the earth breathing.

Thanks, Dan!

The PA/NJ Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation is having a Spring Growers meeting on March 28, 2026 from 9:30am - 3:30pm

Expert speakers: Michael Goergen, Allen Dietrich-Ward, Noah Vincent, and Lake Graboski

$30 ticket price includes breakfast and lunch!

All are welcome! Learn more at PANJTACF.org

It will be held at The Centennial Barn at Fort Hunter Mansion
5395 N. Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

#americanchestnut #meeting #getinvolved #nonprofit #explorepage
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The PA/NJ Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation is having a Spring Growers meeting on March 28, 2026 from 9:30am - 3:30pmExpert speakers: Michael Goergen, Allen Dietrich-Ward, Noah Vincent, and Lake Graboski$30 ticket price includes breakfast and lunch!All are welcome! Learn more at PANJTACF.org It will be held at The Centennial Barn at Fort Hunter Mansion5395 N. Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17110#americanchestnut #meeting #getinvolved #nonprofit #explorepage

1 CommentComment on Facebook

Sorry I will miss this! I have to be at our SAWN-PA forest workshop.

In collaboration with us, the off-road park, Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA), has participated in planting American chestnut trees across their property.

"Off-road parks do not always have a reputation for environmental stewardship, which makes AOAA’s conservation work genuinely surprising and worth highlighting."

Check out the article "This Rugged Pennsylvania Off-Roading Playground Sits In The Heart Of Coal Country" to learn more about the AOAA: everafterinthewoods.com/this-rugged-pennsylvania-off-roading-playground-sits-in-the-heart-of-coal...

Images from AOAA socials.

#americanchestnut #chestnuts #conservation #outdoorrecreation #explorepage
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In collaboration with us, the off-road park, Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA), has participated in planting American chestnut trees across their property. Off-road parks do not always have a reputation for environmental stewardship, which makes AOAA’s conservation work genuinely surprising and worth highlighting. Check out the article This Rugged Pennsylvania Off-Roading Playground Sits In The Heart Of Coal Country to learn more about the AOAA: https://everafterinthewoods.com/this-rugged-pennsylvania-off-roading-playground-sits-in-the-heart-of-coal-country/ Images from AOAA socials.#americanchestnut #chestnuts #conservation #outdoorrecreation #explorepageImage attachment

TACF’s Director of Development, John, and Director of Communications, Jules, had a great time tabling at an event for the one-year anniversary Tree Museum Birthday Gala. Despite the rainy weather, the gala planted trees, roasted chestnuts, and hosted a ticketed “Tree Walk” that sold out.

#americanchestnut #trees #explorepage #chestnuts #nature
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