Celebrating the spirit and founders of Norfolk’s Aton Forest

NORFOLK – This month, Norfolk will celebrate the legacy of two Connecticut conservation pioneers. Ecologist Dr. Frank Egler and his wife, photographer Happy Kitchel Egler, founded Aton Forest, the 2,496-acre natural area land trust and ecosystem research field station, which is marking its centennial year.

The milestone will be celebrated throughout July with an exhibition, lectures, and other events marking 100 years of Aton Forest. The recent acquisition of the965-acre Spaulding Pond preserve in South Norfolk from the Connecticut River Conservancy will also be recognized. The preserve was originally created by Happy Kitchel (1912-1978).

Today, Aton Forest’s staff and trustees continue the Eglers’ work by studying and protecting forest preserves, essential ecosystems and vital habitats for wildlife.

Frank Egler (1911-1996) spent more than a half century living in the forest, conducting scientific research, experimenting with vegetation science, and developing his concepts of an integrated ecosystem in the 1500-acre Egler Preserve in North Norfolk and Colebrook. He also worked at The Museum of Natural History where he began a research program on herbicide spraying in rights of way.

Egler praised his wife’s efforts to preserve Spaulding Pond, writing that protecting that tract “was one of the remarkable accomplishments of an extraordinary woman.”

A lesser known experience of Egler’s is his collaboration with aquatic biologist Rachel Carson during her research for her seminal book “Silent Spring.” Carson sought his expertise on the ecological effects of chemical pollution, and correspondence between the two is preserved in Aton Forest’s archives. Egler became an early advocate for limiting herbicide use and wrote of Carson, “Among biologists, the most unsilent and courageous man I know is a woman.”

A prolific writer of five books and more than 300 articles, Egler’s best-known book, “The Wild Gardener and the Wild Landscape: The Art of Naturalistic Landscaping,” is illustrated with his wife’s photographs of Woodchuck Hill, where Egler developed his gardening skills for fifty years, and where he is buried.

Current Aton Forest President and Chief Steward Billy Gridley described Egler as “primarily a plant ecologist . . .and a pioneer in the philosophy of science and the need to understand the human ecosystem.”

Gridley’s new book, “The Spirit of Aton Forest: Frank Egler, Rebel Ecologist in Pursuit of Science and Natural Area Protection,” will be available in a limited edition at the opening reception for the centennial exhibition. Gridley will also speak July 10 at 4:30 p.m. at the Hub in Norfolk.

In the future, Aton Forest plans to expand forest succession research, weather monitoring, citizen science work, and educational opportunities for scientists and students. While not open to the public, through events, gatherings, and education days, the mission of Aton Forest remains constant: “to positively impact thriving natural and human communities in an increasingly ecologically challenged bioregion and biosphere in the 21st century.”

Billy Gridley, President and Chief Steward of Aton Forest, standing in front the newly acquired Spaulding Pond Preserve in Norfolk.Jennifer Almquist