A walk in Cornwall’s Cathedral Pines

Peter del Tredeci, center left, discussed regrowth in Cornwall’s Cathedral Pines Park on Saturday, Aug. 27.
Photo by Riley Klein

CORNWALL —The tornadoes that decimated Cathedral Pines Park in 1989 continue to shape the development of the forest to this day. On Saturday, Aug. 27, Peter del Tredici led a nature walk entitled “The Ecology of Destruction” to discuss the ongoing regrowth occurring within the park.
Del Tredici described himself as “a combination of botany, horticulture and ecology all in one neat package.”
His expertise on the area’s plants and trees, as well as decades studying Cathedral Pines Park, made for an informative morning in the woods. A group of more than 20 people attended the educational hike to learn about the dynamics of forest succession.
The tornadoes did considerable damage to the pine and hemlock trees 33 years ago, uprooting many within the park and taking the tops off of those still standing.
“This is no longer a forest of pines,” del Tredici explained. “New pines require wide-open space.… We would need to clear the land to create an empty seed bed for pines to regrow.”
What was once New England’s largest stand of old-growth pines and hemlocks is no more. Today, new growth is arriving in the form of black birch trees.
Black birch is not an invasive species here. In fact, del Tredici’s studies have shown that there are virtually no invasive species within Cathedral Pines Park.
The black birch saplings seen throughout the park represent the next generation of life.
“Black birch is the tree of the future in Cornwall,” said del Tredici.
New growth shows how resilient the forests truly are and their ability to recover from destructive events such as a tornado. There are other disturbances, however, that are not as easily overcome.
“Climate change is a high-stress disturbance that will never end,” he said.
Del Tredici said that a rapidly changing climate means it is no longer possible to make predictions for what will happen in our ecosystems. Rather, he advised we must trust that the forests are adapting to the changes of our climate.
“True ecology,” he said, “is letting nature run its course.”
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.