HVRHS students shown the danger of invasives – and how to fight them

Tom Zetterstrom shows off the newly-crowned champion apple tree to the Envirothon Team.
Alec Linden
Tom Zetterstrom shows off the newly-crowned champion apple tree to the Envirothon Team.
SHARON — A group of students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) were given a tour of the Northwest Corner’s past and future forests at the Sharon Land Trust’s (SLT) Hamlin Preserve on a chilly November afternoon.
Noted North Canaan environmentalist and photographer Tom Zetterstrom, who recently earned an award for his advocacy, led the group around the property with the intention of demonstrating a living case study in invasive plant management. This was no casual visit — the students were there to prepare for a multi-national environmental education competition called Envirothon.
Envirothon is an annual contest that draws teams from schools and youth organizations across the U.S. and Canada to demonstrate their capacity in addressing environmental issues. The assembled group of aspiring environmentalists, forest managers and outdoor stewards was HVRHS’s team, who meet weekly to learn about the pressing issues facing today’s landscapes and to equip themselves for the upcoming competition.
Team leader David Moran, who is the agriscience and technology education director at HVRHS, said he tries to get the group out in the field as much as possible. “Local experts offer informative mentorship for the students which I think is the best part of the program,” Moran said.
“We’re in a classroom sometimes, though,” he admitted.
Moran has been directing HVRHS’s Envirothon program for 22 years, out of which HVRHS has represented Connecticut in the finals 10 times. “We’ve been to some beautiful places,” he said.
The team is prepping for 2025’s contest, which will be held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in July. In order to qualify for the finals, the team must first beat out other Connecticut teams and win the state competition.
Each year is hosted by a different state or province, and centers on a unique theme. This year’s focus is resilient forests, titled “Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change.”
The flora of the Hamlin Preserve is nothing if not indicative of change. The apex of the tour came when Zetterstrom stopped the group amongst a clearing populated by massive piles of dry brush and several skeletons of trees draped in brown vines. Zetterstrom related that this was the site of a former cedar forest that was completely overcome by invasive bittersweet.
He explained that the site was an example of bittersweet at “full biological potential” — “a monoculture,” as he put it. He also pointed out infestations of brush invasives, such as buckthorn and honeysuckle, that dominate ground-level vegetation.
Zetterstrom recited a quotation from Doug Tallamy, Chief Entomologist at the University of Delaware, twice during the outing: “Succession is dead in invasive zones — it moves to a perpetual tangle of invasive vines.” Succession is the natural progression of species over time in a forest ecosystem. When invasives proliferate unchecked, Tallamy is saying, the only new species allowed to flourish are more invasives.
While an elegy to the forests of the past, and a potent warning of a potential future, the walk also offered signs of hope. Zetterstrom motioned to a thick forest of white pine with interspersed cedars that extended up the hillside past the clearing. The survival of those trees, he said, is due to the efforts of SLT volunteers, who spent long hours cutting, treating, and clearing massive amounts of bittersweet from the former cedar grove.
“The volunteers cut and treated so many vines that we’ve already killed the root system,” Zetterstrom said of the former bittersweet growth that dominated the canopy. Dead vines still hung from the conifers’ limbs, but they will no longer grow.
The Hamlin Preserve is also home to several of Northwest Connecticut’s proudest trees, including an apple tree that was recently declared the state champion of its species.
“It had delicious apples, but what else did it have?” Zetterstrom asked the students. “Bittersweet,” chimed in several voices as Zetterstrom held up a wrist-thick cross section of vine that had been cut from now-dead bittersweet plant that roped through the tree’s limbs.
The apple, though old, will survive for a while longer due to volunteers’ efforts in clearing the vine from the tree. A statuesque American Elm (one of few to survive Dutch elm disease), as well as an unusually large paper birch, also thrive on the Preserve thanks to anti-invasive intervention by SLT and its volunteers.
The students were attentive throughout the tour, asking questions and taking samples of bark and other woody material to bring back to the school. They even wanted to bring back a stump of one of the dead cedar trunks that lay in several piles on the Preserve. Zetterstrom dutifully complied, firing up his chainsaw and cutting off a cross-section as the students (safely distanced) watched on.
SLT Executive Director Carolyn Klocker, who joined the excursion with her daughters, said that it was the students that brought her out that afternoon. “It’s just inspiring to be out with a group of young people who are excited to learn about all this,” she said.
Aradev LLC’s plans to redevelop Wake Robin Inn include four 2,000-square-foot cabins, an event space, a sit-down restaurant and fast-casual counter, a spa, library, lounge, gym and seasonal pool. If approved, guest room numbers would increase from 38 to 57.
LAKEVILLE — The public hearing for the redevelopment of Wake Robin Inn is over. Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission now has two months to make a decision.
The hearing closed on Tuesday, Sept. 9, after its seventh session.
Michael Klemens, chair of P&Z, had warned at the opening of the proceedings that “this might be a long night” due to a last-minute influx of material from experts hired by Wells Hill Road residents William and Angela Cruger to oppose the project, but this turned out not to be the case.
These 11th hour submissions set a sour tone to the start of the meeting, with commissioner Robert Riva stating that it was “not very professional to pull this stunt on this Commission.” Riva said he had diligently reviewed the already substantial documentation provided by both the applicant and the opposing experts, and was surprised to find a “dump” of additional information submitted just hours before the meeting’s start time at 6 p.m.
Tensions were quickly eased, however, when William Cruger offered his concise summation of his platform’s opposition to the expansion, which is the second iteration of the project after an earlier version was withdrawn late last year.
“It’s important for you all to hear from me that there was never any disrespect intended to the Commission, the commissioners, and to the process,” Cruger said. He defended the last-minute submissions as an effort on the part of the experts to be thorough in their analysis: “Our intention… has been and remains to do our best to get whatever we think will be helpful in your deliberations into the record.”
The Crugers formally entered the hearing process as intervenors for the first application from Aradev LLC, the applicant, in the fall of 2024, meaning they and their hired consultants had full party status in the hearing proceedings. During this cycle, however, they chose not to petition for intervenor status, yet during this round of hearings their role has been similar. Klemens described them as having “almost intervenor status — not quite.”
William Cruger summarized the consultant’s findings for Aradev’s revised application, noting they found it to be “virtually identical in scale to the previous proposal.”
“Our position is that the proposed expansion would absolutely negatively impact the usefulness, enjoyment and value of the surrounding properties,” he said.
Aradev’s attorney Joshua Mackey countered by saying that the special permit conditions would elevate the currently non-conforming hotel in the zone, describing it as a “community asset that is improved, regulated, and safeguarded for generations to come.” He characterized Aradev as “the next steward of this storied property.”
After Mackey and Aradev co-founder Steven Cohen concluded their remarks, Klemens closed the hearing with no public comment, which he had stated would be the case at last week’s hearing session on Thursday, Sept. 4. Klemens said that P&Z will begin deliberating the proposal in early October after the commissioners have had the chance to review the information in the record.
A total of 45 letters, including the Crugers’ experts’ testimony, were submitted since the Sept. 4 meeting alone, alongside hundreds of pages of application materials and additional testimony.
As the Commission deliberates and reviews, all of this information is available for public viewing on the “Meeting Documents” subpage under P&Z’s section on the town website, www.salisburyct.us.
The Commission must issue a decision on the application by Nov. 13, the end of the statutorily defined deliberation window.
The Weavery is Stanton Home’s oldest activity space, featuring a collection of vintage and modern floor looms. It offers opportunities for building dexterity, creative expression, and social connection through fiber arts.
Stanton Home is holding its annual Harvest Roast fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 13 in Great Barrington, an evening of farm-to-table dining, live swing music, and community connection.
For nearly 40 years, Stanton Home has supported adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential programs, therapeutic services and skill-building activities.
“Here in the Berkshires, adults with diverse abilities often face barriers like limited housing, tricky transportation, and fewer opportunities for meaningful work,” said Executive Director Peter Stanton. “Stanton Home flips that script. Our mission is to partner with adults to pursue healthy, self-determined lives.”
The Harvest Roast features locally grilled meats, roasted vegetables from Stanton’s own gardens, warm apple crisp with SoCo Creamery ice cream, and beverages —all set to the swing and gypsy jazz rhythms of the Lucky 5 Band.
“The Harvest Roast is a celebration of what makes our community strong, inclusive, and vibrant,” Stanton said. “Every ticket and sponsored table supports programs that make a lasting difference.”
Guests will begin in the gardens with a signature cocktail before gathering at long farm tables for a shared meal and celebration.
“Though this night matters, the work is year-round,” Stanton added. “People can help by shopping locally at the farm store or buying handmade weavery goods, pitching in with time or skills, gardening, lending a hand at events or by partnering with Stanton’s programs like composting or sourcing local goods. Folks can also speak up for inclusion in their workplace or community circle. Even the smallest action helps keep the mission alive.”
Tickets are $125 per person. Proceeds support Stanton Home’s inclusive programs. Reserve at donorbox.org/events/771775/steps/choose_tickets or call 413-441-0761.
Following the memorable benefit reading last season of Charles Busch’s Tony-nominated Broadway hit, “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife,” the Sharon Playhouse will present a one-night-only staged reading of his riotous comic melodrama “Die Mommie Die!” on Friday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.
The production —a deliciously over-the-top homage to classic Hollywood mid-century thrillers — continues the Playhouse’s artistic partnership with Busch, who reprises his iconic role of the glamorous yet troubled songstress Angela Arden.
The playwright and performer is no stranger to the Playhouse and, luckily, he’s supported by a truly stellar powerhouse cast of top-notch comic actors — some returning to the Playhouse stage, and some making their debut. The cast includes Richard Kind; two-time Tony Award nominee Kristine Nielsen, who was part of the original New York cast; Tony Award winner Celia Keenan-Bolger; Andrew Keenan-Bolger; and Claybourne Elder.
The production also marks a fortuitous alignment of talent and history. It is directed by Sharon Playhouse Artistic Director Carl Andress, who performed in the play’s Los Angeles premiere in 1999.
“I have a long and happy history with this particular show,” Andress said. “At the Sharon Playhouse, we’re thrilled to offer unforgettable, one-of-a-kind live experiences. With Charles Busch and this phenomenal cast, ‘Die Mommie Die!’ will surely light up the Olsen Stage with laughter, wit and glamour.”
The original music is by Lewis Flinn, whose score for the 2007 Off-Broadway production is being adapted specially for this event.
The play is a classic Charles Busch concoction that, like all his work, lovingly and intelligently spoofs some of the greatest talents and tropes of stage and screen. The original production was praised by critics as his “funniest, most accomplished and, without question, raunchiest work.”
In 2003, Busch won the Best Performance award at the Sundance Film Festival for the film version of “Die Mommie Die!” His indelible contributions to American theater have been recognized with countless awards and he was recently inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
The event promises to be an unforgettable night of laughter, glamour and theatrical fun, with all proceeds going to benefit Sharon Playhouse’s productions and educational programs. The funds will help ensure that the Playhouse continues to thrive as a cultural destination for audiences and artists alike.
For tickets, visit: sharonplayhouse.org. Running time: 90 minutes.
Richard Feiner and Annette Stover have worked and taught in the arts, communications, and philanthropy in West Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, and New York. Passionate supporters of the arts, they live in Salisbury and Greenwich Village.