The Last Green Valley has just been named as a winner in the 2017 Best of Northeastern Connecticut contest by Norwich Magazine for “Nonprofit” and “Civic Organization.” These accolades are only possible because of you, our members. Thank you to everyone who voted for The Last Green Valley!
The Last Green Valley is Hiring!
TLGV is seeking to hire a Development Coordinator as well as a Program and Media Coordinator. The positions will remain posted until filled.
Get your tickets now for a new twist on Tastes of the Valley – A Farmer at the Table! Tastes of the Valley is our signature fundraising event, showcasing local farms and orchards by pairing products grown, raised and created in The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor with a variety of top-notch, local restaurant chefs. This year we are proud to present a new twist on our popular event – a gourmet, multi-course, sit-down dinner featuring special guest “Farmers at your Table” on Sunday, August 27 at 4 pm at the Publick House in Sturbridge, MA.
Thank you to our sponsors to date for their support of our programs: Rebecca Harvey, Fiberoptics Technology, Keith & Elaine Knowlton, Savers Bank, Lake Road Generating, Savings Institute, Nancy Polydys, Putnam Bank, Marge Hoskin, Titan Energy, Jewett City Saving Bank, Cornerstone Bank, Gerardi Insurance, Sara DiIorio, and Village Electric
Sponsorship packages are still available and provide your business or nonprofit with exposure to attendees, local chefs, area farms and beverage crafters. Sponsorship packages include publicity, recognition, and a set number of tickets.
Calling all history lovers, historical societies, librarians, or other like-minded organizations & individuals that focus on preserving, enjoying and passing on our history. Join Museum Director (and TLGV Board Member)Donna Baron for a tour of the museum’s “How They Learned” exhibit, which was installed in 2016 and will be on display until early 2018. Tour the Pastor’s Library, Beaumont House, and more.
The Last Green Valley Farmers in the Valley Tours!
Corn Roast in the Hayfield & Farm Tour at Cushman Farm
Saturday, August 5, 1- 3 pm
393 Lebanon Ave.
North Franklin, CT
Fresh sweet corn calls you to Cushman Farm, one of the six family farms that make up The Farmer’s Cow. Mooove on over to visit with The Last Green Valley Rangers, too.
TLGV is seeking inspiring photographs that celebrate life and capture the unique spirit of the National Heritage Corridor. Every year we produce an informative calendar with great pictures, moon phases, and interesting tidbits about the history, flora and fauna of The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor. The 2018 TLGV Calendar will feature photographs submitted during this summer’s Calendar Photo Contest.
Reluctantly we must bid goodbye and best wishes to Marcy Dawley, as she takes on a new position as the Putnam Business Association’s coordinator. Marcy has brought incredible energy, creativity, and fun to The Last Green Valley, but she is a “Putnamaniac” at heart and we know that she will soar in her new role.
We also thank outgoing Board Members Ed Hood and Mary Ellen Ellsworth for their service and dedication to TLGV.
We are pleased to welcome four new talented and enthusiastic members to our Board of Directors. These members were elected during our Annual Meeting at the end of May:
Steven Ayer is a volunteer TLGV Ranger who also finds time to be the managing director and partner of Hightower Westchester, and co-founder of The Sustainable Collective Organic Farm at Ayer Farm in Franklin. He loves hiking, healthy living, spending time with family and friends, and is passionate about TLGV’s mission.
Karyn DiBonaventura and her husband live and work in Pomfret as the owners of Longmeadow Automotive, a TLGV Business Partner. Karyn loves nature, being outdoors, photography, and spending time with her granddaughter. She loves the programs TLGV offers and is excited about protecting and caring for all of the natural resources we have in the Corridor.
Lisa Hayden is the Landowner Outreach Coordinator for the New England Forestry Foundation and a life-long resident of The Last Green Valley. Her family recently worked with the Wyndham Land Trust to preserve 30 forested acres of her former family farm. She’s thrilled to join TLGV’s efforts to sustain the things that make this area so special – open spaces, bucolic scenes of rural landscapes, working woodlands and farms and small cities where residents treasure their shared history while welcoming newcomers to make their communities even more vibrant.
Mike Longenbaker is a sales effectiveness consultant with extensive business experience who is passionate about hiking, kayaking, and bird watching in The Last Green Valley. He joins the Board to pay back the community by using his skills, knowledge, and experiences to further TLGV’s mission.
Annual Meeting Awards
TLGV was pleased to present the following awards at its Annual Meeting at the end of May, held at the Windham 4-H Outdoor Center in Pomfret:
Voice of the Valley Award to Linda Lemmon, Editor and Publisher of the Putnam Town Crier and Northeast Ledger, for her tireless work publishing a weekly newspaper that provides outstanding, in-depth coverage of issues that matter in The Last Green Valley.
A “Tap on the Back” to the UTAP Team – Sandra Swale, Angela Kneeland, Greg Stillman, Virge Lorents, LyAnn Graff and Tom Chamberland, for the hundreds of volunteer hours they have spent training, collecting data, and learning to use computer software to publish detailed information about trails so that all people – people in wheelchairs, people with walkers or a cane – can determine whether or not a trail is within their abilities.
Community Hero Award to Reliance Health in Norwich, for the nonprofit’s incomparable ability to use volunteer neighborhood cleanups as a means of making connections between partner organizations, the services they provide, and the people they serve. In the last few years, Reliance Health has collected more than 56,000 pounds of trash, improving people’s lives and their communities along the way.
This year’s final award, for Team Walktober, was given to the Team from Southbridge, Scott Benoit, Steve Roenfeldt, and Margaret Morrissey. Southbridge not only celebrated its bicentennial in 2016, it dazzled Walktober lovers with 30 choices! From behind the scenes tours of the airport and the police station (even the holding cells), to being lifted up in the bucket of the fire department’s ladder truck to overlook the town, to arts, history and architecture, hikes, bikes, information sessions, events & more, Southbridge had a lot to offer, and Scott, Steve, and Margaret made it happen.
Office Cabinet Cleaning – Free Ink Cartridges for the Taking
The Last Green Valley has numerous new, unused HP ink cartridges available to any nonprofit partner who can use them. If they fit your printer, call to reserve and come pick them up. They are: HP 02 Light Magenta, HP 02 Light Cyan, HP 15 Black, HP 23 Tri-color, HP 45 Black, HP 57 Tri-color, and HP 78 Tri-color.
Upcoming Meetings
Tastes of the Valley Committee
Tuesday, August 1, 8:30 am
Tuesday, August 15, 8:3 am
TLGV Office
Finance, Planning, & Development
Thursday, August 3, 4 pm
TLGV Office
Water Advisory Committee
Thursday, August 8, 9 – 11:30 am
Roseland Park, 205 Roseland Park Rd., Woodstock, CT
Board of Directors
Thursday, August 17, 8:30 am
TLGV Office
Supporting The Last Green Valley is Easy!
We have two new ways you can support our work:
Marty’s of Dudley has offered to recycle cans and bottles and donate the proceeds to The Last Green Valley. Bring your sorted cans and bottles to Marty’s, located at 119 West Main St. Dudley, MA, between 9:30 am -5:45 pm, Monday – Saturday, and let the staff know you are returning them for The Last Green Valley. Marty’s will log them in and send us a check!
If you are an Amazon shopper, all you have to do is shop! Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to The Last Green Valley. Use this link to shop.