Volunteers

🌿 Seeking Volunteers for March 23, 2024, Tarrywile Park Invasive Vines Cutting Day 🌿

Community Supports Elimination of Invasives to Restore the Biodiversity of Tarrywile Park

DANBURY, CT, February 26, 2024 – Tarrywile Park Authority (TPA) is excited to announce an upcoming event aimed at preserving our local ecosystem and combating the spread of non-native, invasive species at Danbury’s Tarrywile Park. We are calling for volunteers to join us for our inaugural “Invasive Vines Cutting Day,” Saturday, March 23 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at Tarrywile Park, 70 Southern Blvd, Danbury, CT 06810.

Invasive vines pose a significant threat to the biodiversity of our natural environments. These aggressive plants can outcompete native species, strangle trees, and disrupt the delicate balance of our ecosystems. By participating in this event, volunteers will directly contribute to the restoration and conservation of our local flora.

"The encroachment of non-native vines are choking and posing a significant threat, endangering the vitality of Tarrywile Park’s invaluable trees and natural assets,” said Nancy Wakeham, TPA Board Member. “This event not only offers a chance to unite as a community but also serves as a valuable educational opportunity, highlighting the critical need for invasive species management. We are also looking to host this as an annual event every third Saturday in March. Together, we can make a tangible difference in the health and vitality of our local ecosystems."

Mark Nolan, Friends of Tarrywile, Treasurer, said, "It is our steadfast commitment to collaborate closely with the Tarrywile Park Authority in advancing the enhancement of our park's grounds. With our mission to work in concert with TPA, we wholeheartedly support the Inaugural Vine Day at Tarrywile Park as an important beginning of vine removal to preserve all of the foliage within our beautiful park from these invasive vines."

Date/Time: Saturday, March 23, 2024, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET

Location: Volunteers to meet by the Red Barn at Tarrywile Park, 70 Southern Blvd, Danbury, CT 06810.

Sign-up Info: Use this form: https://forms.gle/6CCk7X1d5qkG7hCa6 to sign-up as a volunteer. To learn more about this exciting opportunity, please contact us at (203) 744-3130 or tarrywile.mansion@snet.net.

What to Bring: Please bring tools you may have including, small hand saws, pruning tools (including battery powered ones), or loppers. We also recommend wearing appropriate clothing for outdoor work, including long pants, sturdy closed-toe shoes, eye protection, and work gloves.

Thank you for your support in our mission to safeguard the beauty and biodiversity of our natural world. We look forward to seeing you on March 23, Invasive Vines Cutting Day!

Volunteers

The Tarrywile Park Authority welcomes volunteer projects that would help to better the park environment.

Self-initiated individual or small group projects are vital to Tarrywile Park. These may include:

• Eagle Scout projects
• Girl Scout Gold Award projects
• School group projects
• Family projects
• Community Service projects

The park asks that anyone interested in participating in a project call the Park Office at (203) 744-3130 to discuss arrangements. Volunteers are welcome to propose their own project ideas or to assist with park projects that are already under way.

Tarrywile Park wouldn’t be the beautiful oasis it is today without our many volunteers. We deeply appreciate all they do to help our small staff keep up with the demands of managing 722 acres of park with 17 buildings and 21 miles of hiking trails.

Friends of Tarrywile

The Friends of Tarrywile Park work with the Tarrywile Park Authority to promote community use and awareness of the Park. They conduct activities to solicit gifts of materials, equipment, exhibits, funds, endowments and bequests for the Park.

United Way Day of Caring

We have corporate volunteers who help us with large and small projects during the United Way Day of Caring. Theirs team from Belimo and Praxair have been responsible for dredging the ponds in the children’s garden. The crew from PepsiCo were responsible for creating a system of steps up to our overlook area for brides to navigate for their wedding day photos, as well as for painting the greenhouse.

Boy Scout Projects

The Boy Scouts have given us plenty of service time throughout the years. They are responsible for most of our picnic tables, which you will find scattered around the park, as well as shoring up the campsites. There have been many Eagle Scout projects including bridges for our trail system, and a bird box sanctuary.

Girl Scout Projects

The Girl Scouts have given us many educational tools. As a Gold Star project, 5 interactive signs were created for children to learn about wildlife as they walk around the pond as well as signage at the Silo that explains some of the park’s history as a dairy farm.

Danbury’s Youth Volunteer Corps

The Youth Volunteer Corp did work in the wetlands area to clear the path to the learning station and install fencing.