Volunteers have so much fun at Topsmead!  ​

​​Check out our progress of current volunteer projects by downloading the spreadsheet below. 
ftsf_2020_projects_list-web.pdf
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Orintas Viewing Pavillion and Butterfly Garden__photo: Tom Holzel

The Orintas Family
Butterfly Garden and
​Chase Cottage Gardens

In 2019, our butterfly garden team completed the installation of the brand new Orintas Family Butterfly Garden.  The Orintas family lived at Topsmead with Ms. Chase in the summer, as the senior Mr. Orintas served as Mis Edith’s chauffeur. His son, Bob Orintas, was one of the founding members of Friends of Topsmead and continues as one of its staunchest supporters.  Our garden crew continues to partner with DEEP in maintaining the garden in good health and enhancing it. This summer of 2020, some new garden volunteers joined in to help DEEP maintain the gardens around the Chase house. We welcome more hands-on support for this ongoing effort.
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Chase Cottage library garden

Songbird Trail 

For the past 2 years our Songbird Trail project team has been refurbishing and replacing songbird nesting boxes at Topsmead. Last year, students from Explorations Charter School worked with us to monitor the boxes, keep them in good repair, and collect data on nesting bluebird pairs and their fledglings. This project keeps humming along thanks to Janet Blauvelt, a Friends Board member, and Chairperson of the Education Committee. Data is reported to the Connecticut Bluebird Nest Box Survey and Peter Piccone, a wildlife biologist at Sessions Woods in Burlington. There are 26 songbird/bluebird boxes to keep track of. This season, 40 fledglings emerged from their Topsmead homes. We welcome more hands-on support for this annual effort.

Welcome Center

The Welcome Center as seen many improvements and more are in the works. It has become a meeting place and a hub of information for visitors.  

Educational Partnerships

Since our inception, Friends of Topsmead has made working with local schools a priority project. We developed a working relationship with 4 schools bringing students out to Topsmead with their teachers for varied efforts. In 2019, they monitored the bluebird nesting boxes and collected Monarch butterfly cocoons and raised them to emerge as new butterflies. We have several more projects in mind with ideas for the Montessori school children to teens from Wamogo High School. We welcome more hands-on support for this ongoing effort, in particular to coordinate with the schools and act as school liaison.


​​"Bob Orintas Remembers" Video Project

Bob Orintas is the son of Miss Edith's chauffeur who grew up at Topsmead, and is one of the last remaining people who knew her. This project is in the development stage and will feature interviews and record his memories of life at Topsmead.