Volunteers Transform Topsmead 

Read about the many different projects underway at Topsmead and how you can participate. Some of the projects include the Butterfly Garden, Songbird Trail. Ecology Trail, Welcome Center,
​Chase Cottage Tour Guides, and Lectures on the Lawn.
​You may find an area where your interests and talents will blossom! *
* Come prepared for a minimum commitment of two hours and maximum of approximately four hours per assignment,  and be able to provide "muscle" power when needed. 

 The Butterfly Garden

In 2018 the Friends of Topsmead undertook one of our inaugural projects to restore the butterfly garden adjacent to the wildlife viewing blind at Topsmead. It had become a mostly barren plot. Today, the Orintas Family Butterfly Garden continues to be a magnificent island of native flowers and plants, drawing a variety of beneficial pollinators as well as a steady stream of admirers. Each year, our Butterfly Garden team led by Caroline King, works weekly to weed, water and otherwise tend to the garden.  
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Orintas Viewing Pavillion and Butterfly Garden photo: Tom Holzel

 The Songbird Trail

Each year since our inception, the Friends of Topsmead has been refurbishing and maintaining the songbird trail at Topsmead.  This includes tending to 25 nesting boxes. We annually repair winter damage to them and, in the spring, begin monitoring their occupants.  The data collected contributes to statewide efforts to foster a renewal of Bluebird populations in Connecticut.  The songbird trail success has been due in no small part to the continuing efforts of our Songbird Trail team led by Janet Blauvelt and Renee Betar. Periodic tours of the trail are offered.  Watch for updates on our home page.
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Bluebirds at a nesting box. photo: Tom Holzel

The Ecology Trail

The Edith Morton Chase Ecology Trail travels through the forest for 0.7 miles north of the parking lot. It has information points where you can learn about the ecology, plants and wildlife common to Topsmead. (Thanks to Topsmead Friends Jani Golding, Janet and John Blauveldt, and Renee Betar for their work on the trail.) Jani also orchestrated an update to the trail guide map available on this website. We will continue to maintain and enhance the trail each year to highlight all the varied environments and offer insight into how the forest at Topsmead continues to evolve.
Information panels on display in the Topsmead Welcome Center. 
Friends of Topsmead members: Carol Gould and Jenny Riggs

The Welcome Center

In partnership with DEEP, Friends of Topsmead has created a Welcome Center in the ‘garage’ or shed adjacent to the Chase House. The purpose of the space is to orient visitors to Topsmead as well as support our mission of providing programs and information to engage visitors in appreciating the history, environment and ecology, beauty and tranquility of Topsmead.

In 2018 we worked with DEEP to improve the interior of the shed with a cleaning, painted ceiling, electrical service, and a new floor.  Fast forward to 2021, volunteers Jenny Riggs and Carol Gould initiated a display panel project, working closely with volunteer graphic designer Rachel Bright. With support from DEEP, they created a series of informative panels in the Welcome Center with photos and text that highlight the history of Topsmead, and noteworthy environmental features of the State Forest.  A detailed site map of the property and trails are on display as well as QR code links to online information including the Topsmead documentary.

Chase Cottage Tour Guides

Starting in 2021, a team of trained FTSF docents began giving tours of the Chase Cottage. This supported DEEP in its efforts to offer more tours, more often, giving more visitors a glimpse inside this beautiful Cotswold cottage. The team, led by Jenny Riggs, also partners with DEEP to open and prepare the house for visitors each spring as well as carefully put it to bed in late autumn.
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Looking out from Chase Cottage Library window
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The front of Chase Cottage, 2020

The Memorial Tree Program

This program provides an opportunity for families or individuals to plant a tree in memory of a loved one at Topsmead. Up to four trees can be planted each year. To learn more, visit our Memorial Tree Program page here.

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Lectures on the Lawn

Friends of Topsmead is committed to offering educational opportunities in a variety of ways at Topsmead. Our Lecture on the Lawn series conducted each spring through early autumn, does just that. Experts on local wildlife, ecology, and history present a one-hour program on a range of topics. Our Education Team arranges for the lectures, publicizes them, and then hosts them.
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Ginny Apple, a Master Wildlife Conservationist with the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, talks about the fascinating American Bald Eagle and their valuable contributions to our ecosystem. Photo: Rosemarie Greco