The mission of Great Mountain Forest is to be a leader in forest stewardship. We practice sustainable forest management, promote biodiversity and resilience to climate change, support education and research, and welcome all who love the woods.

Photo by GMF

 Photo by Matt Gallagher

Beaver in GMF- photo by Tom Blagden

In March, GMF hosted two engaging events and numerous visitors. Master Wildlife Conservationist, Ginny Apple, delivered an entertaining and informative talk on beavers to a crowd of 50 at the Norfolk Library. Connecticut DEEP's Flying Wild Program led nature-focused training for teachers with support from the Norfolk Foundation and Housatonic Heritage. Around 80 individuals visited GMF’s sugar shack, including a class from Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s Agricultural Science and Technology department. We hope that these events helped to bring our community closer to nature, helping to highlight the value of our wildlife, trees, and open spaces.

Work in the Working Forest 

Oral History Project

Housatonic Heritage recently awarded a 2024 Heritage Partnership grant to Great Mountain Forest Corporation (GMF) to document oral histories of five individuals who have worked in the Forest, including foresters Matt Gallagher, Russell Russ, Jody Bronson, and others. The project, entitled Work in the Working Forest, will be submitted to the Housatonic Heritage Oral History Center at Berkshire Community College and the Connecticut State Archive. The Oral History Center is working with organizations to document work in our region for its thematic Oral History of Work program.

Matt Gallagher, GMF’s director of programs and operations, believes that “This grant will be used to assist us in documenting the fascinating history of the working forest through the lens of foresters who manage the forest and researchers who use the forest as a laboratory for their work. This project will help to educate the public about the conservation work that forestry professionals strive for to protect the natural resources and cultural heritage throughout the Housatonic Valley in the face of a changing climate. We hope to empower a younger cohort of future stewards through our stories in understanding the importance of the work in the forests of the Housatonic Valley.”

Dr. Mary B. O’Neill, former GMF director of communications, podcaster, and oral historian, approached GMF’s interim executive director, Heather Thomson, with the proposed idea and shepherded the grant through the approval process. O’Neill will partner with GMF to record the archived oral histories and create podcasts based on the recordings that will reside on the GMF website.

The oral histories will also become the subject of several short videos created by returning GMF intern Caleb May, a University of Vermont junior pursuing a wildlife biology major with a minor in documentary storytelling. May’s participation in the project is funded through a grant from The Dr. Alice White Fund, administered by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. He will use the recordings as a backdrop to video footage, GMF archival photographs, and recent photographs taken by GMF’s Photographer-at-Large Tom Blagden.



The Oral History Center’s director, Judith Monachina, and Housatonic Heritage's executive director, Dan Bolognani, will provide technical support for the project.  

Dr. Mary B. O’Neill

GMF Foresters

Matt Gallagher

Jody Bronson and Russell Russ

Upcoming Forest and

Environmental Programs

Andy Dobos medicinal plants walk – Saturday, April 13th 

Join Andy Dobos of Forest Wolf Programs, to learn about how to identify and use medicinal plants in Spring. This is the season when spring ephemerals and other brave plants begin to flower before the forest canopy has filled with sun-blocking leaves. You may see such species as Round-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica americana), Virginia Springbeauty (Claytonia virginica), or Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides). What can such plants be used for by people? What role do they play in the forest? Join this walk to learn more! 

Andy Dobos

Earth Day Forum – Sunday, April 21st 

Join us for the Earth Day Forum Collaboration Children’s Event, sponsored by UCC Norfolk, Aton Forest, The Norfolk Library and the Norfolk Land Trust and hosted by the Great Mountain Forest. Vicki Nelson, our program coordinator, will be leading two gardening activities for kids of all ages! In the first, participants will get to hand-craft homemade steppingstones studded with beautiful jewels, tiles, shells, and more! While these creations will brighten up your garden while its plants are dormant, our second activity will usher in new colors when life returns in the spring and summer. Students will learn about pollinator pathways as they prep Eastern Purple Coneflower Seeds (Echinacea purpurea) for germination. 

Owl Pellets at the Norfolk Library – Wednesday, April 24th 

Our program coordinator, Vicki Nelson, and Eileen Fitzgibbons from the Norfolk Library will be leading an exciting program where children of all ages will get to dissect (sanitized) owl pellets. Hours after consuming their prey, owls regurgitate a small grey pellet containing all the indigestible leftovers like bones and fur. Participants will get the chance to solve a complex puzzle as they separate out bones that might belong to voles, mice, shrews and more! Some may even find intact skulls! This hands-on experience will be both educational and fun. Register at the Norfolk Library events webpage.

Forest Notices

Welcome to the forest!

GMF is a place of peaceful co-existence for everyone

• Keep your dog on a leash and if you pack it in--pack it out.

• Be bear and tick aware when hiking.

• Sign in at kiosks at the East and West Gates.

• Watch for inclement weather notices on social media and website.

• Download the GMF recreational trail map and descriptions from our website www.greatmountainforest.org

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