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Clean Up Towering Pines (or Not)! A Newspaper Editorial |
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HAMMOND, CT. Ron Ruggles had no idea he was visiting one of the oldest forests in the Eastern United States. “I’ve driven by this place since I was a kid. The trees are huge, no doubt. But it never occurred to me that they were as old as they are.”
Mr. Ruggles is not the only visitor to this small Connecticut town surprised by the majesty of Towering Pines, a local wilderness preserve that contains one of the oldest and most substantial stands of white pine trees on the entire Atlantic seaboard. “Lots of folks are surprised,” explains local businessman Kent McArdle. “They come down to check out the antique shops. Then they discover there’s this ancient forest within the city limits."
Hammond residents, however, know that their town has a special treasure. Towering Pines, which covers nearly two hundred acres, lies about three miles from downtown, and many locals visit the preserve regularly. A well-used nature trail winds for nearly a mile through the forest. A group of local volunteers comes out every other Saturday morning to pick up litter. Each year, students from the local high school spend several days each spring here, learning the basics of field biology. “It’s like we have a private forest laboratory only a few miles from the school,” says local biology teacher Jan Hawkins. “I can’t imagine teaching without it.”
In 1968, the town officially recognized its unique landmark by setting it aside as a wilderness preserve. “It was a significant decision,” says Mayor Elliot Cohen. “Towns of Hammond’s size—if they have a natural resource like the Pines—generally look for assistance from the federal or state government.” Hammond, however, chose differently. “We wanted to keep control of the preserve, to have it protected by the people who enjoy it most.”
"In some ways, Towering Pines is completely separate from Hammond. It’s this little bit of pristine nature surrounded by our modern lives,” says McArdle. “But in other ways, Hammond is Towering Pines. The heart of our community is in those trees.”
Walking into Towering Pines, you understand why McArdle and so many of his fellow residents speak of Towering Pines with such reverence. In the forest, the sounds of the outside world fade away. The enormous trees—some of which date from the eighteenth century—rise around you with quiet majesty. You hear a few birds, and the breeze rustling through the trees. But mostly, you hear the cathedral silence of a forest older than the town that now protects it.
On a recent visit, Mayor Cohen explains that he walks through the preserve at least two or three times a week. “I like to come in the mornings, before going in to work. It clears my mind. Also, it reminds me what we’re about, as a town.”
Botanists and other scientists visit the preserve frequently, too, as it is one of the few truly old forests still standing in the Northeast. “I guarantee that every one of my colleagues north of Washington D.C. knows how far it is from his or her house to Towering Pines,” says Dr. Michael Wilby, a professor of Forest Science at Yale, in nearby New Haven. “I’ve done research in Hammond that I could not have done any place else in the Eastern U.S. An old forest like that teaches you about a region’s history. And it helps you imagine what the Northeast looked like before agriculture and settlement transformed the landscape.”
Hammond lies only ninety miles north of New York City, along state highway 98. From the town center, Towering Pines may be reached by following Pine Street south for nearly three miles.
Hammond has a number of attractions in addition to Towering Pines. The town boasts five large antique stores downtown and several excellent restaurants. Two bed-and-breakfasts are reportedly in the works. Mayor Cohen encourages any and all to visit his town. “Come on up, enjoy Towering Pines. Then maybe stick around for lunch and a little shopping,” he says with a smile.
"But,” he continues, “if you come, understand that Towering Pines is a special place to us. A beautiful, quiet place. When you visit, show it the respect it deserves. After all, it’s much, much older than all of us."
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