(3/1) Strawberry Hill Foundation is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. The environmental education and conservation organization manages 32 acres of protected land north of Fairfield.
Executive Director Kara Ferraro stated, "This (anniversary) is a milestone itself, but also represents a larger accomplishment. Since our foundation in 1986, Strawberry Hill has welcomed and educated more than 100,000 people," noting that during 2020, trails received record-visitation as the community utilized Strawberry Hill’s recreational opportunities as valuable resources, despite the outbreak of COVID-19.
Ferraro said that the environment and the facility-served patrons are interconnected with Strawberry Hill’s mission … that mission being to teach and promote environmental stewardship through innovative nature programs, hold summer camps, and employ hands-on learning.
Studies have disclosed that environmental education, particularly when geared towards K-12 students … has a number of positive impacts, including increasing academic performance, enhancing critical thinking; heightening personal development of confidence and leadership skills; increasing civic engagement and positive environmental behaviors, the executive director stated, adding, "Individuals who have grown-up with Strawberry Hill have gone on to become educators and foresters, and build careers in conservation, advocacy, and natural resource management."
Ferraro said, "We know that time spent in nature offers abundant health-benefits for all ages. This time spent in nature boosts mental health and makes people feel happier, improves memory and concentration, and decreases stress and chronic disease."
She further noted that time spent in nature boosts mental health and makes people feel happier, improves memory and concentration, and decreases stress and chronic disease. Ferraro added, "As we live our mission of connecting the community with educational opportunities, all these benefits are wonderful outcomes of our work."
Ferraro said that throughout the organization’s history, they have been especially proud of several key-environmental accomplishments, including investing years of stewardship efforts in order to create an environment where the Red-Spotted Newt has been able to thrive, boasting some of the largest concentrations in the area, helping to attain the state Department of Environmental Protection’s "Exceptional Value" designation for Swamp and Middle Creek resulting in safeguarding the ecological integrity and the long-term protection of the Swamp Creek Watershed, and entering into a partnership with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry.
"None of this would be possible without the generosity of our community." Ferraro said, "The growing support during the past thirty-five years has been both encouraging and sustaining. We look forward to serving you and your family in the year ahead. Meanwhile, we are pausing to reflect-on and celebrate the tremendous work we have accomplished.
