We recognize and thank Joe Carta, Autumn St. Germain, Ted Malley, Scott Corsaro, Gina Lombardi, Lorelei Carta, Dan Rau, Melanie Murphy, Ted Malley, Celina Ortiz, Melanie Murphy, Aaron Howe, Chris DeBiasi and Hans Veltheim. Their service included cleaning the pool covers, removing and replacing camp site poles, spreading mulch, raking and preparing the camping sites for the season, weed whacking and raking about a mile into the River trail. And they continue to organize work parties to support and help us! Not only are they dependable and hardworking, but also a lot of fun to be around! Thank you very much for the support and service. 

---

 

We want to thank YN1 Dayna Clark from the US Naval Submarine Base in New London for her steadfastness organizing work crews to help us maintain Bluff Point State Park and Coastal Reserve. Together with various crews, they served 128 hours as of March 2019, and they are still volunteering!

We thank the following crew for their help and service:

YN1 Dayna Clark (24 Hrs.), YN3 Andrew Blouse (20 Hrs.), YN3 Kameko Zayas-Bazan (20 Hrs.), SN Travis Hogan (20 Hrs.), BM3 Austin Lettengarver (20 Hrs.), YN3 Dominic Deluca (8 Hrs.), YN2 Neil Eubanks (4 Hrs.), YN2 Carlos Romero (4 Hrs.), YN1 Larry Felmy (4 Hrs.), and YN2 Cynthia Chapo Crough (4 Hrs) .

Read more about their contributions. 

---

 

Cheryl became a Haddam Meadows State Park Adopt a Park volunteer in October 2013, three months after she retired.

Cheryl and Mary Lou Heger, a friend who is also a CT DEEP Adopt A Park volunteer, organized the first invasive plant cleanup at Haddam Meadows State Park. Since then they have held 18 invasive plant cleanups, with 218 volunteers donating over 650 hours of service.

Cheryl was instrumental in the creation of the park’s beautiful butterfly garden, and collaborates with a number of groups in support of invasive plant cleanups, litter pickups and many other events like First Day and the CT River of Life Pilgrimage. Groups she has worked with include the Town of Haddam, the Haddam Grange, Haddam Historical Society, Brainard Memorial Library, CT River Conservancy’s Source to Sea, UCONN Master Gardener program, the US Coast Guard, Clarkson University alumni, and the Episcopal Diocese of CT. Her events have had news coverage in the Haddam Bulletin, Haddam News, Killingworth Krier and the UCONN Daily Campus.

Cheryl has also participated in the CT DEEP The Sky’s the Limit Hiking Challenge, having completed 13 out of 14 hikes.

We thank Cheryl for her enthusiasm and commitment to Haddam Meadows State Park, and her efforts to return the park to its original health and beauty.

---

Mary Lou Heger is a Haddam Meadows State Park, Adopt a Park Volunteer who truly enjoys making the park beautiful for other people to use by picking up trash that others have left behind.  She participates in organized events for removal of invasive plants and promotes events at the Senior Center which brings people to the park to help. She also organized a potluck lunch to thank those helping at the events.  Mary Lou gets her family involved at Haddam Meadows; her daughter takes pictures at the cleanups and offers refreshments to the volunteers.  Some of her nieces, nephews and grandchildren also come to help at the cleanup events. She is appreciated by park visitors for her volunteering efforts. We thank Mary Lou for her commitment and service.