To the Editor:

This letter represents my opinion and that of fellow Protect Our Pollinators (POP) members, Marcia Chaloux, Joan Cominski, Dottie Evans, Jackie Gaudet, Mary Gaudet-Wilson, Holly Kocet, Laura Mitchell, Sian Nimkoff, Deborah Osborne, Joyce Pogers, Christine St. Georges, Lisa Shirk, and Lawrence Zankel.

POP is a local nonprofit. We are very concerned about the imminent forced removal of the UConn Cooperative Extension Service facilities in Bethel.

Several of our members graduated from the Master Gardener program in Bethel, which consists of a rigorous 16-week course, followed by 30 hours of internship in extension offices and 30 hours of volunteer work on community projects. The Master Gardener alums in our group have gone way past their volunteer hours requirement, diligently caring for our various gardens and offering to create new ones.

Besides the Master Gardener program, the UConn Cooperative Extension Service in Bethel supports 4H, a nutrition program, an urban agriculture program, soil testing advice, a help desk for gardeners and farmers with questions about plant pests and diseases, a vegetable garden that serves local food banks, and more. (A weekly farmers market is held on site but isn’t an extension program.) The Bethel UConn extension center serves all of Fairfield County and is a treasured resource for residents of many towns.

The earlier land transfer between the Fairfield County Agricultural Extension Council and Stony Hill Preserve, a nonprofit now leasing the land to UConn, needs to be examined, as do the reasons for the lease termination. Stony Hill Preserve has not upheld the original mission or intent of the Extension Council. We believe they have been secretive, antagonistic, and threatening toward the extension folks, failed to do needed building repairs, and ripped out native plantings and one of two well-tended pollinator gardens.

Transparency is important — particularly for an entity dealing with sensitive community issues. But transparency is mandated for governmental organizations and their partners. Stony Hill Preserve needs to explain their motivations as well as their future plans. The state government also needs to assess the legality and fairness of the Preserve’s actions.

As gardeners, we are well aware that when land is cleared, destructive invasive plants will soon take over. What will Stony Hill Preserve do to keep unwanted and possibly environmentally damaging uses from taking over the land at 67-69 Stony Hill Road once the beloved staff, volunteers, and gardens at the extension property have been removed?

In summary, the unexplained lease termination, its questionable legality, and undisclosed future plans for the site are very concerning and need to be investigated. Until these issues are resolved, the Extension Center in Bethel should be allowed to stay, and the dedicated, selfless people there should be allowed to continue serving the many community members who count on them.

To sign the petition: change.org/p/help-save-land-to-keep-bethel-extension-master-gardener-offices-open

To send a complaint to the Attorney General: portal.ct.gov/AG/Contact-Us

Sincerely,

Sarah W. Middeleer

Newtown