Tag: #fallsvillage

Great Mountain Forest Hosts First Annual Nature Writing Retreat August 7-9 in Falls Village, CT

Great Mountain Forest (GMF) will host writers at its historic 6,200-acre woodland for a retreat centered on craft, reflection, and connection to nature.

The event features six nationally recognized authors. Interest is high, and spots are filling quickly. Registration is intentionally limited to encourage strong engagement between participants and instructors. Interest is high and slots are filling quickly.

Held at Yale Camp in Falls Village, Connecticut, the First Annual Nature Writing Retreat is open to writers of all experience levels. Activities will include campfire conversations, guided nature walks, and workshop panels discussing ecological literacy, journaling techniques, and the evocative and ephemeral in nature writing. Attendees may also submit work created during the retreat for a post-event online anthology.

Inspired by the legacy of Hal Borland, the American author, outdoorsman, and longtime New York Times nature columnist, the retreat is designed to help writers sharpen their perception, strengthen their voice, and write with greater clarity, authority, and imagination. Borland believed that writing about nature is a way of learning how to live more fully within it.

According to GMF Executive Director Michael Zafros, the retreat reflects a broader vision for the role forests can play in public life: “There are few uses of a forest more sustainable than serving as inspiration. This new program demonstrates how Great Mountain Forest can be an antidote to the challenges facing our world. The retreat brings people together, builds community in the forest, gets participants outside and off their screens, and uses nature sustainably to heal and inspire minds and souls.”

Curated by Tom Shachtman and supported in part by H. Bruce McEver, Roshy and Dalton Dwyer, and Housatonic Heritage, the Nature Writing Retreat is the first of what GMF hopes will become a signature annual program celebrating the connection between people, forests, and the written word.

Event Details

Dates: August 7–9, 2026

Location: Yale Camp, 177 Canaan Mountain Road, Falls Village, CT

Registration Fees: $435 (General), $335 (Students)

Optional Lodging: $70 (two nights)

Registration Deadline: July 24, 2026

For full details or to register, visit For full details or to register, visit greatmountainforest.org/writing-retreat-2026

About Great Mountain Forest
Great Mountain Forest is a nonprofit leader in sustainable forest stewardship, encompassing more than 6,000 acres in Norfolk and Falls Village, Connecticut. Through education, research, and hands-on management, GMF demonstrates how forests can support biodiversity, strengthen communities, and provide lasting environmental and human benefits.

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Great Mountain Forest Launches 1st Annual Nature Writing Retreat at Historic Yale Camp

From August 7-9, 2026, Great Mountain Forest (GMF) will host its First Annual Nature Writing Retreat at the historic Yale Camp in Falls Village, CT, inviting writers of all levels to draw inspiration from one of New England’s most storied landscapes.

This immersive three-day retreat reflects on the legacy of American writer and longtime New York Times nature columnist Hal Borland, whose work was rooted in this landscape. It explores how wilderness shapes language and strengthens close observation, craft, and environmental understanding.

Michael Zafros, GMF executive director stated, “There are few uses of a forest more sustainable than serving as inspiration. Hosting writers and artists is a great way to explore and provide this use of our forests. This new program demonstrates how Great Mountain Forest can be an antidote to the challenges facing our world. The retreat brings people together, builds community in the forest, gets participants outside and off their screens, and uses nature sustainably to heal and inspire minds and souls.”

Set within GMF’s 6,400-acre forest, the program features six workshops led by nationally recognized authors, poets, and environmental experts. Participants will engage in field observation, writing, and discussion focused on description, ecological literacy, eco-poetry, and nature-based storytelling.

The weekend includes journaling and campfire conversation on Friday, a guided nature walk and workshops on Saturday, and a closing reflection on Sunday. Enrollment is limited, with an optional post-retreat online anthology of participant work.

As Hal Borland wrote, “I challenge anyone to stand on a hilltop and fail to see a new expanse not only around him, but in him, too.” This inaugural retreat invites writers to do exactly that while launching what GMF envisions as a signature annual event celebrating writing, conservation, and the enduring relationship between people and forests.

Yale Camp offers rustic lodging, quiet woodland trails, and shared gathering spaces with meals provided by Chef Stawitz of GMF catering.

The 2026 Great Mountain Forest Nature Writing Retreat is made possible in part with support from H. Bruce McEver, Roshy and Dalton Dwyer, and Housatonic Heritage. The Nature Writing Retreat is curated by Tom Shachtman.

Nature Writing Retreat Details

Dates: August 7-9, 2026
Location: Yale Camp, 209 Chattleton Road, Falls Village, CT

Registration Fees:
$385 through May 31; $435 after May 31
Students: $285 through May 31; $335 after May 31 (discount by request)

Registration Deadline: July 24, 2026. Enrollment is limited

Optional Lodging: $70 for two nights

For more information or to register, visit: https://greatmountainforest.org/writing-retreat-2026/

About Great Mountain Forest
Great Mountain Forest (GMF) is a leader in forest stewardship. For more than a century, we have been demonstrating how sustainable management can protect biodiversity and support ecosystems. By serving as a hub for education and research, we are spreading the benefits of sustainable management so that communities across New England derive educational, economic, and recreational and health benefits from their forests—now and well into the future. GMF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit encompassing 6,300 acres of contiguous forestland in Norfolk, Canaan, and Falls Village Connecticut.

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Wreath Workshop at Great Mountain Forest Features Rare Conifers

There’s nothing quite like getting into the holiday spirit by crafting your own festive wreath—especially when you’re working with fragrant greens foraged by the expert hands of the Great Mountain Forest (GMF) team. This year’s Holiday Wreath Workshop, taking place on December 6 and 7, is the perfect opportunity for crafters of all ages and skill levels to come together at the cozy Mountain House Barn, located at 200 Canaan Mountain Road in Falls Village. You’ll get to create a nature-inspired wreath that’s truly one-of-a-kind, featuring boughs from some of the world’s most unusual conifer species.

With two sessions offered each day—one from 9 am to 12 pm, and another from 1 pm to 4 pm—you can choose the time that works best for you. The workshop is just $40 per person, and all materials are provided, although it is recommended that you bring your own shears as well as your sense of fun and creativity! Tickets are available now at greatmountainforest.org/events

What sets wreath making at GMF apart is its storied past, rooted in forestry experimentation, adaptability studies, and a love for global biodiversity. Back in the 1950s, GMF’s Ted Childs and forest manager, Darrell Russ, an early member of the Exotic Conifer Association, began planting conifer species from across the globe. Their goal was to showcase non-native trees for students, scientists, and visitors, and to see which trees would thrive in Connecticut. These living experiments not only delighted students and scientists, but also were helpful to Christmas tree growers searching for new and adaptable varieties.

Shearing trees, 1977

Over the decades, GMF grew and sold thousands of Christmas trees—ranging from familiar white and blue spruces to lesser-known species like King Boris fir, Nordmann fir, and Meyerii spruce. Though large-scale tree production has ended, the legacy of those plantings lives on in some of the boughs available for this year’s wreath workshop, ensuring each wreath is truly one-of-a-kind. “We’re excited to share this living history with our community,” says Mike Zarfos, Executive Director of GMF. “Every wreath is a gateway abroad, crafted from conifers you simply won’t find anywhere else in Connecticut. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate both the holidays and our region’s forestry heritage.”

Workshop attendees will enjoy a cozy, collegial atmosphere—snacks, hot cider by the wood stove, expert tips from GMF educators and trustees, and hands-on help to perfect their creation. Participants will also learn how to care for their wreath to keep it fresh, discover the story behind the unusual greens, and take pride in a sustainable decoration: all materials are locally foraged and compostable.

About Great Mountain Forest
Great Mountain Forest (GMF) is a leader in forest stewardship. For more than a century, we have been demonstrating how sustainable management can protect biodiversity and support ecosystems. By serving as a hub for education and research, we are spreading the benefits of sustainable management so that communities across New England derive educational, economic, and recreational and health benefits from their forests—now and well into the future. GMF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit encompassing 6,300 acres of contiguous forestland in Norfolk, Canaan, and Falls Village Connecticut.

JanetLeave a comment