Eastern Pequots to host tour of reservation forestland
North Stonington — The Eastern Pequot Tribe will host a public tour of its reservation forestland.
Tribal Council members will host the tour, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, Katherine Sebastian Dring, the tribe’s chairwoman, said Wednesday.
Chris Casadei, a forest resources manager from Hull Forest Products, a Pomfret-based company the tribe has been working with for more than a year, will lead a two-mile hike through the wooded portion of the Easterns’ 225-acre reservation, Sebastian Dring said.
The forestland comprises about 100 acres, she said.
Work to improve the forest, recently completed, involved the selective removal of a number of trees, including those in poor health and others at risk for infestations of emerald ash borer beetles. Overgrown trails and pathways also were cleared.
“On closer inspection, some trees that appeared to be in good condition were found to be dying and needed to be taken down,” Sebastian Dring said. “It wasn’t only about the health of the forest, but safety, too. The clearing has opened up emergency access to the interior of the property.”
The improvements were undertaken in connection with a five-year community development project that the tribe hopes will culminate in construction of a community center and housing for tribal members.
Tour participants could find the hike educational, Sebastian Dring said. The reservation, one of the oldest Indian reservations in the nation, dates to 1683.
A “smudging” ceremony will take place at the outset of the tour, and participants will be asked to sign a waiver of liability, Sebastian Dring said.
To join the tour, take Wright Road off Wintechog Hill Road in North Stonington. Follow Wright Road to its end, bearing right into the reservation. Limited parking will be available there.
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