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04/13/2023 07:47 AMEverybody has their own special day to celebrate, but all the inhabitants of the planet share one special day: Earth Day, this year on April 22. Lisa Hayward, a member of Chester’s Conservation Commission, is working on plans for the town to celebrate the day.
“I have a degree in environmental science and I loved being involved,” Lisa says.
Activities to mark Earth Day in Chester, sponsored by the Town of Chester and the Merchants of Chester, include the dedication of a sign at the pollinator garden on Water Street by the Chester Conservation Commission, a town-wide cleanup organized by the Chester Land Trust, children’s activities in the center of town, as well as events sponsored by other local groups, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Chester Library is planning a story walk for children and the Chester Historical Society will have an exhibit at The Museum at the Mill. There will be music by Anything Goes from the porch of The Wayfinder Society at 14 Main Street.
Bill Myers, president of the Chester Land Trust, said that people who want to join the cleanup brigade should meet at the town parking lot on Water Street at 9 a.m. on April 22, wearing sturdy shoes and bright colors, so they will be visible if they work along roadsides. Participants should also have work gloves. Myers will give instructions before the work starts. No signup is necessary.
The new sign at the pollinator garden, to be dedicated at noon, explains what a pollinator garden is and the importance of the plants in it. Those plants, all native to this area, are necessary to sustain the birds and insects that thrive here. Partnering with Chester Rotary, the Conservation Commission will also give out 100 native pollinator plants for use in local gardens.
According to Lisa, people need to understand why the pollinator garden has a more natural look than a formal, manicured garden. It was designed that way to attract pollinators.
“The sign will say all that. It is really for education,” Lisa says.
There will be a talk on pollinator gardens by Judy Preston at the Chester Meeting House on April 16 at 3 p.m.
In previous years, Lisa has participated in the town-wide cleanup, even the year she was pregnant with her second daughter, now 2. Lisa also has a 7-year-old daughter, and she points out that in between the two girls, there is a 4-year-old, rust-colored labrador retriever, Odin.
Being active and being outdoors have always been part of Lisa’s life. She had planned a college major focusing on outdoor adventure as a form of therapy for those who couldn’t be reached in traditional ways, but she tore her ACL playing soccer and had to change fields. It was hard to give up soccer.
“I think it is built into the blood of Casagrandes,” she says, using her maiden name.
Lisa and her husband Chris met in college. He grew up in Chester, where his parents still live, but Lisa, who is from western Massachusetts, told him she didn’t want to live in Connecticut.
“He told me I had to come see Chester,” she recalls.
The visit changed her mind. Walking downtown with Chris, three cars stopped to call out hello. Lisa was sold by the friendliness.
Professionally, Lisa is in charge of membership at the Valley Shore YMCA. On a recent morning, she arrived there at 4:30 a.m. to open the building at 5.
Lisa’s commitment to outdoor activity extends from hiking to scuba diving. She was first certified in diving as a 15-year-old at the urging of her father. She is enthusiastic about the sport.
“How many people get to see the bottom of a lake bed?” she asks.
Lisa and Chris are conscious of their environmental footprint on Earth Day and every day. Their eggs come from their own 16 chickens and one rooster. Their meat and fish are all provided by Chris’ hunting and fishing. Wild turkey, duck, and venison are staples of their diet.
On a recent night, Lisa said dinner had been barbecued duck quesadillas. One of her favorite meals is a wild turkey soup that Chris makes.
“People are against guns, and it is controversial, but Chris is not hunting to have antlers on the wall,” she says. “I am thankful we do it. We have no serious environmental footprint from harvesting.”
Lisa left real footprints last summer at Acadia National Park in Maine, where she hiked with her father and her younger daughter, who weighed about 30 pounds at the time, in a carrier on her back.
She has even more ambitious plans for an upcoming hike. For their 10th anniversary, she would like to hike up Mount Katahdin in Maine with Chris. She is training on a stairmaster at the Valley Shore YMCA. But time is running short for preparations. Chris and Lisa’s anniversary is coming up in June.
Earth Day in Chester, April 22
Dedication of the sign at the pollinator garden on Water Street, noon
Children’s activities and information tables on Chester Main Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Town-wide clean up. Meet at 9 a.m. in the town parking lot on Water Street
Also, on April 16, talk on pollinator gardens at the Chester Meeting House at 3 p.m.