Organic Teaching Farm Doesn't Have a Site Yet, But It Does Have Awards

The Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm doesn't have a site yet, but it's presenting its first "Hummingbird Awards" to four Fairfield County residents who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to preserving the environment.

The awards, which the group plans to give out on an annual basis, will be presented on Sept. 15 in Pequot Library's auditorium after a 6:30 p.m. screening of "DIRT! The Movie" and an auction of homemade pies.

The Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm's proposal to lease about 2 acres of the Hoyden's Hill Open Space, a 58.5-acre, town-owned property, is scheduled to be heard by the town's Conservation Commission at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 in Sullivan-Independence Hall.

"I think it's the natural place for the farm," Marilyn Miller, an FOTF member, said Friday afternoon, adding that the land was historically farmed and the FOTF had spent a lot of time addressing the commission's previously-stated concerns about the impact the farm might have on brown thrashers, blue-winged warblers and wood thrushes, which are considered bird species "of special concern" by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Pamela Jones, president of the Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm, said about two weeks ago that the group was no longer interested in leasing part of a 9.42-acre property on Hoyden's Lane where the town plans to build a girls' Little League field because the farm would have to move from that property in less than three years.

The Hoyden's Hill Open Space proposal calls for the farm to have a 300-foot by 180-fo0t fenced-in area that would include a 100-foot by 30-foot "hoop house," which is similar to a greenhouse; bermed and raised beds; and a composting area. A nearby abandoned barn would be used to store equipment and hold group workshops.

Town Conservation Director Thomas Steinke described the location, in an e-mail to the Conservation Commission, as the first farm field located north of the barn and orchard on the easterly side of the property. He noted that the farm could expand into the adjacent 41.1-acre Barbieri Open Space from that location.

Farming is a permitted use in the commission's Hoyden's Hill Open Space Management Plan, but leasing the property to the Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm would require approval from the Representative Town Meeting if the lease is longer than three years. If it's shorter than three years, First Selectman Ken Flatto could lease the property without approval from any town boards.

The preferred location for the organic teaching farm was town-owned land on Congress Street called "Greenfield Farm," but that property is leased to Robert Haydu, a longtime farmer. On Jan. 1, 2009, Flatto entered into a lease with Haydu for that site, and the lease, for two years with a two-year renewal option at Haydu's sole discretion, won't expire until Dec. 31, 2013 unless Haydu decides not to keep the lease that long.

Meanwhile, the four Fairfield County residents who are due to receive the Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm's first "Hummingbird Awards" are Michael Nischan, Princie Falkenhagen, Joy Shaw and Sal Gilbertie. The name of the award is based on a mythical story about a hummingbird who doused a fire by carrying small drops of water in its beak and is designed to highlight the importance of individual efforts in improving the environment, according to the FOTF.

Nischan was described by the Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm as a sustainable food advocate and the founder and CEO of Wholesome Wave, which brings fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables to residents of inner cities, including Bridgeport, and Falkenhagen, president of The Aspetuck Land Trust, was chosen for her work to save the 1,009-acre Trout Brook Valley from development in 1999. The FOTF credits Falkenhagen with helping to preserve thousands of acres of watershed land in Fairfield and New Haven counties.

Shaw, founder of The Mill River Wetland Committee, was chosen for establishing the committee in 1967 and for guiding Fairfield elementary school children through environmental study trips of the Mill River and its estuaries, and Gilbertie, who operates the 88-year-old Gilbertie's Herb Gardens in Westport, was described by the FOTF as the largest herb plant grower in the United States and a prolific author whose latest book, "Small Plot, High Yield Gardening" was published in February and feted by domestic doyenne Martha Stewart.

Tickets for the Sept. 15 movie screening and awards ceremony cost $8 and must be purchased online in advance at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/123481.

For information on the Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm, check the website, www.fairfieldorganicteachingfarm.org.