Author: Jean Najjar

Earth Fest at Penn State, University Park — Friday, April 21
We participated in this event for the first time with the help of our 2022 Outreach Intern, Dylan Longale, and our 2023 Orchard Volunteer, Elijah Wade

Lancaster Native Plant and Wildlife Festival — Saturday, April 29
Tim Eck, Judy Milliken, and Betsy Murtha continued our long tradition of participating at this event.

Earth Day at Core Creek Park — Saturday, April 29
Many thanks to new volunteer Eric Croston. This is the second annual Earth Day at Core Creek Park  in this Bucks County and we hope to see it grow into a

My name is Elijah Wade, and I look forward to working with The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) through their Penn State internship this summer. I am a sophomore finishing up my third semester after recently transferring to University Park from the Berks campus. My major is Agricultural Science with a minor in Horticulture. As I spend more time in my major, I am developing a greater interest in trees and may add an Arboriculture minor next semester. My future plans may involve working in plant propagation, tree care, or somewhere in the field of horticulture.

Working with the American chestnut tree will provide me with valuable experience in my area of study and an opportunity to give back to nature. After spending hours in the garden and on hiking trails and looking after houseplants, I feel a responsibility to reciprocate nature’s gifts. One such way to give back is working toward uniting our native ecosystems with their long-lost friend the American chestnut, the king of the forest. I would like to thank TACF and Mr. Stephen Hoy at Penn State for this exciting opportunity and look forward to an insightful summer.

Autumn Lights Festival | West Milford, NJ

We are seeking early commitments from volunteers to help with the Autumn Lights Festival in West Milford, PA. This is a popular one-day festival that draws thousands of attendees. We have attended for several years, and according to past volunteers, it is worth continuing our participation.

LOCATION: 1 Marshall Hill Rd, West Milford, NJ 07480
DATE: Saturday, October 7, 2023
EVENT WEBSITE: https://autumnlightsfestival.com/

West Milford is very close to the New York border, in a rural setting with a small-town vibe. It’s the perfect venue to chat about the American chestnut on a Saturday in October. Check out this video: https://youtu.be/rEkFONrMXO4

This year we would like to reserve a 10 x 20 booth for $100, allowing us ample space for our interpretive display and merchandise.  Early October is an ideal time to sell some of our long sleeve shirts. But we need to know we will have the needed volunteers before we commit. Please contact me if you can help with this event.

To volunteer contact Jean
mail@patacf.org | 814-863-7192

Spring Field Planting of 700+ Chestnut Seedlings

The PA/NJ Chapter will have an information table at each of the events below. We count on volunteers to represent TACF at these events and share the story of the American chestnuts. To assist our volunteers we have a great interpretive display and factsheets to hand out.

Experience Codorus Outdoors (ECO) Event
Codorus State Park, Hanover, PA
Friday, June 9 from 4 pm to 8 pm (covered)
Saturday, June 10 from 11 am to 8 pm (2 or more volunteers needed)

Please contact me if you can help with this event: mail@patacf.org | 814-863-7192.

In order to help achieve our wild American conservation objectives, Chapter Board Member, Lake Graboski is setting up targeted “American Chestnut Conservation Missions”. Each mission will identify areas of special interest to our breeding program. We encourage individual hikers and local conservation groups to join these missions to help search for American chestnuts. 

Mission #1: Southwestern PA (Issued 6/3/2022)

Mission #2 Southern New Jersey

Teachers and Chestnuts

Based on a couple of conversations at the PA Farm Show we are hoping to engage some middle school and high school teachers in an effort to formalize some lessons about the science of our American chestnut restoration mission. We don’t have a curriculum to promote. We would like to learn from you how we can bring our mission and research to young scientists. If you are a teacher interested in joining this discussion please contact Jean: at mail@patacf.org | 814-863-7192

American Chestnut Activity Sheet | Work from Home

Forest restoration is a multigenerational mission. It is critical that we educate the public about the history of this native tree, its significant role in our forest ecosystem, and our progress to restore it. We have some decent materials for adults but we want to do more to connect with children if we want to ensure three is the next generation to take up the work. We are seeking guidance from professional educators to develop targeted activities for a children’s activity sheet. We want to start with a 2-sided 8 by 14 sheet with activities for a variety of ages. Once we have content we will seek assistance from graphic artists to create an attractive layout.

We can work on this remotely over email and zoom as needed.
If you are interested please contact Jean: at mail@patacf.org | 814-863-7192