The Last Green Valley

05/13/2026

We appreciated the visit from Congressman Courtney to celebrate our annual meeting and the retirement of Lois Bruinooge after 20 years of dedicated service to The Last Green Valley.

Congratulations to Lois Bruinooge, the retiring Executive Director of the Last Green Valley, on her 20 years of exceptional service to our region.
This weekend in Ashford, I was glad to recognize Lois for her record of service for this amazing grassroots-driven organization. Lois’ years of leadership in conservation and connecting people to the outdoors will continue to benefit eastern Connecticut for years to come.

04/23/2026

First time we’ve been able to host an event like this! Thank you to Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce and Grill 37 for making it happen! We had so much fun!

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day from The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor! With more than 500 miles of trails, more than 90 miles of National Water Recreation Trails and 84 percent of our land in forests or farmland, we have something special here in South Central Massachusetts and Eastern Connecticut. Thank you to all our partners, supporters and members who help us work every day to spread the word, do the work and help all of you care for and enjoy our Heritage Area so we can pass it on for generations to come.

04/20/2026

The National Park Foundation does amazing work supporting both the National Park System and the National Heritage Area system. We are proud to be a partner and grateful for the support they have given The Last Green Valley over the years.

04/08/2026

We should probably share our own news too!

FROM THE WINY RADIO NEWSROOM: FROM THE LAST GREEN VALLEY: TLGV Welcomes its Next Executive Director
The Last Green Valley, Inc. (TLGV) is pleased to announce the appointment of Francesca Kefalas as its next executive director. Kefalas has been with TLGV since 2017 and will take over the leadership role upon Lois Bruinooge’s retirement in May.
“Fran has the experience, passion, and vision to elevate TLGV’s impact and lead the organization into the future with excellence,” said Sandy Gibson-Quigley, Chair of TLGV’s Board. “After an in depth search process, Fran’s commitment to and knowledge of the National Heritage Corridor, combined with her inspiring ability to connect and collaborate with our constituents, resulted in a unanimous Board decision to appoint her to the executive director position,” said Gibson-Quigley.
Kefalas began her career as a journalist, moving to the region several years after college to work as a reporter for the Norwich Bulletin. She quickly rose to substantial management roles at the Bulletin, serving over the years as the features editor, city editor, and editorial page editor.
Kefalas was hired by TLGV as a communications and program coordinator in 2017, but her connection to the National Heritage Corridor runs much deeper and longer. She covered the hiring of Charlene Cutler as TLGV’s first part-time executive director in 1997.
Kefalas became TLGV’s assistant director in 2018 and has been responsible for the significant expansion of TLGV’s signature programs like Walktober and Spring Outdoors, and for the creation of new and exciting programs such as the annual Perseids Party, a free family camping weekend. She has greatly increased TLGV’s marketing efforts while also writing and managing production of TLGV’s In Touch member magazine and Explore! Guide to the National Heritage Corridor.
TLGV’s current executive director Lois Bruinooge is retiring in May after 20 years with the organization. Bruinooge began her tenure at TLGV in 2006 as deputy director and was appointed TLGV’s second executive director in 2014. Before joining the TLGV staff, Bruinooge was an accomplished environmental lawyer, serving in various roles with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for more than a decade. Protecting waters and woods has always been her passion.
Bruinooge’s tenure at TLGV will leave a legacy. She led TLGV’s 2009 Source to Sea program, an effort to paddle the entire Thames River watershed and educate people about both the recreational opportunities and the environmental needs of the watershed. Source to Sea sparked an evolution in TLGV’s programming and led to the creation of almost 90 miles of National Recreation Water Trail in the Corridor. It helped expand TLGV’s water quality monitoring program and spurred the Organization to begin monitoring bald eagles and coordinating the mid-winter eagle survey in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Source to Sea also led to the creation of TLGV’s trail assessment program, which provides accessibility information for people with mobility challenges.
Under Bruinooge’s leadership, TLGV has strengthened ties with agricultural producers to enhance their sustainability, collaborated with land trusts to improve conservation capacity, and partnered with historic and cultural organizations to interpret and preserve Corridor resources. During her tenure, TLGV launched its member magazine, In Touch, and doubled Walktober participation in both the number of activities and the number of people attending.
Year-round programming also increased substantially, including the launch of youth programs and Adventure Camp. Bruinooge also spearheaded the Southern New England Heritage Forest project, leading 20 partners who turned $6.1 million in USDA funding into $13.7 million infused into the region’s conservation efforts and hundreds of acres of land conserved.
“During Lois’s time with TLGV, we have increased non-federal revenue, established two endowment funds, and improved our financial stability. We have made significant progress towards our strategic priorities including preparations for an innovative discovery center and hub for the National Heritage Corridor that is anchored in the ideals of community, outreach and education,” said Gibson-Quigley. “Lois is always professional and personable. While we will miss her creative, engaged, and inspiring leadership, we are excited to embark on our next phase of growth and are pleased to welcome Fran as the right person to help us do so.”

03/12/2026

Another amazing photo from Bob Lee. Who wants to caption this photo and tell us what happened? Keep it clean! We'll share the story in the comments tomorrow morning.

03/11/2026

Bob Lee captured these photos over at Hopeville Pond not that long ago. What you're seeing is a very bad day for a duck. In total five bald eagles -- two mature and three juveniles -- were trying to get their share. One of the juveniles had caught the duck and after more than 20 minutes of fighting a few of the eagles got some of a duck meal.

01/31/2026

We've come to the end of Bald Eagle Month here in The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor and we thought this Shori Velles photo would be an amazing way to end the month. For the eagles this is really a beginning. Here are a few things we can all do to help them out:
~ Keep your distance from the nests! Stay at least 300 feet away and more if they seem agitated.
~ Don't used rodenticides.
~ Clean up your fishing lines.
~ Don't use lead shot or fishing gear. Steel works!
We promise we'll keep you posted about our nesting pairs here in The Last Green Valley. Maybe we'll even locate some more nests!

01/30/2026

Thank you Bob Lee for this great photo from Hopeville Pond in Griswold. Bob sees a lot of bald eagle activity. One of the 22 known nests in The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor is not far from the Bob. We have to clarify the number of nests too. At the start of the breeding season in 2025 we put eyes on 22 nests. Unfortunately several of them failed, meaning chicks did not fledge. Two more pairs of eagles had what we call territories. That means they were regularly spotted in a region, but no one has identified a nest. In the coming weeks and months, TLGV staff and volunteers will recheck known nest spots and check on potential nests locations we hear about. We are confidant there are more nests in Massachusetts than are in our count and have already heard about a few new ones we never knew about. We do know that in 2025 our eagles fledged 23 chicks, which was an increase from 2024.

01/29/2026

We are almost to the end of bald eagle month, so let's talk about what happens next for these incredible birds of prey. The nesting pairs have begun mating or will soon. They will lay their eggs, usually 1 to 3, in February or early March. The pair incubate the eggs for 35 days with hatching occurring late March into April. Mom will do the majority of incubation, but dad takes his turns as well. He will hunt for food for both of them while she sits on the eggs. Once those chicks hatch the hard work begins and Dad has to step up the hunting while mom is on even higher alert for predators. When they hatch, bald eagle chicks are little fluff balls. You can see a chick in the nest in this photo. It is probably just weeks old.