CONTACT:
Shelly Angers, Northern Forest Center, 603-229-0679 ext 109; email:

On May 23-26, a new celebration of the Northern Forest will take place in Watertown.

Northern Forest Days are a multi-day, multi-event program being held in communities across the Northern Forest region of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. Each local event is coordinated jointly by the Northern Forest Center and community partners to ensure that the celebration reflects local needs, interests and opportunities.

In Watertown, partners include the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park, Tug Hill Commission, Tug Hill Resources Investment for Tomorrow (THRIFT) and Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust.

“From conversations about our economy to traditional entertainment to the amazing Ways of the Woods exhibit, Northern Forest Days are sure to get us all engaged in thinking about both our rich past and our promising future,” said Linda M. Garrett, executive director of Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust. “We are thrilled to be involved in such a dynamic, important celebration.”

Each day during the celebration has opportunities to explore the Northern Forest’s past and discover its future. There are activities for people of all ages who care about the region.
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From 7-9 Wednesday evening, a forum about the economic future of the region takes place in the first floor conference room at the Dulles State Office Building on Washington St. Information collected at this meeting will be integrated into the Northern Forest Center’s Sustainable Economy Initiative (SEI), a program operated in partnership with the North Country Council (NH) and funded by the federal Economic Development Administration and private contributions.

SEI is developing a strategic blueprint for sustainable economic development in the four-state Northern Forest region that is based on balanced investment in business, community and environment.

“We’re very excited to work with communities across the Northern Forest to hear their perspectives on the challenges they face and the opportunities they see for the future,” said Joe Short, SEI program director. “This input—which will come from people across the Northern Forest representing a variety of perspectives on community and economic issues—will impact SEI’s work to create a long-term strategy for the region’s economic future.”

On Thursday and Friday, local students will visit Ways of the Woods, the Center’s mobile museum about the changing relationships between people and the land, which will be setup at the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park. This “museum on wheels” elicits powerful, emotional responses from attendees as they explore both the history of the region and their personal connections to it. Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Ways of the Woods combines interactive displays, artifacts that illustrate the region’s history in action, and interviews with people who live, work and play in the Northern Forest.

Artists from the Handweaving Museum in Clayton, New York will demonstrate weaving techniques and offer hands-on activities for students at this time. All student groups will also have the opportunity to tour the zoo. Educators interested in scheduling field trips should contact Carrie White at the Zoo, 315-755-0895, carrie@nyszoo.org.

Ways of the Woods will be open to the general public on Thursday 2:30-5 p.m. and 6-7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. On Saturday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. the Zoo will be offering up-close encounters with live animals, and from 1-2 p.m. on the zoo lawn, singer/songwriters Jim and Deidre McCarthy will sing songs about animal characters from children’s favorite books.

There is no charge to view Ways of the Woods; visitors wishing to also tour the Zoo pay standard admission prices to do so.

“Last year’s Ways of the Woods tour confirmed that people have deep connections to the Northern Forest,” said Mike Wilson, senior program director at the Northern Forest. “Northern Forest Days creates new opportunities to bring people together to share their hopes for the region’s future.”

A full evening of activities takes place on Thursday evening from 6-9 p.m. Visitors can tour Ways of the Woods from 6-7 p.m., and light refreshments will be served starting at 6:30. At 7 p.m. in the Zoo’s M&T classroom, Wilson will give the 30-minute multi-media presentation “A Hopeful Future for the Northern Forest” which highlights dynamic and innovative business and community initiatives from across the four Northern Forest states, illustrating that the region does indeed have a bright future—economically, culturally and environmentally. This presentation also details the work of the Northern Forest Center and local partner organizations, and outlines opportunities for people to help ensure that the region’s future is indeed a bright one. Roy Peters of Storyteller Flutes will then perform magical storytelling and play Native American flute music starting at 8 p.m. There is no charge for this event.

Northern Forest Days celebrations have already taken place in Gorham/Berlin and Colebrook, NH, Morrisville, Vermont and Old Forge New York. Others are currently scheduled for:
May 31-June 2: Farmington, Maine
June 7-9: Greenville, Maine
June 13-16: Ft. Kent, Maine

Specific details about Northern Forest Days events will be available from partner organizations and in the calendar sections of local newspapers. Northern Forest Days schedule updates, and the complete 2007 Ways of the Woods tour schedule, are available at www.northernforest.org.

The Northern Forest Center, a nonprofit organization, mobilizes people to build healthy communities, economies and ecosystems by working together across the Northern Forest region. Learn more about the Northern Forest and the Northern Forest Center at www.northernforest.org.

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NOTE TO MEDIA: Photos of the Northern Forest Center’s Ways of the Woods exhibit are available for publication. Please contact Shelly Angers, Marketing/PR Coordinator, at 603-229-0679, ext. 109,