Middlesex Entrance Beautification created by Eagle Scout

Eagle Scouts Project build picnic tables

 

The Friends of Woodland Park and Events

The Friends of Woodland Park is a 501(c)3 non profit-organization that has a long standing commitment to ensure the park remains intact as a nature preserve. The "Friends" are a dedicated group of people who take pride in taking care of all the facets of the park.

Through purely volunteer efforts, and in conjunction with the Parks and Recreation Commission, the "Friends" has created and maintained the park's trails, donated and erected benches, built and repaired bridges, organized nature walks and introduced native plants to the park. In addition FOWP organize clean up days and take part in town wide events.

The "Friends" over the years have improved the preserve in many ways. These improvements include, treating and marking the trails, maintaining the display board, organized clean up days, cleared brush and spread chips. 

Larger projects organized by the Friends of Woodland Park such as the Turtle Pond Dredging helped bring back the wildlife to the preserve.Turtle Pond naturally filled with leaves over the years and the embankment became eroded. The "Friends" held a fundraiser and with the partnership of the town, the project became a success in 2005. Later on the steps leading up to Turtle Pond were rebuilt. Those steps have since been removed and rebuilt in Fall of 2017. The footbridge has suffered some damage due fallen trees in 2017 and 2018 which have been repaired.


The Friends repairing the footbridge. Thank you!

Earth Day Clean Up 2018

New steps to Turtle Pond!


Springtime Craft event for all organizations at Darien Nature Center

Clean-up days

Pond Project, Darien Times, 2005.

Turtle Pond restored.

The Eagle Scouts

Darien Eagle Scouts have also contributed in many ways to help preserve and improve the park. A footbridge was built and recently improved with a secure railing and it adds a perfect spot to watch wildlife. Benches were also provided by the Scouts. Recently, the scouts completed a project that will prevent the stream from overflowing. They dug a trench, then cut a piece of a large fallen tree nearby and rolled it down hill into the trench. The scouts then  placed river stones to create a barrier to prevent the stream from over flowing.  Later the Scouts reappointed the old stone bridge with cement where it had eroded away over time.

It is currently under consideration for repair as storms and exposure has deteriorated it.  

Eagle Scouts improvements to footbridge