Richard Moose Camp

Explorer tells of global adventures ... and in back yard

From adventures with crocs and dogsledding to climbing the heights of Mounts Everest and Kilimanjaro, the good-natured Weston resident kept the audience rapt.

Explorer Richard Wiese proved to be a highlight of the Aspetuck Land Trust 's annual meeting Thursday evening at the Pequot Library in Southport.

The event attracted a full house of land trust members, volunteers and the public who came to hear about the group's activities and Wiese's presentation on his exploits in the wild. Wiese also signed copies of his book, "Born to Explore," which outlines the skills, projects and information for budding explorers.

"We're all about connecting people to land, which aligns well with Wiese's book about exploring right in your own backyard," said David Brant , the trust's executive director.

The Aspetuck Land Trust maintains 42 trails and 113 parcels of land across Westport, Weston, Fairfield and Easton, preserving open space for public benefit.

"Richard has young children now, so his focus is changing to local pastures," added Princie Falkenhagen, the land trust board president. "I think he wants to instill the love of nature and exploration in his own family. The Aspetuck Land Trust is also focusing on young children, the future stewards of our preserves, and offering programs like `Short Hikes for Short People.' Parents need help counterbalancing technology overload with good, natural outdoor fun."

Before Wiese launched into his tales, Falkenhagen thanked, in particular, fellow board members for their work over the past year, including getting the organization involved in social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. "If you build it, they will come," she said. "Our name is out there, our preserves are being used and our parking lots are suddenly full. Now we're balancing the needs of the public with the mission of being stewards of the land."

Falkenhagen, Don Hyman, Jack Light and Ken Bernhard were all re-elected to the land trust board for four-year terms, as directors for Easton, Fairfield, Weston and Westport, respectively, while Cynthia Williams was tapped as director at-large.

Wiese said he had selfish reasons for wanting the Aspetuck Land Trust to do well. "As a local resident, I'm a user of the product, the product being the land trust," he said. "I hike the trails with my kids, wife and friends. All winter, I skied Trout Brook Valley. I'd like people to look at the outdoors with new eyes, see that nature is nourishment and use it like they do gym time.

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