Quiet Heroes of New Canaan: Josh Trepanier

The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by the New Canaan Racquet Club.

For months, New Canaan resident and Eagle Scout candidate Josh Trepanier quietly worked behind the scenes to improve one of the town’s preserved open spaces.

Trepanier designed and built a new interpretive kiosk at the New Canaan Land Trust‘s Browne Preserve while organizing a volunteer day in which fellow Scouts removed more than nine large leaf bags of invasive plants and replaced them with native species donated by Copia Home & Garden.

The project, which took more than six months of planning, will leave a lasting impact on both the preserve and those who visit it, according to Robin Bates-Mason, executive director of the New Canaan Land Trust.

“Projects like these are incredibly valuable to organizations like the New Canaan Land Trust because this is going to be the next generation of young leaders,” Bates-Mason said. “They’re making a lasting contribution to the community. It’s not something they just do and then go away. It’s something that lasts within the community.”

Although the volunteer work culminated in a single service day, Trepanier spent months preparing every aspect of the project.

“He started planning with us well over six months ago—probably even longer than that,” Bates-Mason said. “It looked like a one-day project, but behind the scenes he was at the Land Trust multiple weekends working on the property. He did a great job.”

The effort focused on removing invasive plant species that threaten the health of local forests.

“The problem that we have in our woodlands throughout New Canaan is that a lot of our understory is filled with invasive plants,” Bates-Mason said. “They tend to take over and crowd out our native plants.”

While invasive species may appear harmless, they can have significant ecological consequences, she said.

“Many aren’t host plants for native insects,” Bates-Mason said. “Caterpillars have evolved to lay their eggs on certain native plants. If those plants disappear, it affects the entire food web. Some invasive plants are even changing the pH of our soils.”

Without continued education and stewardship, invasive species could dramatically alter New England’s forests, she added.

“If we let these invasives go, they’re eventually going to take over our woodlands, and it’s not going to be the New England forest that it should be,” Bates-Mason said.

Along with habitat restoration, Trepanier s project included construction of a new interpretive kiosk at Browne Preserve, providing visitors with trail maps, preserving history, educational information, upcoming programs and Land Trust guidelines.

“It’s important because it helps orient visitors where they are within the preserve,” Bates-Mason said. “It gives educational information, trail information, our rules of conduct and some of the history of the preserve. We like having these kiosks because they’re informative for everyone who uses our trails.”

Trepanier’s project also has the potential to encourage others to volunteer, she said.

“Every little bit helps spread the word,” she said. “By showing what Josh accomplished and recognizing the volunteers who helped him, we hope it motivates others to get involved.”

For Bates-Mason, that lasting impact is what makes Trepanier a fitting addition to the New Canaanite’s “Quiet Heroes” series.

“He put an incredible amount of time into this project,” she said. “The community will benefit from it for years to come.”

[Editor’s Note: This is a new installment of our periodic “Quiet Heroes” series. We’re accepting nominations for it, see guidelines here and ignore the COVID reference. This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Trepanier.]