Release from the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Contact: Melody Keena 203-230-4308

HAMDEN – Staff with the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station, are inviting the public to an open house celebrating the completion of a project that significantly improved the energy efficiency of the Northern Research Station's facility in Hamden, Conn.

The open house will run from 1-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The Northern Research Station office is located at 51 Mill Pond Road, Hamden, Conn.

The “greening” of the 45-year-old building was funded by a 2010 Economic Recovery Act grant for $2.3 million. Improvements included the addition of a solar array that now provides some of the building’s electrical needs as well as new energy-efficient windows and an insulated eastern white cedar façade.

Improving the building’s efficiency went beyond renovation. In October 2010, USDA Natural Recourses Conservation Service (NRCS) and Southwest Conservation District (SWCD) staff moved into empty space on the second floor of the Hamden main building.

“We’ve done more than renovate our space, we’ve filled it,” said Melody Keena, a research entomologist with the Northern Research Station. “We have increased the occupancy rate for the building, increased the services included with the space, saved the government over $28,000 a year in space leasing costs, and reduced the Forest Service research dollars going into maintaining the facilities.”

Open house activities include tours highlighting the “greening” projects, a tour of the new office space of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Southwest Conservation District, brief presentations on Forest Service research, and NRCS and SWCD presentations on services available to the community.

The mission of the U.S. Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. The mission of the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station is to improve people’s lives and help sustain the natural resources in the Northeast and Midwest through leading-edge science and effective information delivery.