Goals

Conchoidal fracture on traprock boulder, Storrs, CT.

The SWI has four basic goals. Click the link to learn more.

Appreciation - Beyond being an abandoned fence, each stone wall is also a historic artifact, animal habitat, ecological boundary, rock collection, and aesthetic object. The more we appreciate what we see, the more likely we are to manage it well.

Investigation - There is a dearth of research on the origin of stone walls, their impact on woodland ecosystems, and their importance in literature, art, and environmental history. The new book Exploring Stone Walls is a start towards an inquiry-based view of walls.

Preservation - The authentic stone walls gracing the New England countryside are slowly being consumed for their stone, much of which is being shipped beyond the local source areas for use in the construction industry. Strip mining is an apt term to describe what's really going on.

Education - Stone walls provide an opportunity to link aspects of geology, ecology, social studies, environmental science, and simple physics to the curriculum.