Ranger Dan Completes The Mission

Dan Barvir has noticed chipmunks and bunnies scampering around these days like never before in his 35 years as guardian of East Rock Park.

He noticed ruffed grouse flying around when he started the job as ranger of the glorious 426-acre park in 1985. Then feral cats moved in — and eviscerated the grouse.

More recently fishers and coyotes have shown up in the park. They have a taste for … feral cats.

Meanwhile, chipmunks have been on the upswing. Thanks in part to the scarcity of feral cats.

Similarly, Barvir watched hemlocks gradually disappear after Hurricane Hugo swept insects known as woolly adelgid into the park. He watched new trees — black birch, maple, oak — grow in their place. The dead hemlocks, meanwhile, have nourished and provided nesting sites for six different species of woodpeckers.

“Nature is all about cycles,” Ranger Dan observed.

As he himself comes to the end of the cycle.

The cycle ends Friday, as Barvir, who is 65, retires.

It’s been a great run. The park has flourished under Barvir’s stewardship. On his watch, with the help of many volunteers, he has enhanced access to the Mill River, cleared trails, turned countless New Haveners into hawk-watchers, created a park mini-museum and activity center. He has personified the park.

Retired parks chief Bob Levine called Barvir’s retirement ​“an immeasurable loss to the department and the city. I love that guy. Nobody more knowledgeable, hardworking or dedicated when it comes to East Rock. He was always working hard both on the maintenance of his park and the programs he planned and executed. He has a huge group of folks who have benefited from his years of service and many would call to lobby and be supportive of his efforts.”

John DeStefano described Barvir as ​“a teacher, a mentor, a cheerleader and a very human face to the idea of community.”

“Ranger Dan has been a presence that made our parks bigger by helping people see them, understand them and take immeasurable pleasure in them. He guided so many residents, especially our children, into the joy of nature in the middle of the city,” said DeStefano. DeStefano, the longest-serving mayor in New Haven history, took office eight years after Barvir began as East Rock’s ranger and retired seven years before Barvir did.

Barvir said he always wanted to be a park ranger, since roaming the woods in his childhood in Colchester. He came to New Haven to study outdoor recreation at Southern, where he got involved with the West Rock Nature Center. After more than a decade running kids’ programs and campus, he landed the East Rock ranger job in 1985. And hasn’t looked back.

Barvir’s love for, and commitment to, the park brimmed throughout a two-hour reflective interview, during which he walked through some of his favorite spots.

Barvir passed by the Orange Street sign erected in conjunction with canoeing and kayaking programs he started …

… down to a path along the banks of the Mill River, stopping at the original ​“Cold Spring” spot. It used to serve as a source of drinking water in the park. Even on hot days, he said, you can count on finding 45-degree water there, he said.

“The Mill River is really special,” he said, ​“one of the few freshwater tidal rivers in the area.” A greater diversity of plant life can grow there because of the check on the amount of salt water allowed through the floodgates.

He waved to a soul communing amid the trees …

… offered tips to two stone-skippers …

… and instinctively picked up trash along the way. Barvir spoke of the Native American belief that no one owns land — that as humans, we have the obligation of taking care of it.

The burning scent of one of mother nature’s plants was in the air.

“Everybody gets something out of the park,” he reflected. ​“Solitude. A place to screw around. A place to smoke herb …”

He sees more people out than usual these days, as usage of New Haven parks like East Rock has tripled during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He paused a moment and pointed to a figure circling the sky, up by East Rock’s peak.

“That’s a peregrine falcon,” he said in awe, ​“the fastest animal on the planet.”

Spreading an appreciation for park birds has been a particular mission for Barvir. Working with the New Haven Bird Club, he has 20 – 30 people a day coming out to Lighthouse Park each fall to watch and appreciate some of the 10,000 – 20,000 hawks soaring by. In the spring, he brings out East Rockers to watch the warblers. (The photo at right shows him with a peregrine falcon at a migration festival.)

As an active member of Friends of East Rock Park, John Cox worked closely with Barvir during Barvir’s first seven years on the job. Cox then became a member of Friends of Lighthouse Point — and worked with Barvir on the fall migration festival there. He spoke of the ranger’s ​“laser focus on what is best for the parks and enhancing the public’s enjoyment of these treasures” and his ​“amazing knowledge of plants, wildlife,” especially the birds.

“He always lets us know about the birds that have been coming to the feeders at the ranger station,” remarked Florence McBride, East Rock area captain for the New Haven Bird Club Christmas Bird Count. ​“For years he has conducted countless bird walks and other programs, sharing his knowledge generously. “

Barvir planted a wildflower garden by a feeder in the College Woods playground outside the ranger station so kids could watch the birds. Imbuing kids with a love of nature has always been a top goal in organizing events, like the eclipse party where he handed out noisemakers to the 200 attendees so they could chase away the demons believed to be blocking the sun.

Barvir pointed with pride to the ranger station. It used to be single room with a dirt floor and pot-bellied stove, and two exterior bathrooms. He and his community allies built it into the Trowbridge Environmental Center.

It has a community room for activities. A wing with historical artifacts he has collected over the years, from mid-20th century bird drawings to a display of photographs showing the restaurant at the summit (1884), bears in the park’s one-time zoo (1914), World War I cannons (1919).

He framed an 1882 layout sketched by park designer Donald Mitchell. He found it one day while rooting through the parks headquarters attic in search of supplies. Another frame on a wall contains the March 12, 1880, state legislative act incorporating the park into the city, as well as the invitation to the June 17, 1887, party for the dedication of the Sailors and Soldiers Monument.

One display case features ​“cool stuff we found over the years” on the grounds, including World War II-era lead toy soldiers, old glass bottles, Civil War artifacts from when the land served as a training ground …

.… and these coins.

Resting back outside on a stone park wall, Barvir reflected on the passage of time. He spoke of how some of the kids he originally worked with as ranger are now bringing their own children, and grandchildren, to the park.

That’s a long time in one job. He has loved it from start to finish. But it’s also time to let younger people with new ideas take the helm, he said.

Still, it’s hard to leave. He has many memories to bring along with him. Introducing countless people to the ​“miracles of nature.” And experiencing those miracles himself in a park that pretty much served as his home for three and a half decades: ​“The double rainbow. The amazing ice storms. The tornadoes — it’s wild when Mother Nature lets loose!”

“I’ve given my blood, sweat and tears here. I’ve always felt a part of the land,” Barvir said.

Job well done, Ranger Dan. Mission accomplished. Like the cliff and the stream and the warblers and the cold spring, you will forever be an indelible part of one of New Haven’s sublime oases.