On Tuesday, November 25th the Connecticut Recreation and Parks Association presented Tom Adamski with the “ABCD” (Above and Beyond the Call of Duty) Award at their annual banquet held at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center. The ABCD Award is presented each year to an individual who has generously volunteered their time and efforts toward improvement of recreational programs and facilities in their town. Tom was nominated for this award by Debbie Gatto, the Parks & Recreation Director, because he works tirelessly to improve and maintain our parks and open spaces while also helping to train and educate others about our environment. Here is a sampling of some of the ways Tom has helped our beautiful town retain its lovely character: He has served as a member of the Conservation Commission since 2001 and has been the Director of the Oxford Land Trust off and on for several years. He has cleared miles of trails at Rockhouse Sanctuary and worked closely with our Grant Writer to secure numerous monetary awards to build and improve trails, parking areas, fences and signage at various parks and Land Trust properties in Oxford. He takes biking and kayaking groups on tours throughout CT and NY as well as school groups on hikes while educating all of these groups about plants, animals, erosion and the importance of park preservation. He works very closely with the Youth Conservation Corps as they all plant new trees along the entrance of Aggie Park and Quaker Farms Elementary School. They have also worked hard at Jackson Cove, removing and controlling the unwanted invasive plants. On behalf of the Oxford Parks and Recreation Commission and the Town of Oxford, we’d like to offer Tom our sincerest congratulations on receiving this well deserved award and our thanks for all of his time and energy toward the quality of our recreational resources here in Oxford.