The Fairfield Hills Edible Fruit Trail in Newtown, Connecticut, is more than a walking path. It's a place where people can connect with nature, learn about native plants, harvest fresh food and come together as a community. On this episode of Open Space Radio, we're joined by Amy Mangold, director of Newtown Parks and Recreation, and her son, Andrew Mangold, whose vision helped bring the fruit trail to life.

Now celebrating 10 years, the fruit trail features fruit trees, berry bushes, native wildflowers and medicinal plants along a one-third-mile section of the Fairfield Hills campus. What began as an ambitious idea has grown into a unique community amenity that brings people of all ages together while creating opportunities to learn, volunteer and reconnect with the natural world.

Throughout this conversation, Amy and Andrew share how the trail came to be, the community effort that helped get it started and the many ways they've seen it make an impact over the past decade. From helping people discover native edible plants to creating a space for multigenerational connection, the fruit trail demonstrates how parks can be reimagined to serve communities in new and unexpected ways.

Tune in to the full episode below to learn how to:

• Create unique park experiences that connect people with nature, food and their communities.
• Build community support for an unconventional idea and navigate the process of bringing it to life.
• Use edible landscapes to create opportunities for education, volunteerism and multigenerational connection.
• Start small, learn along the way and create sustainable projects that can inspire other communities to do the same.

Whether it's an edible landscape, a community orchard or simply planting a native tree, Amy and Andrew remind us that meaningful change can start with something small. As Andrew says, the goal is to keep learning from what works, share those lessons with others and make these kinds of projects a more common part of our parks and communities.

Listen to the episode for the full story.

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This season of Open Space Radio is sponsored by BCI Burke

Park and recreation professionals help create communities where people can play, thrive and enjoy the outdoors together. BCI Burke is proud to share that purpose and looks forward to connecting at the 2026 NRPA Annual Conference. Visit them at Booth 625 to share ideas, explore innovations and discover thoughtful solutions for outdoor spaces designed for more movement, inclusion and belonging.

Learn more at bciburke.com.