Pinchot Institute Dedication Ceremony, Sept. 24, 1963.

After Gifford Pinchot’s death in 1946, Grey Towers remained a hub of conservation activity. Cornelia Pinchot maintained an interest in conservation until her death in 1960, serving as a delegate to the United Nations Scientific Conference on Conservation and Utilization of Resources in 1949 among many other activities. In 1963, their son Gifford Bryce Pinchot turned over the house and 102 acres to the federal government so as to assure the conservation legacy of his father. President John F. Kennedy visited Grey Towers in September 1963 to dedicate the site and the Pinchot Institute for Conservation.

The U.S. Forest Service operates the national historic site, which has nearly 25,000 visitors a year. Forest Service staff oversees a variety of activities on the grounds: public tours of the house and grounds; conference facilities for natural resource groups; research opportunities for visiting scholars; on-site programs including environmental education programs and chamber music concerts; and other recreational activities such as short hiking trails. The Pinchot Institute for Conservation maintains an office at the site, along with one in Washington, D.C. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Institute continues Pinchot's legacy of conservation leadership as a center for research and policy analysis supporting sustainable management and conservation of forests. They work in partnership with the Pinchot family and the Forest Service, at both the national level and at the Grey Towers National Historic Site. Extensive renovations and restoration work on the house and surrounding landscape were completed in 2006 and incorporated several environmentally friendly and sustainable measures into the work.

President John F. Kennedy and Chief of U.S. Forest Service Edward P. Cliff.

The family still owns the majority of the land adjacent to Grey Towers, and continues to show an interest in forest conservation. Peter Pinchot, a grandson of Gifford and Cornelia who is a community forester, has begun restoration work at the Yale camp site and has also revived research on the Milford Experimental Forest.

Selected Resources:

President John F. Kennedy’s speech at the dedication of Grey Towers in 1963, from the US Forest Service History Collection. [pdf]

Pinchot, Peter. "Bringing Forestry Back to the First Yale Camp." Yale F&ES Centennial News, Fall 1999. [pdf]

Pinchot, Peter. "The Milford Experimental Forest: A Conversation with Peter Pinchot." Milford Magazine, Autumn 2002. [pdf]

Pinchot, Peter. "Remarks at the 30th Anniversary of the Pinchot Institute." The Conservation Legacy, 1995. [pdf]

Sample, V. Alaric and Char Miller, "A Transformative Place: Grey Towers and the Evolution of American Conservationism." Journal of Forestry, Vol. 103, No. 5, July/August 2005. [html]

Additional Pages:

Grey Towers Introduction
Grey Towers History
Grey Towers Residents
Yale School of Forestry Summer Camp