Past Events
Tuesday Trek: Plimpton Preserve
Date: Tue September 19, 2023Time: 9:00 am
Place: Plimpton Preserve
Contact Email: jim.arrigoni@lymelandtrust.org
Presenter: Jim Arrigoni
A moderately strenuous 1.7-mile loop will take us to an overlook where we’ll enjoy views of Hamburg Cove and the Connecticut River. We’ll also “go back in time” as part of the trail overlaps with the long-abandoned Meetinghouse Hill Road. Park along Sterling City Road near Preserve entrance by the junction of Sterling City Road and Stone Post Road.
Contact: Jim.arrigoni@lymelandtrust.org
View the Tuesday Trek Schedule
Tree Collective- Teen Steward Group Meet-up
Time: 1:00-3:30 pm
Place: Register to learn location
Contact Email: reganstacey@gmail.com
The Tree Collective is a program designed to engage young conservationists ages 14-18 in outdoor fun and education while working to maintain trails in our beautiful town of Lyme, CT. It is sponsored by the Lyme Land Trust under the leadership of environmentalist/artist Regan Stacey. Each time we meet, we offer a different topic, often with a hike and trail work in a selected preserve.
Tools and gloves provided.
Registration required: reganstacey@gmail.com.
Click on flyer to enlarge.
Lymes’ Senior Center Take-A-Walk Wednesday with Wendy–CANCELLED
Time: 9:30 am -11:30ish am
Place: Gillette Castle State Park, Ferry Road (Rte 148), Lyme Ct
Contact Email: sgould@oldlyme-ct.gov
This walk is cancelled due to rain.
Gillette Castle State Park – We will walk up a beautiful walkway to the Castle and explore the route that was once a narrow gauge train trail. Beautiful CT River views and a tunnel. 2.5 miles. There are some hills.
Directions: Meet at the Hadlyme Public Boat Ramp parking lot by the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry. (Note: For google maps, search for “Chester-Hadlyme Ferry”. Make sure GPS sends you to Ferry Road in Lyme ( Rte 148), not Old Lyme.)
Reservations are required. Please email sgould@oldlyme-ct.gov or call 860-434-4127 to reserve your spot. Free to Lyme’s Senior Center members. $5 for non-members.
On the 2nd Wednesday of each month the group will get together at various hiking areas in Lyme and Old Lyme. Hikes will be lead by Wendy Hill, Open Space Coordinator of Lyme and the Vice President of Lyme Land Trust. The walks are moderate, unless otherwise noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather. Wear sturdy footwear and bring a hiking stick or pole if you would like. Everyone welcome. All hikes are 2.5 to 3 miles. Inclement weather cancels the hike.
Sponsored by the Lyme’s Senior Center.
Tuesday Trek: Jewett/Pleasant Valley Preserve Loop – Kristina and Brady
Time: 9:00 am
Place: Park at Keeny Rd parking lot - north entrance.
Contact Email: kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org
Presenter: Kristina and Brady
Kristina – Jewett / Pleasant Valley Loop – A 2.5-3 mile loop that takes us through fields, up and over hills, and next to the Eightmile River. Park at the Pleasant Valley parking lot on Macintosh Rd.
Register: kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org
View the Tuesday Trek Schedule
Lyme Nix the Knotweed Day
Time: 9:00 am-11:00 am
Place: Meet at corner of Rte 156 and Old Hamburg Rd. Lyme
Contact Email: openspace@townlyme.org
Join us in the fight against invasive knotweed and prepare a garden bed for native plants in its place.
On Saturday, come help with the last cut of the third year to remove the invasive knotweed at the corner of Rte 156 and Old Hamburg Rd. And prepare the bed for later in the year when wwe will plant native plants to fill the vacuum to compete with and hopefully prevent the knotweed from coming back.
We will also remove the invasive slender snakecotton.
Registration Appreciated: (walk-ins welcome)
Meet at corner of Rte 156 and Old Hamburg Road. Openspace@townlyme.org
Sponsored by the Town of Lyme, Lyme Pollinator Pathway, Friends of Whalebone Cove, and Lyme Land Trust.
Japanese knotweed is an invasive plant which crowds out native plants that pollinators and other wildlife depend upon for survival. We are in our third year of tackling the knotweed using the “method of 3s”: cut knotweed down to the ground and remove the plant material; 3 chops this growing season (May, mid-July, and mid-August). We are seeing progress! The knotweed has been highly reduced where we have used this method for the last 2 years. We don’t cut more often or it won’t weaken the extensive root system. The cuttings must be carefully disposed of since each little piece will regrow into a new plant. For a brochure on Nix the Knotweed Method of 3s.
August Lyme Nix the Knotweed Days-postponed to 9 am
Time: 8:00 am-10:00 am
Place: Aug 25 - Whalebone Cove, Aug 26 - Start at Reed Landing, Old Hamburg Rd. Lyme
Contact Email: openspace@townlyme.org
Join us in the fight against invasive knotweed and learn to control it on your own property.
On Friday, help tackle the patch at Whalebone Creek.
On Saturday, come help with the last cut of the third year to remove the invasive knotweed at Reeds Landing and Rte 156 and Old Hamburg Rd. Keep tuned. In September, we will plant native plants to fill the vacuum to compete with and hopefully prevent the knotweed from coming back.
Registration Appreciated: (walk-ins welcome)
For Friday, Aug 25 at Whalebone Cove: trughouse@comcast.net
For Saturday, Aug 26 at Reed Landing and Old Hamburg Road. Openspace@townlyme.org
Sponsored by the Town of Lyme, Lyme Pollinator Pathway, Friends of Whalebone Cove, and Lyme Land Trust.
Japanese knotweed is an invasive plant which crowds out native plants that pollinators and other wildlife depend upon for survival. We are in our third year of tackling the knotweed using the “method of 3s”: cut knotweed down to the ground and remove the plant material; 3 chops this growing season (May, mid-July, and mid-August). We are seeing progress! The knotweed has been highly reduced where we have used this method for the last 2 years. We don’t cut more often or it won’t weaken the extensive root system. The cuttings must be carefully disposed of since each little piece will regrow into a new plant. For a brochure on Nix the Knotweed Method of 3s.
Mugwort Eradication Day – Pollinator Meadow at the Lyme Public Library
Time: 9:00-11:00 am
Place: Lyme Town Campus by the Library
Contact Email: heseldale@aol.com
Bring clippers, a bucket, and garden gloves.
The Lyme Garden Club has performed volunteer year-round maintenance on the meadow on behalf of the Town of Lyme since 2016, including obtaining soil tests, planting new native pollinator-friendly plants, and removing invasive plants. The meadow is mowed once a year.
August Astronomy Observing Session
Time: 9:00-11:00 pm
Place: Register to learn location
Contact Email: astronomy@lymelandtrust.org
Young or old, experienced or totally unfamiliar, we look forward to exposing you to our uniquely dark skies here in Lyme. The new observatory is in full motion. The Lyme Land Trust offers public viewing sessions once a month near the new moon. Our cohorts have several different telescopes that are on display for your observing pleasure, and we now are pleased to have a modern 14″ Schmidt-Cassegrain housed in a permanent observatory structure.
Registrations: Please Click Here
On any given night, public sessions will be co-facilitated by one or more of our talented cohort enthusiasts:
- Jon Dean
- Roger Charbonneau, J
- Scott Mallory
- Parag Sahasrabudhe
- Alan Sheiness
Directions to the site and special guidance for those with heavy astronomy equipment will be provided upon registration. Park in the designated area and walk to the observing field with its amazing panoramic views of the heavens. Dress for temperatures 10-20 degrees lower than forecast for your comfort. No white lights at the field site, please.
For more information about the astronomy program See amazing astrophotography by Parag Sahasrabudhe – Velology blog
Trailside Trespassers: What to Do about Invasive Plants in Our Preserves?
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: Lyme Public Hall, 249 Hamburg Rd (RTE 156), Lyme
Contact Email: education@lymelandtrust.org
The trails of Lyme Land Trust preserves are enjoyed by many, including some of the most ecologically damaging invasive plant species in our region. Ashwini Sahasrabudhe and Jim Arrigoni will discuss the impacts of these unwelcome guests to forest health, describe the patterns of their infestation based on two months of field research, and address how LLT will use this information to inform management options. This presentation promises to be eye-opening for those who hike the trails of Lyme, and will be useful for anyone wishing to address invasive plant issues on land they own or manage.
Ashwini is an intern for LLT and a rising junior at Bowdoin College, majoring in environmental studies and biology, and Jim is LLT’s environmental director.
Registration Appreciated: education@lymelandtrust.org
Lymes’ Senior Center Take-A-Walk Wednesday with Wendy
Time: 9:30 am -11:30isham
Place: Watch Rock Preserve, Joel Road, Old Lyme, CT
Contact Email:
Watch Rock Preserve – Easy walk along rocky outcroppings along the Lieutenant River with beautiful views of the salt marshes. Bring your binoculars. We will take our time. 1 mile.
Directions: Take road off of Rte 156 across from McCurdy Rd. . Take first right and then another right to reach the parking lot on Joel Rd.
Reservations are required. Please email sgould@oldlyme-ct.gov or call 860-434-4127 to reserve your spot. Free to Lyme’s Senior Center members. $5 for non-members.
On the 2nd Wednesday of each month the group will get together at various hiking areas in Lyme and Old Lyme. Hikes will be lead by Wendy Hill, Open Space Coordinator of Lyme and the Vice President of Lyme Land Trust. The walks are moderate, unless otherwise noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather. Wear sturdy footwear and bring a hiking stick or pole if you would like. Everyone welcome. All hikes are 2.5 to 3 miles. Inclement weather cancels the walk.
Sponsored by the Lyme’s Senior Center.
