Past Events
Spring Emergence – A Walk in Search of Wildflowers
Time: 9:30-11:30 am
Place: Pleasant Valley/Jewett Preserve, Park at the Parking lot on McIntosh Road, Lyme CT
Contact Email: sue.cope@lymelandtrust.org
Join Sue Cope and Wendy Hill on a walk to see the spring ephemerals, the first wildflowers to emerge in our woods. These plants are able to take advantage of the sunlight in the short time after the earth warms up and before the leaves in the tree canopy open to shade the forest floor. They then disappear back into the earth as spring progresses into summer. These beautiful delicate flowers provide an early source of nectar and pollen for bees and other insects.
Registration required. sue.cope@lymelandtrust.org
Please leave your pets at home for this event. Thank you.
Sue Cope is the Environmental Director of the Lyme Land Trust and a UConn Master Gardener. Wendy Hill is Open Space Coordinator of the Town of Lyme and Vice President of the Lyme Land Trust. Wendy and Sue are co-chairs of the Lyme Pollinator Pathway.
Before you come on the walk, you can see many of the plants we will encounter by watching our enchanting new educational video, Spring Emergence: An Exploration of Wildflowers in Pleasant Valley and Jewett Preserves with Mike Zarfos, naturalist.
Tuesday Trek: Chestnut Hill Preserve/Nehantic State Park
Time: 9:30 am -11 am
Place: Chestnut Hill Preserve/Nehantic State Forest to Uncas Lake and back.
Contact Email: openspace@townlyme.org
Presenter: Wendy Hill
Chestnut Hill Preserve/Nehantic State Forest to Uncas Lake and back. We’ll look for spring ephemeral plants along the way. About 2.5 miles. Roadside parking at Chestnut Hill entrance, Sterling Hill Rd, Lyme
Contact: openspace@townlyme.org
View the Tuesday Trek Schedule
Join us for a refreshing morning walk on a Lyme preserve led by a board or staff member of the Lyme Land Trust. The leaders will alternate each week between Sue Cope, Wendy Hill, and Kristina White with Brady, canine guide. The walks are moderately easy unless noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather.
Space is limited to 5 people. Reservations are required. Contact walk leader to reserve.
Please be safe- wear a mask in the parking lot. Masks can be removed during the walk as long as social distancing is maintained.
Inclement weather cancels.
CANCELLED – Kid-Friendly Walk for Families-Search for Spring Wildflowers
Time: 9:30-11:00
Place: Pleasant Valley/Jewett Preserve, park at the parking lot on McIntosh Rd., Lyme CT
Contact Email: sue.cope@lymelandtrust.org
CANCELLED. If you are interested, join the wildflower walk on May 7. Pack up the kids and join Sue Cope on an adventure to see the delicate wildflowers that are the first to emerge in our woods. These plants are able to take advantage of the sunlight before the leaves open up in the tree canopy and shade the forest floor. They disappear back into the earth as spring progresses into summer. These early flowers provide nectar and pollinator for bees and other insects.
Registration required. sue.cope@lymelandtrust.org
Please leave your pets at home for this event. Thank you.
Sue Cope is the Environmental Director of the Lyme Land Trust, co-chair of the Lyme Pollinator Pathway, and a UConn Master Gardener.
Before you come on the walk, you can see many of the plants we will encounter by watching our enchanting new educational video, Spring Emergence: An Exploration of Wildflowers in Pleasant Valley and Jewett Preserves with Mike Zarfos, naturalist.
Volunteer Work Party to Create a Stone Walkway and More at Johnston Preserve
Time: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Place: Meet at Johnston Preserve parking lot, Rte. 82, Lyme, CT
Contact Email: openspace@townlyme.org
Please join us for a volunteer work party at Johnston Preserve.
Please join us to create a stepping-stone walkway in a seasonally wet area of Johnston Preserve. We are looking for strong people with good backs. Work will be directed by stonemason Ben Kegley.
If there is enough interest, we may also tackle a few less strenuous jobs – especially invasive plant removal.
Please bring good work gloves, good boots, and your own water. We will provide a snack.
For the trail reroute and invasive tackling, we need one light weight chain saw, clippers, and small hand-saws, and shovels, etc.
Let us know which jobs you would like to help with.
Rain cancels.
Please email openspace@townlyme.org if you are planning to come.
April Astronomy Observing Session
Time: 7:30 - 9:00 pm
Place: Register to learn location
Contact Email: scott.mallory@gmail.com
Come join us at our Lyme observing site for an evening of stargazing. See the beauty that is the uniquely dark sky of Lyme CT. Celebrate dark skies! Our April 29 session coincides with International Dark Sky Week.
On any given night, public sessions will be co-facilitated by one or more of our talented cohort enthusiasts:
- Jon Dean
- Roger Charbonneau, Jr
- Scott Mallory
- Parag Sahasrabudhe
- Alan Sheiness
Reservations required. scott.mallory@gmail.com. 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
Ceremonial Stonework Hike in North Stonington
Time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Place: Tefftweald at Birchenturn Preserve, North Stonington, CT
Contact Email: education@lymelandtrust.org
Join us for a walk led by documentary photographer Markham Starr to see ceremonial stonework left behind in North Stonington by the indigenous population of Connecticut. The Native American peoples of New England built nearly two dozen different types of stone structures as an expression of their spiritual beliefs. This hike will explore some of the works to be found on Tefftweald at Birchenturn Preserve, owned by the Avalonia Land Conservancy. The hike will be a combination of trail and off trail walking, so a hiking stick is advised. The terrain is relatively moderate with a few steep hills, and hike is around 3 hours at a relaxed pace. Wear sturdy footwear and bring a walking stick and a bottle of water.
Registration required: education@lymelandtrust.org.
Markham Starr is a documentary photographer concerned with the disappearing working cultures of New England. He is the author of a dozen books, providing glimpses into the lives of people such as commercial fishermen, farmers, and cannery workers, and has written about other subjects such as historic barns in Connecticut. His work has appeared in national magazines and is part of the permanent collection at the Library of Congress and other museums throughout New England.
Tuesday Trek: Johnston Preserve
Time: 9:30 am -11:30ish am
Place: Meet at Johnston Preserve parking lot on Rte 82.
Contact Email: kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org
Presenter: Kristina White
Hike the fuchsia loop and white trail which brings us to the overlook and back. 3.2 miles. Meet at Johnston Preserve parking lot on Rte 82.
Contact: Kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org
View the Tuesday Trek Schedule
Join us for a refreshing morning walk on a Lyme preserve led by a board or staff member of the Lyme Land Trust. The leaders will alternate each week between Sue Cope, Wendy Hill, Tony Irving, and Kristina White with Brady, canine guide. The walks are moderately easy unless noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather.
Reservations are required. Contact walk leader to reserve.
Inclement weather cancels.
Earth Day – Old Growth Forest – A Walk and Talk with Anthony Irving
Time: 9:30-11:30am
Place: Johnston Preserve, Rte 82, Lyme CT.
Contact Email: openspace@townlyme.org
Presenter: Visit a future Old Growth Forest Network
Join us on talk and walk in the Johnston Preserve, a future Old Growth Forest. Anthony Irving, Lyme Land Trust board member, Chairman of the Eightmile River Wild and Scenic Committee, and well-known ecologist, will lead the walk on the 250-acre Town of Lyme property that was designated a future Old Growth Forest by the Old Growth Forest Network (OGFN) in 2021. The OGFN was founded by Dr. Joan Maloof in order to preserve, protect and promote the country’s few remaining stands of old-growth forests.
Registration required: openspace@townlyme.org Meet at the Johnston Preserve parking lot on Rte 82.
For more information about the Johnston Preserve dedication, click here.
Earth Day Live Video Screening – Spring Emergence: An Exploration of Wildflowers in Pleasant Valley and Jewett Preserves
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: Zoom Webinar
Contact Email: sue.cope@lymelandtrust.org
Join us on Earth Day for a Zoom Q & A and live viewing of our enchanting new educational video, Spring Emergence: An Exploration of Wildflowers in Pleasant Valley and Jewett Preserves with Mike Zarfos, naturalist. This is the third in a series of preserve explorations with charismatic naturalist Mike Zarfos. In this 27-minute video filmed May 2, 2021, we learn about the ephemeral native plants that are the first to emerge in our forests. They provide beauty and wonder for us, and vital nourishment for native pollinators.
On Earth day evening, Mike, the writer, and Sue Cope, the editor for the video, will be live for a brief introduction and then for a Q&A after the viewing. Mike is a naturalist and PhD Candidate in Conservation Biology at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Sue Cope is the Environmental Director of the Lyme Land Trust and has experience in documentary film-making. Also involved in the video production was Wendolyn Hill, were Lyme Land Trust Board member and Open Space Coordinator of the Town of Lyme.
To register for the program, email sue.cope@lymelandtrust.org. You will be sent a link a few days before the Zoom event.
The Lyme Land Trust has been working to bring you videos of preserve experiences in this present-day remote learning environment. This video is our second full-length educational video. Check out our other virtual explorations in the Explore tab of our webpage: “Preserve Highlights”, short videos, and “Trail Cam” videos.
To see the plants in real life, join us on one of our wildflower walks on April 30 and May 7, 2022.
Lyme Spring Clean-Up
Time: Daylight
Place: All Lyme Roadways
Contact Email: info@LymePublicHall.org
Presenter: The Town of Lyme and the Lyme Public Hall and Local History Archives
Pitch in to clean up litter along the roadways in Lyme. Leave bags by the side of the road for town-wide pick-up.
For your convenience, Free trash and recycling bags, and gloves are available at the Lyme Town Hall, and the Lyme Public Library, and the Hadlyme Country Market.
For more info: Chris McCawley (860) 575-7741 (call or text)
Sponsored by the Lyme Public Hall and Local History Archives and the Town of Lyme.
