Come help install native plants in a new garden on the corner of Rte 156 and Old Hamburg Rd in a plot that is being controlled to eradicate Invasive Japanese knotweed. Learn about the process by pitching in. Everyone will get a native plant to bring home and plant in your own backyard.

On this site, we have completed three years of Nix the Knotweed, which is three cuts for three years. We are going to fill the vacuum formed by the weakened knotweed with native plants to compete with and hopefully prevent the knotweed from coming back. The knotweed roots are very weakened but it will come back without intervention and maintenance. With invasive plant control, one must either nurture the native plants that emerge naturally or plant new native plants to replace the invasives.

Bring gardening tools such as shovels, trowels, gloves. Bring bottle of water to drink. Snacks will be provided.

Registration Appreciated: (walk-ins welcome)
Meet at corner of Rte 156 and Old Hamburg Road.  Openspace@townlyme.org

Raindate: Sunday September 24, 1:00-3:00

Sponsored by the Town of Lyme, Lyme Pollinator Pathway, Friends of Whalebone Cove, and Lyme Land Trust.

Registration: $33 ~ includes the program and tea
Register HERE

LLT members receive 15% discount with code LLT15

Rain or shine event. Challenging weather cancels.

Forest bathing is inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku – taking in the forest atmosphere. As a growing global wellness movement, it is backed by nearly 40 years of scientific research on the holistic benefits of immersing yourself in nature. These benefits include reduced stress and blood pressure, increased creativity and focus, improved mood and sleep, and a boost to immune functions. 

Regan Stacey is an artist and advocate for the Earth whose passion is to reconnect humans to nature for personal and planetary well-being. She believes we can all awaken the forest within. She is co-founder of The Forest Therapy School, a forest therapy guide training program. Through her private practice, she offers forest bathing walks, mindful nature retreats, and mindfulness training. Regan is also the facilitator of the LLT Tree Collective, connecting teens to nature through stewardship, education, and exploration. Find out more about her work at reganstacey.com or theforesttherapyschool.com

An early autumn 2-mile meander as we look to see how the woodland is changing with the season. Meet at Selden Creek entrance on Joshuatown Road.

Contact: anthonyinlyme@gmail.com

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Enjoy the beautiful light of a September sunset as part of our Imagining Lyme photography program. As we explore, Joe Standart will give insight into his creative process in photography. Joe is an internationally recognized award-winning photographer and a Lyme Land Trust board member.

To reserve, a space on the walk, email: education@lymelandtrust.org

Meet at the Main parking lot by the visitor center.

Imagining Lyme – A Visual Exploration of Lyme’s Preserves, is the Lyme Land Trust’s amateur photography program which encourages people to expand their visual awareness while highlighting the beauty of Lyme Preserves through photographs. The deadline for summer photos is September 30, 2023. You do not have to reside in Lyme, but photos must be taken in Lyme at these places:

1. Lyme Preserves owned and/or managed by the Lyme Land Trust, Town of Lyme, and The Nature Conservancy View a map of the preserves
2. Pollinator/wildlife habitat with native vegetation– May be in a backyard, preserve or in a Lyme Pollinator Pathway garden in Lyme, CT.
3. Trail 53- the sky above Lyme.

The deadline for submission of Summer Photos is September 30, 2023. Three photos of distinction will be chosen.

Join us for this fascinating walk with Bill Yule, naturalist and amateur mycologist, to walk, talk, and collect mushrooms. Bill will explain about forest and watershed ecology and all things fungal. After the walk, specimens will be examined and identified and questions answered. Bring mushrooms from home for identification.

Space is limited. Register: education@lymelandtrust.org

Please note that Macintosh Rd parking access is only via Mt Archer Rd – bridge is closed. Map and brochure

“For those who hunger after the earthly excrescences called mushrooms.”

Bill Yule has been active in mycological education for 30 plus years and has given many education programs throughout the country. He is a retired High School Biology teacher and Environmental Educator. In addition, he taught Ecology and Environmental Education at The Connecticut River Museum for 20 years and worked on three environmental educational boats on the CT River. He is a member and educator for three local “Mushroom clubs”, Connecticut Valley Mycological Society, COMA (CT/Westchester Mycological Association) and PVMA (Pioneer Valley Mycological Association) as well as a past Board of Directors member of the North American Mycological Association. 

Visit Bill Yule’s Facebook Page

Submit up to three of you favorite photos to share. The Lyme Land Trust program Imagining Lyme: A Visual Exploration of Lyme’s Preserves encourages everyone to expand their visual awareness and highlight the beauty of the Lyme preserves owned by the Lyme Land Trust, the Town of Lyme and the Nature Conservancy by taking photographs prompted by inspiration from professional photographers and artists. Photographers do not have to be residents of Lyme but all photos must be taken in Lyme in any of these places:

1. Lyme Preserves owned and/or managed by the Lyme Land Trust, Town of Lyme, and The Nature Conservancy View a map of the preserves
2. Pollinator/wildlife habitat with native plants- May be in a backyard, preserve or in a Lyme Pollinator Pathway garden in Lyme, CT.
3. Trail 53 – The clear sky above Lyme.

The deadline for the Summer category-photos taken in the Summer–is Septmeber 30, 2023. For more information. 

Meet at the terrace of the Castle.

Caitlin Vickers has been a gardener most of her life, and providing local gardens through her business,  the Barefoot Gardener.

Please join the Lyme Pollinator Pathway for a tour of the newly installed gardens at Gillette Castle. Caitlin Vickers, the Barefoot Gardener and Lyme Pollinator Pathway team member, who designed and installed the garden with Nancy Ballek of Ballek’s Garden Center, will guide the tour from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. For those who wish to pitch in to weed and learn before the tour, please come at 11:00 am. The beautiful gardens are mostly native plants beneficial to pollinators and other wildlife. Caitlin will answer questions about the plants and talk about future plans for the gardens.

11:00- 12:00 – Hands-on weed and learn. Bring tools and buckets.
12:00-1:00 – Tour of the gardens.

Come see the colors of early fall in the meadow and check out what the beavers are up to. About 2.5 miles. Meet at Hartman Park Field Entrance, (about 1/2 mile north of the main entrance) Gungy Rd.

Contact: openspace@townlyme.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

In this presentation, coastal habitat specialist Juliana Barrett will explore the make-up of riparian buffers and why they are a critical component of both our coastal and inland communities. Riparian buffers are vegetated areas that occur along the edges of rivers, streams, lakes, and other wetlands. They play a critical role in water resources, water quality and in watershed protection, provide habitat for a wide array of wildlife, and assist with climate change adaptation. Because of the transitional nature of riparian buffers (wet to dry), these areas allow for a variety of non-traditional landscaping choices.

Juliana Barrett, PhD, became a member of the Connecticut Sea Grant Program in 2006.  As an ecologist, her focus is the conservation, restoration and enhancement  of coastal habitats of Connecticut. She is also involved in climate adaptation with communities throughout Connecticut. She recently published a guide to Connecticut’s Sandy Shores. Juliana will be happy to sign the book which will be available for purchase at the program, cash or check $18.00

Young or old, experienced, or totally unfamiliar, we look forward to exposing you to our uniquely dark skies here in Lyme. We have several different telescopes that are on display including a 14″ Schmidt-Cassegrain housed in a permanent observatory.

Registration required. Upon registration you will receive a link to directions and observing session guidelines.

For more information and to register: Astronomy Events

Welcome to the first Tuesday Trek with Quinn! We’ll take a leisurely 0.7 mile hike through the Roaring Brook Preserve. We are going to enjoy the journey; bring your field guides and cameras. Meet at the entrance on Day Hill Rd. Park along the side of the road.

Contact: ryan.p.quinn@gmail.com

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Please join us for this fun free family-oriented event sponsored every two years by the Eightmile River Wild & Scenic Coordinating Committee in celebration of the Eightmile River. Come visit the Lyme Land Trust and the Lyme Pollinator Pathway display.

Bluegrass Music- Hosmer Mountain Boys
Great Food- Moodus Sportsmen’s Club provides the chili, chowder and cider and Eightmileboard members provide the cookies….LOTs of COOKIES!
Great Fun- Birds of Prey, Native Reptiles, and more family activities
Great Information-Displays sponsored by local and state organizations including the Lyme Land Trust and Lyme Pollinator Pathway

Rain cancels. Check eightmileriver.org for updates.

Click on the poster to enlarge.

=Registration Not Required=

Come watch the moon take a small bite out of the corner of the Sun as it passes between the Sun and the Earth. Unfortunately for us, this eclipse will be nowhere near full but we will watch the event unfold safely on a monitor that will be fed live images from a telescope fitted with a special solar filter. Learn what causes a solar eclipse and what it would look like from space peering down at the Earth, too.

For more information: Astronomy Events

Hike the fuschia loop, roughly 2.6 miles. See indigenous stoneworks while walking amongst the fall foliage.  Meet at Johnston Preserve parking lot on Route 82.

Contact: Kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

New England’s forests are justifiably famous for their dazzling fall foliage displays, but in addition to taking your breath away, did you know that the variety of colors and textures offers useful clues for identifying our local plant species? Environmental director Jim Arrigoni will point out helpful identification field marks on this gentle one-mile loop trail.

Binoculars and a hand lens will enhance your observational abilities, but are not required.

Registration required: jim.arrigoni@lymelandtrust.org

Park at Preserve entrance on Clark Road.

Enjoy a very gentle 1-mile walk through autumn woods that are rich in indigenous and more recent human history, where now only wildlife is at work preparing for the New England winter to come. Bring binoculars for viewing waterfowl and other aquatic wildlife at the beaver pond overlook. Meet at parking lot and Preserve entrance on Old Grassy Hill Road.

Contact:  Jim.arrigoni@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Enjoy the beautiful light of a October sunset and the colors of fall as part of our Imagining Lyme photography program. As we explore, Joe Standart will give insight into his creative process in photography. Joe is an internationally recognized award-winning photographer and a Lyme Land Trust board member. Patrell Preserve has a moderately easy trail with an easy 1/4 mile wheelchair accessible trail.

To reserve, a space on the walk, email: education@lymelandtrust.org

Meet in Patrell parking lot on Baker Lane. For map and brochure.

Imagining Lyme – A Visual Exploration of Lyme’s Preserves, is the Lyme Land Trust’s amateur photography program which encourages people to expand their visual awareness while highlighting the beauty of Lyme Preserves through photographs. You do not have to reside in Lyme, but photos must be taken in Lyme at these places:

1. Lyme Preserves owned and/or managed by the Lyme Land Trust, Town of Lyme, and The Nature Conservancy View a map of the preserves
2. Pollinator/wildlife habitat with native vegetation– May be in a backyard, preserve or in a Lyme Pollinator Pathway garden in Lyme, CT.
3. Trail 53- the sky above Lyme.

The deadline for submission of Fall Photos is December 31, 2023. Three photos of distinction will be chosen.

Come for a ghoulish 3+ mile walk through the enchanted forest of the Pleasant Valley Preserve.  Late fall overlook of Pleasant Valley and beyond.  Meet at entrance on Macintosh Road.

Contact: anthonyinlyme@gmail.com

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Explore the north end of Hartman Park. Our hike will visit historic foundations and finish on the Goodwin trail. This 3+ mile hike will meet at the Goodwin Trail parking area north of the main entrance.

Contact: ryan.p.quinn@gmail.com

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Brockway-Hawthorne Preserve – We will walk past beautiful natural and manmade stone features. About 2.5 miles. Brockway Hawthorne Preserve.

Directions: Meet at the Brush Hill Rd. parking lot. The parking lot is 1/4 mile south of the intersection of Rte. 82 and Brush Hill Rd in Lyme (Hadlyme Country Market). Look out for the preserve sign which is a little north of the entrance driveway. (Across from 44 Brush Hill 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 hike.

Sponsored by the Lyme’s Senior Center.

Young or old, experienced, or totally unfamiliar, we look forward to exposing you to our uniquely dark skies here in Lyme. We have several different telescopes that are on display including a 14″ Schmidt-Cassegrain housed in a permanent observatory.

Registration required. Upon registration you will receive a link to directions and observing session guidelines.

For more information and to register: Astronomy Events

The trails are mostly moderately easy with some spectacular rock outcroppings, abundant mountain laurel, and mature forest. Steep incline at the end but there are alternative routes. About 2 miles. Meet at Young Parking lot on Gungy Road, 1/2 mile north of the intersection with Beaver Brook.

Contact: openspace@townlyme.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

A roughly 3 plus mile hike past laurel groves, through a ravine and to a beautiful overlook. Park at Brockway-Hawthorne Preserve parking lot on Brush Hill Rd.

Contact: Kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join us for a post-Thanksgiving hike led by Wendolyn Hill, Lyme Land Trust Vice President and Lyme Open Space Coordinator. We will walk the gorgeous red trail at Jewett Preserve, which winds along craggy ridges strewn with boulders, and return on alternate trails in Johnston Preserve to make a loop. There are some moderate hill climbs and some rocky terrain. Walking sticks are recommended. The entire walk is about 3.5 – 4 miles. The walk time is approximate depending upon the group pace. 

Snacks will be provided. We will have a snack break. Bring your own water or drink. 

Please register: openspace@townlyme.org

Map and brochure of Jewet tand Johnston Preserve. Rain cancels.

The Cemetery entrance Jewett at the top of the hill on north side of Mt Archer Rd. across the street from the Eno Preserve Entrance.

Explore the rich variety of habitats including meadows, streams and wetlands, and upland and floodplain forests on a gentle ~1.5-mile walk. An ongoing 2.6-acre invasive plant management project will also be highlighted, as well as any birds and other wildlife we see or hear along the way. Meet at parking lot and Preserve entrance on Route 82.

Contact:  Jim.arrigoni@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

This relatively flat walk covers about three miles of mature forest atop Mt. Archer with beautiful seasonal views. Meet at Mt. Archer Woods parking lot, Mt Archer Rd.

Contact: anthonyinlyme@gmail.com

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Young or old, experienced, or totally unfamiliar, we look forward to exposing you to our uniquely dark skies here in Lyme. We have several different telescopes that are on display including a 14″ Schmidt-Cassegrain housed in a permanent observatory.

Registration required. Upon registration you will receive a link to directions and observing session guidelines.

For more information and to register: Astronomy Events

Winter is here. Bundle up for a 2-mile trek to explore this preserve during the quiet time of the year. Meet at the parking lot and entrance on Joshuatown Rd.

Contact: ryan.p.quinn@gmail.com

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Darling Road Preserve – We will walk along a portion of the Goodwin Trail and visit a giant ancient oak tree. About 2.5 mikes.

Directions: Meet at Hartman Park Goodwin Trailhead Parking, Gungy Road, Lyme about 2 miles north of the intersection of Beaver Brook, Grassy Hill and Gungy Rd. For a map:  Hartman Park

Reservations are required.  Please email sgould@oldlyme-ct.gov or call 860-434-4127 to reserve your spot.

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 Lymes’ Senior Center.

We will walk an approximately 3-mile loop past the highest point in Lyme, and along the white trail with beautiful overlooks. Meet at the Johnston Preserve parking lot on Rte 82.

Contact: openspace@townlyme.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Young or old, experienced, or totally unfamiliar, we look forward to exposing you to our uniquely dark skies here in Lyme. We have several different telescopes that are on display including a 14″ Schmidt-Cassegrain housed in a permanent observatory.

Registration required. Upon registration you will receive a link to directions and observing session guidelines.

For more information and to register: Astronomy Events

Young or old, experienced, or totally unfamiliar, we look forward to exposing you to our uniquely dark skies here in Lyme. We have several different telescopes that are on display including a 14″ Schmidt-Cassegrain housed in a permanent observatory.

Registration required. Upon registration you will receive a link to directions and observing session guidelines.

For more information and to register: Astronomy Events

Please join us for the annual Tour de Lyme cycling event with beautifully scenic routes for all ages and levels. We’re looking forward to seeing you!

Registration is open!

For more information, visit the Tour de Lyme webpage:

The Lyme Land Trust inaugurated Tour de Lyme in 2013 as an annual bike ride to raise funds to support its mission of preserving and protecting environmentally important land in Lyme.