Please join us for our annual meeting which will include the nomination and voting for new board members, annual financial report, and presentation of volunteer of the year. Everyone is welcome.

Following the meeting, we will have a presentation: Ethnobotany of Southern New England: Plant Knowledge of Indigenous Peoples by Manuel Lizarralde, Professor in Ethnobotany at Connecticut College. Professor Lizarralde will talk about the history and culture of the indigenous people who lived inSouthern New England, and the native plants that have provided food, medicine and everyday use for thousands of years.

Registration required: kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org

Directions: The Lyme Land Trust Conservation Center is at 12-1 Town Street. Park across the street in Banningwood Preserve first field. Handicapped parking on site.

Welcome in the season of summer with a guided mindful stroll along the meadow, river, and forest of Pleasant Valley Preserve. Enjoy a gentle mindful movement sequence, nature meditation, and opportunities to connect with the natural world along the way. In honor of the summer solstice, we’ll create a nature-inspired mandala with flowers and items collected from the forest. The session concludes with tea together.

The walk is about 1-mile round trip over easy to moderate terrain.

Registration: free
Register here.

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

Join us for an exploratory walk with the Connecticut Botanical Society at Brockway Hawthorne Preserve. This 82-acre preserve helps protect the Whalebone Cove watershed, with wetlands, vernal pools, mature forest and a healthy hemlock stand. The trail passes former pasture and an abandoned quarry. 

Directions and Parking: We will meet at the main parking lot for the Brockway-Hawthorne Preserve on Brush Hill Road, Lyme, about 1/2 mile south of Hadlyme Four Corners. For a trail map.

Please Pre-register with Lisa or Wendy below. Raindate: June 26

Leaders: Lisa Wahle, lcwahle@gmail.com, 860-304-6184, Wendy Hill, openspace@townlyme.org.  

Sponsored with the Lyme’s Senior Center.

View the Take-a-Walk Wednesday Schedule

A short steep incline opens to a beautiful expanse of meadow. We will walk along the mowed path to reach our destination, Whale Rock, a spectacular outcropping with views of Lord Cove and the CT River. Bring your binoculars. 1.5 miles 

Directions: Parking is along the road near 33 Coult Lane, Old Lyme. Coult Lane is a small road on the west side of Rte 156 just south of the Lyme’Old Lyme border. From Halls Rd, Old Lyme, travel 2 miles north on Rte 156. take a left onto Coult Lane. The preserve is about 1/2 mile in on the right. Look for a mailbox with 33 Coult Lane on it.

Cancelled due to rain – will reschedule shortly. Walk the white and red loop past stone walls and streams. Some wet areas. Roughly 2.5 miles or so.

Register: kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join Quinn, Lyme Land Trust board member, for a family friendly (ages 5 and up) hike at the magical time of dusk, just before the darkness creeps in. We focus on how our perceptions change and appreciate what the coming night brings to the forests and ponds of Lyme. There will be an almost full moon. As it gets darker, we will not be using artificial light, but you are invited to bring an emergency flashlight. Dress warmly and bring a walking stick. 

Registration appreciated: ryan.p.quinn@gmail.com

The Lazy Gardener – Save Time and the Planet!
How to have a Pollinator Garden without giving up your summer

2-2:30 pm – Nancy Ballek will share her tips on how to plan a beautiful pollinator garden that needs less tending, while helping to build a more sustainable ecosystem for us all.

2:30-3 pm – Nancy and her crew will be available for advice on selecting plants, hands-on planting help.

Register by emailing Lymepollinator@gmail.com

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Shop for eady-made pollinator planters – extensive selection native plants

** Maximum 40 participants ** 

Includes a coupon for 10% off native & pollinator plants for that day

Lyme Pollinator Pathway is an initiative of the Lyme SustainableCT Committee. The Lyme Land Trust is sponsoring member. 

Let’s go hike around the top of Mt. Archer. This hike will be a little over 2 miles and we will have a lot of fun exploring the woods just before the start of summer.

Contact: ryan.p.quinn@gmail.com

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

A rich diversity of wildlife species depends on young forests, but this habitat type is uncommon in our region that is dominated by older woodlands. Come see and hear the difference for yourself on an expert-led bird walk at Lyme Land Trust’s Slawson and Rabbits’ Rest Preserves! While these unique preserves lack marked trails for hiking, both have been managed to support wildlife that depends on early successional habitats like young forest. Expected species include Blue-winged Warbler, Prairie Warbler, American Redstart, Eastern Towhee, Indigo Bunting, and Yellow Warbler, and the observations of species we encounter will be shared on eBird, a community science platform for birders, researchers, and conservationists.

This program is co-led by Connecticut Audubon Society’s Conservation and Education Coordinator Joe Attwater  and Lyme Land Trust’s Environmental Director Jim Arrigoni, and is made possible with the support of the Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology Land Trust Grants Program.

Cost is free but space is limited and registration is required. Please email Jim to register at jim.arrigoni@lymelandtrust.org.

Directions: Meet at 478 Hamburg Road in the parking lot of Lyme Consolidated School, where we will consolidate cars and drive three minutes to trailhead located on a private driveway. While the terrain is gentle-to-moderate, the unimproved trails call for sturdy shoes with ankle support. Walking sticks recommended.

Mostly gentle 2-mile walk through floodplain and upland forests and check out the native plant restoration project between Roaring Creek and the Red Trail.

Register: Jim.arrigoni@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule