Join us for the third annual Earth Day in Lyme. The Lyme Public Hall is marking this day by partnering with Lyme Land Trust, Lyme Pollinator Pathway and local experts and organizations to provide a wealth of helpful resources, all free to the public. Bring the family and invite your neighbors to come learn how to help support our unique community of plants, animals, birds, pollinators and people.

To learn about the presenters

Click on posters to enlarge.

Join us for a fascinating talk about the important function of fungi in forest ecosystems, with Bill Yule, naturalist and mycologist. He will cover aspects of fungi that weren’t covered in last year’s very popular talk.He has a wonderful way of explaining the complex functioning of fungi and its vital interconnections with other organisms within the forest. Bill will share information to identify various mushrooms by their characteristics.

Registration appreciated: education@lymelandtrust.org     Walk-ins welcome.

Directions: Please note: If using GPS, be sure you are sent to the Lyme PUBLIC Hall, 249 Hamburg Rd, not the Lyme TOWN Hall, 480 Hamburg Rd.  If using I-95, take exit 71 N (take a right) or S (go straight). From the light at the intersection of Hall’s Rd (Rte 1). and Rte 156 in Old Lyme, travel north on 156 for 4.6 miles into Hamburg Center.. The Public Hall is on your right about 1/4 mile south of the Hamburg Fair grounds.

“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

Sterling Hill Road Entrance – we will check out what Nehantic looks like after the timber harvest and head to Brown Hill. 3 miles or so.  Some rough terrain. Park at top of Sterling Hill Rd by the entrance that is demarcated with large boulders.

Register: kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

April is Native Plant Month! We will be selling native plants from Judge’s Farm in Old Lyme. Mike Baczewski, from New England Pollinator Gardens, will be on hand to answer questions and offer tips on how to best grow these local wonders.

For more information: kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org

Rain or Shine!

On the 3rd Wednesday of each month (unless noted) the group will get together at various hiking areas in Lyme and Old Lyme.  Hikes will be led by Wendy Hill, Lyme Open Space Coordinator and the Vice President of Lyme Land Trust. The walks are moderate, dirt paths with some uneven footing and moderate hills, unless noted. Paced to the group-two to three miles. Bring a walking stick, water bottle and dress for the weather. Inclement weather cancels.

Sponsored with the Lyme’s Senior Center.

View the Take-a-Walk Wednesday Schedule

A beautiful wooded walk along the salt marshes toward the beach on Long Island Sound. Bring binoculars if you have them. 2.5 miles.

Directions: Meet at the parking lot on Rte i56 across from the KOA Campground, 271 Main St (Rte 156), about 0.5 mile east of the intersection with Four Mile River Rd.

About 3 miles, blue trail loop in pristine upland forest with a section along vibrant Burnham Brook plus the new red trail which has beautiful scenic vistas.

Contact: openspace@townlyme.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join the Lyme Land Trust’s Bioblitz Team by attending the inaugural Wild Lyme Project Mini Bioblitz! We will start at the John Pritchard Conservation Center and then move over to Banningwood Preserve across the street. Channel your inner Charles Darwin to discover species both new and familiar to you. Along with the joy and wonder of exploration and identification, you’ll contribute to modern-day biology through citizen science.

We will learn how to identify all types of animals, plants, and insects with an emphasis on amphibians, reptiles, and spring ephemeral wildflowers, using the iNaturalist app. Then, you may upload your observations to support the Wild Lyme Project and its mission to catalog and compare the biodiversity of preserves protected by the Connecticut town of Lyme, The Nature Conservancy, and the Lyme Land Trust.

All skill levels are welcome, from experienced to those who have never used the iNaturalist app. Participants wishing to record observations should bring a smartphone, camera, or both. Folks preferring to check out the process without installing the app will be of great help to spot plants, animals, and insects as part of a buddy team.

Registration is required and is limited to ten participants. Register: education@lymelandtrust.org to help kickstart our Wild Lyme Project bioblitz team!

This bioblitz follows the April Vernal Pools Foray on April 5^th and an iNaturalist Training on Wednesday, April 9^th. 

For more information on the Bioblitz Team.

For more information on the Wild Lyme Project and how to install and use iNaturalist.

Want to know what you are seeing in nature? Want to contribute to citizen science by joining the Wild Lyme Biodiversity Project? With a photograph and a few taps on your smartphone, you, too, can follow in the footsteps of great biologists like Charles Darwin by identifying different species and sharing your observations with the scientific and conservation communities. Join  Jim Arrigoni, Lyme Land Trust (LLT) environmental director ad team member of the Lyme Pollinator Pathway, for this informative program.

Learn how to use iNaturalist on your smartphone or computer and learn more about the world of plants, insects, mushrooms, birds, and trees that are all around us. This 1-hour workshop will show you how to use the app on your smartphone and desktop computer, what the best practices are for entering photos, and add hands-on practice.

Join the Wild Lyme Biodiversity project on iNaturalist and contribute to the study of the variety of life on all of the Lyme preserves owned by LLT, the Town of Lyme and The Nature Conservancy. We’ll show you how to join the project on the app, what you can contribute, and what you can learn about Lyme and the surrounding areas.

iNaturalist app is a free app that can be downloaded on both iPhone and android. We ask that you download the app on your smartphone and set up an account before coming to the workshop, or come at 6:30 pm for help to download the app. Emily Lewis will be available for technical help.

Reservations required. Jim.arrigoni@lymelandtrust.org

Follow iNaturalist on Instagram and see a fantastic nature photo from around the world.

For the web version of iNaturalist.

Co-Sponsored with Lyme Pollinator Pathway.

Winter is ending and things are turning green again! Lets enjoy a hike through the Thach preserve. This is a 1 mile loop with a variety of interesting habitats to explore.

Contact: ryan.p.quinn@gmail.com

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Submit up to three of your favorite winter 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, The Nature Conservancy, or the State of CT  by taking photographs prompted by inspiration from professional photographers and artists. Amateur photographers may submit photos. 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, The Nature Conservancy, and the State of CT.  View a map of the preserves
2. Pollinator/wildlife habitat with native plants in Lyme – May be in a backyard, local farm, preserve or in a Lyme Pollinator Pathway garden in Lyme, CT.
3. Trail 53 – The clear sky above Lyme.

For more information and to submit photos