Past Events
FULL – Tour of Nehantic State Forest Management Project
Time: 1:00-3:00 pm
Place: Nehantic State Forest, Norwich Pond Parking Lot, Keeny Rd, Lyme
Contact Email: openspace@townlyme.org
If you have walked in Nehantic State Forest recently, you may have noticed that several of the trees have been painted with blue marks. Join CT DEEP foresters Alexander Amendola and Frank Cervo, and retired forester Emery Gluck on a tour of an upcoming project being implemented by CT DEEP to promote habitat diversity as part of the State’s forest ecosystem management program. The walk is about 2 miles and moderately rugged with a few steep climbs and some rocky footing.
Register: openspace@townlyme.org This walk is full. Register to be placed on the waitlist.
Sponsored by Lyme Land Trust, Town of Lyme, and CT DEEP
FULL – Ceremonial Stonework Walk in Hartman Park
Time: 9:00am-1:00pm
Place: Hartman Park, Meet at the main entrance parking lot, Gungy Rd, Lyme CT.
Contact Email: education@lymelandtrust.org
Join us for a walk, beginning from the main parking lot at Hartman Park, to see ceremonial stonework left behind by the indigenous population that has inhabited New England for at least 12,000 years. Documentary photographer Markham Starr will lead the walk. Native Americans built several distinct types of structures in our area, ranging from cairns to stone serpent effigies, and these spiritual offerings remain standing in now long abandoned woods. While Native American stonework is widely recognized out west and to the south, New England’s stonework remains obscure, having blended back into the woods. We will walk about four miles. some of it off-trail. Wear sturdy footwear and bring a walking stick for stability.
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. A snack will be provided. Bring a bottle of water.
Register: education@lymelandtrust.org. This walk is full. Please send an Email to get put on the wait list.
Tuesday Trek: Nehantic State Park
Time: 9:00 am
Place: Park at north end of Keeny Road at parking lot
Contact Email: kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org
Presenter: Kristina White
blue loop – 3.5 – 4 miles. Arduous hike of 3 plus hours to Nickerson and Brown Hills See indigenous stone walls and boulders, views and vernal pools. Park at north end of Keeny Road at parking lot [see map] Nehantic State Forest (ct.gov)
Register: kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org
View the Tuesday Trek Schedule
Meet Jim Arrigoni – Walk at Brockway Hawthorne Preserve
Time: 10:00 am- 12:00 pm
Place: Brockway-Hawthorne Preserve, Brush Hill Rd., Lyme
Contact Email: education@lymelandtrust.org
Meet the Lyme Land Trust’s new environmental director, Jim Arrigoni, and join him for a walk to explore the forests and wetlands in this special preserve. Dense thickets of Mountain Laurel shrubs and conifers like Hemlock and White pine make BHP a great place for a winter stroll, but they also provide important cover for a variety of wildlife from White-tailed Deer to Barred Owls. Jim will explain how these and other species are adapted to survive the harsh New England winter.
Imagining Lyme–People’s Vision Vote – 2022
Time: midnight
Place: Imagining Lyme website Gallery 2022
Contact Email: education@lymelandtrust.org
It’s your turn to vote for your favorite photo of 2022 in the Imagining Lyme – A Visual Exploration of Lyme’s Preserves program
When you have chosen, email the title of the photograph and photographer’s name to education@lymelandtrust.org
Please put “People’s Vision” in the subject line of the email.
We are asking people to vote for their favorite of all the photos that were submitted to the Imagining Lyme Photo Gallery in 2022. To see the galleries of all submitted photos, visit the website Imagining Lyme website. https://imagininglyme.org/ Choose any one photo from “Gallery 2022”.
Keep taking photos in the Lyme and share them with us . The next session is for photos taken in winter. The deadline is March 31, 2023.
Photos must be taken in Lyme in these places:
A. Lyme Preserves owned and/or managed by the Lyme Land Trust, Town of Lyme, and The Nature Conservancy
B. Pollinator/wildlife habitat – May be in a backyard, preserve or in a Lyme Pollinator Pathway garden in Lyme, CT.
C. Trail 52- the sky above Lyme.
Forest Ecosystem Management Panel
Time: 1:30 pm
Place: Lyme Public Library Community Room, 482 Hamburg Road (Rte 156), Lyme CT
Contact Email: openspace@townlyme.org
If you have hiked in Nehantic State Forest recently, you may have noticed that several trees have been marked with blue paint. Learn the reason why. Join CT DEEP foresters Alexander Amendola and Frank Cervo, and retired forester Emery Gluck for a discussion and presentation about forest ecosystem management. Discussed will be the specifics of the cultivation of trees (silviculture) for forest growth and climate benefits. Emery will present: “Effects of Natural Disturbances and New Englanders on our Oak Forests” Alex and Frank will introduce upcoming silviculture projects in the State forests to create habitat diversity and forest ecosystem health. Also discussed will be invasive plant control. They will explain concepts and techniques that can be applied to private backyard habitats to promote biodiversity. Tony Irving, forest ecologist, will moderate the program.
Register: openspace@townlyme.org
The program is sponsored by the Lyme Land Trust, the Lyme Public Library and the Town of Lyme and CT DEEP.
There will be follow-up walk on March 12 to visit the site of future forest management in Nehantic State Forest. Learn more about the walk.
Baby Raccoon Rescue: Author Talk and Story Time
Time: 3:00 pm
Place: Lyme Public Library, 482 Hamburg Road, Lyme CT
Contact Email: education@lymelandtrust.org
This February school vacation time, explore the world of baby raccoons with Sesame Street writer Learn what life is like for a group of orphaned raccoon siblings, born in the attic of a home, as they experience life at a raccoon rehabilitation center. Through the book, we meet four orphaned kits—and the humane humans who offer them hope and haven as they move through the “sanctuary steps” of rescue, recovery, rehabilitation, and release.
Register: education@lymelandtrust.org Drop-ins welcome.
Raccoons are a common, yet misunderstood, backyard animal. As Kama notes, ” If people learn more about raccoons, they will hopefully learn to appreciate them. Lots of people don’t like these creatures but most people don’t realize how clever and adaptable they are. Raccoons are everything I’d like to be. They see problems as opportunities to learn something new.”
There will be stickers, activity pages, raccoon x-rays, and book signing. Books must be pre-purchased and brought to the event or Kama will sign a sticker to be placed in a book later. Find the books at Harper Collins or kidsbooks (for bargain box set)
Kama Einhorn is a wildlife educator, animal welfare advocate, author of more than 40 children’s books, and a Sesame Street writer. She lives in Westbrook and Brooklyn, NY. She won the Daytime Creative Arts Emmy award for Outstanding Short Format Children’s Program.
The “True Tales of Rescue” series by Kama Einhorn is full of photo-packed stories from animal sanctuaries around the world. It explores the stories and science behind animal sanctuaries, including all of the ups and downs that go along with caring for wild animals away from their natural element. The books include full‑color photos, graphics, and maps.
“…excellent opportunities to engage students in learning about caring for creatures and the environment.”—School Library Journal
Note: In Connecticut, healthy orphaned raccoons can be rehabilitated for eventual release into the wild by a state appointed rehabilitator. Because of the threat of the spread of rabies, it is against CT DEEP policy to rehabilitate sick adult raccoons. It is illegal for any person, other than a state appointed rehabilitator, to care for wildlife. If you think an animal needs help, make sure to contact a trained wildlife rehabilitator.
Tuesday Trek: Pleasant Valley Preserve
Time: 9:00 am
Place: Park in the Macintosh Road lot.
Contact Email: anthonyinlyme@gmail.com
Presenter: Tony Irving
Park in the Macintosh Road lot. The early history of European agriculture and land use is epitomized here going back to the mid-1600’s. There are also some fine examples of glacial activity and its impact on colonial land use practices. Hike to the overlook, about three miles.
Register: anthonyinlyme@gmail.com
View the Tuesday Trek Schedule
Tree Collective- Teen Steward Group Meet-up
Time: 1:00-4:00 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.
Meet Jim Arrigoni – Walk at Banningwood Preserve
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Place: Banningwood Preserve, 19 Town Street, Lyme
Contact Email: education@lymelandtrust.org
Meet the Lyme Land Trust’s new environmental director, Jim Arrigoni, and join him on a gently paced walk to explore the rich variety of habitats – streams, wetlands, fields, floodplain and upland forests – that makes Banningwood Preserve so special. Learn about the importance of habitat diversity in supporting a wide array of fish, wildlife, and plant species. Jim will share plans to enhance the habitats through restoration work throughout the Preserve.
