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.

This walk has been postponed from 10 am to 2 pm.

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, The Nature Conservancy, and the State of CT.  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 September 30, 2023. For more information. 

This walk has been cancelled due to Covid exposure. Please join us on the walk with Joe on October 25 at 4:00 at Gillette Castle.

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. Gillette Castle and some of the grounds are in Lyme.

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.

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

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

A moderately strenuous 1.7-mile loop will take us to an overlook where we’ll enjoy views of Hamburg Cove and the Connecticut River. We’ll also “go back in time” as part of the trail overlaps with the long-abandoned Meetinghouse Hill Road. Park along Sterling City Road near Preserve entrance by the junction of Sterling City Road and Stone Post Road.

Contact:  Jim.arrigoni@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

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.

For more information. 

Registration required: reganstacey@gmail.com.

Click on flyer to enlarge.

This walk is cancelled due to rain.

Gillette Castle State Park – We will walk up a beautiful walkway to the Castle and explore the route that was once a narrow gauge train trail. Beautiful CT River views and a tunnel. 2.5 miles. There are some hills. 

Directions: Meet at the Hadlyme Public Boat Ramp parking lot by the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry. (Note: For google maps, search for  “Chester-Hadlyme Ferry”. Make sure GPS sends you to Ferry Road in Lyme ( Rte 148), not Old Lyme.)

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.