Upcoming Events

Sunday after Thanksgiving Hike – Hartman Park Red Trail

Date: Sun November 29, 2020
Time: 1:30 - 3:30ish pm
Place: Meet at Hartman Park Entrance Parking Lot
Contact Email: openspace@townlyme.org
!!! seems it only displays well the 2nd time? ugh.

rocks-by-Wendolyn-Hill2Wendolyn Hill, Lyme Land Trust Board member, and Lyme Open Space Coordinator, will lead a walk on the Red Trail in Hartman Park. Work off your Thanksgiving overindulgence on this beautiful moderate trail that winds along craggy ridges strewn with boulders. The route will follow a portion of the Goodwin Trail.

The entire walk is about 3.5 miles. There are some moderate hill climbs and some rocky terrain. We will have a snack break on the bald nubble about halfway through. Bring your own water or drink.

Rain cancels.

Directions: The Hartman Park main parking lot is on Gungy Road about 1.5 miles north of the 4-way stop signs at the intersection of Beaverbrook Road, Grassy Hill Road, and Gungy Road.

Registration is required. Space is limited: openspace@townlyme.org

The Goodwin Trail, overseen by the Eightmile River Wild & Scenic Coordinating Committee, is a an extended trail system crossing four towns: East Haddam, Salem, Lyme and East Lyme. Dr. Richard H. Goodwin (1911-2007) was president of the Nature Conservancy from 1956 to 1958 and again from 1964 to 1966. The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization, was started in 1951, and Dr. Goodwin was one of its founders. Since then, it has protected 15 million acres of land in the United States and 102 million acres in 29 other countries.

 


rocks-by-Wendolyn-Hill2Wendolyn Hill, Lyme Land Trust Board member, and Lyme Open Space Coordinator, will lead a walk on the Red Trail in Hartman Park. Work off your Thanksgiving overindulgence on this beautiful moderate trail that winds along craggy ridges strewn with boulders. The route will follow a portion of the Goodwin Trail.

The entire walk is about 3.5 miles. There are some moderate hill climbs and some rocky terrain. We will have a snack break on the bald nubble about halfway through. Bring your own water or drink.

Rain cancels.

Directions: The Hartman Park main parking lot is on Gungy Road about 1.5 miles north of the 4-way stop signs at the intersection of Beaverbrook Road, Grassy Hill Road, and Gungy Road.

Registration is required. Space is limited: openspace@townlyme.org

The Goodwin Trail, overseen by the Eightmile River Wild & Scenic Coordinating Committee, is a an extended trail system crossing four towns: East Haddam, Salem, Lyme and East Lyme. Dr. Richard H. Goodwin (1911-2007) was president of the Nature Conservancy from 1956 to 1958 and again from 1964 to 1966. The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization, was started in 1951, and Dr. Goodwin was one of its founders. Since then, it has protected 15 million acres of land in the United States and 102 million acres in 29 other countries.

 


Tuesday Trek: Banningwood Preserve

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Date: Tue December 1, 2020
Time: 9:30 am -11 am
Place: Banningwood Preserve, Town Street (Rte 82), Lyme CT
Contact Email: stewardship@lymelandtrust.org
Presenter: Sue Cope
!!! seems it only displays well the 2nd time? ugh.

Banningwood Preserve – Meet at the parking lot for a moderate 1.5 mile walk that takes you through woodland wetlands, flood plain areas, fields, and upland forest.
Contact: stewardship@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join us for a refreshing morning walk on a Lyme preserve led by a board or staff member of the Lyme Land Trust. The leaders will alternate each week between Sue Cope, Wendy Hill, and Kristina White with Brady, canine guide. The walks are moderately easy unless noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather.

Space is limited to 5 people. Reservations are required. Contact walk leader to reserve.

Please be safe- wear a mask in the parking lot. Masks can be removed during the walk as long as social distancing is maintained.

Inclement weather cancels.

 


Banningwood Preserve – Meet at the parking lot for a moderate 1.5 mile walk that takes you through woodland wetlands, flood plain areas, fields, and upland forest.
Contact: stewardship@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join us for a refreshing morning walk on a Lyme preserve led by a board or staff member of the Lyme Land Trust. The leaders will alternate each week between Sue Cope, Wendy Hill, and Kristina White with Brady, canine guide. The walks are moderately easy unless noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather.

Space is limited to 5 people. Reservations are required. Contact walk leader to reserve.

Please be safe- wear a mask in the parking lot. Masks can be removed during the walk as long as social distancing is maintained.

Inclement weather cancels.

 


The Fisher in Connecticut

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Fisher by Richard Sutton
Date: Thu December 3, 2020
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: Zoom Presentation
Contact Email: programreg@lymepl.org
Presenter: The Friends of the Lyme Public Library and the Lyme Land Trust
!!! seems it only displays well the 2nd time? ugh.

 

Please join us for this fascinating program about the elusive fisher, a member of the weasel family. Its name is misleading because unlike the closely related river otter, fishers seldom eat fish. Common names are fisher cat, black cat, or pekan. An important part of a healthy ecosystem, it was mostly eradicated from Connecticut due to overhunting and habitat loss. The population has rebounded since reintroduction, and they are doing well in the entire state. Paul Colburn, a certified Master Wildlife Conservationist, will present an overview of the fisher cat habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, and current research efforts. Alert and secretive, the fisher is a rewarding sight to the wildlife observer.

For the poster and more info.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lyme Library and the Land Trust. It is free and open to all, made possible with funding from the Friends of the Lyme Public Library.

Registration required: programreg@lymepl.org
When you register, you will receive an invitation to the ZOOM Program. For more information call the library at 860-434-2272.


 

Please join us for this fascinating program about the elusive fisher, a member of the weasel family. Its name is misleading because unlike the closely related river otter, fishers seldom eat fish. Common names are fisher cat, black cat, or pekan. An important part of a healthy ecosystem, it was mostly eradicated from Connecticut due to overhunting and habitat loss. The population has rebounded since reintroduction, and they are doing well in the entire state. Paul Colburn, a certified Master Wildlife Conservationist, will present an overview of the fisher cat habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, and current research efforts. Alert and secretive, the fisher is a rewarding sight to the wildlife observer.

For the poster and more info.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lyme Library and the Land Trust. It is free and open to all, made possible with funding from the Friends of the Lyme Public Library.

Registration required: programreg@lymepl.org
When you register, you will receive an invitation to the ZOOM Program. For more information call the library at 860-434-2272.


Tuesday Trek: Walbridge Woodlands/Young Preserve

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Date: Tue December 8, 2020
Time: 9:30 am -11 am
Place: Walbridge Woodlands/Young Preserve, Gungy Rd., Lyme CT
Contact Email: Kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org
Presenter: Kristina White
!!! seems it only displays well the 2nd time? ugh.

 

A longer hike of over 3 miles that will take you on ridges, through laurel groves, on old wood roads, and past stone outcroppings. The Young Preserve parking lot is about 1/2 mile north of the Gungy/Beaverbrook/Grassy Hill Rd intersection.

Contact: Kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join us for a refreshing morning walk on a Lyme preserve led by a board or staff member of the Lyme Land Trust. The leaders will alternate each week between Sue Cope, Wendy Hill, and Kristina White with Brady, canine guide. The walks are moderately easy unless noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather.

Space is limited to 5 people. Reservations are required. Contact walk leader to reserve.

Please be safe- wear a mask in the parking lot. Masks can be removed during the walk as long as social distancing is maintained.

Inclement weather cancels.

 


 

A longer hike of over 3 miles that will take you on ridges, through laurel groves, on old wood roads, and past stone outcroppings. The Young Preserve parking lot is about 1/2 mile north of the Gungy/Beaverbrook/Grassy Hill Rd intersection.

Contact: Kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join us for a refreshing morning walk on a Lyme preserve led by a board or staff member of the Lyme Land Trust. The leaders will alternate each week between Sue Cope, Wendy Hill, and Kristina White with Brady, canine guide. The walks are moderately easy unless noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather.

Space is limited to 5 people. Reservations are required. Contact walk leader to reserve.

Please be safe- wear a mask in the parking lot. Masks can be removed during the walk as long as social distancing is maintained.

Inclement weather cancels.

 


Tuesday Trek: Patrell Preserve

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Date: Tue December 15, 2020
Time: 9:30 am -11 am
Place: Patrell Preserve parking lot, Baker Lane, East Haddam, CT
Contact Email: openspace@townlyme.org
Presenter: Wendy Hill
!!! seems it only displays well the 2nd time? ugh.

 

Part of the trail is paved and suitable for mobility-impaired nature lovers. The trail follows more than 3000 feet of frontage on the Eightmile River. The Lyme Land Trust shares this property with East Haddam. It is part of a larger East Haddam property called Chapal Farm.

Reserve a spot: openspace@townlyme.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join us for a refreshing morning walk on a Lyme preserve led by a board or staff member of the Lyme Land Trust. The leaders will alternate each week between Sue Cope, Wendy Hill, and Kristina White with Brady, canine guide. The walks are moderately easy unless noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather.

Space is limited to 5 people. Reservations are required. Contact walk leader to reserve.

Please be safe- wear a mask in the parking lot. Masks can be removed during the walk as long as social distancing is maintained.

Inclement weather cancels.

 


 

Part of the trail is paved and suitable for mobility-impaired nature lovers. The trail follows more than 3000 feet of frontage on the Eightmile River. The Lyme Land Trust shares this property with East Haddam. It is part of a larger East Haddam property called Chapal Farm.

Reserve a spot: openspace@townlyme.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join us for a refreshing morning walk on a Lyme preserve led by a board or staff member of the Lyme Land Trust. The leaders will alternate each week between Sue Cope, Wendy Hill, and Kristina White with Brady, canine guide. The walks are moderately easy unless noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather.

Space is limited to 5 people. Reservations are required. Contact walk leader to reserve.

Please be safe- wear a mask in the parking lot. Masks can be removed during the walk as long as social distancing is maintained.

Inclement weather cancels.

 


Sacred Earth Celebration | Winter Solstice Luminary Walk

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Photo credit: Haldan Block
Date: Mon December 21, 2020
Time: 4:00 pm
Place: Banningwood Preserve. 19 Town St., Lyme CT
Contact Email: openspace@townlyme.org
!!! seems it only displays well the 2nd time? ugh.

 

Winter naturally invites us to slow down in rhythm with the landscape around us. This seasonal cycle of rest and reflection offers balance to our inner lives. When we are quiet and listen, we can often give ourselves what we need. A restorative time of year, the winter solstice marks a solar turning point, where the darkest day turns the corner to renewed light and we welcome the season of winter.

Please join us for a Sacred Earth Celebration of the Winter Solstice – a rebirth of the sun, with a luminary walk along Roaring Brook to Diana’s field, where a bonfire awaits.

This walk is offered in quiet reflection with invitations to deepen your connection to nature and yourself. A small closing ceremony will take place at the bonfire as we then prepare for our return walk along the illuminated path.

Registration required. To register.

The group is limited to 10 participants. Social distancing guidelines will be followed. Please wear a mask to the parking lot meet-up.

Folding stools are available for your use or bring along your own stool or sit upon (towel, cloth or mat) for our sitting sessions. Bench seats are available at the bonfire. You may wish to bring along some water or a warm beverage. There are no restrooms at the preserve.

The walk is about 1-mile round trip over easy to moderate terrain. Map of Banningwood Preserve.

Rain cancels. Rain date: December 22.

FREE Event.

Regan Stacy is the founder of Awaken the Forest Within, an organization that offers forest bathing walks. Forest bathing is a supportive practice that invites us to slow down, open our senses, and engage with nature and ourselves as we take in the restorative health benefits of being in the forest. These benefits include lowered stress, blood pressure, and heart rate, increased creativity and focus, and a boost to our immune system. Leave calm and refreshed for the day ahead.


 

Winter naturally invites us to slow down in rhythm with the landscape around us. This seasonal cycle of rest and reflection offers balance to our inner lives. When we are quiet and listen, we can often give ourselves what we need. A restorative time of year, the winter solstice marks a solar turning point, where the darkest day turns the corner to renewed light and we welcome the season of winter.

Please join us for a Sacred Earth Celebration of the Winter Solstice – a rebirth of the sun, with a luminary walk along Roaring Brook to Diana’s field, where a bonfire awaits.

This walk is offered in quiet reflection with invitations to deepen your connection to nature and yourself. A small closing ceremony will take place at the bonfire as we then prepare for our return walk along the illuminated path.

Registration required. To register.

The group is limited to 10 participants. Social distancing guidelines will be followed. Please wear a mask to the parking lot meet-up.

Folding stools are available for your use or bring along your own stool or sit upon (towel, cloth or mat) for our sitting sessions. Bench seats are available at the bonfire. You may wish to bring along some water or a warm beverage. There are no restrooms at the preserve.

The walk is about 1-mile round trip over easy to moderate terrain. Map of Banningwood Preserve.

Rain cancels. Rain date: December 22.

FREE Event.

Regan Stacy is the founder of Awaken the Forest Within, an organization that offers forest bathing walks. Forest bathing is a supportive practice that invites us to slow down, open our senses, and engage with nature and ourselves as we take in the restorative health benefits of being in the forest. These benefits include lowered stress, blood pressure, and heart rate, increased creativity and focus, and a boost to our immune system. Leave calm and refreshed for the day ahead.


Tuesday Trek: Banningwood Preserve

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Date: Tue December 22, 2020
Time: 9:30 am -11 am
Place: Chestnut Hill Preserve, Sterling Hill Rd., Lyme CT
Contact Email: stewardship@lymelandtrust.org
Presenter: Sue Cope
!!! seems it only displays well the 2nd time? ugh.

 

Meet at Banningwood Preserve parking lot off Town Street for a moderate 1.5 mile walk that takes you through woodland wetlands, flood plain areas, fields, and upland forest.

To reserve a space: stewardship@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join us for a refreshing morning walk on a Lyme preserve led by a board or staff member of the Lyme Land Trust. The leaders will alternate each week between Sue Cope, Wendy Hill, and Kristina White with Brady, canine guide. The walks are moderately easy unless noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather.

Space is limited to 5 people. Reservations are required. Contact walk leader to reserve.

Please be safe- wear a mask in the parking lot. Masks can be removed during the walk as long as social distancing is maintained.

Inclement weather cancels.

 


 

Meet at Banningwood Preserve parking lot off Town Street for a moderate 1.5 mile walk that takes you through woodland wetlands, flood plain areas, fields, and upland forest.

To reserve a space: stewardship@lymelandtrust.org

View the Tuesday Trek Schedule

Join us for a refreshing morning walk on a Lyme preserve led by a board or staff member of the Lyme Land Trust. The leaders will alternate each week between Sue Cope, Wendy Hill, and Kristina White with Brady, canine guide. The walks are moderately easy unless noted. Bring a water bottle and dress for the weather.

Space is limited to 5 people. Reservations are required. Contact walk leader to reserve.

Please be safe- wear a mask in the parking lot. Masks can be removed during the walk as long as social distancing is maintained.

Inclement weather cancels.

 


Ongoing–DIY Family Walk: Gnome Hunt

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Date: Sat November 21, 2020 thru Thu December 31, 2020
Time: DIY
Place: Pleasant Valley Preserve, MacIntosh Rd, Lyme CT
Contact Email: sue.cope@lymelandtrust.org
!!! seems it only displays well the 2nd time? ugh.

Visit Pleasant Valley Preserve on your own for this gnome hunt. Follow the dots on the map to find the gnomes. Use a pen or pencil to connect the dots to make an X. The sleepy bear will be found in the location indicated by the center of the X. Please don’t remove the objects. Take photos! We’d love to see them. Email them to: sue.cope@lymelandtrust.org.  Everyone is welcome. The hunt will be available until December 31, 2020.

Download the map with gnome locations and instructions.

Directions: From the Halls Rd (Rte 1)/Rte 156 traffic light, travel north 6.5 miles. Take a left on Macintosh Rd. The pull-in parking lot is about 1/4 mile on the right.

This is an offering for the Lyme Youth Service Bureau UNPLUGGED ! LYSB Screen-free Weekend in Lyme/Old Lyme November 20, 21, 22, 2020.


Visit Pleasant Valley Preserve on your own for this gnome hunt. Follow the dots on the map to find the gnomes. Use a pen or pencil to connect the dots to make an X. The sleepy bear will be found in the location indicated by the center of the X. Please don’t remove the objects. Take photos! We’d love to see them. Email them to: sue.cope@lymelandtrust.org.  Everyone is welcome. The hunt will be available until December 31, 2020.

Download the map with gnome locations and instructions.

Directions: From the Halls Rd (Rte 1)/Rte 156 traffic light, travel north 6.5 miles. Take a left on Macintosh Rd. The pull-in parking lot is about 1/4 mile on the right.

This is an offering for the Lyme Youth Service Bureau UNPLUGGED ! LYSB Screen-free Weekend in Lyme/Old Lyme November 20, 21, 22, 2020.


Tour de Lyme 2021

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Joe Standart
Date: Sun May 23, 2021
Time: starting at 8 am
Place: Ashlawn Farms, Bill Hill Road, Lyme CT
Contact Email: info@lymelandtrust.org
Presenter: Lyme Land Conservation Trust
!!! seems it only displays well the 2nd time? ugh.

The Tour de Lyme 2020 has been rescheduled to Sunday, May 23, 2021. See you then!

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

For more information, visit the Tour de Lyme webpage: TourDeLyme.org.

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.


The Tour de Lyme 2020 has been rescheduled to Sunday, May 23, 2021. See you then!

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

For more information, visit the Tour de Lyme webpage: TourDeLyme.org.

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.


52 Trail Challenge

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Date: Tue December 1, 2020 thru Tue June 1, 2021
Time: spanning six months
Place: The Lyme Preserves are cooperatively owned and/or managed by the Lyme Land Trust, The Town of Lyme and The Nature Conservancy.
Contact Email:
!!! seems it only displays well the 2nd time? ugh.

The Lyme Land Trust challenges you to hike during this winter and early spring on the 52 trails of the Lyme Preserves.   Please see the 52 Trail Challenge page for more.


The Lyme Land Trust challenges you to hike during this winter and early spring on the 52 trails of the Lyme Preserves.   Please see the 52 Trail Challenge page for more.