Category Archives: Outdoors

CT Audubon Society Offers Virtual Weekly Summer Camps

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LYME/OLD LYME — The Connecticut Audubon Society’s (CAS) summer camp is going virtual this year with Connecticut Audubon Adventures: The “Not So Bummer” Summer. This unique camp alternative offers interactive, live, nature-themed explorations and activities for ages 6 through 10. The program of online and outdoor adventures, designed and run by Connecticut Audubon’s highly experienced team of summer camp directors and educators, is a great way for kids to have fun at home this summer while connecting with the natural world.

From June 15 through Aug. 21, the weekly Adventures program runs Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon. The time-tested camp programs, adapted for online and backyards, will spark curiosity and sharpen thinking skills through experimentation, exploration, art and citizen science. There will be many opportunities throughout to share findings and socialize with others.

Different themes each week keep the program fresh and appealing to many interests. Past Connecticut Audubon favorites such as Fantastic Flyers and Wacky Water Wonders are offered along with new ones like Nosy Neighbors and Digging In. For all subjects, a good balance of engaging hands-on activities, combined with investigative STEAM learning, ensure it will be the solution to a “not so bummer” summer experience that exercises minds while having fun.

The cost of Connecticut Audubon Adventures is $150 per week for CAS members and $175 for non-members, with discounted pricing for additional sibling(s) or if registering for five weeks, or all ten.

To view all the details, including descriptions of weekly topics, a program FAQ and how to register, visit www.ctaudubon.org/summer2020.

Take a Hike on Old Lyme’s Newest Open Space, the McCulloch Family Property

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OLD LYME — (taken from a press release issued by the Old Lyme Open Space Commission) The Old Lyme Open Space Commission welcomes you to the “officially open” McCulloch Family Open Space on National Trails Day, June 6.

The newest town open space property has three trails, all with well-marked entrances.

“Tree in the Gap” trail:  This trail is accessed from Whippoorwill Rd., but note the trail begins in a temporary earthen parking area.  The Commission advises walkers to be cautious entering and exiting the area, particularly after a rain, when tires may slip.  When the town receives approval, a gravel parking lot will be constructed.

Yellow trail: This trail is accessed off Whippoorwill Rd.  A parking area is adjacent to the trail.  Both the McCulloch Family Open Space and the Deborah and Edward Ames Open Space, across the road, share parking in this area. It is important to note the parking area is adjacent to private property, which the owner has graciously allowed the town to use, so the Commission urges people using the parking area to respect property boundaries.  

Red trail: A third trail begins from Flat Rock Hill Rd. Parking is permitted on the road cul-de-sac.  Again, the Commission requests that walkers should respect homeowners’ property as the trail briefly runs alongside a private driveway.

Rook’s Meadow & Jimmy’s Pond: 

A beautiful meadow overlooking a peaceful pond is a short walk from the “Tree in the Gap” trailhead.  A hand-hewn bench is in the meadow (with additional facilities to be added later).  The Commission suggests this is a wonderful spot for quiet contemplation, plein air painting, reading a book or just taking a relaxing lunch break.  

Jean Vasiloff, in a past interview, said, “This was really my mother’s land,” and the Open Space Commission chose to honor (Vasiloff’s mother) Rook, and her husband Warren McCulloch, with its naming. Jim Mildrum, a life-long property resident and now one of its land stewards, was similarly honored for the pond he created alongside the meadow.

Lay Preserve: The McCulloch Family Open Space is connected seamlessly with the Old Lyme Land Trust’s Lay Preserve offering an option of longer hikes.  

A map of the McCulloch Family Open Space is now available on the town website. The Commission is pleased to offer a new option for walkers and hikers in the form of downloadable maps accessible via your smartphone with a QR code found on the trail kiosks at each entrance.  Paper maps can still be printed from the website. 

Point your smartphone’s camera at the QR code and you will see a drop-down section or link to the “hiking” section within the Old Lyme Open Space website.  Access the map and open it on your device.

Since the town closed on its McCulloch property purchase last September, volunteers have devoted hundreds of hours toward this opening.

In the fall, the beautiful property was simply not ready for visitors — there were no trails. Old farm fencing criss-crossed the property and the existing conservation easement did not allow for parking.

The Open Space Commission worked with the Old Lyme Land Trust to blaze and map its new trails.  It partnered with the Connecticut Hiking Alliance to pull fencing. 

Students from Lyme-Old Lyme High School, with safe social distancing, helped to groom trails this spring.

Legal work proceeded to modify The Nature Conservancy (TNC) easement to allow construction of permanent off-road parking. 

At present, TNC and the State Attorney General have approved an easement modification, but a last legal step of judicial approval was halted when state courts closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Over this time, trail markers have been posted, kiosks and gates constructed, and signs purchased and mounted, all to make the open space experience as safe and pleasant as possible.

Warren and Rook McCulloch, with their children, moved to Old Lyme in the late 1920’s, and purchased about 450 forested acres on the cusp of the Great Depression.  

Over the years and generations, the McCulloch property served many purposes – a summer camp for city children, a working farm attracting kids who came to work and stayed, and a breeding farm for Morgan horses. 

Warren and Rook’s children, Dave McCulloch, Jean Vasiloff and Taffy Holland, so loved the property they gave The Nature Conservancy a conservation easement to “protect and preserve” the property in perpetuity.

Now it is the town of Old Lyme’s turn to safeguard this lovely land.

The Open Space Commission asks only that hikers and visitors respect the property and leave trails in the condition you find them (or better).  There are no trash bins, so take out all your waste, including that of dogs.

Per safety guidelines, maintain a social distance of six feet and, if that is not possible, wear a face covering.

The Commission notes National Trails Day is the perfect opportunity to, “Take a Hike,” and enjoy the truly special McCulloch Family Open Space.

Here at LymeLine.com, we say kudos and congratulations to everyone involved in this wonderful project which will benefit the town for generations.

Duck River Garden Club’s May Plant Sale Cancelled

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Duck River Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale for 2020 has been cancelled.

OLD LYME — Duck River Garden Club’s (DRGC) popular Plant Sale scheduled for Mother’s Day weekend, May 8-9, has been cancelled.

Fay Wilkman, whose term as president ends in June, told LymeLine, “That sale has been going for over 40 years. We sell a large amount of geraniums, with a very loyal pre-order customer base. On Thursday [April 30], we decided to call those customers to tell them about the canceled sale and see if they would still like to place an order. We are planning on having them [the geraniums] available after May 20th, but details are still in the works.”

Wilkman added that all DRGC meetings for March, April, May also had to be cancelled and sadly their June Dinner too. She commented, “The dinner was supposed to take place at the Flo Gris and was to be our 50th Anniversary Celebration,” continuing, “We will be posting signs at the sale location and at our seven civic sites in town, referencing our 50th anniversary and our support of our emergency workers.”

She concluded, “We will continue to care for our seven civic sites in town,” and reflecting a sign of the times, she added, “We’re just working out schedules that will limit the number of people at each site at one time.”

Meeting in Old Lyme to Discuss SustainabilityCT Action Plan, New Volunteers Welcome

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OLD LYME — For the second year in succession, Old Lyme is applying to the SustainabilityCT program, which provides guidance and resources to towns and cities in the state to help them improve living, working and enjoying their home towns.  SustainabilityCT is now partnering with the Old Lyme Conservation Commission and today, Saturday, April 25, there will be an initial meet-up to view and understand the assignment on the lawn in front of The Chocolate Shell on Lyme Street at 1 p.m.

If you would like to join this effort, come to the meeting. Bring protective face masks, as well as your walking shoes and water, keeping in mind that there will be no toilets available, other than those at Big Y.
At a later time, people will each be walking in our chosen small group to document safety and health issues that deter comfortable walking as a means of transportation and recreation.
This will not take long, and the official audit need not be done immediately.  The aim is to choose a convenient neighborhood and form a small group for one of these areas:
  • Lyme Street
  • Rt.e 1 through Laysville
  • Town Woods Road
  • Rte. 156 from I-95 south to the beaches.
Examples and tips will help to start the process when you are available.

Happy Earth Day! Old Lyme Open Space Co-Chair Suggests, “Go Outdoors, Reflect On Everything We Have”

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OLD LYME — Fifty years ago on April 22, 1970, Denis Hayes, a Harvard graduate student and Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), joined by Rep. Pete McCloskey (R-CA), organized the first Earth Day.

“They were there with raised hands,” said Amanda Blair, Co-Chair of the Old Lyme Open Space Commission, adding sadly, “We’re here with hands in prayer.” She continued in a phone interview with LymeLine.com yesterday, “I think of all that energy back then [that went into organizing the inaugural Earth Day] and wonder what they’d think about where we are now.”

That initial celebration inspired an estimated 20 million Americans — at the time, 10 percent of the total population of the United States — to attend rallies and other events coast-to-coast.

In following years, America saw the Clean Air Act strengthened and the creation of the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Asked what the message of Earth Day 2020 is for the residents of Old Lyme, Blair responded, “The virus has shut us down, but that gives people an opportunity to walk our trails and take time to reflect on everything we have … and really appreciate it.”

She said, “It’s also a reminder that ‘Every Day is Earth Day.’ We all need to do what we can to keep our planet’s environment safe, now and for our children’s future.” Blair notes that walkers and hikers can help the environment on any day — not just Earth Day — by taking a bag with them to pick up litter and she urges folk walking their dogs always to clear up after their four-legged-friends.

Blair mentioned that a third trail will be opened in the next few months on the recently-acquired McCulloch property.  She said she has been “blazing the trail” with three students from Lyme-Old Lyme High School in the past few weeks and together they, “have seen and heard so much.” Commenting that the students had been “wonderful,” she noted, “When you’re clearing a trail, you take time to stop, pause and look,” saying they had seen salamanders in vernal pools, new growth everywhere, and listened to the sound of peepers.

In celebration of Earth Day, the Old Lyme Open Space Commission encourages everyone to go outdoors and enjoy the Spring’s fresh air, flower blossoms and nature’s renewal, but Blair stresses, “Please remember to observe Governor Lamont’s executive order to wear a cloth face covering if you cannot maintain a distance of at least six feet from everyone.”

Commenting that the Commission’s planned activities for the spring and summer have all been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Blair said she hoped the Hiker Happy Hours planned for the fall might yet be held.  “They are such fun and take place at the best time of the day.”

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has tips for Earth Day and every day on its website.

Great walks throughout Old Lyme may be found on the Old Lyme Open Space Commission’s website and the Old Lyme Land Trust’s website.