Category Archives: Outdoors

Celebrate CT Trails Day Today, Two Hikes Offered by Lyme Land Trust

Posted on by
Reply
Photo by Lisa Niccolai. Looking for fairies in Hartmann Park.

Photo by Lisa Niccolai. Looking for fairies in Hartman Park.

The Lyme Land Conservation Trust will offer two guided hikes on Saturday, June 7, to celebrate Connecticut Trails Day Weekend —the largest National Trails Day celebration in the nation with 258 events scheduled in 142 towns throughout the state.  The hikes will both start at 10 a.m. from the parking area at Hartman Park on Gungy Road in Lyme.

A short walk and scavenger hunt for young children will include a visit to the Fairy Circles in Hartman Park.  Children must be accompanied by an adult.

For those interested in a longer hike, explore scenic Walbridge Woodlands on the yellow and white trails, and then visit the old foundations of the Lee Farm in Hartman Park.  This hike will take a little more than an hour and is moderately easy.

Both hikes will end at the School Room in Hartman Park (where the picnic tables are) for water and a snack.  The event will conclude at 11:30.

Adult participants will receive a small book about the Heritage Trail in Hartman Park, and children will receive a booklet about a fairy who lives in the Fairy Circles there.  Pre-registration is appreciated.

For questions and to register,  email Angie Falstrom at angie.falstrom@att.net or call 860-434-3194. The rain date for the hikes is Sunday, June 8, also at 10 a.m.

For updates on this walk and other Lyme Land Trust events, visit  www.lymelandtrust.org

Early Bird Walk Today in Lyme

Posted on by
Reply

bird-walk-4-6-2013_307Local naturalist and artist Rob Braunfield will lead a bird walk in Lyme’s Pleasant Valley Preserve Saturday morning, May 3.

If it’s true that the early bird gets the worm, then this early morning walk should provide the opportunity to see a lot of our feathered friends.

Braunfield will lead the group into the Preserve where the annual spring migration and mating season should provide exceptional opportunities to look for and learn about a variety of birds busy with their spring rituals.

Birders should bring their binoculars and meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Lyme town swimming hole parking lot off Macintosh Road, just west of Rte. 156.

The Spring Bird Walk is organized and sponsored by the Lyme Land Conservation Trust and is open to both members and non-members at no charge.

For updates on this walk and other Lyme Land Trust events, visit its website at www.lymelandtrust.org and select the “Upcoming Events” menu item.

Very Rare Sturgeon Found on Bank of Connecticut River in Lyme

Posted on by
4
These youngsters stand by the sturgeon found yesterday at the end of Elys Ferry Rd.

Anna and Elliot Bjornberg stand by the sturgeon they found yesterday with their grandmother, Carleen Gerber, at the end of Elys Ferry Rd. Photo by C. Gerber.

This very rare sturgeon (pictured above) was found Saturday on the banks of the Connecticut River near the end of Elys Ferry Road in Lyme.  It was about five feet long.

Labelled an endangered species by the Connecticut DEEP, the sea-run population of sturgeon in the Connecticut River is concentrated along the lower part of the River.  There is a landlocked population surviving above dams in the upper watershed of the river.

For more information on sturgeon in Connecticut, visit the DEEP website at http://www.ct.gov/deEP/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=326092&deepNav_GID=1655

Old Lyme Land Trust Hosts Mile Creek School Nature Trail Guided Walk Today

Posted on by
Reply
The poster promoting the walk features a salamander and a crocus.

The poster promoting the walk features a salamander and a crocus.

The Old Lyme Land Trust is sponsoring a guided walk on the new educational Nature Trail across from Mile C reek School at 191 Mile Creek Rd, Old Lyme in honor of Earth Day.  The walk will be held Sunday, April 27, at 2 p.m.

Trail map of the Mile Creek Preserve.

Trail map of the Mile Creek School Nature Trail.

The walk will be led by Pamela Hine, a professor of Botany at Connecticut College.

The Mile Creek Nature Trail was created last year with help from the then third grade class, who painted all the posts that dot the trail.  The trail, which is walking distance from Mile Creek School, will hopefully be incorporated into the curriculum of the students, who will eventually span from preschool to fifth grade.
Points of interest along the trail include interesting facts about the geology and history, as well as the flora and fauna.
The walk is anticipated to take about an hour and all are welcome.  Parking is possible at the preserve entrance, which is 0.2 miles from the entrance, or at Mile Creek School.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy Tours ‘The Preserve’ in Old Saybrook

Posted on by
Reply

Chris_Murphy

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined representatives from the Trust for Public Land and the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, and about 40 other environmentalists and town officials on Thursday afternoon on a short guided tour of ‘The Preserve’ in Old Saybrook.  The Trust for Public Land is currently working with the towns of Old Saybrook, Essex and Westbrook to acquire the 1,000-acre forest for public enjoyment and to prevent it from further development.

“I’m thrilled to be here with you today.  My family, for as long as I’ve been alive, has had a little tiny summer house in Old Lyme, so this part of the world is like a second home to me,” said Murphy.

Sen. Murphy took off his office shoes and replaced them with hiking footwear as he joined the rest of the group on the hike through to the middle of ‘The Preserve.’

1404_untitled_014

Senator Murphy joins the group on the short hike through ‘The Preserve.’

After a short hike, the group reached the center of the 1,000 acre property, overlooking Pequot Swamp.  Chris Cryder, Special Projects Coordinator for Connecticut Fund for the Environment, described the swamp as an area of particular environmental significance.  “Pequot Swamp is a 113-acre wetland area that feeds two tributaries of the Connecticut River and is an important resting site for migratory birds,” said Cryder.

Chris Cryder, Special Projects Coordinator for Connecticut Fund for the Environment, explains the environmental significance of Pequot Swmap to Senator Chris Murphy

Chris Cryder, Special Projects Coordinator for Connecticut Fund for the Environment, explains the environmental significance of Pequot Swamp to Senator Chris Murphy.

The Trust for Public Land has been working with the towns of Old Saybrook, Westbrook and Essex, Land Trusts for the three towns, the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, Audubon Connecticut, The Nature Conservancy and the State of Connecticut to raise the necessary funds to purchase the property.  The Trust hopes to raise $2 million -$3 million in private donations towards the re-negotiated price of $8.1 million.  The remaining funds could potentially come from the state and from the town of Old Saybrook, who will be holding a referendum in June when town voters will be asked to vote on the issue.  If successful, the land would be owned by the town and would be kept open to the public for hiking and recreation purposes.

“In our office, we eat, sleep and breathe land conservation,” said Murphy, “so this is really exciting when we have a big piece of iconic property like this that, hopefully with a little bit of luck and some good partnership, we can preserve for the ages.”

After returning to the trailhead, the group posed for a photo with Senator Murphy.

1404_untitled_037