A Personal Pilgrimage to Old Battlefields: A Talk by Rolf Wolfswinkel

Sunday, March 30 — 2:00 to 4:00 pm

In this very personal presentation, Professor Wolfswinkel returns to the site of one of his passions: the battlefields of the Western Front in World War I. It all started so long ago: a casual question of one of his children about why there were so many cemeteries in Flanders. One thing led to another and before he realized what was happening, he found himself walking along and through the old trenches of France and Flanders, searching for the places where war poets like Wilfred Owen and Isaac Rosenberg had died.

During his talk, put together with the help of one of his old students, Diederik van Vleuten, Rolf Wolfswinkel will talk about that war, show photographs, quote from war poems and tell personal anecdotes. It will be about forty years of visiting, walking, and teaching about the old trenches of the 1914-1918 Western Front. It will be about stories and anecdotes and ruminations. And it will be about poetry, war poetry. And a little bit about history.

Join us on Sunday, March 30 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Lyme Public Hall to hear this special talk. Refreshments provided.

Saprobe superpowers: How fungi recycle nutrients and keep forests healthy

A Lyme Land Trust Talk by Bill Yule

Wednesday April 23, 7:00-8:00 pm

Join the Lyme Land Trust for a fascinating talk at the Lyme Public Hall about the important function of fungi in forest ecosystems, with Bill Yule, naturalist and mycologist. He will cover aspects of fungi that weren’t covered in last year’s very popular talk. He has a wonderful way of explaining the complex functioning of fungi and its vital interconnections with other organisms within the forest. Bill will share information to identify various mushrooms by their characteristics.

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. (Bill Yule photo by Wendy Hill)

To register for this talk, please email: education@lymelandtrust.org

Third Annual Earth Day Fair!

Saturday, April 26 from 10:00 am to Noon

Earth Day 2025 is coming, and we are marking this day by partnering with local experts and organizations to provide a wealth of helpful resources for you! Bring the family and invite your neighbors to come learn how to help support our unique community of plants, animals, birds, pollinators and people. Join us from 10:00 am to noon on Saturday, April 26 to meet the wonderful folks you will find at table stations throughout the historic Public Hall:

• From Cranberry Meadow Farm, master Composter Tom Kalal has successful composting tips, and Nancy Kalal will share her expertise in Backyard Chicken Raising
• Mark Yuknat and Mindy Hill with CT River Expeditions for information on eagles and other wildlife on the Connecticut River
• Bill Yule will share fascinating information on fungi
• Pollinator Pathways will be here to help you support our vital pollinator species to support wildlife and food-producing plants we rely upon
• Purchase native plants to support pollinators and local wildlife, grown right here in Lyme by Falls Brook Organic Farm
• Talk with environmental governance expert Claren Copp-LaRocque about the systemic nature of plastic pollution and how to reduce your plastic footprint
• Beekeeping: Experienced local hobbyist Tom Wing will be here to inspire you and answer your questions
• Ornithologist Lauren Michael will be ready to answer your questions and share information on local birds
• Talk with local architects Leonard & Sue Wyeth, who have over 40 years of experience designing energy efficient buildings. They will be happy to share information and answer questions about LEED, Living Future Challenge and Passive House designs.
• The Lyme Garden Club experts share how love of gardening can form a supportive community, improving our public and private spaces. They will have free garden seeds for you! Bring the kids and garden experts will help them plant their seeds on the spot. Or pick up a packet for yourself to grow some flowers or veggies, and get planting advice from local experts.
• Discover the wealth of plants and gardening supplies as well as good advice available at Balleks Garden Center
• Learn about the Town of Lyme’s local food composting program and pick up a handy green composting bucket
• Find out what’s new at the Lyme Land Conservation Trust
• Lyme/Old Lyme Foodshare Garden volunteers will share information on how they are growing and distributing fresh produce to families in Lyme and the surrounding communities. Find out how you can support this mission to help alleviate food insecurities and support healthy nutrition in our area.
• Learn about options for solar energy from Aidan Lamb of Green Power Energy
• Enjoy Earth Day posters by the Green Team at Lyme Consolidated School
• And more!

Biking Lyme with Ronnie Romance

Sunday, May 18

4:00 — 6:00 pm

Cycling legend and local resident Ronnie Romance has described himself as a wholistic cyclist who has embraced all forms of cycling, from racing to mountain biking, backroads touring and wilderness camping. He views cycling as a tool to connect more deeply with nature, and his life and design aesthetic shine through in his thoughtfully crafted, custom-built bikes that sell out almost immediately. Join us at the Lyme Public Hall for a very special opportunity to hear Ronnie discuss how Lyme and the surrounding river towns have emerged as a cycling destination. He will also be sharing his personal cycling philosophy as well as a few of his bicycles that have been purpose-built for the unique terrain and paths that make our towns so lovely to explore by bike. (Photo courtesy Ronnie Romance)

Conservation of Stone Walls with Robert Thorson

Wednesday May 21, 6:00 — 7:00 pm

Stone wall interpretation provides new opportunities to thread together historical, archaeological, aesthetic, geological, and ecological interests. Historically, the walls are important adjuncts to the thousands of historic houses and buildings, cemeteries, battlegrounds, and monuments throughout the region. Archaeologically, they are above-ground ruins. Aesthetically, they convey essential themes in literature and art. Psychologically, they provide boundaries in space and time. Geologically, they are signature land forms for the Anthropocene epoch, the counterpart to the babbling brooks, inland wetlands, coastal dunes, kettle ponds, and bedrock ledges of the postglacial Holocene Epoch. Ecologically, they create dry lands as porous, elevated, and elongate volumes of surface stone that drain quickly.

These words by Robert Thorson convey the importance of New England’s unique stone walls, and he is the authoritative expert, having written the book (Stone by Stone: The Magnificent History in New England’s Stone Walls) back in 2002. His urgent mission is the preservation of these ubiquitous structures: a step wise approach to the conservation and interpretation of New England’s stone walls that considers these diverse values while also remaining respectful of the presence of Indigenous stonework in the landscapes. We invite you to come and explore these ideas with Dr. Thorson in this fascinating talk – it’s one you won’t want to miss!

Robert Thorson has advised countless federal, state, and town governments, non-profit historical societies, conservation groups, law practices, and private landowners. In a 2023 Smithsonian essay he linked the history of stone walls to literature, ecology, climate change and geoscience, an article selected by the History News Network for the “Best History Writing of 2023.” At the University of Connecticut, he coordinates the Stone Wall Initiative as scholarly engagement within the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History. For three decades he’s been a stump evangelist for the preservation of New England’s historic landscapes. (Photo of Hebron, CT stone wall by Robert Thorson)