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

Outstanding Collection of Exhibitors

for the 3rd 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
• Expert mycologist Bill Yule will share fascinating information on fungi

• Pollinator Pathways will help you create backyard habitats for wildlife by welcoming native plants and controlling invasive plants in the landscape.

• Purchase native plants to support pollinators and local wildlife, grown right here in Lyme by Falls Brook Organic Farm

• Wild Ones representatives bring expert advice on converting lawns to habitat

• Environmental governance expert Claren Copp-LaRocque explains the systemic nature of plastic pollution and how you can reduce your plastic footprint

• Learn about beekeeping from experienced local apiarist Tom Wing

• Ornithologist Lauren Michael will be ready to answer your questions and share information on local birds

• Local architects Leonard & Sue Wyeth, with 40+ years of experience designing energy efficient buildings, share information about LEED, Living Future Challenge and Passive House designs.

• Lyme Garden Club experts will have free flower & veggie seed packets, and will help children (and adults!) plant seeds in pots to take home. They can also help you with local gardening advice

• 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 for $25 (cash or check to Town of Lyme)

• The Lyme Land Trust will share information about the Wild Lyme Project: you can use the iNaturalist app to observe, identify and share plants and animals seen in Preserves or your own property

• Lyme/Old Lyme Foodshare Garden volunteers will share how they are growing and distributing fresh produce to families in Lyme and the surrounding communities, helping to alleviate food insecurities and support healthy nutrition in our area

• Find out about our Wild & Scenic Eight Mile River and the importance of its watershed

• 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

• Plus…Meet 4-H Club Goats…Growing & Using Herbs with CT Herb Society…CT Pesticide Reform’s work to get neonicotinoid pesticides banned in CT…and earthy books from the Lyme Public Library!

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)