Coming Events & Programs

2024 Schedule of Events & Programs

Please check our website frequently for additions, updates, and cancellations to our schedule. At this time, masks are optional at all planned events unless otherwise noted.

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Sunday, March 30 2:00-4:00 pm	A personal pilgrimage to old battlefields 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. What he will not do is answer the question, whether it has all been worth it: the millions of dead, the devastation, the suffering of the families left behind. Refreshments provided
Wednesday, April 23 7:00-8:00 pm	Saprobe superpowers: How fungi recycle nutrients and keep forests healthy Join us for a fascinating Lyme Land Trust talk 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. To Register: education@lymelandtrust.org
Saturday, April 26 10:00 am -- Noon	Earth Day Fair 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.
Sunday, May 18 4:00-6:00 pm	Biking Lyme with Ronnie Romance 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.
Wednesday, May 21 6:00-7:00 pm	Conservation of Stone Walls with Robert Thorson 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.