Avalonia Land Conservancy

Wildlife Habitat Enhancement at the Hunter Brook Preserve in Norwich- Phase II
2025-05-03 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Hunter Brook Preserve
Please consider joining Avalonia Stewardship staff and volunteers on the morning of May 3rd from 9:00 -12:00 at our Hunter Brook Preserve in Norwich and be a part of our larger efforts at enhancing wildlife habitat on this beautiful 27-acre preserve!
For this second phase, work will consist of implementing recommendations associated with the recent Audubon Forest Bird Habitat Assessments, in particular the planting and protecting from herbivory of native shrubs and trees along the brook. Participants will receive training in invasive plant identification, best management practices, and planting techniques.
The necessary tools will be supplied for volunteer use. It is suggested that volunteers bring thick gloves, sturdy and waterproof footwear, and drinking water. If you have loppers, clippers, or digging implements feel free to bring them. Light refeshments will be provided.
Please register so that we can better plan for this no-cost event. A confirmation email will contain additional event details including specifics regarding parking. Please contact Director of Stewardship, Tobias Glaza at tglaza@avalonialc.org for more information.
This Project is supported by Audubon.
REGISTER HERE

Earthfest CT 2025 in East Lyme
2025-05-17 11:00 - 15:00 | McCook Park, Niantic, CT, 06357, United States
SAVE THE DATE!
Join Avalonia and scores of vendors at McCook Point Park in Niantic, CT on Saturday, May 17, 2025 (rain date Sunday, May 18), from 11 am – 3 PM for this annual event. There will be music, food, and fun activities for the kids.
Visit EarthDayEveryDay for more details about the day’s activities and events.

Volunteer Day: Invasive Species Removal at Anguilla Brook Northern Headwaters Preserve
2025-09-27 09:00 - 12:00 | Anguilla Brook Northern Headwaters Preserve, 33 N Anguilla Road, North Stonington, CT, 06359, United States
Join the Eastern Connecticut Conservation District (ECCD) and Avalonia Land Conservancy for a hands-on volunteer day at the Anguilla Brook Northern Headwaters Preserve in Stonington/North Stonington.

We’ll be working along the brook to remove invasive plants such as Autumn olive, multiflora rose, bittersweet, and Japanese barberry. This important first step will make way for planting native trees, including Atlantic white cedar, to restore a rare cedar swamp and establish a riparian buffer.

All participants will receive training in invasive plant identification and best management practices. Tools and light refreshments will be provided. Please wear sturdy footwear, bring thick gloves and water, and feel free to bring loppers or clippers if you have them.

Registration is required to participate. A confirmation email will include parking information and additional details.
Register here: https://InvasiveVolunteerDay1.eventbrite.com

Funding provided by the USDA Forest Service, administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

Upcoming Landscape Mobile App Tutorial
2025-10-07 18:30 - 19:30
The lifeblood of Avalonia has always been the passion and commitment of its volunteers! This is no more evident than in the realm of stewardship where we rely on volunteers to assist in maintaining trails, monitoring properties, and to engage in a variety of conservation projects.
Scan QR code to register
Avalonia’s volunteers have more than met the call by embracing the use of Landscape land conservation software and its accompanying mobile app. We began our transition to this program nearly two years ago and since then we’ve held numerous formal and informal training sessions. Since May of this year, we have dedicated the first Tuesday of each month for virtual tutorials and trouble shooting sessions for existing Landscape users.
Our “critical mass” of volunteers using the Landscape mobile app has certainly grown, with nearly 60 active users, but we are looking, this coming October 7 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, to engage with first time users in a virtual training session. Prerequisites are few …access to a computer, use of a smart phone, a one hour attention span, and the desire to apply what you learn one one or more of our beautiful preserves.
Register here so that a user profile can be developed for you and so that any necessary information can be funneled your way in advance of October 7th.

Upcoming Landscape Mobile App Tutorial
2025-12-02 18:30 - 19:30
The lifeblood of Avalonia has always been the passion and commitment of its volunteers! This is no more evident than in the realm of stewardship where we rely on volunteers to assist in maintaining trails, monitoring properties, and to engage in a variety of conservation projects.
Scan QR code to register
Avalonia’s volunteers have more than met the call by embracing the use of Landscape land conservation software and its accompanying mobile app. We began our transition to this program nearly two years ago and since then we’ve held numerous formal and informal training sessions. Since May of this year, we have dedicated the first Tuesday of each month for virtual tutorials and trouble shooting sessions for existing Landscape users.
Our “critical mass” of volunteers using the Landscape mobile app has certainly grown, with nearly 60 active users, but we are looking, this coming December 2 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, to engage with first time users in a virtual training session. Prerequisites are few …access to a computer, use of a smart phone, a one hour attention span, and the desire to apply what you learn one one or more of our beautiful preserves.
Register here so that a user profile can be developed for you and so that any necessary information can be funneled your way in advance of December 2th.

Fourth Annual Earth Day Expo at the Groton Public Library
2026-04-25 11:00 - 16:00 | Groton Public Library, 52 Newtown Road, Groton, CT, 06340
Avalonia is proud to be an exhibitor at this annual, family-friendly event, featuring 50+ exhibitors, community organizations, and vendors sharing resources and information on sustainable initiatives, green living, and more.

Join us for a fun-filled day of caring for our planet. This event will be held rain or shine, and additional parking will be available at Thrive 55+ Active Living Center.

Visit Fourth Annual Earth Day Expo to find out more

Wildlife Habitat Enhancement at the Hunter Brook Preserve in Norwich
2026-06-10 09:30 - 12:00 | Hunter Brook Preserve
Join Avalonia Stewardship staff, interns, and volunteers on the morning of June 10th from 9:30 -12:00 at our Hunter Brook Preserve in Norwich and be a part of our continuing efforts at enhancing wildlife habitat on this beautiful 27-acre preserve!
Work will consist of implementing recommendations associated with the recent Audubon Forest Bird Habitat Assessments, in particular the removal of the invasive plant, Japanese barberry from along the brook. Participants will receive training in invasive plant identification, best management practices, and removal techniques.
The necessary tools will be supplied for volunteer use. It is suggested that volunteers bring thick gloves, sturdy and waterproof footwear, and drinking water. If you have loppers, clippers, or digging implements feel free to bring them. Light refeshments will be provided.
Please register so that we can better plan for this no-cost event. A confirmation email will contain additional event details including specifics regarding parking. Please contact Director of Stewardship, Tobias Glaza at tglaza@avalonialc.org for more information.
This Project is supported by Audubon.
REGISTER HERE

Critter Confidential: Research Conducted on Avalonia Properties
2026-11-07 12:30 - 14:00 | Jonathan Trumbull Library, 580 Exeter Road, Lebanon, CT, 06249
Walktober is almost here!
The Last Green Valley’s fabulously successful annual series of activities starts in September, and Avalonia’s four offerings go right through the whole season! Registration is required for all Avalonia Walktober programs. (If an event is rescheduled because of weather, you’ll want to know.) Service animals only, please, at these events.
Saturday, November 7, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Join researchers Salma Huque (Master’s student, Yale School on the Environment), Peter Paton (Professor Emeritus, URI), and Evan Zocco (Ph.D. student, UConn) as they present their research on, respectively, biodiversity, Great Black-backed Gulls, and beavers.

REGISTER HERE

Accessibility Note
One accessible space in the lot near the ramp. Automated entry doors. Accessible bathrooms. Sign language interpretation and amplification may be available upon request.
For more information about the accessibility of this event, contact Avalonia at info@avalonialc.org or 860-884-8500.

About the Presenters

Salma Huque with her colleague, Jake Frame
Salma Huque
Salma is a Master of Environmental Management candidate at the Yale School on the Environment specializing in Water Resources. She is interested in watershed management, public land use, and conservation in the American West. Salma holds a BA in Economics from Reed College. Her work experience includes time as an environmental consultant in Oregon, a research assistant for the U.S. Forest Service’s Intermountain West region, and a water conservation data scientist in western Colorado. She has a background in coding and loves the challenge of communicating data-heavy analyses to the public. With a Co-Researcher, Salma completed a project on Avalonia preserves that enabled the organization to submit twenty National Diversity Database requests to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Peter Paton
A conservation biologist, Peter Paton has studied the population ecology of birds and amphibians for the past 50 years. He grew up in Colorado, and earned a B.S. in Biology from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon; a M.S. from Colorado State University, where he studied birds as an airstrike hazard in Hilo, Hawaii; and a Ph.D. from Utah State University, where he studied the breeding ecology of Snowy Plovers at the Great Salt Lake. For two years after receiving his Ph.D., he monitored birds at Denali National Park. In 1995, Peter joined the Department of National Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island, from which he recently retired. During his time at URI, he and his students studied shorebirds, wading birds, and passerines throughout southern New England. For the past 14 years, he has been studying Common and Roseate Terns on Great Gull Island, where he still is active in research and management. From 2024-2025, he and his students tracked 30 adult Great Black-backed Gulls breeding on Block Island National Wildlife Refuge (R.I.) and Avalonia’s South Dumpling Island. The results of this research improve understanding of partial migration, offshore distribution, and year-round resource use of Great Black-backed Gulls in an increasingly important segment of the species’ range.

Evan Zocco
Evan Zocco is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Connecticut. His work looks at how drones, aerial photos, and computer programs can help us better understand changes in the environment. He studies how beavers change streams, wetlands, and floodplains by building dams and holding back water. His research focuses on finding better ways to map these changes over large areas, especially in places where water may be hidden by trees, shrubs, or other wetland plants. This work can help with wetland mapping, wildlife habitat monitoring, conservation planning, and decisions about land and water management.
