Avalonia Land Conservancy

Vernal Pool Adventure at Babcock Ridge - CANCELLED
2024-04-03 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Babcock Ridge, 113 Babcock Road, North Stonington, CT, United States
CANCELLED DUE TO WIND AND RAIN. NEW DATE TBD.

There’s no better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than to visit a woodland pond alive with the sights and sounds of newly awakened amphibians and invertebrates — and there’s no more exciting time to do so than at dusk when the local vernal pools are a noisy chorus of quacking wood frogs and bell-ringing spring peepers. As the skies darken, we’ll follow our ears for about a half-mile hike to the center of the Babcock Ridge Preserve where a dry hole last autumn is now a rain-soaked “wicked big puddle.”
This brimful temporary pond is a wetland nursery filled with a variety of exciting creatures. In addition to frogs, we’ll likely see marbled salamander youngsters, fairy shrimp, giant predaceous diving beetles, and the stars of the show, the exquisite yellow-spotted salamanders. We’ll use nets to collect pond residents and examine them at close range before releasing them unharmed, and if we’re especially lucky, we might also hear the booming hoots of barred owls and the peents of woodcock.
Bring a flashlight and a headlamp, wear warm clothes and waterproof boots, and don’t forget your spirit of adventure and curiosity on this family-friendly exploration of a fascinating part of the natural world.
Walk leader Bruce Fellman has been introducing people to vernal pool life for almost half-a-century. For more information, contact the leader at bruce.fellman@yale.edu or 860-599-4867.
To register for the adventure, which is free and open to the public but limited to 25 people, click on the link below. This program tends to fill up quickly, but If there’s sufficient interest, we’ll try to schedule additional walks. Note: heavy rain will postpone to Thursday, the 21st, same time, but light rain will be just perfect for bringing out the critters — and raincoat-clad naturalists.

REGISTER HERE

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Accessibility Note
Parking: Small off-street lot, packed dirt surface, no accessible space, room for 7-8 cars. Lot located at Babcock Ridge Preserve trailhead. Additional parking available along the road.
Trails: Narrow in spots, some slopes, some protrusions into pathway, occasional wet areas. Off-pathway walking through open woods to vernal pool. Sampling for organisms involves dip-netting and getting hands wet. The hike back to the parking area takes place in the dark and is illuminated by flashlights and headlamps.
Communication: This walk will be amplified and may include live sonograms that provide pictorial representation of frog and bird calls.
Avalonia Accessibility Statement: https://avalonia.org/accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-statement/
Accessibility point person: Mary Anne Sherman, 860-884-3500 or avalonialc@yahoo.com

Honoring Earth Day with a Wild Flora Walk at the Benedict Benson Preserve
2024-04-21 10:00 - 12:00 | Benedict Benson Preserve, Swantown Hill Road, North Stonington, CT, 06359, United States
Led by Avalonia naturalist Bruce Fellman, trek through the Benedict Benson Preserve to watch its uplands, centerpiece stream, and wetlands come to life with greening ferns, mosses, and wildflowers, from the rare Hepatica to the ubiquitous marsh marigolds.
REGISTER HERE

One of the critical precursors of the passage of the Clean Water Act, the landmark federal legislation whose 50 years of making a difference was celebrated in 2022, is Earth Day, the consciousness-raising holiday for the planet that began in 1970. As part of Avalonia’s ongoing tribute to the CWA, join naturalist and guide Bruce Fellman as we wade into moving waters, figuratively, if not literally, at the Benedict Benson Preserve on Sunday, April 21, shortly after Earth Day, from 10 a.m. until noon, in North Stonington to watch the refuge’s wetlands and its centerpiece stream come to life: a tribute to wise stewardship.
In keeping with our theme, we’ll pay close attention to the area around Lantern Brook, a delightful woodland stream that flows through the heart of the preserve and is wonderfully photogenic as it tumbles down a boulder field left behind by the glaciers that shaped this land. The area around the brook is paradise for botanists interested in mosses, ferns, lichens, and wildflowers, and while there are certain to be such stalwarts as Wood anemones, a number of violets, and Marsh marigolds in bloom, there’s one botanical gem known as the hepatica that we’ll scramble up a favored hillside to seek out. Hepaticas thrive in specific, rather “sweet” soil conditions unusual in our woods, but Benson has the right stuff in one area.
The Preserve features a typical Southern New England post-agricultural-abandonment upland forest dominated by oaks, beeches, birches, and hickories, many of them fully mature. Some are home to striking Pileated Woodpeckers, while others support a wide array of hardwood-forest songbirds, the most intriguing of which is the Cerulean Warbler. This stunning bird, which is listed as a Species of Special Concern in Connecticut, has been seen and heard at Benson and the surrounding area, and is one of the treasures we’ll be looking for as we walk the approximately mile and a half trail system in search of signs of spring.
The trailhead for the Benedict Benson Preserve is located at 100 Swantown Hill Road in North Stonington. A small parking area is on the West side of the road and there’s more parking on either side of Swantown. For more information and to register, visit the Events Calendar of Avalonia’s website: avalonia.org/events/ Please note: parts of the trail are pretty rugged, so while my pace is always family-friendly, the terrain, particularly our scramble up a rocky hillside in search of wildflowers, might not be suitable for small kids and the occasional elder. You’ll want to wear waterproof hiking boots, and trekking poles might be a good idea, too. Bring water and an energy bar, and, of course, binoculars and cameras. Don’t hesitate to call or email: 860-599-4867, or fellnature@sbcglobal.net.
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Accessibility Note
Avalonia Accessibility Statement: https://avalonia.org/accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-statement/
Accessibility point person: Mary Anne Sherman, 860-884-3500 or avalonialc@yahoo.com

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The featured image is by Jodi Williams taken at Benedict Benson Preserve. Jodi received an Honorable Mention in the Wildflowers category in Avalonia’s 2023 Photo Contest.

Hike a Wildlife Habitat Restoration at Leo Antonino Preserve
2024-06-01 10:00 - 12:00 | Leo Antonino Preserve, 0 Antonino Road, Groton, CT, United States
CT TRAILS DAY EVENT:
We’ll hike the Leo Antonino Preserve through forested areas, past active brooks, vernal pools, and up a bedrock ridge. There is a go-around for those who want to avoid the scramble up the ridge. We will pass next to erratics deposited by the glaciers and see how the Earth’s crust has been folded and lifted in Connecticut’s geologic history. The hike will end at the parking area if you choose not to explore the habitat restoration.
At about 11:00, we will walk a short way on the preserve from parking to an area of a multi-year project where invasives have been removed to make way for establishment of wildlife habitat. Charlie Boos, an expert in habitat restoration that emphasizes protection of existing beneficial natives and ensuring biodiversity, will be leading this portion of the event. You will see the progression from thickets of autumn olive to “bunny piles” and thriving grasses and native pollinators including a pond that was unreachable until this project. You can join this part of the event if you choose not to participate in the 10:00 hike.

Follow this link to RSVP:
RSVP HERE

A Near-Earth-Day Wildflower, Amphibian, and Early Returning Songbirds Saunter at Benedict Benson Preserve
2025-04-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Benedict Benson Preserve, Swantown Hill Road, North Stonington, CT, 06359, United States
The Benson Preserve, a typical Southern New England post-agricultural-abandonment upland forest dominated by oaks, beeches, birches, and hickories, features many mature trees, some of them home to Pileated Woodpeckers, as well as to a wide array of hardwood forest songbirds, the most intriguing of which is the Cerulean Warbler. This stunning bird, which is listed as a Species of Special Concern in Connecticut, has been seen and heard at Benson and the surrounding area, and is one of the treasures we’ll be looking for as we walk the approximately mile and a half trail system in search of signs of spring: everything from Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers to Mourning Cloak butterflies and the rare Spotted Turtles that I’ve, well, spotted here.
We’ll pay especially close attention to the area around Lantern Brook, a delightful woodland stream that flows through the heart of the preserve and is wonderfully photogenic as it tumbles down a boulder field left behind by the glaciers that shaped this land. The area around the brook is paradise for botanists interested in mosses, ferns, lichens, and wildflowers, and while there are certain to be such stalwarts as Wood Anemones, a number of violets, and Marsh Marigolds in bloom, there’s one botanical gem known as the hepatica that we’ll scramble up a favored hillside to seek out. Hepaticas thrive in specific, rather “sweet” soil conditions unusual in our woods, but Benson has the right stuff in one area. Spotting hepaticas, which are among our earliest wild blossoms, is cause for celebration—and at Benson, there’s always something special to celebrate.
Accessibility Note
Parking: Small lot off Swantown Hill Road (approximately 101 Swantown Hill Road)) at the start of the Benedict Benson main trail. Lot with packed dirt surface, no accessible space, room for 6 cars. Additional parking available along the road.
Trails: Narrow in spots, numerous slopes, some protrusions into pathway, occasional wet areas, and occasional off-trail walking. Two stream crossings over small wooden bridges with no handrails, one with fairly steep stone steps.
Communication: This walk will be amplified.

Avalonia Accessibility Statement: https://avalonia.org/accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-statement/
Accessibility point person: Mary Anne Sherman, 860-884-3500 or avalonialc@yahoo.com

Registration
Fill out my LGL Form!
