Avalonia Land Conservancy

Pachaug Pond Paddle with Avalonia Land Conservancy
2024-05-11 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Pachaug Pond, Dutka Nature Preserve, Griswold, CT, United States
Join The Last Green Valley Chief Ranger Bill Reid and Dick Conant, of the Avalonia Land Conservancy, for a springtime paddle on Pachaug Pond to Burton Island. We’ll launch on Avalonia Land Conservancy conservation land in the southern end of the pond and paddle the short distance to Burton Island, three-quarters of which is owned by Avalonia Land Conservancy.
We’ll explore the island, which has outstanding native wildflower habitat, and the shoreline of Pachaug Pond. This area is known for sightings of raptors, songbirds, and plentiful small mammals. From the pond, we may have numerous wildlife sightings along the shoreline.
This paddle is on flatwater and is easy, however, wind can make it more challenging. RSVP is required and the paddle is limited to 25 boats. You must have your own boat and PFD.
RSVP
Contact Bill Reid to RSVP or for information at Bill@tlgv.org or call (860) 774-3300. Details about parking and possible car shuttling to the launch area will be provided upon registration.

Earthfest CT 2024
2024-05-18 11:00 - 15:00 | McCook Park, Niantic, CT, 06357, United States
The community comes together for an expressive celebration featuring environmental organizations (like us!), live animal exhibits, fun food vendors, and musical guests at McCook Point Park.
Come visit and say hello. We’ll have lots of info to share and a fun activity for the kids!
Visit www.earthdayeverydayct.org for more info.

Introduction to Stewardship at our Newest Preserve, Glemboski-Ous in Bozrah and Montville
2024-05-26 09:00 - 12:00 | Glemboski-Ous Preserve, South Road, Bozrah, United States
Memorial Day weekend isn’t complete without an opportunity to stretch your legs and to enjoy the onset of late Spring/early Summer in the woods!
We would like to invite you to join us from 9-12 Sunday, May 26th at the nearly 160 acre Glemboski-Ous Preserve to learn more about how Avalonia, with the help of community stewards, manages its preserves.
As we hike the old logging roads, cross over the wending Trading Cove Brook, and pass through the rocky ledges and outcrops, Avalonia Board of Directors president, Dennis Main, along with Director of Stewardship, Tobias Glaza will share with you how we plan to steward the property. Discussions will include the ways in which we engage with volunteers to keep trails open and safe as well as the basics of preserve monitoring, boundary posting, methods for maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat, and other aspects of land management. Along the way, there will be plenty of opportunity to do some light trail maintenance as we walk and talk.
Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, sturdy footwear, drinking water, and bug spray. If you have loppers or clippers feel free to bring them. Please register here so that we can better plan for this 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.

REGISTER HERE

GO (Get Outdoors) Groton
2024-05-30 17:30 - 19:30 | Groton Community Center, 61 Fort Hill Road, Groton, 06340, United States
Join Avalonia as we participate in an informational session about GO GROTON, dedicated to increasing access to nature for ALL kids. Bring the kids for a special species talk from our friends at Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center.

An Exploration for the Birds at Tri-town Ridgeline Forest Preserve
2024-06-01 10:00 - 12:00 | TriTown Forest Preserve, 91 Miller Road, North Stonington, CT, United States
As part of National Trails Day, join Avalonia naturalist Bruce Fellman for a walk along the woodland trails of Tri-town Ridgeline Forest Preserve as we look and listen for a wide variety of avian delights in full courtship.
The Avalonia Land Conservancy’s TriTown Ridgeline Forest Preserve is a 500-plus-acre treasure trove of natural and human history, and the rugged woodland is at its most enticing in the late spring, when the abundant wildflowers, ferns, and mosses are opening, and migrating and resident birds are wearing their courtship best and singing their hearts out. We’ll walk slowly and deliberately to take in the flora and fauna, and we’ll spend our time learning how to identify what we encounter. Of special interest: our veteran American Sign Language interpreter Joy Valenti and naturalist Bruce Fellman will use techniques to make birdsong accessible to all, including members of the hard-of-hearing/deaf community, by converting sounds into pictures called sonograms.

REGISTER HERE

It would be ideal if all participants could, in advance, download the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Merlin birdfinding app to their phones. Here’s the link: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
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Accessibility Note
Parking: Off-street rutted, packed-dirt lot with some rocks. Room for about eight cars. Trailhead located at lot. Additional parking alongside the road.
Trail: Grassy entry trail about six feet wide, relatively level, but pocked with rocks. Secondary trail varies in width and slope, with many rocky sections and occasional steep uphills and descents.

Communication Access: This walk will be amplified and sign language-interpreted.

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 Elise Torello taken at Tri-town Ridgeline Forest Preserve.

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

Trail-Clearing Work Party at Glemboski-Ous
2024-06-09 09:00 - 12:00 | Glemboski-Ous Preserve, South Road, Bozrah, United States
Join Avalonia’s Northern town committee at our newest preserve, Glemboski-Ous, in Bozrah on Sunday, June 9 to help us clear some of the trails. As a follow-up to the Introduction to Stewardship event on May 26, we will again be walking the primary farm/’logging’ roads and clearing the lower safety, emergency, and maintenance access route roughly parallel to the East Branch of the Trading Cove Brook to the point of the brook crossing.

If time, energy, and strong constitutions allow, we will continue on to the Eversource transmission lines corridor, with the eventual goal of reaching the secondary South Road maintenance easement access point.
Please bring gloves, sturdy footwear, drinking water, and bug spray. If you have loppers and clippers, feel free to bring them. Extra tools will be available on site. No experience necessary. We will meet at 9:00 am and try to accomplish as much as possible until noon.

REGISTER HERE

Wequetequock Cove Clean Water Coalition Festival
2024-07-14 10:00 - 14:00 | CT
Avalonia will join other organizations and core communities on Sunday July 14 for the Wequetequock Cove Clean Water Coalition (WCCWC) Festival!
Funded in part through a grant from the Long Island Sound Stewardship Fund, this free festival is designed to engage the local community, recruit members for the WCCWC, and provide education about the watershed. Avalonia has a number of preserves and conservation easements within the watershed and is committed to the coalition’s efforts to enhance the quality of drinking water and recreational and ecological values within the Anguilla Brook/Inner Wequetequock Cove watershed.
This promises to be an educational, fun-filled, family-friendly experience, with music, food, and drink as well as an optional post-festival paddle in the outer Cove.
DETAILS:
Date: July 14, 2024
Time: 10 AM – 2 PM (Optional paddle: 3 PM – 5 PM)

Location:

Landside: The Hounds
769 Stonington Rd
Stonington, CT 06378
Paddle Launch Site: Barn Island boat launch

Secondary Launch Site: Stonington Marina (for equipment rental and non-paddlers)
Entry: Free to outdoor exhibits

Hope to see you there!

Phish and the Waterwheel Foundation to Clear Trails at Glemboski-Ous Preserve
2024-07-24 10:00 - 12:00 | Glemboski-Ous Preserve, South Road, Bozrah, United States
The Waterwheel Foundation is kicking off a new round of hands-on volunteer opportunities at certain Phish Summer Tour stops — and Avalonia made the list!
Join us on Wednesday, July 24 from 10 am – 12 pm at Glemboski-Ous Preserve in Uncasville where we’ll be clearing trails. Avalonia’s leadership team will be there to guide the work and coordinate teams.
REGISTER HERE

Phish will be performing at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville, CT on July 23 and July 24, 2024.
The Waterwheel Foundation was created by Phish in 1997 to oversee the band’s various charitable activities and has been harnessing the kindness of the Phish fan community to creative positive change for over 25 years. Phish will be playing
For more information, visit waterwheelfoundation.org

Knotweed Management at Shunock River Complex
2024-07-31 09:00 - 12:00 | CT
Please join Avalonia stewardship staff, intern, and volunteers at the Parke Memorial Preserve, in North Stonington, on Wednesday July 31 at 9:00 to help manage an infestation of Japanese Knotweed. We have been following the Nix the Knotweed management protocols at this preserve and it is time for the second cutting of Japanese knotweed for the year ( I know, we are a bit behind schedule)! We plan to meet at the parking lot across from the North Stonington Town Hall (40 Main Street). Depending on the number of participants, we’ll either walk or carpool (less than a 1/4 of a mile) to the Parke Memorial Preserve, one of several that Avalonia stewards along the Shunock River. The parking area at the preserve can only safely accommodate 2 vehicles. There is a fairly steep decline from the trailhead to the work site, but it is otherwise close to and visible from the road.
We hope to spend several hours cutting this hollow stemmed invasive at its base and piling the cut stalks for drying and later removal.
Gloves, sturdy footwear, bug repellent, and drinking water are recommended. While tools will be provided for your use, feel free to bring your own set of clippers, loppers, or serrated knife to cut the hollow stems of the knotweed. If you have an old tarp or sheet of plastic that you would be willing to donate to the cause, please bring it along!
To learn more about this noxious weed and various management and disposal practices, visit the Avalonia Stewardship page. Contact tglaza@avalonialc.org for more detail.
We will begin at 9:00 and work as long as spirits remain high, and as weather allows (rain date of August 7). Work at your own pace and stay as long as you wish. Although registration is not required, please consider sending me an email to express your interest in attending ( for planning purposes).
Hope to see you on Wednesday!

Short Notice Stewardship Opportunity- Japanese Barberry Removal at Avalonia’s Pine Swamp Wildlife Corridor in Ledyard
2024-08-31 09:00 - 11:00 | CT
You are invited to join us this Saturday August 31 from 9-11am as we work to manage a Japanese barberry infestation at our Pine Swamp Wildlife Corridor. Many hands will make light work and together it is expected that we will make significant progress in controlling this invasive plant species. Plans are to hand pull and dig out the barberry. If we make short work of it, there’s always some wisteria to cut! Poison ivy shouldn’t be an issue in this particular area, and the bugs seem to be very mild of late.
We will meet at the end of Merry Lane in Ledyard and walk in 1/10-mile counter-clockwise on the blue trail. Bring a shovel & loppers. Long sleeves, sturdy footwear, good gloves, and drinking water encouraged. Work at your own at your pace and stay as long as you wish. Although registration is not required, please consider sending an email to Director of Stewardship (tglaza@avalonialc.org) express your interest in attending ( for planning purposes).
Hope to see you on Saturday!

Cooper Preserve Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting
2024-09-07 10:00 | Cooper Preserve, 41 Hewitt Road, North Stonington, CT, 06359, United States
Join us for the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Cooper Preserve! There will be a dedication, remarks, and refreshments!
Date: Saturday, September 7
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: 41 Hewitt Rd. N. Stonington
Parking: Park across the street in the Hewitt Farm parking lot (the road is gravel)

Guided Walk at Wequetequock Cove Preserve
2024-09-08 13:00 - 15:00 | Wequetequock Cove Preserve, Located between Palmer Neck Road and Wequeteqock Cove, Stonington, United States
Led by Lydia Pan of CT Wild Ones and Beth Sullivan from Avalonia, this is a guided walk at Wequetequock Cove Preserve in Stonington. We will look at the cove side preserve, note vegetation, changes in response to sea level rise as well as impacts by invasives. We will discuss the importance of coastal habitats for the migration of insects and birds, Anguilla Brook/Wequetequock Cove watershed protection, and Avalonia’s management plan for the property. This guided walk is sponsored in part by the Eastern Connecticut Conservation District (ECCD) and the Wequetequock Cove Clean Water Coalition.
Sunday, September 8
1 – 3 pm
Rain date if absolutely needed on Sept 22 at the same time.
REGISTER HERE
NOTES:
Tick/mosquito prevention spray and sunscreen are important.
There is no shade.
Please BYO water.
Park with care along the roadside.
Closed-toe shoes are recommended.
No dogs are allowed due to nesting animals, birds, and habitats.

Stewardship and Trail walk at the Glemboski-Ous Preserve in Bozrah and Montville
2024-09-15 09:00 - 12:00 | Glemboski-Ous Preserve, South Road, Bozrah, United States
…an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful post-Labor Day autumnal weather…
We would like to invite you to join us from 9-12 Sunday, September 15th at the nearly 160 acre Glemboski-Ous Preserve to assist Avalonia’s stewardship team in posting our preserve boundaries, light trail maintenance, and blazing/marking our existing trail system.
As we traverse the old logging roads, cross and, in some cases, follow the wending Trading Cove Brook, and pass through rocky ledges and outcrops, there will be plenty of time to enjoy, not just the work and comradery, but also the splendor of this beautiful preserve. No experience is required and there will be opportunities to learn about the basics of preserve monitoring, boundary posting, methods for maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat, and other aspects of preserve stewardship.

Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, sturdy footwear, drinking water, and bug spray. If you have loppers or clippers feel free to bring them. 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.
REGISTER HERE

Help to Build Screech-Owl Nesting Boxes
2024-09-16 18:00 - 19:30 | First Congregational Church, Norwich , CT, 81 East Town Street, Norwich, CT, 06360, United States
As part of a Girl Scout Gold Award Project, you are invited you to join in with other members of the community to assist in building a total of 20 screech-owl nesting boxes. The event will take place on the evening of September 16 from 6:00-7:30 at the First Congregational Church in Norwich and has been planned and organized by the prospective Gold Award recipient. If needed there will be a second day of building on September 30th (more details to follow) All are welcome!
The Eastern Screech-Owl is thought to be a species in gradual decline in the region. These boxes will serve as enhancements to their natural habitat and provide a safe and secure nesting area for these small owls. Our stewardship team has identified a number of suitable locations across Avalonia Preserves where these boxes will eventually be installed. Please REGISTER HERE for this free event!
-This project is funded in part by a grant from the Connecticut Ornithological Society.

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Water Fest 2024!!
2024-09-21 07:30 - 15:00 | CT
Sponsored by the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed, Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, and the Lantern Hill Valley Alliance, come immerse yourself in issues of Community, Collaboration, Water, and Watershed Protection!

7:30-9 For early-bird hikers! Choose easy or rugged hikes on Lantern Hill
​9:30-4 Waterfest 24, at 72a Long Pond Road (the area between Homestead and Long Pond roads)
​9:15, 11:45, 1:45 Boat-cleaning demos: With hydrilla threatening in nearby lakes, it is important for everyone to observe best practices when moving a boat (even a kayak) from place to place.
​10 Yootây Singers honor the water who gives us life
11 Conversation Circle : Rahiem Eleazer, Tobias Glaza, Ed Lamoreaux, Maggie Favretti, Brenda Geer lead a discussion about how to collaborate across local cultural boundaries.
12 and 2 Guided Paddles to see where the fishway to bring river herring home will go
1pm Conversation Circle : Pollution Solutions and How to Make a Difference

​All Day: Swimming and Paddling
Fun Learning Activities and opportunities to share your knowledge and hear from local experts about how to care for the water and keep each other safe.
Participate in building our huge relationship map that shows how among all of us we know everyone!
Take part in the Mashantucket Pequot Museum’s Harvest Moon Market, only four minutes away! (11-3)
Details and Registration by visiting the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed homepage or by clicking here.

(CANCELED BOTH DAYS) Stewardship Work Party at Alden Fish Family Preserve
2024-09-21 09:00 - 12:00 | Alden Fish Family Preserve, 0 Sandy Hollow Rd., Groton, 06340, United States
Join us Saturday morning, September 21 at 9:00 a.m. (rain date 9/22) at Avalonia’s new Alden Fish Family Preserve in Groton and be a part of our efforts at managing this 42 acre preserve.

This event will focus on clearing the invasive Japanese Knotweed along Sandy Hollow Rd.
Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, sturdy footwear, drinking water, and bug spray. If you have loppers or clippers feel free to bring them. 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.
REGISTER HERE

Celebration of the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council Community Grant Program
2024-09-22 12:00 - 15:00 | Grey Sail Brewing, 63 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
Green Fall River at Yannatos Preserve
The Wood-Pawcatuck Wild & Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council is hosting an event at Grey Sail Brewing in Westerly, RI on September 22, 2024 from 11:00 – 3:00 to celebrate their Community Grants Program, their partners in conservation, and the various projects funded over the last year.
Avalonia will host an informational table with a poster presentation highlighting recent access and ecological enhancements at the Yannatos Preserve in North Stonington. All are welcome to join in the festivities.
Grey Sail will have wood fired pizza and beverages (including non-alcoholic) available for purchase. Complementary water and cups will be provided.

Stewardship and Trail Walk at Pike Marshall Preserve in Ledyard
2024-09-29 09:00 - 12:00 | Burton Property, Burton Property, Ledyard, CT, 06339, United States
Please join us Sunday morning, September 29 from 9:00 -12:00 at Avalonia’s Pike Marshall Preserve in Ledyard as we continue our efforts at managing this beautiful 272-acre property!
Moss covered stones at Pike Marshall
In June of last year, The Nature Conservancy transferred ownership of Pike Marshall Preserve to Avalonia and we, along with our various partners, are excited to initiate the next stages of preserve management. This particular event, sponsored in collaboration with Mike Marelli and the Ledyard Conservation Commission, will focus on light maintenance of portions of the existing trail network. This will have the combined effect of enhancing passive recreation opportunities, emergency access, and convenient passage to the interior of the preserve for stewardship activity. Whether you are new to Avalonia or a longtime volunteer this will be chance to get acquainted with (or reacquainted with) some of the basics of preserve stewardship in an informal and friendly setting.
Participants will meet at the Burton Property to the rear of Ledyard High School and the walk and trail work will go from there through the town owned Burton property to Avalonia’s Pike Marshall Preserve, focusing on clearing the causeway trail. Consider also setting aside time to hike the other trails and explore the diversity of habitats, from forest, to riparian, and to ridge lines.
Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, sturdy footwear, drinking water, and bug spray. If you have loppers or clippers feel free to bring them. 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.
REGISTER HERE

Stewardship Work Party at Leo Antonino Preserve
2024-10-05 09:00 - 12:00 | Leo Antonino Preserve, 0 Antonino Road, Groton, CT, United States
Join us Saturday morning, October 5 at 9:00 a.m. at Avalonia’s Leo Antonino Preserve as we continue to manage this hidden gem tucked behind the Gold Star Office Park on Route 184. Rain date is Sunday, October 6.
Leo Antonino Preserve Kiosk
We will be removing a Japanese Barberry infestation near the entrance.
Although the Leo Antonino Preserve is in a commercial area, it is a valuable connector between privately and publicly owned open space and drains into the Groton Reservoir. It was donated to Avalonia by Leo Antonino in 2018.
Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, sturdy footwear, drinking water, and bug spray. If you have loppers or clippers feel free to bring them. 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.
REGISTER HERE

Stewardship and Trail Walk at the Hunter Brook Preserve in Norwich
2024-10-13 09:00 - 12:00 | CT
Join us Sunday morning, October 13th from 9:00 -12:00 at Avalonia’s Hunter Brook Preserve in Norwich and be a part of our efforts at managing this beautiful 27-acre preserve!
Whether you are new to Avalonia or a longtime volunteer this will be chance to get acquainted with (or reacquainted with) some of the basics of preserve stewardship in an informal and friendly setting. This particular event will focus on invasive plant identification and removal, light trail maintenance, and trail blazing/marking.

Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, sturdy footwear, drinking water, and bug spray. If you have loppers or clippers feel free to bring them. 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.
REGISTER HERE

Short Notice Stewardship Event at Barrett Preserve in Ledyard
2024-10-26 09:00 - 23:00 | CT
Please join us Saturday morning, October 26th from 9:00 -11:00 at Avalonia’s Barrett Preserve in Ledyard and be a part of our efforts at managing this beautiful 70+ acre preserve!
Whether you are new to Avalonia or a longtime volunteer this will be chance to get acquainted with (or reacquainted with) some of the basics of preserve stewardship in an informal and friendly setting. This particular event will focus on the removal of black birch trees that have begun to take over clearings and sections of early emergent forest. Consider setting aside time to hike the trails and explore the diversity of habitats, from fields to forests.
Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, sturdy footwear, and drinking water. If you have loppers, clippers and or handsaws feel free to bring them. Due to the short notice nature of this event, there is no registration. On street parking is available at Mt. Vernon Dr. or in the field at 904 Long Cove Rd. Please contact Director of Stewardship, Tobias Glaza at tglaza@avalonialc.org for more information.

Stewardship and Trail Walk at the Glemboski-Ous Preserve in Bozrah and Montville
2024-10-27 09:00 - 12:00 | Glemboski-Ous Preserve, South Road, Bozrah, United States
We would like to invite you to join us from 9-12 Sunday, October 27th at the nearly 160 acre Glemboski-Ous Preserve to assist Avalonia’s stewardship team in light maintenance of an existing trail system.
As we traverse the old logging roads, cross and, in some cases, follow the wending Trading Cove Brook, and pass through rocky ledges and outcrops, there will be plenty of time to enjoy, not just the work and comradery, but also the splendor of this beautiful preserve. If time permits we may cross into the adjacent 343-acre Milo Light Preserve managed by the Nature Conservancy

No experience is required and there will be opportunities to learn about the basics of preserve monitoring, methods for maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat, and other aspects of preserve stewardship.
Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, sturdy footwear, and drinking water. If you have loppers or clippers feel free to bring them. 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.
REGISTER HERE

Stewardship and Trail Walk at Cedar Wood Preserve in Norwich
2024-11-10 09:00 - 12:00 | Cedar Wood Preserve, 180 North Wawecus Hill Rd., Norwich, CT, 06360, United States
Join us Sunday morning, November 10th from 9:00 -12:00 at Avalonia’s Cedar Wood Preserve in Norwich and be a part of our efforts at managing this beautiful nearly 50-acre preserve!

Whether you are new to Avalonia or a longtime volunteer this will be chance to get acquainted with (or reacquainted with) some of the basics of preserve stewardship in an informal and friendly setting. This particular event will focus on invasive plant identification and removal and light trail maintenance. Consider setting aside time to hike the trails and explore the diversity of habitats, from fields to forests. Enjoy the boardwalk over the vernal pool, examine the chimney swift tower, and explore the stream-side hemlock grove.
Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, sturdy footwear, drinking water, and bug spray. If you have loppers or clippers feel free to bring them. 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.
REGISTER HERE

Stewardship and Trail Walk at Tefftweald at Birchenturn in North Stonington
2024-11-24 09:00 - 12:00 | Tefftweald at Birchenturn, 282 Grindstone Hill Road, North Stonington, CT, 06359, United States
Join us Sunday morning, November 24, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at Tefftweald at Birchenturn in North Stonington. This nearly 80-acre preserve, a former Girl Scout Camp, boasts forested uplands and wetlands, more than 2000 feet of frontage along Wyassup Brook, a woodland meadow, beaver pond, the historic Bell/York cemetery, and numerous foundations and other archaeological features.
Whether you are new to Avalonia or a longtime volunteer, this will be a chance to get acquainted with (or reacquainted with) some of the basics of preserve stewardship in an informal and friendly setting. We expect to perform trail maintenance, including refreshing some of the blazes, as well as the annual monitoring walk for the property.
Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, sturdy footwear, and drinking water. If you have loppers, clippers and or handsaws, feel free to bring them. While not required in order to participate, please consider registering here. This will help us in the planning process. A confirmation email will contain additional event details including specifics regarding parking.
Please contact the Director of Stewardship, Tobias Glaza at tglaza@avalonialc.org for more information.

Public Forum on Cedar Wood Preserve Trail Accessibility
2024-12-06 13:00 - 14:00 | Otis Library Community Room, 261 Main Street, Norwich, 06360, United States
Calling all Avalonia members and their friends!
You are encouraged to attend a public forum on the design of a highly accessible trail at Cedar Wood Preserve in Norwich. Part of Avalonia’s comprehensive accessibility initiative, this event will feature landscape architect Chad Frost of Kent+Frost, who will present his provisional design. No advance registration is required.
The trail, in the meadow portion of this 47-acre property on North Wawecus Hill Road, will be Avalonia’s first to meet the stringent requirements of the Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines. The forum, organized in conjunction with the Disabilities Network of Eastern Connecticut, will provide an opportunity for the Avalonia community and the public to offer ideas and feedback before the design is finalized. Once completed, the plan will be the centerpiece of a grant application to the State of Connecticut for the funding of trail construction.

Details:
Friday, December 6, 2024
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Otis Library Community Room
261 Main Street
Norwich, CT 06360

Otis Library is accessible to people with disabilities. Two accessible parking spaces are available in front of the building. This event will be sign language interpreted.
For more information, please contact Elanah Sherman, elanahs@gmail.com or 860-614-7200.

Avalonia Annual Meeting 2024
2024-12-08 15:00 - 17:00 | La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington, Connecticut, 06378
Join us for Avalonia’s Annual Members Meeting on Sunday, December 8 from 3 pm – 5 pm at the La Grua Center in Stonington Borough. Catch up with friends while you hear what Avalonia’s been up to, and what we have planned for 2025. Light refreshments will be served.

Unfortunately, this event is at capacity.
Please add your name to the waitlist
Email avalonialc@yahoo.com
call (860) 884-3500

Accessibility Note:
Structural: Accessible parking, entrances, and bathroom stalls.
Communication: The program will be amplified. For sign language interpretation or written material in alternative format, please submit your request by 11/27/24. For more info, contact: accessibility@avalonialc.org (860) 884-3500

Directions and Parking:
For directions and parking information, please visit the La Grua Center’s website.

Trust for Public Land (TPL) Presentation at Norwich City Hall
2025-03-03 18:30 - 19:20 | Norwich City Hall, 100 Broadway, Norwich, CT, 06360, United States
Honor Lawler, Trust for Public Land (TPL) Project Manager, will present a review of the work TPL, a frequent Avalonia collaborator, does across Connecticut, including projects in the State’s distressed municipalities.
Accessibility Note: One on-street accessible parking space, plus additional accessible parking across the street on the upper level of parking garage. Building is highly accessible to people with disabilities. For more information about accessibility, including communication access, please contact Elanah Sherman at elanahs@gmail.com or (860) 614-7200.

Vernal Pool Adventure at Babcock Ridge in North Stonington
2025-03-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Babcock Ridge, 113 Babcock Road, North Stonington, CT, United States
There’s no better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than to visit a woodland pond alive with the sounds and sights 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 a brimful temporary pond at the center of the Babcock Ridge Preserve that was a dry hole last autumn and is now 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 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.

REGISTER HERE

To register for the adventure, which is free and open to the public but limited to 25 people, click on the link above. 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 April 2nd, same time, but light rain will be just perfect for bringing out the critters—and rain-coat-clad naturalists.

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Accessibility Note
Parking: Small off-street lot, packed dirt surface, no accessible space, room for 7-8 cars. The lot is located at Babcock Ridge Preserve trailhead. Additional parking is available along the road.
Trails: Narrow in spots, some slopes, some protrusions into the pathway with 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 representations 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
Sign language interpretation request deadline: End of day on Tuesday, March 18.

Wildlife Habitat Enhancement at the Hunter Brook Preserve in Norwich
2025-03-29 09:00 - 12:00 | Hunter Brook Preserve
Please consider joining Avalonia Stewardship staff and volunteers on the morning of March 29th 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 first phase, work will consist of implementing recommendations associated with the recent Audubon Forest Bird Habitat Assessments, in particular the management of invasive plants, primarily Japanese barberry along the brook. This time of year cutting, pulling, and digging out these plants is considered the most effective method. This is simple and unglamorous work, but with meaningful results as it will set the stage for a later effort at planting native trees and shrubs. Participants will receive training in invasive plant identification and best management practices.
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
