Annual Meeting Well Attended
The Annual Meeting on January 15 at the Grange was well attended. New directors were elected, Certificates of Appreciation were given, and Parker Lord discussed his canoe trip the length of the CT River. Click Here for an article about the meeting in East Haddam Today (HTNP.com) and a picture of the Board Members. Also, visit our Member Networking Site for the Photo Album and a blog with more details about the meeting. Find out why Anita Ballek is so happy!
Monthly Hikes; New Year's Day Hike in "Reminder News"
The EHLT President's Annual New Year's Day Hike (held this year at Babcock Pond Wildlife Management Area) was featured on the front page of a recent "Reminder News." Click Here for a link to the article. Photos by Kevin Hotary of the Reminder News have been posted on the Member Networking site.
Starting September 27th, we began a monthly hike (September through June) on the last Sunday of the month. The hikes start at 1:00 PM and will last about two hours. They will explore open space properties in East Haddam and the neighboring towns. As time and location allow, there may be brief discussions on the history, geology, flora and fauna of the area. See the Events Calendar for details each month and watch for an email announcement.
Here's the Group Photo from the October 25 hike at Hartman Park in Lyme; see our Member Network for more pictures, a video, and a discussion of the hike.
Work Parties THIRD Saturdays-Sept. to June
Mark your calendars every third Saturday (revised dates due to conflicts) through June for the monthly work party, 9 am-Noon. It's a great way to work together, improving or maintaining our preserves, while getting a bit of exercise and having fun! See calendar for details each month. Click here for an article in the Reminder about a Hammond Mill work day. Here's a group shot taken at the October 17 work party at Ballahack. See our Member Network page for more photos.
We Need Your Help
We are currently working with land owners to protect close to 150 acres of land on the Moodus River in the north to the Eightmile River in the south. To do this crucial work, we need your financial support. Our annual membership drive is the primary method of raising the necessary funds to purchase, protect and steward the lands of the trust. Read more about our efforts in the Newsletter or Click Here to donate or pay your membership dues.
News
News is kept on the Web site for several weeks and then transferred to our Member Network as a blog posting.
Peter Marteka's December 11 column "Old Mills and Rivers Are Now Time Machines" featured the Hammond Mill and Bernstein Preserves. Click Here for a link to the article and pictures. His February 20 column "Breathtaking Waterfalls in Sheepskin Hollow" described his walk through that Preserve. Click Here for a link to his article and a video of the walk.
Click here for news about the RiverSmart program.
New and Past Events
East Haddam Land Trust and other town events are added frequently to the Events Calendar page; check this page often. There is also a link to printable, month-at-glance calendars that list local events for the applicable month.
Past events (photos and videos) are recorded in greater detail on our Member Network pages.
Preserve Photo Albums
We are compiling photo albums for each of our Preserves on our Member Network. While enjoying your hike or helping our stewards maintain the properties, take some time to capture the essence of your experience and email the Web Administrator your photos or just post them on the Network in the appropriate album (or create a new album). Please include a brief description (what preserve, what vista or view, etc.), and the date or month taken.
East Haddam Land Trust, Inc. Mission
East Haddam Land Trust was incorporated in Connecticut in 1979 as a local, private, all-volunteer, non-profit, tax-exempt land conservation organization. Its purpose is to preserve and hold in trust, for the people, the natural resources of the town of East Haddam. This includes woodlands, fields, lakes, rivers, open spaces, and the plant and animal life thereon. The Trust currently owns 230 acres of land and holds 113 acres of easements on its preserves, many of which have marked hiking trails open to the public.
Our goal is to acquire natural areas and conservation easements through donations and purchases, so the town of East Haddam can preserve its natural resources. In addition, the Land Trust seeks to foster understanding and enjoyment of natural areas by sponsoring hikes, canoe trips, wildlife programs, and other activities in our preserves and other natural areas. Although many of the natural areas tend to be land, the Trust also focuses on protecting other resources, such as Eightmile River, Roaring Brook, Moodus River, Chapman Pond, Salmon River, Salmon Cove, and Succor Brook.