Thank you for visiting our site! We appreciate your interest in open space preservation in Berlin, Connecticut and surrounding towns. For more information, call us at 860-828-4393 or send an e-mail to info@berlinlandtrust.org.
NEXT BOARD MEETING:Monday, June 2, 2008
THIS IS OUR ANNUAL MEETING WHERE WE ELECT OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Volunteer today! The Berlin Land Trust is currently looking for volunteers who are passionate about land protection. Members or friends of the land trust can volunteer in a variety of areas, including Land Stewardship, Programs Planning & Publicity, and Membership Support. Read more >>
Click on the link below to see the latest happenings at our monthly meetings
>>CELEBRATING OUR 19th YEAR! Learn who was elected to our 2007-08 Board of Directors at our 19th Annual Meeting held June 4, 2007 and also mark your calendar with 2007-08 Board of Directors Meeting Dates. Read About Us.
>>"Celebrate Earth Day by Exploring Your Planet" on April 22nd a great success! Lucky for us the rain held off on Earth Day and this program was a great success! The Berlin Land Trust and the Town of Berlin’s Conservation Commission co-hosted this free program on Saturday morning, April 22nd, attended by 32 people (see photo below), including students and teachers from the Science Clubs of Berlin, New Britain and Southington high schools. The program featured a slide presentation by Connecticut geologist Ralph Lewis, followed by an optional one-hour hike of the town’s latest open space property on Orchard Road. This program was developed by the Berlin Land Trust to help fulfill its community outreach and education objectives. As the pace of development in Connecticut increases, Berlin residents should understand the importance of open space preservation.
Ralph Lewis, geologist, led the program & hike on April 22nd
December 10, 2005: Town of Berlin Hike of New Open Space Properties - Scheer and Sierra Ranch -- Twenty-eight hikers enjoyed a guided tour of the Town of Berlin's newest open space parcels, led by Jim Mahoney of Berlin's Economic Development office. Trails through fields and woodlands will allow the public to enjoy passive recreation such as walking, nature watching and photography between Orchard and Kensington Roads near Hatchery Brook. Following the hike, participants enjoyed a reception sponsored by Achieve Financial Credit Union at the Community Room of the public library. State of CT announcement of Nov. 2005 Open Space Grants, including $450,000 for these 86 acres in Berlin.
Hikers approach upper field of Scheer property, one of Berlin's latest open space acquisitions, to which Berlin Land Trust contributed. The BLT has a 16.7% title interest in the Sierra Ranch property.
Sept 30 - Oct 1, 2005: We enjoyed great weather this year at our town's agricultural fair! Dozens of people visited the Berlin Land Trust information table at the Berlin Fair! We handed out lots of our BLT "turtle stickers," a very popular item among the younger fair-goers, as well as membership information! This annual event is a terrific venue that allows us to meet and talk with people interested in land conservation options and answer questions, as well as provide information about hiking in Berlin and surrounding towns. We also distributed many Mattabesset River Watershed Association (MRWA) brochures and river canoe guides. Congratulations to the four winners of the BLT's free drawing! Prizes included: a "Pond Watcher`s Guide to Ponds and Vernal Pools of Eastern Connecticut", a booklet "Native Shrubs for Landscaping", a Red-Tailed Hawk doll by Wild Republic® and a plus Spotted Salamander finger puppet.
June 6, 2005: At our 17th Annual Meeting, several members and the board met in an informal "open house," followed by a business meeting. Elections of the 2005-2006 board of directors and officers were held. We reviewed the past year's accomplishments and celebrated our most recent land acquisitions. The evening featured light refreshments, door prizes and a slide show of our open space properties under management.
June 4, 2005: The Berlin Land Trust celebrated National Trails Day, co-sponsored by CT Forest & Park Association, by conducting a 4-mile loop hike on Short Mountain via the trails from Timberlin Park to the Metacomet Trail and back. Ralph Lewis, retired state geologist, hiked with us and presented an excellent lesson on the geologic history of the area prior to the hike. As we hiked over the traprock ridge, Mr. Lewis pointed out examples of rock formations all along the way. The 22 participants not only enjoyed the beautiful weather and exercise, but also learned a lot, gaining an increased appreciation of our protected natural resources and the flora and fauna that depend on them!
Ralph Lewis (center), retired state geologist and the Berlin Land Trust's guest speaker and hike co-leader, center, points out geologic features to 22 hikers at the summit of Short Mountain on Trails Day 2005.
April 16, 2005: Our spring program, sponsored by the Berlin Land Trust and hosted at Hungerford Park, was a great success. For the hour during the program, admission to the park was free and we were overwhelmed to welcome over 50 adults and 40 children to enjoy a very educational and relevent program. We thank the New Britain Youth Museum at Hungerford Park who have a wonderful facility, full of exhibits and hands-on activities at 191 Farmington Ave, Kensington, CT (860-827-9064). The program featured a female American kestrel falcon, a red-tail hawk, great-horned owl, bard owl and a box turtle. One of the main threats to wildlife in CT is loss of habitat. The presenters were Mary-Beth Kaeser and Alan Nordell, owners and directors of Horizon Wings Raptor Rehabilitation in Ashford, CT.
Great horned owl, Alan Nordell, Mary-Beth Kaeser of Horizon Wings.
American kestrel falcon, a threatened species in CT.
