Recording: 2021 Annual Meeting

NCLC held its Annual Meeting on Saturday, November 20.  Missed the meeting? We’ve posted a recording so you can learn how NCLC uses the latest science to prioritize our conservation acquisitions, moving rapidly to protect new lands now, and taking bold, local action to address the challenges of global climate change.

September News – Common Ground, New Video, Family Hikes For You

In this month’s newsletter, I am pleased to share a new video with stories about the public benefits of conservation. In addition, NCLC has several upcoming events that you can read about below. Of particular note, NCLC is honored to co-present this month’s Common Ground with Jane Whitney. The episode, Climate Change: Sunrise or Sunset? features an expert panel of speakers, including John Kerry and Bill McKibbin. I hope you will join us in attendance.
Lastly, I am happy to share a 10-minute member survey. This year NCLC is undertaking strategic planning, and your feedback is essential to that process. Your responses will help inform and guide our conservation programs in the upcoming years. Click to continue reading.

Watch Our Video: Stories from the Land

Notes from the Field: Summer Interns Report on Their First Month

This summer NCLC has two interns for our ongoing partnership intern program.  We welcome Chris Arrotti, a 2020 UConn graduate who is headed for graduate school this fall, and Tim Strzepa, a rising senior studying environmental science at Saint Michael’s College.  Chris and Tim are trained and supervised by NCLC staff and gain first-hand experience with the many tools of land conservation. They are doing a terrific job and you can read more here.

Watch Online: Dr. Lucianne Lavin on Connecticut’s Indigenous Peoples and the Natural World

Did you know that New England was not a “wilderness”, as described by the early English settlers, but a built and managed landscape? Dr. Lucianne Lavin, director of research and collections at the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington, gave a presentation about Connecticut’s Indigenous Peoples and their relationship with the natural world, exploring the long, rich histories that extend back thousands of years before the arrival of settler-colonists. Dr. Lavin explains how  Indigenous Peoples have managed the physical environment to enhance plant and animal populations. Indigenous folklore and sacred stories reflect this stewardship. Click below to enjoy a recording of this talk.

Dr. Lucianne Lavin, has over 40 years of research and field experience in Northeastern archaeology and anthropology and is a founding member of the state’s Native American Heritage Advisory Council and former editor of the journal of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut for 30 years. Her award-winning book, Connecticut’s Indigenous Peoples: What Archaeology, History and Oral Traditions Teach Us about their Communities and Cultures, was recently published by Yale University Press in 2013. The book won an Award of Merit from the Connecticut League of History Organizations, won  second place in the books category in the 2014 New England Museum Association Publication Award Competition, and  was selected as a Choice Magazine “Outstanding Academic Title for 2013 in the North America Category.”

The View from Above: Aerial Monitoring Technology for Land Trusts

Did you know that accredited land trusts monitor every property they protect every year? It is an essential part of fulfilling our mission to protect land in perpetuity. One of the most exciting advancements in land stewardship is the emergence of digital aerial monitoring. This technology allows NCLC, and our partner land trusts, to be both more efficient and thorough.

We are excited to announce that the Land Trust Alliance awarded NCLC $13,800 to establish a pilot program to train our partner land trusts to use a program called  LENS for aerial monitoring, outreach to landowners, and tracking changes over time. The program is open to every land trust in NCLC’s service area, and we appreciate the partnership with HVA Greenprint Collaborative on this project.

Participating land trusts will receive unlimited use of LENS for the 2021 calendar year, plus NCLC staff support as they begin their aerial inspection programs.  If land trusts choose not to use LENS themselves, NCLC can complete their monitoring for them on a fee-for-service basis.

Earth Day Roadside Clean-Up

Earth Day Roadside Clean-Up

Join members of the Naromi Council of Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy in sprucing up the roadsides and trailheads of Sherman preserves.

Let’s continue the tradition of adopting a trailhead and section of roadside to clean.  It is a great way to celebrate Earth Day and beautify your community.  Please call (860-927-1927) or email info@ctland.org to let us know where you plan to go or let us assign you.  That way we can be sure all the preserves benefit.  Recruit a friend or family member – the job goes faster with helpers.

Large trash bags will be available at the Sherman Town Hall in the days before the 24th, or, on the 24th they can be picked up at the town hall parking lot.  Not sure you’ll be available that morning?  Do your clean-up on days before the 24th and then bring the trash to the Mallory Town Hall lower parking lot on the 24th.  The trash from town roads should be taken to the dumpster at the Mallory Town Hall lower parking lot.  But garbage along the state roads (Routes 55, 39, and 37) should be left in the trash bags on those roadsides.  The DOT will pick up those bags on April 26th.  Please wear bright clothing or ask for a vest from Town Hall so that you will be easily visible to traffic.  And remember to wear gloves; thin plastic under heavy gloves are the most protective for picking up glass, cans, and unsavory items.

Closer to the 24th Sherman residents will receive more details about other clean-up options that day for e-waste, bulky waste, scrap metal, and returnable bottles/cans (no hazardous waste that day).  Call Ruth at the Sherman First Selectman’s office – 860-355-1129 or send an email to rbyrnes@townofshermanct.org with any questions specific to those options.

Preserves in Sherman that need most clean up:

Clean-ups in other towns

Kent – Kent Conservation Commission is organizing roadside cleanup efforts from April 11 through April 25. Call the Town Clerk at 860-927-3433 if you would like to help.

Sharon – Sharon Energy and Environment Commission are meeting (from a safe distance) on Saturday, April 17 at 10:00 AM in front of the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon (masks required). They will provide routes, safety vests, latex gloves, and garbage bags but ask that if you already own a safety vest to please bring that (Rain date, April 18).

Warren – Warren Townwide Clean Up, organized by the Warren Land Trust and Warren Parks and Rec. April 24 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Meet at the Warren General Store to get garbage bags and rubber gloves.  You select the stretch of road to clean. There will be a dumpster at the Warren Town Garage for the trash collected.

 

Connecticut’s Black Bears: Recording

On March 18, 2021 NCLC welcomed CT DEEP Master Wildlife Conservationist Paul Colburn for an online presentation on black bears.  This excellent presentation is wonderful for anyone curious about how we can optimally co-exist with these animals.  Paul encourages everyone who learns something from his talks to share it with five more people.  If you see a bear, please report it to DEEP. This data helps our state’s scientists understand the bear population.

https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Report-a-Wildlife-Sighting