Going Natural: Exploring the Links Between our Gardens and the Earth, presented by Michael Nadeau of Plantscapes in Fairfield and The Backyard Stream Guide: A Guide for Streamside Landowners, presented by Paul Woodworth of the CT River Coastal Conservation District.
March, 2004 - - Several directors and one very dedicated member have volunteered to attend this year's CT Land Trust Convocation on Saturday, March 27th. We are very fortunate to have the Connecticut Land Trust Service Bureau, whose office is in nearby Middletown, arrange this annual educational and networking opportunity annually. We always come away energized with news ideas. According to the LTSB web site, currently "In Connecticut, there are 115 trusts with more than 39,000 members. Together they protect over 62,000 acres of valuable open space."
December - February, 2004 - - It's been a quiet but busy winter! Our year-end membership drive was successful and an updated list of our corporate members is on the "Who We Are" page of this website. Thanks to all members for your continued support! Our board of directors has met throughout winter to develop stewardship plans for recently acquired properties and long range goals as we enter our 17th year. We have begun a thorough review of the Land Trust Standards & Practices after which the board will adopt these model best practices for land trusts throughout the U.S.
November, 2003 - - Six Berlin Land Trust (BLT) members participated in a 2-mile hike on Nov. 9 and were rewarded with a clear view westward of Berlin from Lamentation Mountain's ridge. The 12.5 Shepard-Cancellarini Preserve is located in Middletown on the eastern slope. Participants watched as director and land steward Doug McKain recorded GPS coordinates of pins and stone heaps along the northern boundary of the preserve. The wooded parcel is one of many parcels the Land Trust protects in Berlin and surrounding towns. The BLT currently protects more than 64 acres on the mountain.
September, 2003 - - After a busy summer, which included reviewing potential conservation opportunities in town of the Berlin, the Land Trust board voted to accept a new donation of pristine, fifteen wooded acres in the southwest corner of New Britain. We are very glad to offer protection of this acreage especially since it is part of one the last remaining farm sites in New Britain.
June 3, 2003 - - At our spring program, our guest speaker was Margery Winters of the Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, who presented a very informative and entertaining program called Lawns: Going, Going, Gone! She discussed America's obsession with lawns, especially in New England. After explaining the impact of large, lush lawns on water quality and the environment (including beneficial insects), she presented many practical, inexpensive and easy alternatives. If you missed this program, we plan to ask Margery to back during our 2003-2004 program year.
June 2, 2003 - - The 15th Annual Meeting of the Berlin Land Trust featured the election of the 2003-2004 Board of Directors and Officers. On the agenda of the regular board meeting was an information exchange with the listing agent for the realtor representing the sale of 90+ acres in Berlin, which was the former Lower Lane Dairy pastureland. The land is actually two parcels located between Lower Lane and Four Rod Road. Land Trust board meetings may be called during the summer to continue actions/discussions, as needed.
May 2003 - - Several guests attended a special meeting of the Land Trust board held May 27th, in support of a recent proposal submitted at the town's May 22nd Planning & Zoning public hearing on the Plan of Conservation & Development. The proposal was to support the preservation of the former Lower Lane Dairy pastureland in Berlin as a open space park for passive recreation. This land is currently for sale. It is 90+ acres of meadow, woodland and wetlands in the center of town, just south of Farmington Avenue. Support at this meeting was unanimous and consensus was to obtain more information from the listing agent. Also in May, the Land Trust hosted a table at Berlin Upbeat's annual town-wide picnic during the evening of May 28th to answer questions and distribute free materials. Fortunately, the threatening rain clouds held off!
April 26, 2003 - - The Berlin Land Trust's annual "Spring Property Clean-up" was rained out Saturday, however we gratefully thank a couple of hardy volunteers managed to clean up the Hayes Preserve on Worthington Ridge Extension and the 3-acre Francis C. Kowalczyk and Emily D. Chotkowski Park on Orchard Road on Friday and Sunday. Thank you to Berlin's Public Works department for picking up several bags of roadside trash!
March, 2003 - - Because continuing education and networking is very important to our land conservation work, for the past 10 years BLT board members have attended the Convocation of Connecticut Land Trusts. On March 29th, four of our directors and one BLT member interested in trail construction and use attended the 20th Annual Convocation held at the Northeast Utilities headquarters in Berlin. We were able to cover all the sessions and brought back ideas shared by session leaders and directors from other CT land trusts. Morning topics included: Basic Legalities of Advocacy, Financial and Legal Responsibilities of Board Members, Trail Design and Construction, Memebership and Annual Appeals. Afternoon topics included: How to Successfully Advocate for Land Conservation at the Local Level, Proactive Planning for Land Acquisition, Trail Use, Finding Funding for Land Trust Growth.
February, 2003 - - Our "Nature in Winter" educational display in the library's entryway display case at the Berlin-Peck Memorial Library was described in Feb. 19th edition of The Berlin Citizen. Hope you had a chance to view it and learn about identifying trees and animal tracks in winter. Reference books on this and other nature topics for adults and children are available for loan from the library.
January, 2003 - - We are growing! The BLT recently received title to two new parcels: a 10 acre parcel on Lamentation Mountain and almost one acre in a remote, forested area on Ragged Mountain. Also, we've begun working on a joint project with the Conservation Commission to create a new Open Space brochure for Berlin.
December, 2002 - - In December, the Land Trust was excited to receive offers of two separate, small parcels of land.
November 13, 2002 - - Our fall evening program on "Preservation Options for Connecticut's Farmland" was a big success! About 30 people attended to listen to speaker Cameron Weimar, coordinator of the Connecticut Farmland Trust, present an overview of how the newly-formed Trust is set up to assist with preservation techniques to maintain working farms. Several area farmers attended. The program was held at the Berlin-Peck Memorial Library. Land Trust members, other area Land Trusts, as well as members of Berlin's town council and commissions had been invited. Learn more about Connecticut Farmland Trust.
October 4-6, 2002 - - The Land Trust shared a booth at the Berlin Fair with the Mattabesset River Watershed Association. The volunteers who staffed the booth had a lot of fun introducing the young fairgoers to "Rocky," a 4-year-old painted turtle loaned to us by the New Britain Youth Museum at Hungerford Park. We spoke with many people and handed out lots of educational information.
June 4th, 2002 - - The Berlin Land Trust's 14th Annual Meeting and Open House was held Monday, June 3rd. After a short business meeting and slide show of BLT parcels, our featured speaker, Jon Scull, Geographic Information Coordinator at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's Environmental and Geographic Information Center (EGIC) presented a very informative topic, "DEP's Role in Supporting Geographic Information System (GIS) Mapping at the Local Level." (See story on page 8 of June 12th edition of The Berlin Citizen.) To read more about GIS, go to what is gis on this Web site: www.gis.com.
February 23, 2002 - - Stewardship work on the Hayes Preserve was completed this week. Several large boulders (19 in all), which were generously donated by Tilcon Connecticut in New Britain, were placed along the property on Worthington Ridge. The Town of Berlin's Public Works Department provided invaluable help by hauling the boulders to site and arranging them along the road. These barriers will prevent vehicles from eroding the 100-foot frontage of the preserve. This spring, Trust stewards will add new native plantings to help beautify the roadside. Thanks again to Tilcon and the Town of Berlin for your support of open space preservation! (New photos of the Hayes Preserve area will be posted on this Web site in March.)
Jan. 9, 2002 - - Thanks all who supported our year-end fund-raising appeal! We are pleased to report an additional $985 was raised and deposited to the BLT Land Acquisition Fund.
Nov. 11, 2001 - - Several members met to begin posting boundary markers on our largest parcel, the Long Acres Preserve on Lamentation Mountain.
Oct. 30, 2001 - - Great news! Thanks to our first BLT vice-president, Pete Desorcy, for donating a Personal Computer and a printer-scanner-copier to the Trust! We now have a true Land Trust "office" set up and humming!
Oct. 5-7, 2001 - - The BLT Publicity Committee jointly sponsored a booth at the Berlin Fair with Mattabesset River Watershed Association. Information about both groups was on display and our painted turtle (on loan from Hungerford Nature Center) was a hit with the kids!
June 26, 2001 - - The BLT Stewardship Committee posted a new sign at the Hayes Preserve on Worthington Ridge, east of the Berlin Turnpike. Drive by to check it out!
April 4, 2001 - - Nutmeg TV, Community Television cable channel, aired a 30 minute video of our November Open Space presentation, featuring guest speaker Elisabeth Moore, Trust for Public Land. If you missed the presentation and would like to learn more about this topic, the BLT has made a 45-minute videotape available for loan at the Berlin-Peck Memorial Library. An unedited version (1.25 hours) is also available for loan from the Land Trust.
December 28, 2000 - - An article in The Hartford Courant acknowledged the BLT's role in preserving a kettle hole, a geological feature created by a glacier, near new residential development on Toll Gate Road.
November 24, 2000 - - The Land Trust erected a sign marking the 10-acre Shepard-Cancellarini Preserve on Lamentation Mountain. (See photo above.)
November 16, 2000 - - The Land Trust sponsored an open space convocation entitled "Preserving Berlins Character and Economic Well-Being through Open Space Protection." This event was well attended with over 45 citizens, including Berlin's mayor, town council members, town manager and members of several town commissions were in attendance. Elisabeth Moore of The Trust for Public Land was our speaker.
November 12, 2000 - - Our Stewardship committee posted boundary markers on the Shepard-Cancellarini Preserve on the eastern slope of Lamentation Mountain. 
