Hikes, Paddles, & Wellness
At the Westerly Land Trust, we love to guide outdoor experiences for our community.
Thursday Hikes:
Click for Hikes September October 2025
Each Thursday, we have either a guided hike (fall, winter, and spring) or a guided paddle (summer). Thursday hikes and paddles are FREE for all and begin at 10am, unless otherwise stated. For these events, you will visit various local conservation properties, including some of our Westerly Land Trust preserves. Walks are between 1 ½ to 3 hours and are open to all ages with the target group being agile seniors.
Event Hikes
Event hikes are generally centered around a theme and include seasonal refreshments. These hikes are FREE for WLT members and $10 for not-yet members. Some of the more elaborate hikes are $5 for WLT members and $15 for not-yet members.
We hope you will join us for these outdoor adventures! They are great opportunities to meet new people and spend quality time outside.
Wellness in the Woods
The benefits of nature for mental and physical health are innumerable. Here at the Westerly Land trust, we are grateful to play a role in connecting our community to the great outdoors for the holistic benefit of body, mind and soul. Wellness in the Woods is a series of outdoor events that was brought on by the pandemic and the increased interest in health and use of outdoor spaces. We are now entering our third year and our wellness programs are continuing to grow. All events are run in conjunction with highly trained and certified individuals/partners such as BarreCoast, Dr. Dierdre O’Connor, Westerly Track and Athletic Club, certified local yoga teachers, and certified mindful outdoor guides. We hope you will join us as we tap into the many benefits that nature has to offer.
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The Westerly Land Trust’s Farm Dinner is a celebration of the land’s bounty and the people who grow and produce our food. We were so fortunate to connect with Julian Elfedayni-Connell and his team from @thetinpeddler and @barbarycoastct . Julian enthusiastically took on the whole menu—and what a treat it was! His business partner Mariah Pfiffner curated the wine list, and his sous chef Tabitha Soto was responsible for the grand finale, the native corn tiramisu. Julian led a group of veteran chefs who volunteered their time and services: Chris Champagne, Tom Champagne, Jennifer Gibson, Allyson Mansfield, David Miguel, and Andrew Nathan. At the dinner, Chef Julian mentioned that the Connecticut Restaurant Association is currently accepting nominations for their “CRAzies Awards”. If you are moved to do so, please follow the link in our bio to nominate Julian, his team, and his restaurants by Sunday, September 21st at midnight.
We can’t thank our partner farms and producers enough—not only for supporting the Farm Dinner, but also for feeding our community. If you’re searching for fresh local food and flowers, please visit these places: Adam’s Garden of Eden, @baffonispoultryfarm @carpentersfarmstand, Dunns Corners Market, @echo_rock_flowers @frontierfarmri , Hillandale Farm, @greysail & @southcountydistillers @simplicityfarmsri @vestabakery @watchhilloysters @wehpittituckfarm @westerbeeri and @westfarmorganics
#westerlyri #rhodeisland #landtrust #nature #hike #conservation #outside #summer #stoningtonct #farmdinner #localproduce #farmtotable #community
Welcome back, Farm Dinner! Oh, how we missed you last year. After pressing pause in 2024 to focus on protecting the Champlin Farm Preserve, we had some butterflies about bringing back this iconic event—but seeing all the smiles and feeling the sense of community reminded us of why the event is so special. Indeed, it is more than just a signature fundraiser supporting WLT’s conservation work. It is about bringing our community together to appreciate the land and Westerly’s rich culture of local food production. 🦪🌸🥗
Many thanks to the South County Tourism Council who helped make this evening possible as the 2025 Farm Dinner Presenting Sponsor. We’d also like to thank our 2025 Corporate Sponsors for supporting our conservation work year-round.
And to our guests: by reserving your seat at the Westerly Land Trust’s Farm Dinner, you are playing an important role in local land conservation. Thank you for taking action to preserve and steward these special places in Westerly, and by doing so in fabulous fashion! 💚🌱
Homeschool students learned all about the Wacky Weather in New England yesterday. We searched for clouds to identify in the sky and then created our own clouds in a jar and on paper! Students got to use real anemometers to measure wind speed and investigated the weather station we have here at Barlow Nature Preserve. 🌧️☀️⚡️
This past weekend, we hosted an Introduction to Nature Journaling workshop led by Jonah Salsich, a teacher, naturalist, and artist. We slowed down, looked closer, and connected with nature.
🌱Everyone went on their own journaling journey, some wanted to draw, others wrote, and some just observed. At the end we spread our journals out and saw how differently everyone noticed and recorded things, just like nature, full of variety and all the more beautiful for it.
📔We have two more workshops coming up!!
Workshop #1: Saturday, September 20, 9:30 am at Wahaneeta Preserve
Workshop #2: Saturday, October 4, 9:30 am at Wahaneeta Preserve
Follow the link in our bio to our Calendar of Events to sign up and learn more about the upcoming workshops! We hope to see you there!
Doesn’t it just feel like September? Days are still warm, but nights are crisp, not really summer anymore but not fully fall either. Check out our upcoming events!!⬇️
🌿Intro to Nature Journaling
Saturday, September 6, 9:30 - 11:30 am
Barlow Nature Preserve
A FREE RI Land Trust Days Event @rilandtrustcouncil
Slow down. Look closer. Connect with nature.
This is the first of a three-part Nature Journaling Series. Join us on September 20 for the second session!
🪚CCC Volunteer Season Kick-Off
Tuesday, September 9, 8:30 - 11:30 am
Barlow Nature Preserve
Interested in joining a community of WLT land stewardship volunteers? Join us as the WLT’s Coffee and Clearing Club kicks off its 2025-2026 volunteer season.
🚣Thursday Paddles and Hikes
We’ll transition back to hikes from paddles on Thursday, September 18th at Grills Preserve.
For a complete listing of Thursday paddles and hikes, visit the link in our bio or our website.
🥾WTAC Wahaneeta 5K Trail Run
Saturday, September 13, 8am
Wahaneeta Preserve
This race is the first of four in the @westerlytrackclub Fall Race Series.
🌸Echo Rock Flowers Date Night Picnic
Saturday, September 20
Barlow Nature Preserve
September’s Date Night is focused on dahlias! Bring your date (or even a good friend) and enjoy an evening among the flowers with @echo_rock_flowers
🧘♀️Fall Equinox on the Farm
Monday, September 22, 6-7pm
Winnapaug Farm Preserve
Join us for a special outdoor yoga class with Krystal Rose from @barre_coast as we celebrate the fall equinox! WLT members, contact Erika, elebling@westerlylandtrust.org for reduced price registration of $10.
🧭Trail Blazing for Girl Scouts
Sunday, September 28, 10am-12pm
Wahaneeta Preserve
This exciting, hands-on program helps Girl Scouts work towards or earn their Trail Adventure and Environmental Stewardship badges by diving deep into the world of trail reading, tree identification, and native plant knowledge.
Farm stand hours are Thursday & Friday, 3-6pm, and Saturday, 12-4pm. Please note: The Farm Stand will be closed on Saturday, September 13, as WLT will be hosting the Farm Dinner at Barlow Nature Preserve! Happy shopping!
It’s hard to believe that we are already nearing the end of summer. Just last week, we bid farewell to our summer interns: Quincy Rome, Ella Anderson (both thanks to support from Southeastern New England Educational and Charitable Foundation), and Will Wholean.
🍄🐝Quincy is a Rhode Island native who joined WLT as the Conservation Programs intern, supporting our youth education programming. Here’s his main take away from teaching Westerly’s kiddos this summer: “There is no better way to raise an environmentally conscious citizen than to expose them to nature at a young age, and prioritize fun while doing it.” Clearly Quincy gets it! Over his term, it was a pleasure to watch him grow and encourage the students to grow, too. Best of luck at Appalachian State University this fall, Quincy!
🌸🌲Ella worked with @frontierfarmri and @echo_rock_flowers as the Sustainable Farming intern. She brought with her years of experience from the (literal) field—she’s worked on her family’s Christmas tree farm since 2013. Through her internship experience, Ella learned “sustainable practices including responsible land stewardship, no tilling, in ground raised beds, the use of cover crops, watering systems, natural fertilizers, pest prevention, and more.” WLT is proud to play a role in encouraging young people to learn these sustainable methods to support the land long into the future. Wishing you a happy return to UCONN, Ella!
🥾🪚Will returned to WLT for his second summer, this time as the Land Stewardship intern. He tackled projects all over Westerly, including blazing trails at Champlin Farm Preserve, tending to the native plant garden at Barlow Nature Preserve, and constructing bridges at Avondale Farm Preserve. One of his main projects was setting up trail cameras at various properties to monitor the types of local wildlife. Stay tuned for his results, coming soon! Will, we’re cheering you on as you head back to Clark University!
Thank you for all your hard work this summer! 🌳💚
🌿✨ Nature Journaling Series ✨🌿
Join us this fall for a 3-part Nature Journaling series led by educator, naturalist, and artist Jonah Salsich!
📓 Intro to Nature Journaling – FREE!
Saturday, Sept 6 at 9:30 AM at Barlow
All ages welcome
Discover the joy of observing the natural world through words, sketches, and numbers—no artistic experience needed!
🖋️ Workshop 1
Saturday,Sept 20 at 9:30 AM at Wahaneeta Preserve
Ages 18+
$10 WLT members / $25 non-members
Explore deeper connections to nature and yourself through creative journaling.
🍁 Workshop 2
Saturday, Oct 4 at 9:30 AM at Wahaneeta Preserve
Ages 18+
$10 WLT members / $25 non-members
Continue the journey with this relaxed, inspiring group and build your journaling practice.
Bring a notebook, pencils, and your curiosity. Come curious—leave inspired! 🌱
Follow the link in our bio to our Calendar of Events to learn more and register for each program!
Farm Squad summer = exploring, creating, growing, and fun in the sun!
Thanks for growing with us! 🌱☀️
#farmsquad #gardening #farming #friends #garden #farm #nature #explore #natureplay #learn #grow
