The Westerly Land Trust

River Rangers: Dunn's Corners (Grades 3-4)
2023-05-18 14:30 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Living Laboratories for Dunn’s Corners Elementary School Grades 3-4

Join WLT educators to explore the plants and animals that call the river home. Use a dip net to trap and observe these animals in their natural habitat. Discover the important role rivers play on our Earth. Grade 3 – 4 will have the opportunity to perform a water salinity test using more advanced technology!
Program is FREE thanks to a partnership with WPS.
Bus transportation available to and from program.

Frontier Farm Plant Sale
2023-05-20 09:00 - 17:00, 2023-05-21 09:00 - 17:00 | Barlow Nature Preserve, 449 Westerly Bradford Rd, Westerly, RI 02891, USA
Meet Cassidy and Jim, owners and farmers of Frontier Farm at the Barlow Nature Preserve and shop vegetable seedlings and annual and perennial herb seedlings at the farm’s annual plant sale. Event goes until 5 OR until sold out.

Historic Cemetery Tour/Hike: Grills Preserve- CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
2023-05-20 10:00 - 12:30 | Grills Preserve, 198 Bowling Lane, Westerly, RI, 02808, United States
Join us for part 2 of 3 Spring Historic Cemetery Tours. This tour includes a bonus hike!

There are nearly 90 historic burial grounds in Westerly, five of which are on Westerly Land Trust properties. The WLT is hosting Larry Hunter, local commissioner of the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Historic Cemeteries and member of Rediscovering History, Inc. and Michael Carroll, Executive Director of Rediscovering History, Inc. for our second stop on our Spring tour: Grills Preserve.
Larry will walk us through “Cemetery 101”, which explains orientation and types of headstones, the use of footstones and field stones, and the types of materials. We will also discuss the dos and don’ts of visiting cemeteries, cleaning, maintenance, and restoration of stones. This historic cemetery is nestled in the woods so be sure to bring your hiking boots/sturdy shoes.
Hike will be led by WLT, Land Stewardship Manager, Marc Doherty along the Grills Blue trail with a stop at the Polly Coon Bridge stretching over the Pawcatuck River. Bring along water and a little lunch or snack (carry in/carry out).

Tours are recommended for adults.
Please prepare for being out in the grass and woods, and bring bug repellant and water.
Sign up for 1 or all 3 tours as each burial ground offers its own unique characteristics and experience.
Tours are FREE for WLT members and $10 for not-yet-members, which Larry has generously pledged to donate to WLT.

Not a WLT member yet, but would like to be? CLICK HERE. Joining us with a family member? Sign up for our family membership and get not only a discount on attending all three tours but also all our other monthly adventures!

Garden Market Fair- Wilcox Park
2023-05-21 09:00 - 14:00
Come stop by our table at the Westerly Library and Wilcox Parks 39th Annual Garden Market Fair! For more information and a complete list of participating garden vendors, community organizations, and nonprofits CLICK HERE!!

World Meditation Day: BarreCoast Meditation/Slow Flow
2023-05-21 11:00 - 12:00 | Winnapaug Farm Preserve, 109-119 Rhode Island 1A, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
To honor the intersection of land conservation and mental and physical health, the Westerly Land Trust is thrilled to partner with BarreCoast for another season of outdoor yoga. This year, we added mediation and outdoor bootcamps!
To kick things off join Anja Mertl, at WLT Winnapaug Farm Preserve, for a guided meditation and slow yoga flow.
Bring your yoga mat, another mat or sheet/blanket to place underneath and a bottle of water.
HOW TO REGISTER
Enroll Online at barrecoast.com or contact the studio.
WLT MEMBER DISCOUNTS
WLT members please contact Erika Lebling at elebling@westerlylandtrust.org for reduced price registration of $10!
Not-yet a WLT member but would like to be?
To become a member today please CLICK HERE.

Historic Cemetery Picnic Tour: Winnapaug Farm Preserve
2023-05-23 17:30 - 19:30 | Winnapaug Farm Preserve, 109-119 Rhode Island 1A, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
Join us for our last stop of our Spring Historic Cemetery Tours and discover the history of cemetery picnics.

There are nearly 90 historic burial grounds in Westerly, five of which are on Westerly Land Trust properties. The WLT is hosting Michael Carroll, Executive Director of Rediscovering History, Inc. and Larry Hunter, local commissioner of the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Historic Cemeteries and member of Rediscovering History, Inc. for our last stop on our Spring tour: Winnapaug Farm Preserve.
Pack your picnic baskets, beverages, and blankets or lawn chairs, and experience a fad of the past! Michael will take us back in time to the 19th and early 20th century when picnics in cemeteries were a fashionable and respectful way to stay connected to both the living and the dead. Larry will lead us through a history lesson and Cemetery 101 introduction.

Carry in/ Carry out
Tours are recommended for adults.
Please prepare for being out in the grass and woods, and bring bug repellant and water.
Sign up for 1 or all 3 tours as each burial ground offers its own unique characteristics and experience.
Tours are FREE for WLT members and $10 for not-yet-members, which Larry has generously pledged to donate to WLT.

Not a WLT member yet, but would like to be? CLICK HERE. Joining us with a family member? Sign up for our family membership and get not only a discount on attending all three tours but also all our other monthly adventures!

River Rangers: State Street (Grades K - 2)
2023-05-24 15:45 - 17:15
Living Laboratories for State Street Elementary School Grades K-2

Join WLT educators to explore the plants and animals that call the river home. Use a dip net to trap and observe these animals in their natural habitat. Discover the important role rivers play on our Earth. Grade 3 – 4 will have the opportunity to perform a water salinity test using more advanced technology!
Program is FREE thanks to a partnership with WPS.
Bus transportation available to and from program.

Thursday Hike: Level Best Farm, Richmond
2023-05-25 10:00 - 12:00
Join us for a walking tour around the private property at Level Best Farm, in Wood River Junction (town of Richmond). Ken will also give some brief history about the land and the surrounding area. Mostly flat terrain, on well kept trails, and an easy hike consisting of three loops (~ 1 mile each) that meet in the middle near the parking area. Enjoy various types of pine and deciduous forests, swamp views, meandering streams, meadows, and fields. There are also two milkweed meadows for the monarch butterflies. From the Westerly area, take route 91 east, towards Carolina. Drive through Bradford and continue past Alton Pond / Wood River and the Village of Alton. Turn left onto Homestead Road (located between the Alton Fire Station and the, “Food Truck on 91”). Meet at the end of the ~ ¼ mile dirt road. Address: 22 Homestead Rd, Wood River Junction, RI.
To sign up, contact Co-hike leaders: Ken and Rebecca Mitchell Call/text 269-808-5623 OR Email: rebecca.paperwork@gmail.com
Thursday hikes are FREE. Be sure to wear hiking boots or good walking shoes.
PLEASE NOTE:

Hikes leave promptly.
Ending times are estimated as it difficult to ascertain when it will finish due to number of people, how fast/slow the hikers walk, etc.
Please sign up with leader so that person will know how many are coming. If no one signs up the leader may not show up.
Inclement weather cancels and if in doubt, contact leader.
If you wish to bring a dog please contact the leader as some properties do not allow them. However, if a dog is present, they must be leashed at all times.

FLUORESCENT ORANGE REQUIREMENTS:
In State Management areas everyone is required to wear 200 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange from last Thursday in April to the last day in May, annually.

River Rangers: State Street (Grades 3-4)
2023-05-25 15:45 - 17:15
Living Laboratories for State Street Elementary School Grades 3-4

Join WLT educators to explore the plants and animals that call the river home. Use a dip net to trap and observe these animals in their natural habitat. Discover the important role rivers play on our Earth. Grade 3 – 4 will have the opportunity to perform a water salinity test using more advanced technology!
Program is FREE thanks to a partnership with WPS.
Bus transportation available to and from program.

Forest Bathing
2023-05-27 09:30 - 11:30 | Wahaneeta Preserve, 118 Moorehouse Road, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
Slow down, awaken your senses and connect with Nature as you luxuriate in a Forest Bath!

Join Dr. Deirdre O’Connor for a slow and easy walk in Wahaneeta Preserve. Forest Bathing is the pleasant practice of spending time in nature for the purpose of enhancing health and happiness. Evidenced based research confirms that time in nature has profound healing benefits for physical and emotional well – being. The term Forest Bathing comes from the Japanese tradition of “shin-rin yoku” literally translated to “bathing in the atmosphere of the forest”. On this walk you will experience and learn about how the regular practice of Forest Bathing can restore health and vitality by strengthening immune function, lowering stress hormones, improving mood and sleep, and stimulating creativity. Forest Bathing also offers us the opportunity to deepen our relationship with the natural world.
You will be walking slowly for about one mile on mostly flat but uneven forest trails as you are offered a series of invitations to explore the landscape with your senses and connect with the natural world. We will be walking and sitting for 2 hours and will finish our walk by sharing tea together. This experience is open to ages 15 and up.

Registration is required. Spots are limited.
Each walk is $30 per person which Deirdre has generously pledged to donate to the Westerly Land Trust.
Parking is limited please carpool if you can

Dr. Deirdre O’Connor is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. She practiced Naturopathic Medicine in Mystic, CT for over three decades where she was the founder and former Clinical Director of Natura Medica – The Center for Natural Medicine. Deirdre is delighted to continue to share the healing power of Nature through Forest Bathing where Nature and our true natures come to know one another. She resides in Westerly, enjoying birding, botany, bicycling and exploring the next cool place to share Forest Bathing.
