WLT in the News
‘Bee Man’ gets his request OK’d by council, The Westerly Sun, November 5, 2025
Trombinos share ‘stewardship rooted in love, foresight and an enduring sense of place’, The Westerly Sun, October 24, 2025
The Westerly Land Trust Makes Room for Local Produce, Edible Rhody, June 26, 2025
Former Champlin Farm in Westerly to Become Network of Trails, EcoRI News, January 6, 2025
In the Easy Chair with Emma Stahl, The Westerly Sun, January 5, 2025
Barlow Nature Preserve in Westerly Combines Functionality with Serenity, EcoRi News, November 25, 2024
Westerly Land Trust acquires 90 acres for Champlin Farm Preserve, The Westerly Sun, November 4, 2024
Westerly ice rink transfer is finalized, The Westerly Sun, October 2, 2024
A spectacular hike in Westerly puts the collaboration of conservationists on display, The Providence Journal, November 3, 2023
After the beach, check out these two short, easy hikes near the Westerly shore, The Providence Journal, August 18, 2023
Land trust sells small Main Street lot for permanent greenspace, The Westerly Sun, August 10, 2023
In the Easy Chair with Marc Doherty, The Westerly Sun, January 7, 2023
Pollinator Safari, ABC 6, August 17, 2022.
Bonding with nature: Westerly Land Trust starts program that touts benefits of being outside, The Westerly Sun, April 23, 2022
Don’t take Westerly’s Wahaneeta and Woody Hill preserves for granite, The Day, January 13, 2022
‘Keepers of the Land,’ ‘Woman of the House’ to debut Sunday at United Theatre, The Westerly Sun, October 21, 2021
Walking RI: Surprises abound at Westerly’s Grills Preserve, Providence Journal, February 5, 2021
Westerly Land Trust Debuts Podcast ‘Voices of the Land’, The Westerly Sun, February 4, 2021
Living Laboratories: A Curriculum for Connection, TerraCorps Blog, February 3, 2021
Students Head Outdoors for Different Kind of Learning, ECO RI News, January 31, 2021
Environment Council of Rhode Island announces winners of the 2021 Loraine Tisdale Environmental Education Grants, Progressive Charlestown, January 14, 2021
ECRI’s Education Fund Announces Winners of 2021 Loraine Tisdale Environmental Education Grants, ECRI Website, January 9, 2021
The Westerly Land Trust, Local Gyms and Fitness Website, Ongoing
Pro Level Rock Stacking at Land Trust Property, The Westerly Sun, December 6, 2020
Westerly Land Trust’s Living Laboratories, See Westerly, November 2, 2020
Joe Barnes on WBLQ, WBLQ, October 9, 2020
Putting Down Roots: Westerly Land Trust Established a New Headquarters, See Westerly, September 1, 2020
Westerly Land Trust Opens Barlow Farm Stand, The Westerly Sun, July 18, 2020
Westerly Land Trust celebrates 30 years of conservation, education and recreation, The Westerly Sun, November 8, 2017
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Our first Wednesday Wonder Walk was truly wonderful! 🍂✨
Families explored Wahaneeta with curiosity- studying leaves, and lichen up close, climbing over logs, and discovering every corner of the cabin together.
We’re so excited to partner with @wildrootsplay.ri for these monthly nature adventures. 💚
Join us for the next Wonder Walk on January 14th: Feathered Friends at Grills Preserve! Come walk, wonder, and grow with us!
Happy December! We’ve flipped the calendar page for the final time in 2025. Here’s to hoping that you’ve squeezed everything you wanted out of this year—that your walks were long and peaceful; that your bird count was high; that you made new friends along the trails. Keep reading to find out what’s happening this month!
🎄WLT/WildRoots Wednesday Wonder Walk
Wednesday, December 10, 10-11:15am
Wahaneeta Preserve
Program is NO COST and open to all ages. Registration is required. Follow the link in our bio for more information and to register!
@wildrootsplay.ri
🎄Thursday Hiking Group
Thursday mornings; time & place varies
Grills to Grills, December 11
Champlin Farm Preserve Hike, December 18
🎄Westerly Light Parade
Sunday, December 14, 6-7pm
Downtown Westerly
🎄Nutcracker Trail
To celebrate their 100th anniversary, @ocean_community_chamber has scattered 100 unique, 6-foot-tall, nutcrackers throughout Westerly, Pawcatuck, and Stonington. We at the Westerly Land Trust are lucky enough to host one at our homebase, Barlow Nature Preserve. Come by 449 Westerly-Bradford Road to catch a glimpse. While you’re here, take a hike on the trails, check out our Little Free Library, or pop in for a cup of coffee!
From all of us at the Westerly Land Trust, Happy Holidays!
This season of gratitude brings to mind the Westerly Land Trust’s pick for our 2025 book club last April: The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This book promotes the benefits of the gift economy, encouraging readers to count the gifts the land gives us—food, water, wildlife, inspiration—and then reciprocate through stewardship, care, and conservation. Kimmerer speaks to the joy that’s born out of this gift giving cycle, saying,
“To name the world as a gift is to feel your membership
�in a web of reciprocity.”
As a part of the Westerly Land Trust community—whether you’re a donor, a volunteer, an advocate, a student, or the like—we hope you feel your special place in our web of reciprocity. Your continued care returns to the earth, enriching our shared landscapes and nurturing our community. And for this we tip our hats, and send this message of thanks:
From all of us at the Westerly Land Trust, thank you for building bridges between neighbors and nature, for believing in the importance of protecting these special places, and most of all, for being a part of our family.
Happy Thanksgiving! 🧡🌳
#community #thankful #westerlyri #rhodeisland #stoningtonct #pawcatuckct #conservation #outside #nature
Have you met the newest residents of Avondale Farm Preserve? A herd of Kiko goats has moved in and they are tearing up the neighborhood...in the best way possible!🌾
WLT has partnered with Coleman Replogle, owner and operator of Rōm Land + Livestock, to reduce the occurrence of invasive plants in Avondale’s fields. Coleman relocated his herd of goats here in November and will implement a rotational grazing system throughout the winter. Goat grazing is an environmentally friendly way to remove unwanted plants—the goats love porcelain berry— while improving the soil health. Not only are we able to forgo chemical herbicides and heavy machinery, but the goat droppings provide natural fertilizer, enriching the land.
@romlandlivestock believes in sustainable farming practices and strives to be responsible stewards of the land—two pillars close to WLT’s heart.
Aurora Borealis over Avondale Farm Preserve🌌✨
Thanks to recent solar activity causing strong geomagnetic storms, the northern lights were pushed further south, allowing us to see them here in Westerly, RI!
#auroraborealis #northernlights #nightsky #stars #astronomy #rhodeisland #southcountyri #westerlyri #avondale #landtrust
When @westerlylandtrust and @wildrootsplay.ri come together, learning turns into a magical adventure!✨
At our Prints, Paths, and Play program students discovered animal tracks and signs🐾, then hiked over to @wildrootsplay.ri for a cozy afternoon of play and tea. So grateful for a partnership that keeps curiosity and community thriving! 💚🌳
#westerlyri #rhodeislandlife #nature #conservation #hike #outside #childdevelopment #childledlearning #explore
In the spirit of the season, the Westerly Land Trust elves are readying the workshop to make winter wreaths out of locally sourced and foraged greenery. Reserve yours today to dress your door for the holidays while supporting WLT’s land conservation work and environmental programming.
🎄Please order your wreath by Tuesday, November 25.
Wreaths will be available for pick up at the Westerly Land Trust offices at Barlow Nature Preserve (449 Westerly-Bradford Road) from Tuesday, December 2 through Friday, December 5.
🏞️The Westerly Land Trust Notecards are now available for pre-order! Each set of 12 showcases the six winning images from the 2025 Photo Contest. Perfect for sending notes year-round and sharing the spirit of Westerly with friends and family. Orders will be available for pickup at the WLT offices at Barlow Nature Preserve in late November (we’ll notify you when they arrive). Thank you to all the photographers who highlighted the beauty of our preserves this year.
Follow the link in our bio to order your wreath and notecards today!
‼️Save the Date: WLT’s Annual Meeting‼️
Thursday, December 4, 5:30-7:30pm
Barlow Nature Preserve
The Westerly Land Trust Annual Meeting is open to all members. Join us as we recap 2025 and share plans for 2026. To RSVP, call 401-315-2610 or email Erika at elebling@westerlylandtrust.org.
#westerlyri #holidayseason #holiday #celebrate #wreath #naturephotography #rhodeisland #nature #conservation #environment #landtrust
November brings shorter, colder days, but also more time to pause and reflect on the year coming to a close. Soon, we’ll all be in full holiday mode, moving a mile a minute. But until then, allow yourself space to sit and contemplate. How have you progressed toward your personal goals in 2025? What remains on your to-do list before the year ends? 🍂
🌳At the Westerly Land Trust, we find that these internal conversations are best had outdoors, surrounded by nature. Big things feel more achievable when you take notice of the everyday miracles around you.
💚In October, the world lost a conservation giant, Dr. Jane Goodall. As we slide headfirst into the holiday hustle, may Dr. Goodall’s words and outlook stay with you:
“People say to me so often, ‘Jane how can you be so peaceful when everywhere around you people want books signed, people are asking these questions and yet you seem peaceful,’ and I always answer that it is the peace of the forest that I carry inside.”
