Follow the Trail with Bill Reid,
The Last Green Valley's Chief Ranger
Role of the forester is keeper
“I have loved my woods since the day I first walked in them, but my appreciation of them has increased exponentially since I first had a professional forester walk in my woods with me.” — Stephen Long from “More Than A Woodlot: Getting the Most…
Finding Tracks in The Last Green Valley
A few weeks ago, The Last Green Valley woke to a crisp Sunday winter morning. Four inches of soft, wet snow fell overnight, and the storm had blown itself out, replaced by a stiff breeze and clearing skies — perfect conditions for wildlife tracking. I…
The Mount Hope River
Last month I wrote about the Still River and Bigelow Brook in the first of my series about smaller rivers within The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor. The series is inspired by a group of water resources professionals, community leaders and other interested folks…
Time to plan a pollinator garden
One of the joys of winter is when the seed and plant catalogues arrive in the mail. Warm memories of spring and summer jump from the glossy pictures of plump vegetables and colorful flowers. The catalogues are a brief respite from the dreary winter shades…
Childhood Memories Renew My Desire to Get Youth Outside
I have a tense relationship with social media. At times I find it useful and at others it is anything but. Earlier this week, however, it offered me an opportunity for nostalgia. Someone created a Facebook page for the town I grew up in and…
Bill Hull: A conservation leader in The Last Green Valley
Saturday is the birthday of renown conservationist Aldo Leopold. He was a scientist, ecologist, forester, author and environmentalist and is best known for his book “A Sand County Almanac.” In his chapter “The Land Ethic,” Leopold wrote “the land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of…
A 2020 Bucket List of Places to Visit in The Last Green Valley
With the New Year approaching it’s goodbye 2019 and hello 2020. What will the New Year bring for you and your family here in The Last Green Valley? As I contemplate the year ahead, I like to think about the places I have not visited…
Smaller rivers within the Natchaug River watershed are a focus for healthy waters
Here at The Last Green Valley, Inc. (TLGV) we value our role documenting and advocating for the region’s rivers. Water from the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers, and the smaller rivers, streams and brooks that feed them, flow southward into the Thames River and Long Island…
Exploring Winter in The Last Green Valley
Our region’s first appreciable snowfall arrived Dec. 1. It was the first “plowable” event for local communities and town and state plows were out in force soon after flakes started to fall. Winter arrived despite the calendar indicating it is still autumn. The winter solstice…
Nature’s Clean-Up Service: Appreciating the Turkey Vulture
“Vultures are homely, but they clean up all the garbage and that’s good. And they’re elegant in the sky.” — Roger Tory Peterson. Roger Tory Peterson is one of our most revered ornithologists and for decades his “Field Guide to the Birds” has been the…
Our forests are a precious resource
The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor is made up of 77% forested land. Connecticut and Massachusetts are some of the most forested states in the county, and in our region we are blessed with large blocks of state forests such as the Pachaug, Nipmuck…
Time to pay tribute to that ‘other bird’
Last week I reported on bald eagles returning to our region in ever increasing numbers. It got me thinking about that other bird so revered here in the United States – the wild turkey. The bald eagle and the wild turkey could not be more…