Follow the Trail with Bill Reid,
The Last Green Valley's Chief Ranger
Northern Red Oak is Mighty and Reliable
“The mightiest oak in the forest is just a little nut that held its ground.” Anonymous – fortune cookie There is a giant in our forests. Not only is it rooted deep here in The Last Green Valley and New England, but it can be…
Bobcats Alive and Well in The Last Green Valley
I saw a bobcat for the first time as a 10-year-old, visiting family friends in Sudbury, Mass. They had an old farm, and the bobcat was walking on a stone wall separating a hay field from a corn field. My dad spotted it, pointed it…
Veterans’ Life Stories Important to Remember
Saturday is Veterans Day, our national holiday to honor veterans of all wars. Originally called Armistice Day, the day marks the end of hostilities in World War I, which occurred on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Veterans Day is…
Get Outdoors, Get Involved
As October winds down, and we slide into November, it is time to thank the hundreds of volunteers who helped make The Last Green Valley’s Walktober such a success. Walktober wouldn’t happen without the dedication of volunteers from the many organizations that host Walktober walks,…
Exploring The Last Green Valley: Invaders in our Backyards and Woods
Over the past few years, I have used this column to highlight concerns with invasive plant species having a severe, negative impact on the natural resources of our region. It seems wherever I go in The Last Green Valley, I am confronted with one or…
Canterbury Has Unique History, Resources
Soon after moving to northeast Connecticut in 1981, I drove Route 169 south from Woodstock through Pomfret and Brooklyn and into Canterbury, enjoying picturesque small towns, quintessential New England architecture, farms, orchards and vistas of soft rolling hills. That day was my first time traveing…
Walks Highlight Land Trust Gems
One of the reasons our national heritage corridor has an abundance of open and conserved land is due to the land trusts actively working within the 35 towns of The Last Green Valley. Walktober offers the perfect opportunity to visit a land trust property and…
Exploring The Last Green Valley: Farms offer fun during Walktober
Some of the many family-fun activities during The Last Green Valley’s Walktober are the events, tours and walks organized by our region’s farms during the glorious month of October. The farms, orchards, and vineyards of The Last Green Valley are important partners in keeping our…
The Root Beer Tree: Sassafras in The Last Green Valley
In the woods near my childhood home grew a cluster of small trees. I only noticed them after my older brother pointed them out to me. He showed me that some of the leaves were shaped like mittens, but when he mentioned root beer, I…
Elmer Bitgood was the Paul Bunyan of Voluntown
One of the more enjoyable aspects of working for The Last Green Valley has been to discover the many interesting, historical, “characters” that lived or were born in one of the 35 towns that comprise the National Heritage Corridor. In 2008, TLGV published a booklet…
‘Masked bandit’ is alive and well in The Last Green Valley
Summer vacation reading was a requirement growing up in my house. When I was about 9 or 10 years old, my mother gave me “Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era,” by Sterling North, as my summer reading assignment. North’s description of his boyhood pet…
Exploring The Last Green Valley: Insect-sized pit of doom a little wonder of natural world
A couple of months ago as I was unlocking the door to my barn, I noticed a conical-shaped hole in the sandy soil next to the door sill. It looked like an upside-down volcano about two inches in diameter. I recognized it immediately from my…