Stewardship
The Stewardship Committee of the Lyme Land Trust is focused on our core stewardship responsibilities: monitoring easements, responding to landowner inquiries, investigating violations, and upholding the terms of our conservation easements and the care of the properties owned by LLT.
PROPERTY MONITOR OR STEWARD
The Land Trust depends on a cadre of trained volunteers to visit each and every property – fee and easement – at least once a year. Easement properties are monitored to ensure that the provisions of the original conservation easements are honored. Fee properties are also monitored by volunteers to keep boundaries marked, to maintain trails, and to implement the activities identified in the individual management plans.
To learn more about Fee and Easement properties click here.
If you would like to help, become a property monitor or steward.
Anyone can Pitch in with Simple Trail Maintenance on Your Own as You Hike.
- Carry clippers or lightweight loppers with you.
- Cut back branches and shrubs that are encroaching on the path – cut back about 2- 3 feet from the trail. (Vegetation grows back fast). Cut saplings (baby trees) low to the ground, or cut trunks above waist height. Don’t leave pungi sticks (short thin trunks) for people to fall over and on to.
- Cut back branches that obstruct the view of blazes that mark the trail.
- Pick up (or kick away) branches and sticks that have fallen on the path.
- Learn to recognize invasive plants. You have permission to remove them wherever you see them. Cut them down to the ground so that there are no leaves left or pull out the roots. Focus on areas that have few invasives to prevent them from spreading (and to get more satisfaction).
- Report trees that have fallen on the trail or other conditions that require attention. Describe the location as accurately as possible. A smart phone app such as Track-Kit can help with this.
- Pick up trash.
- Report back to us. We love to hear what you have done.
