Selectman Stones Hike
Renee's Way, Rockland Preserve
Friday, October 18
12:15 p.m.
Come join a historic event! The Madison Land Conservation Trust is collaborating with the Guilford Land Trust and the Middlesex Land Trust and the Selectmen's offices of Madison, Guilford and Durham in order to re-enact the traditional perambulation and marking of the trip-town boundary. Hikers from each of the three towns will accompany their First Selectmen along the trails of the Rockland Preserve and Mica Ledges to meet at the stone monument marking the common boundary of the three towns. There, all will witness the three first Selectmen re-create the historic practice of verifying the integrity of the boundary and placing a new stone with their initials and the date on the boundary monument. The stone will be added to others that have been placed there over the last 198 years by former town officials.
Join the Madison Land Trust contingent from the Rockland Preserve parking lot on Renee's Way at 12:15 p.m., with the expectation of meeting hikers and Selectmen from Guilford and Durham at the Selectmen Stones at approximately 1:30 p.m. Please bring water and wear comfortable hiking shoes. The hike is expected to take approximately 60-75 minutes each way.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/rMpw3AMAtC1SePw36
Harvest Festival
Bauer Park
Saturday, October 19
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Come visit the Madison Land Trust's table at this year's Harvest Festival! This is a free, old-fashioned country fair, with children's activities, live music, food, a cider press, hay rides and more!
https://www.madisonct.org/515/Harvest-Festival
Echoes of Industry
Ironwoods Preserve
Saturday, November 9
9:00 a.m.
On this hike through the Ironwoods Preserve, we’ll look at how the land was used from its time as a sawmill through its current use as a recreational and natural preserve. We’ll visit the old sawmill-turned iron works site, and read the landscape with its remnants of charcoal mounds, old forest roads and long-gone meadows, along with some newer and unexpected features. We’ll also learn to plot points of interest (and not get lost) using the Avenza navigation app. The hike is relatively easy and will be about 2.5 miles, and 2 hours long with stops to explore some of the sites. While growth should have died back, wear long pants to protect from potential brambles and ticks. Participants are asked to download the Avenza app before the hike. Meet in the Ironwoods parking lot at 201 Race Hill Rd.
https://madisonlandtrust.org/trails/ironwoods-preserve/
Red-bellied Woodpecker
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a common bird in the Land Trust forests. Its name is somewhat odd since the pinkish color on the breast area is seldom visible, but the red cap is prominent. Look for zebra-stripes on the back and flashes of white on the wings when it’s in flight. The male has the red all the way to the bill, but females only have a red crown and brown before their beak. The call is a quick quirrrr, and a ch-ch-ch-chirrrrrrr! Thirty years ago the Red-bellied Woodpecker would have been a rarity in Connecticut, but today it’s one of our most common birds.
Painting © Michael DiGiorgio