Old Lyme Conservation Trust held its annual meeting Sunday, March 21 to report 2009 results, recognize notable achievements and elect new officers and a trustee. 

The year ended with an important property acquisition on Four Mile River Road, of 17 acres from Rick Romagna, which connects two pieces of property already owned by the trust, as well as connecting to Old Lyme Open Space land, resulting in a continuous open space area of 96 acres.  The next step for the trust is to mark boundaries and consider trail locations for the area.  

In her President's Report, retiring President Anna Silberberg noted that donations were up 18% in 2009, the result of many activities in the community.  The trust also has on-going programs for stewardship of the over 700 acres it owns and continues to work on future acquisitions, particularly those that connect with existing trust properties or those that connect with town open space.  

Two members were honored at this meeting.  Milton Allen was given the Land Saver Award in recognition of many years of service and advice to the group.  In accepting the award, Mr. Allen said "The Old Lyme Conservation Trust is the best managed not-for-profit group in Old Lyme."  He said this was because of a long tradition of establishing policies in financial matters and governance. Attorney Michael Wells was named Volunteer of the Year, in recognition of his assistance on legal work for the trust. 

New officers were elected for two-year terms:   Christina Clayton, President; Sabine O'Donnell, Vice-President;  Lea Harty, Secretary; and Ted Mundy, Treasurer.  A new Board member was also elected:  Kathi Green.  Two additional board members will be added in the future.  Anna Silberberg and Jerry Silberberg, trustees, announced their retirement from the board effective at this meeting. 

Two speakers rounded out the content of the meeting.  Shannon Chapman, who is seeking a Girl Scout Gold Award, spoke about her project to create Trail Passports for Old Lyme.  The project will include involvement by school P.E. teachers who will monitor trail passports that record trails walked by their students and also includes an outdoor awareness workshop to be organized by Ms. Chapman. 

Andy Brand, manager of Broken Arrow Nursery, spoke about native plants and their use in creating bio-diversity in our back yards.  He showed many pictures of incredible butterflies, moths, and their larvae as they fed on and lived on Oaks, Poplars, and Black Cherry trees.  Goldenrod, Asters, Joe Pye Weed and Milkweed are popular herbaceous plants for these beautiful insects.  He reminded those in the audience that "gardeners have responsibility to be stewards of our land and the survival of all species".