Candlewood Valley Regional Land Trust

Danbury and New Fairfield, CT

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Loving our Lands Photo Contest Results

Our second Annual Loving our Lands Photo Contest Fundraiser was a HUGE success! We gratefully thank all our 2021 photo contest participants! Thanks to your support, we raised more than $2,300 for CVRLT! These funds will help us maintain our preserves for years to come!

We were blown away by the talent this year and appreciate all those who participated and voted for their favorite entries! Special thanks to our contest judge, photographer & art show curator, Linda Hubbard, as well as our prize donors: Barn Gallery & Frame Shop in New Fairfield and Visual Impact LLC in Danbury.

After receiving nearly 50 submissions in this years Loving Our Lands photo contest fundraiser, our judge, Linda Hubbard, had quite the task deciding on a winner since there were so many beautiful and deserving entries! “Under the Loving Watch of Mom” was selected as BEST IN SHOW! Linda says, “I chose this photo based on the mother and pup’s expressions that it captured, along with its composition, lighting, and clarity.” Photographer, Gregory Bernard, photographed the scene in Middlebury, CT. The Best in Show winner will receive a $200 gift certificate for custom printing and framing from Visual Impact LLC.

Check out the other winners in our four photo categories:

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    Foraging Hike @ Hidden Valley Nature Center

    Thank you to all those who attended our sold out mushroom foraging hike this weekend at Hidden Valley Nature Center in New Fairfield. Everyone had a wonderful time searching for mushrooms and other foraged foods! Special thanks to our professional forager, Karen Monger of The Three Foragers, for another wonderful and insightful program. 🍄

    Check out some photos from the hike here:

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    CVRLT “Loving our Lands” Photo Contest Fundraiser – ENTER NOW!

    The Candlewood Valley Regional Land Trust’s second annual “Loving our Lands” photo contest fundraiser is OPEN!! Visit www.gogophotocontest.com/candlewoodvalleyregionallandtrust to enter for your chance to WIN! Submissions will be accepted now until October 5th and voting will end on October 10th. 📸

    We are continuing our commitment to preserving open spaces by welcoming ALL levels of photographers to submit a photo featuring the lands we all love, in one of four categories:

    ▪️Sunrise, Sunset 🌞: At daybreak and nightfall, the sky transforms into a majestic canvas. Show us your favorite shots from sunrise and sunset – the ones that are worth getting up early or staying up late for

    ▪️Wildlife 🐿: Whether feathers, fur, scales, or something entirely different, we enjoy seeing a glimpse of the creatures living around us – show us your wildlife friends

    ▪️Took a Hike 👣: Loved the view? Took the path less traveled? Traversed an amazing landscape? Found a cool rock? Show us wherever your travels led you

    ▪️Going Green 🌎: From acorns to oaks, fungi to flowers, and all plants in between, vegetation is the sustenance of life. Let’s see your favorite foliage

    There is a donation fee of $15.00 per photo submission and votes will cost $1.00. Viewers can vote as many times as they’d like for their favorite photograph(s) in each of the four categories. Please note, this is a fundraiser so all donations will help support CVRLT. 🌿

    One winner for each category will be selected through online voting, so be sure to invite your friends and family to vote for your photos! A professional photographer will select one additional photograph for the grand prize of “Best in Show.” Good luck! 🙂

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    Event Recap: Music Around the Pond

    We had an amazing weekend in New Fairfield for their annual “Music Around the Pond” summer event, sponsored by Friends of Ball Pond! This fun, family-friendly event invites boaters to float, row, or paddle around Ball Pond, where local talent performs from docks and shorelines. This was the first time this event was held on a piece of CVRLT property (Hahlawah Preserve) with a LIVE band, The Bandolins: Connecticut Bluegrass Band! It was a great night enjoyed by all!

    Check out some of the highlights of the evening:

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    July is Lake Appreciation Month

    You work and play on them. You drink from them. But do you really appreciate them? Growing population, development, and invasive species stress your local lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. All life needs water; let’s not take it for granted!

    One of CVRLT’s properties is located on Ball Pond in New Fairfield. Ball pond recently had a potentially harmful “algae bloom.” According to the EPA, “Algal blooms can reduce the ability of fish and other aquatic life to find food and can cause entire populations to leave an area or even die. Harmful algal blooms cause thick, green muck that impacts clear water, recreation, businesses and property values.”

    To help preserve Ball Pond, and all of the ponds and lakes that we are fortunate to have in Danbury and New Fairfield, please consider the following:

    Do’s & Don’ts

    • Do reduce or eliminate use of fertilizer and pesticides. Lawn fertilizers increase the risk of algae in the water
    • Don’t sweep or blow leaves or grass clippings into ponds or lakes, try composting them instead
    • Do clean septic systems annually
    • Don’t put anything in storm drains other than water
    • Do pick up pet waster and dispose of it properly
    • Don’t wash your car where runoff flows into storm drains

    Get out there to enjoy and protect our lakes…

    • Organize a physically-distanced shoreline cleanup (make sure to follow CDC guidelines)
    • Develop an educational self-guided lake tour
    • Organize a hike or biking event with a focus on your local lake
    • Enjoy your local lake, pond, or reservoir with fun summertime activities, such as: boating, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, or rowing; swimming; fishing; or enjoying the natural scenery with friends and family
    • Go birding or take pictures at a lake or pond

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