Candlewood Valley Regional Land Trust
Danbury and New Fairfield, CT
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:
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! 
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:
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:
Summer is officially here and what better way to enjoy the warm weather and beautiful sunshine than by visiting our stunning properties here at CVRLT. If you’re a nature and photography lover, there’s so much to see! One of our devoted supporters, Dr. David Gropper, recently grabbed his camera and paid a visit to our Komlo Preserve property in New Fairfield and captured these stunning photos, featuring the pond and its wildlife sanctuary!
We love seeing the photos our followers take while exploring our properties. With our annual CVRLT photo contest coming this September, what is your favorite thing to photograph in the great outdoors?
To visit this “hidden gem” near New Fairfield’s town center, check our Komlo Preserve Property Page for details. In addition to its trails, it also includes pond access for non-motor watercraft. It’s the perfect summer spot!