Five Connecticut environmental and outdoors events to start your New Year

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

This has been an interesting year, to say the least, and unfortunately most of the traditional ways of welcoming the New Year aren’t allowed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Thankfully, a number of Connecticut preservation and environmental organizations are hosting events to save the holiday.

Here’s a list of outdoors or virtual events around the start of the New Year:

Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve virtual concert with the Connecticut Audubon Society

Right before the New Year, join the Connecticut Audubon Society for an interactive virtual concert with folk singer Peter Mayer, a Minnesota singer and songwriter. His work includes song books, church hymnals and folk radio playlists. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 for one member and $25 for non-members.

Jan. 1: New Year’s Day Hike with a Lyme Land Trust Board or Staff Member

If your New Year’s resolutions include spending more time outdoors, what better way to get started than spending the first day of the year hiking with members of the Lyme Land Trust. The trust is offering seven different hikes about 1.5 hours long and two to three miles in length in various locations. Space is limited to six people per hike and reservations are required to be made through email to Kristina.white@lymelandtrust.org. To abide by COVID-19 protocols, masks are required.

Jan. 2: Brisk winter walk with the Great Meadows Conservation Trust

Join the Great Meadows Conservation Trust in Glastonbury for a “Wood Parcel Walk” that takes you across a new bridge over Beaver Brook, through an 18th century house site and along a marsh and pond. You can see turtles sunning themselves in the pond or red wing blackbirds perched on cattails. The event runs at 30-minute intervals starting at 1 p.m. and goes until 2:30 p.m. Preregistration is required through Eventbrite and scheduled walks will be split up into groups of 10.

Jan. 7: Reduce your carbon footprint with the Menunkatuck Audubon Society

Reducing your carbon footprint is the best way to ensure you produce less carbon emissions, and the Menunkatuck Audubon Society is here to help with a live demonstration of the Carbon Tracker App. This online tool helps individuals reduce their carbon footprint, lead healthier lives and save money. The presentation will show how the app collects data and compares it to other carbon footprints. Register here for the virtual event that starts at 7 p.m.

Jan. 20: Owl Prowls with Old Lyme Land Trust and RTP Estuary Center

Search for owls in their natural habitat with these organizations when the birds are the most active. Owl prowlers can bring a headlamp, binoculars or a flashlight with a red light setting to help better see the nocturnal hunters. This event starts on Jan. 20 and runs until Feb. 17.

If you can't wait until these events to start your outdoors adventures, you can also explore these four winter hikes from the Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy.

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