Connecticut land trusts engage children in conservation

Two Connecticut land trusts are fostering a new generation of environmental stewards through innovative programs designed to teach kids about nature and conservation.

Families gathered over the summer for Wilton Land Trust’s free Books and a Blanket event, held in the land trust’s newest preserve, Chestnut Meadows, for children ages 5 and under. Books and a Blanket offered an interactive storytime by the Wilton Library, an up-cycled craft brought by Wilton Go Green and a walk through a meadow led by Wilton Land Trust.

Wilton Land Trust also nurtures future generations of environmental leaders through an internship program for college and high school students that teaches conservation science and land management.

“Through our in-house programs and collaborations with community partners, we are excited to provide a wide range of educational and enriching experiences, about 30 a year,” said David McCarthy, Wilton Land Trust’s executive director.

Similarly, Farmington Land Trust has been working with the Farmington Public Schools for several years to provide outdoor classrooms on preserved properties.

During one summer program, the land trust hosted more than 350 second-graders for a pollinator field trip to the newly opened Farmington Land Trust headquarters and Wilcox-Bushley Homestead Environmental Education Center in Unionville. The program included a scavenger hunt in both English and Spanish and emphasized the role of pollinators and biodiversity in our ecosystems.

This story originally appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of Saving Land magazine.