Description
Why You Should Visit
This preserve, managed jointly by the Lyme Land Conservation Trust and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), provides trails through open fields and woodlands, and frontage on the Eightmile River. The preserve takes the name of the area made famous by Lyme impressionist painters Eugene Higgins, Robert Vonnoh and Oscar Fehrer-the father of the Catherine and Elizabeth Fehrer, who donated the land to TNC.
Why TNC Selected This Site
The protection of this land provides numerous environmental benefits, including protection of water quality of the Eightmile River, which in turn affects the habitat of several rare species. The Eightmile River, which runs through the property, feeds into the Connecticut River by way of Hamburg Cove. Protecting the this property from development protects a part of the Connecticut River's watershed, as well as a considerable segment of one of its tributaries. Moreover, some species of fish swim up the Eightmile River to spawn.
The late Catherine and Elizabeth Fehrer, who died last February, first created the preserve in December 1991 with a donation of a 15 percent interest in the property to the chapter.
What TNC Has Done/Is Doing
The Lyme Land Conservation Trust maintains this property in partnership with TNC. Both the land trust and TNC have made protecting the watershed of the Eightmile River one of their top priorities.
