Lord Cove Preserve

Why You Should Visit
Visitable only by small boat, this brackish marsh contains a five-mile maze of waterways, with an abundance and variety of birdlife.

Location
Lyme

Hours
Dawn to dusk

Size
351 acres

Conditions
This site can only be visited by canoe, kayak or other small boat.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please see our “Preserve Visitation Guidelines” page.

Directions
From Interstate 95:

• Take exit 70 and drive north on Route 156 for about a half-mile. 
• There is a town landing to the left, where you may launch your canoe, but may not park; after launching, one of your party will have to return your car to the park-and-ride lot just north of I-95 on the right, and return on foot. 
• Paddle north, keeping near the eastern bank of the river, and enter the cove on your right.

What to See: Plants
Lord Cove includes the habitat of 10 plant species listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern in Connecticut, many found at multiple locations throughout the marsh.

What to See: Animals
Many bird species roost and perch within the marsh and surrounding uplands, including the king rail and the least bittern, the northern harrier and sedge wren, the federally threatened bald eagle, and the savannah sparrow.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site  
Lord Cove is an excellent example of brackish tidal marsh. The preserve has been created thanks to the generosity of numerous donors; the entire preserve has been protected through gifts. Most recently, Jane I. Davison of Lyme donated an easement on 13 acres on the east shore of Lord Cove. Altogether, the Davison family is acting to protect more than 180 acres at the site.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The state Department of Environmental Protection and The Nature Conservancy have protected more than 500 acres at this site and are currently working to eliminate the invasive plant Phragmites and restore the native plant community.