Firefly Sanctuary

NCLT: ‘Firefly Sanctuary’ Closed for Restoration in 2026; Alternative Tour Set for July 1 at Waveny

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A hugely popular spot to watch fireflies during the height of their summer season will be closed this year for habitat and trail restoration purposes. The trail to the New Canaan Land Trust’s firefly sanctuary, located off of Sleepy Hollow Road, “needs some work due to water erosion on it,” according to Robin Bates-Mason, the nonprofit organization’s executive director. 

She continued: “There’s something called ‘water bars’ which are on trails and they direct water away. We’ll put them in diagonally and it’ll take the water off the trail before it can really build momentum and wash out the trail.”

The trees in the sanctuary also pose a risk for the public, Bates-Mason said. 

“We found that there were some trees in the meadow that needed to be addressed, making it not safe to have people up there at the moment,” she said. “One tree had a big limb come down that snagged on another tree, and it’s hanging over a walkway. We need to take down those trees before we’d be comfortable with anyone in the meadow.”

The time off also will give interns a chance to clean up and restore the meadow itself. 

“We’ll have our interns coming in this summer, and we’re going to be working getting some of the invasive plants out of the meadow,” Bates-Mason said.

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Quiet Heroes of New Canaan: Ned Monaghan

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Since 2019, New Canaan’s Ned Monaghan has restored more than 400 feet of historic stone walls at a nature preserve along the Fivemile River. Even creating his own tools to move heavier boulders, Monaghan has worked without fanfare at the New Canaan Land Trust’s Donaldson & Maloney Preserve, according to the nonprofit organization’s executive director, Robin Bates-Mason, who nominated him for this series. Invited by the Monaghan family to see his handiwork, Bates-Mason said she was “amazed by both the scale of what he had accomplished and the dedication behind it.”

“Those who know Ned also know his love of poetry—it’s easy to imagine him reciting a bit of Yeats as he works, stone by stone,” Bates-Mason said in an email. “Just as meaningful, Ned incorporated small openings in the walls to support local wildlife, including weasels he has spotted nearby. The Land Trust is deeply grateful to Ned, who has quietly and independently helped restore these beautiful structures—preserving a tangible link to New England’s past—as well as to the SLOBs and all the volunteers who contribute to this important work.”

Many of the stone walls that Monaghan has restored date to the 18th and even 17th centuries, “when forests were cleared for farmland and stones pulled from the soil were stacked to mark boundaries and contain livestock,” she added.

Around Town

Former Resident Returns 60-Year-Old Plant to Bristow Park

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Most seven-year-old boys like to spend their days inside playing video games; most like to race toy cars and look at picture books. Yet, that wasn’t Ken Booth. While most of his peers were watching superhero TV shows, Booth was becoming somewhat of nature’s “Robin Hood.”

Booth, who graduated from New Canaan High School in 1976, grew up across the street from Bristow Park and spent his childhood traversing the sanctuary’s beauty. He’d go with his family and friends into the park to play games and explore the vegetation. During these adventures, young Booth developed a fascination for plants, especially a flowering plant called a Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Around Town

Robin Bates-Mason Hired as Executive Director of the New Canaan Land Trust

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One of New Canaan’s most venerable nonprofit organizations has hired a highly respected town resident with a broad range of work and community volunteer experience as its new executive director. Robin Bates-Mason will assume the position of director of the New Canaan Land Trust in mid-June, according to a press release issued by the organization. “Robin brings to the role a deep commitment to community engagement and environmental stewardship, along with experience in nonprofit leadership,” the press release said. “A 25 year resident of New Canaan, along with her husband Carl and two sons, Robin is well known for her service on local boards and initiatives that promote sustainability and civic involvement.”

She is co-founder and president of Planet New Canaan and past co-president and board member of the New Canaan Beautification League who served one term on the Town Council from 2019 to 2023 and currently serves as chair of the Conservation Commission. Bates-Mason also works as volunteer and events manager for Staying Put in New Canaan, from which she will “thoughtfully transition” in these intervening weeks, the press release said

“I’m honored to join the New Canaan Land Trust and am excited to build on the strong foundation that’s been laid by past leaders, volunteers, and supporters,” Bates-Mason said in the release.

Around Town

DPW: Swap Shop at Transfer Station ‘A Successful Program’

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A public-private partnership at the Transfer Station is saving the town money, officials say. The Swap Shop, organized and operated by Planet New Canaan with support from the Department of Public Works, has helped New Canaan become more green-friendly by keeping many items out of the municipal waste stream. That also has helped reduce the town’s bill for disposing of waste, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “We feel this is a successful program,” Mann said during the May 21 Board of Selectmen meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “I still think it’s saving money.”

Although some donated Swap Shop items ultimately become garbage because they’re not claimed, “it’s less than what we would have received having not had the Swap Shop,” Mann said.