Litchfield Conservation Commission

The Litchfield Conservation Commission (LCC) logo featured to the left, emulates the sandbar willow and contains three elements that symbolize our parks: greenery, water, sand.
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Wild creatures, like men, must have a place to live. As civilization creates cities, builds highways, and drains marshes, it takes away, little by little, the land that is suitable for wildlife. – Rachel Carson

Litchfield is a great place to live, work and play. As the town’s Conservation Commission, we are charged with promoting the sustainable use of our natural resources through sound principles, so that future generations may enjoy the benefits of our wildlife, water and the land conservation. Our group is busy with walking trail maintenance, forestry projects, terrestrial invasive plant control and education.

The Conservation Commission was formed in April 2001. Conservation Commission meetings are held each month. We welcome volunteers and we can have up to 12 associate members. The Conservation Commission regularly sponsors activities, events, and educational opportunities. For events, check our Facebook Page and the monthly Litchfield Sodalite for more information.

Did you know that the Litchfield Community Park (LCP) features a walkable Storybook Trail depicting local wildlife? The current story is The Bugliest Bug by Carol Diggory Shields. Loved by kids and adults, it’s a rollicking, tongue-in-cheek entree to the entomological world. Damselfly Dilly uncovers a plot by a group of sinister spiders who hold a “Bugliest Bug” contest – and secretly plan to consume the credulous contestants. “A ladybug curtsied, tumblebugs flipped, The judges applauded, then licked their lips.” The Storybook Trail is updated seasonally with new, colorful book pages laminated against weather and mounted on 20+ podiums placed at kid height for easy viewing and enjoyment. The Storybook Trail is located along the Redpoll Trail in LCP.

PAST EVENTS:

Fall

Educational Mushroom Walk with the president of the Maine Mycological Association, Michaeline Mulvey.
LCP Woody Invasive plant control day with a dozen volunteers who come armed with chainsaws, tree trimming lopers, and rakes to cut down invasive shrubs. The brush is cleared and put into small piles around the park to create natural wildlife habitats.
Town Cleanup Day where volunteers are given free, oversized plastic bags and encouraged to walk their local Litchfield streets to pick up trash. On this day the Litchfield Transfer Station accepts large trash items, as well as the trash bags donated by LCC and filled from town.

Summer

Introduction to Aquatic Invasive Plants with the Tacoma Lakes Association (TLA) volunteers. Kayakers and canoers survey Tacoma Lake plant growth on a weekly basis. In 2024 Jimmy Pond & Jimmy Stream were surveyed, 2023 Little Purgatory was surveyed, 2022 Woodbury Pond was surveyed, 2021 Sand Pond was surveyed. In 2025 we will begin the loop of our 5 Tacoma Lakes again by surveying Buker Pond.

Spring

Maine Big Night where town volunteers collect data on frogs and amphibian migration on the first warm rainy night of spring.
Vernal Pools Day for Carrie Ricker School 3rd graders to identify creatures in and around the vernal pools at Smithfield Plantation. Lead by the Maine DEP, Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed, Smithfield Plantation Trustees and LCC volunteers.
Earth Day free event at the Litchfield Community Park, featuring educational games, crafts using recyclables, a take-home planting activity with green bean and sunflower seeds, and a nature scavenger hunt.
Forestry Day for Carrie Ricker school for 3rd graders to learn about our woods with a bird walk, owl pellet dissection, wind and solar experiments, outdoor survival station and ‘tree factory’ games.
Woody Invasive plant control days continuing the work started each Fall, a group of volunteers work with Hunter Manley, from Legacy Woodlot Services, Inc., ME Licensed Commercial Master Pesticide Applicator, to daub the invasive tree stumps and control new growth.

Winter

Litchfield Community Park Winter Exploration event where the Litchfield Conservation Commission (LCC) members lead groups through the park and trails to identify plants and trees, animal tracks, and enjoy the beauty of our local woods.
New Years Day Town Wide Snowshoe Walk and bonfire hosted at LCP with free hot chocolate and s’mores fixings donated by CMP.
Brown Tail Moth nest identification and eradication strategies workshop hosted by a local, licensed landscape architect.