Turn to the trees for more choices! “Trees on Woodstock Hill” offers a tour of the 100-year-old Palmer Arboretum at 10 a.m. April 23. View the special trees growing on Woodstock Hill as the arboretum is being restored by hearty volunteers. This tour will repeat on April 23, May 13, June 3 and June 17; see how changes blossom as these weeks pass. Head into the woods for “Forest & Farm, LLC Woodland Tour” later the same day at 1 p.m. Forest management for wildlife habitat is the topic on this Mansfield property. Hull Forest Products, the land owner and ECLFA/Wolf Den Land Trust team up to highlight this good work in the woods. 

Scamper, run, jog, stroll, skip or walk as you take part in the “4th Annual WT4H Camper Scamper,” a 5K road race, including a 1-miler for the kiddos. This fun run happens 10 a.m. April 22 and you can sign up online at www.4hcampct.org. Fees are $20 for adults, and $10 for the kids.

Seek salamanders! Turn over logs at Wyndham Land Trust’s Lyon Preserve on Wright’s Crossing Rd. in Pomfret at 1 p.m. April 22.

Start by digging into the dirt with these soil and gardening choices on April 22. The Town of Mansfield’s “Build Your Own Rain Barrel & Pre-Order Sale” happens at the Mansfield Library from 10 to 11:30 a.m.; save money and learn how to make your own rain barrel. Pre-register and pre-order barrels with Virginia Walton at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 860-429-3333. 

Dudley is holding its first ever “Dudley Dirt Day” from 10 a.m. to noon April 22 at the Dudley Grange. The grange and the Dudley Conservation Land Trust are offering this presentation on how to maintain healthy soil, as well as free on-site soil tests, so bring a small sample with you. The Friends of Goodwin Forest present “Soil Science” from 10 .m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Goodwin Conservation Center in Hampton. Pre-register to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

to learn about the world beneath our feet and how use and management of our soil will shape the future. Goodwin is also offering “Creating a Medicinal Herb Garden” from 2 to 3:30 p.m. with a practicing herbalist and master gardener, sharing design, plant sources and healing traditions. 

Preston residents are welcome to take advantage of the “Amos Lake Association’s 2017 Soil Testing Day.” Head to www.preston.org for instructions, and return your soil sample on April 22nd from 10 am – 3 pm to the transfer station or Flemings Feed. Testing before applying fertilizers will result in healthier lawns and gardens plus a cleaner lake and watershed.  Close out the week’s soil-concentrated programs on Thursday, April 27th from 7 – 8 pm with “No-Till Gardening” at the Mansfield Public Library. Free and open to all local community members, pre-register to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 860-429-3333 and secure a seat to learn how to nourish the soil without disturbing it. 

History, beauty and antiques combine for more exploration! “The Three Bridges of Downtown Willimantic – and More” happens at 10:30 a.m. April 22. Meet in the Jillson Square parking lot to view the historic photos in the bank nearby, and then explore the Victorian Footbridge, Frog Bridge and Bridge of Flowers. This is a long-time Walktober offering, so take the chance to see it in a new season. “Creamery Brook’s Old Iron Tractor Plow Day” tills up fun at 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 23. Take a stroll past the BIG bison to the fields. All shapes and sizes of tractors and plows will be on display and at work plowing the field. Breakfast and lunch bison sandwiches will be available for purchase and the bison-themed store will be open. 

“TLGV Ranger Marcy’s Acorn Adventure” visits Lake Siog on Pond Bridge Rd. in Holland at 1 p.m. April 23 to see salamanders. Both are family-friendly events, with plenty of safe parking and room to let little legs roam and explore!

Water runs through some programs this week, too! “Stones, Ponds & Dams” is led by popular UConn Professor Thorson with Joshua’s Trust in Mansfield at 2 p.m. April 22 at 2 pm and is good for school-age kids and up. Opacum Land Trust and Hitchcock Free Academy invite you to Dingle Dell in Brimfield for “Perspectives: Land, Streams & Photos” at 5 p.m. Join the photo shoot with a nature photographer to help you zoom in as the evening light arrives. Paddle or cheer at the “Sturbridge Lions All American River Race” on April 23, with 9 a.m. registration time and 11 a.m. start for paddlers. This timed race covers over 6 miles of the Quinebaug River, ending at the Westfield Dam Recreation Area with food, entertainment, and strategic viewing of the rapids. 

To get all the Spring Outdoor choices and clean-up opportunities, visit www.thelastgreenvalley.org or TLGV’s Facebook page. New adventures are being added all the time.