Lyme — Dozens of residents turned out Sunday afternoon, amid turning leaves and crisp air, to celebrate the opening of Lyme’s newest piece of preserved land — 10.9 acres of forest space situated among brooks, streams and a beaver pond, otherwise known as the Thach Preserve.

Filling a vital space amid an uninterrupted block of forest land, town officials have deemed the preserve as another “puzzle piece” to Lyme’s 12,000-plus acres of preserved space — a number that represents more than half of the town's land mass.

“(The Thach Preserve) might be a small piece of land, but it sure packs a lot of punch,” said Tony Irving, a forest ecologist and member of the Lyme Land Conservation Trust, the group that manages the town's preserved space and which purchased the Thach Preserve in 2017. The preserve was named after Jim and Margaret Thach, strong advocates for open space in Lyme.

“It’s a small gem because of everything that’s going on here,” Irving said, explaining how the preservation fits into a larger wetlands ecological system that extends to the Connecticut River. “There is a great variety of habitats, animal and plant species that can be found here.”

The preserve, which is located at 131 Bush Hill Road, features a 1-mile walking trail that traverses hilly terrain dotted with glacial outcroppings and winding streams. A beaver pond stands as the highlight of the preserve and offers sweeping views of orange and yellow foliage, as well as beaver-cut trees and their lodge.

“This is a really special place,” said Betsey Copp, whose property abuts the preserve. “It’s amazing to see the variety in nature here. The dead trees in the beaver pond once attracted a red-headed woodpecker, which then attracted a bunch of bird-watchers here. It’s just an incredible place.”

Copp was one of many Lyme residents who helped see that the 10.9 acres, then owned by Evelyn Foster, was obtained by the Lyme Land Trust — just one example of the town's enthusiasm to constantly seek out and support the preservation of land. The land was sold for $195,000 in 2017. Half that purchase was covered by an anonymous donor, while the remainder was funded through private donations, most of which came from Lyme residents.

"Our mission is to protect the cultural, aesthetic and biological systems of this town," Irving said. "We think of Lyme as a regional resource, something that is always open to the public to explore, and that is very important to us."

Selectman Parker Lord, who also attended Sunday's walk, agreed, saying that Lyme's dedication to preserving land is a sweeping priority.

“For me, my family has been here since 1665. So it’s very important for us to keep the town the way it was when my folks arrived. For the town, it’s a matter of liking the open space, liking the woods and wanting to keep it that way,” Lord said. "We've worked hard for this. Both sides of the line, Republican and Democrats, have come together to preserve the town over the years. We simply want open space in this town."

m.biekert@theday.com