Bates Friends Forever

NEW LONDON, CT

Donate!

SOIL

OUR PURPOSE

Advocate for the conservation and enhancement of Bates Woods

Want to get involved? Here's the schedule of our upcoming workdays to remove invasive plants and vines from trees.

For each date we will meet at Bates Woods Park, Pavilion 3, near Animal Control.

Everyone is welcome, and you don't need to stay for the entire duration of the time specified.

Need more info? Contact us at batesfriendsforever@gmail.com

July 12 9am-noon: Cut vines. Cut and bag Japanese Knotweed
July 19 9am-noon: Cut Vines and pull multiflora rose
July 26 9am-noon: Cut and bag Japanese Knotweed
August 2 9am-noon: Cut knotweed, ensure prevention of seed formation.
August 9 9am-noon: Cut Vines and pull multiflora rose
August 16 9am-noon: Cut and bag Japanese Knotweed
August 23 9am-noon: Cut Vines and pull multiflora rose
August 30 9am-noon: Cut and bag Japanese Knotweed
September 6 9am-noon: Cut and bag Japanese Knotweed. This is also our day for our quarterly litter pick-up
September 13 9am-noon: Cut Vines and pull multiflora rose
September 20 9am-noon: Cut and bag Japanese Knotweed
September 27 9am-noon:Cut Vines and pull multiflora rose
October 4 9am-noon: Cut Vines and pull multiflora rose
November 1 9am-noon: Cut Vines and pull multiflora rose
December 6 9am-noon: Cut Vines and pull multiflora rose. This is also our day for our quarterly litter pick-up
January 3 2026 9am-noon: Cut vines
February 7 2026 9am-noon: Cut vines
March 7: 2026 9am-noon Cut emerging invasives.
April 4 2026 9am-noon: Cut emerging invasives.
May 2 2026 9am-noon: Cut and bag Japanese Knotweed
May 16 2026 9am-noon: Cut and bag Japanese Knotweed
May 30 2026 9am-noon: Cut and bag Japanese Knotweed
June 6 2026 9am-noon: Cut and bag Japanese Knotweed
June 20 2026 9am-noon: Community meeting to review the work completed

OUR WORK

Bates Friends Forever is a group of neighbors advocating for the stewardship of Bates Woods, an awesome park and open space in New London, Connecticut.

Bates Woods has rich educational, recreational and scientific history and unlimited potential.

Our first clean-up day on August 17th, 2024, was a HUGE success! Intrepid volunteers picked up the following:

65 enormous bags of trash
13 tires
4 mattresses
2 pallets

If you'd like to learn more feel free to contact us at batesfriendsforever@gmail.com

Our Work

We had a great time freeing these trees from their wisteria cages this morning! The weather was awesome and cool, and the bugs behaved! So fun!

Be on the look out, as this wisteria in the tree dies it'll turn brown and we will be able to see the tree getting that sunshine!

#batesfriendsforever #newlondonct #bateswoodspark

Do you know about the awesome work our friends at New London Trees are doing? Check them out! (They're on Facebook, insta coming soon?!?)

New trail alert!🚨🚨🚨
Signage is up to connect the Boulders community to Bates Woods Park! In the second pic you can see the trail head, residential side.

We're happy to announce the Mountain Laurel Way (pink blaze) is open and blazed! Access via Popsicle Peaks (red blaze).

Also finished, Wonderland Way (yellow blaze) and Kale Trail (green blaze) pics to come!

#batesfriendsforever #bateswoods #newlondonct

Most people can’t believe a park like this exists in New London. Enjoy it, preserve it, and protect it! 🌳🦋✌🏾#BatesFriendsForever

BFF is looking for donations! We have upcoming workdays and the grant has not been finalized. That means we are lacking some tools for volunteers.
Do you have any of the below that are rusty and blunt? We will take them, restore them and use them to cut invasive plants!
We are accepting:
Machetes
Hand shears
Lopers
Scythes

Please get in contact with us either here or via email if you have any tools to donate!

#batesfriendsforever

Check out this cool turtle that lives at Bates Woods!

#batesfriendsforever #bateswoodspark

Despite the heat 🔥today we made our first foray into managing invasive plants 🌱 in Bates Woods ✔️ We hand clipped a couple football fields worth of Japanese knotweed in an effort to clear woodland trails that have been covered in it… 🥾#BatesFriendsForever

We’re going to work hard this summer on removing invasive species in Bates Woods and we need all of the volunteer help we can get. 🌳 Please pick a few dates and come help us! Tell your friends! All work days are Saturday, 9am to 12pm or any portion you can offer 🙏🏾 #BatesFriendsForever #ExploreConnecticut #GetOutsideCT #DiscoverCT #ExploreCT #HikeCT #ConnecticutOutdoors @ctvisit @explorenewlondon

What these topographical and surficial geological maps (contained in the 1979 environmental review team report) reveal, in case there was any doubt, is that the landfill was placed directly in a wetland that just happens to be the headwaters of Fenger Brook and Alewife Cove. 🔗 in bio for the full report.

“Maintain and improve existing open spaces and parks; Expand existing parks and open spaces (such as Bates Woods).” 2017 Plan of Conservation and Development, p. 51 (link in bio) 🙉🙈🙊

More pictures from our fabulous #CTTrailsDay2025 hike earlier this morning 🌳 #CTTrailsDay 🙏🏾@ctforestandparkassociation 📸 @mostly.trees #ExploreConnecticut #OutdoorAdventure #ConnecticutHiking #Connecticut #GetOutsideCT #DiscoverCT #CTTrailsDay #ExploreCT #HikeCT #ConnecticutOutdoors #BatesFriendsForever @ctvisit @explorenewlondon

Thank you all for another fun hike in Bates Woods! #CTTrailsDay2025
#ExploreConnecticut #OutdoorAdventure #ConnecticutHiking #Connecticut #GetOutsideCT #DiscoverCT #CTTrailsDay #ExploreCT #HikeCT #ConnecticutOutdoors #BatesFriendsForever @ctforestandparkassociation 📸 @entolomamami @ctvisit @explorenewlondon

Please mark your calendars and joins us on June 7 for #CTTrailsDay2025 🌳 Link in bio for details and to register 🙄#ExploreConnecticut #OutdoorAdventure #ConnecticutHiking #Connecticut #GetOutsideCT #DiscoverCT #CTTrailsDay #ExploreCT #HikeCT #ConnecticutOutdoors #BatesFriendsForever @ctforestandparkassociation @ctvisit @explorenewlondon

Who doesn't love our clean up days aka love your park days! Next one coming up in a month, bring your friends and get grubby with us. Gloves and supplies provided; bring water, sunscreen, bug spray if you want.

Did you bid on this beauty at the BFF fundraiser? Does your number go something like 415485xxx? If so send us a message! We've been trying to reach you!

Thanks everyone who came out last night to @thediamond_pizzeria and everyone who donated amazing raffle prizes. And of course it wouldn't have happened without @bardsofgungywamp and @bears.dont.care.

#newlondonct @thediamond_pizzeria #bateswoods

The Guardian is reporting new findings that are relevant to Bates Woods Park: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/26/more-than-100-landfills-in-england-may-be-leaching-highly-hazardous-waste NL doesn't have records of water testing after closure of the landfill. As construction on the solar array access road could begin anytime, BFF plans to press the city to prioritize monitoring water quality. The image is from the summary of the 1991 landfill closure plan.

One week till our fundraiser, May 3 at the Diamond! Great raffle prizes including art by @tincupsigns, @caseyspec, @nlcboatworks, @joppathoughts and others; gift certificates to local businesses; and more. And beautiful BFF merch for sale/donation. Hope you are enjoying the flowers!!

Want to learn more about the invasive plants that are edible in your area?

Join us May 3 for a walk through Bates Woods where we will identify and discuss invasive plants that you can eat!

Meet at pavilion 3 near animal control at 10am, we will be done by noon.

All participants will need to sign a waiver since we will be discussing things you can eat. Wear shoes you can walk comfortably through various terrains. Tick spray is always a good idea.

#batesfriendsforever #bateswoods #newlondonct

Want to learn which of these invasive plants you can eat? Want to try some tasty recipes made with invasive plants?

Then come down to Bates Woods on May 3, 10am to noon for the Edible Invasive Plant Walk! We meet at pavilion 3 (near animal control).

#newlondonct #invasiveplants #batesfriendsforever

Thanks to UConn students for visiting Bates yesterday, sharing their ideas for stewardship with us, and helping review The Day archives for education and outreach! It was great spending the afternoon with you. @uconnoutreach

May 3rd we'll have an Edible Invasive Plant Identification walk. Please meet at the Pavilion near Animal Control. Expect to walk 2-3 miles. The pace will not be very fast. 10-noon. Participants will be required to sign a waiver cuz ain't no one got time to be sued.

shoutout to our friends @sparkmakerspace for awesome screen printing infrastructure. we appreciate you! (you can get your hands on tshirts at our upcoming events!)

We met with @ct.deep urban foresters to evaluate invasive plant management plans for our beloved Bates Woods 🌾

Possible spear or dart point found in Bates Woods.

The State Historical Office said it’s most likely from the Late Archaic period, 4,000 to 6,000 years ago, before the widespread use of bow and arrow. Quartz was commonly used for edged tools and weapons like this and was probably worked into shape with a chisel or flaking tool. #BatesFriendsForever

A fine spring day 🌿 for a ramble 🚶‍♀️🚶🏾‍♂️🚲 We identified the location of the water quality monitoring wells 🚰 that were mapped out 🗺️ in the 1981 Bates Woods preliminary landfill closure plan ✔️

tires, a football, a Christmas tree stand. all the things! folks also found bikes, a lawnmower, a mini slinky, a poetic justice hoody (classic!) and a grill. what will we find next time?

Thanks to everybody who made our clean up day (aka love your park day) a huge success today!

“The terrain surrounding the landfill is very valuable as a source of open space because little open land remains within the city limits.” -Closure Plan for the Bates Woods Landfill, August 1990

New bridges, new trail signs, 🌾 less trash, more trash cans 🗑️ #BatesFriendsForever

Who's excited for the next Love Your Park Day (aka clean up day)? We are! Save the date March 8th!

deer, bike, pedestrian. what's your vision for bates woods?

Check out this cool stone pond at Bates Woods Park! Can't wait to get this cleaned out and restored!

Pre-storm tromps 🥾🧤🌨️ #BatesFriendsForever

The 1999 Parks & Recreation Master Plan envisioned the top of the landfill as a good place for recreation and open space #BatesFriendsForever

💗 The old stone bridge in Bates Woods #BatesFriendsForever #WorksProgressAdministration

Remembering Bates Woods Environmental Education Program (BWEEP). Their old signs from the 1980s still stand at the Animal Control entrance 🌳🦇🦅 #BatesFriendsForever

Top of the landfill looking east #BatesFriendsForever

Top of the landfill #BatesFriendsForever

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CONTACT

Contact

Chester Street

New London, CT 06320

batesfriendsforever@gmail

Bates Friends Forever

OUR PURPOSE

OUR WORK

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