The Town of Old Lyme will rename the main trail in its 65-acre Champlain Farm North open space property in honor of Diana Atwood Johnson in a special ceremony to be held on Saturday, June 2, at 10 a.m. The public is welcome to attend.
The dedication will fittingly take place on Connecticut Trails Day 2018, a state-wide celebration intended to encourage enjoyment of state’s natural settings and hiking trails.
Diana Atwood Johnson was a naturalist and a dynamic advocate for open space in her beloved Old Lyme, across Connecticut, and nationally. She served as Chair of the Old Lyme Open Space Commission for nearly 20 years, and most of the town’s roughly 600 acres of open space has been described as having “her signature on it.”
The town Open Space Commission requested that the Champlain North “red trail” be formally re-named the “Diana Atwood Johnson Trail,” and the Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the designation on May 7.
Open Space Commission Co-Chair Bill Dunbar said the trail memorial was chosen for its location adjacent to the Old Lyme Inn, which Ms. Atwood Johnson founded in 1976, and built over 25 years into a nationally renowned restaurant and country inn.
Ms. Atwood Johnson was an ardent supporter of the arts, and her memorial trail further winds past one of her favorite trees, the Barbizon Oak. At over 16 ft. in circumference, the 300-year-old Barbizon is one of Connecticut’s largest oaks and was named in honor of the Old Lyme art colony, created in the late 19th century to be an American equivalent to the French Barbizon School of painting. The predecessor to Old Lyme Inn was named the “Barbizon Oak Inn.”
The entrance to the 65-acre Champlain Farm North property is located just north of the Old Lyme Inn at the end of Wyckford Road, off the Boston Post Rd. (US Rte. 1). The “Diana Atwood Johnson Trail” starts there, and loops for one mile through the preserve.
Diana Atwood Johnson passed away on Jan. 1, 2018 at the age of 71, after a battle with myositis, an autoimmune disease.
Following the dedication, all are invited to join a walk along the newly-commemorated “Diana Atwood Johnson” trail, weather permitting.
Sorry to hear of her passing. I served as her executive chef for 3 years at The Old Lyme Inn.
She was good to me and my young family.
Generous and fair. She had class, grace and elegance.
I will Visit the trail sometime and would consider donating a bench or two in her homer.