Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members:
On a beautiful Wednesday morning this week the Acton Conservation Trust Conservation Restriction (CR) Committee and Bettina Abe, Town of Acton Natural Resources Assistant, gathered at the 8.5 acre Caouette-Simeone Agricultural Conservation Restriction at 20 Maple Street. We were delighted to be joined by Dylan Frazier, Director of Strategy for the Boston Area Gleaners (BAG). BAG has a license to use the conservation land for agriculture. At Spring Town Meeting the Town will have an opportunity to approve granting BAG a ten year lease to farm the land. He enthusiastically joined in when it was time to search in a swampy thicket for a metal pipe bound which has been eluding us. ACT is eternally grateful to Town Meeting for approving the funds from Community Preservation Act in 2010 to preserve this land for agriculture/conservation
The following news and events may be of interest:
Now – September 5
New Exhibit: Alive with Birds: William Brewster in Concord
Thursday to Sunday, 10 am to 4 PM, Walk ins welcome!
Concord Museum, 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA
Visit this special exhibition to discover the beauty of birds. William Brewster (1851-1919) was Mass Audubon’s first President He dedicated over thirty years of his life to the study of birds in Concord at his property, which he called October Farm. Drawn to Concord for its natural beauty and abundant bird life, Brewster made October Farm his experimental field laboratory and documented its wildlife for scientific study and public enlightenment. In 2019, Mass Audubon received a 143 acre parcel of land which was once part of October Farm, which has been renamed Brewster’s Woods Wildlife Sanctuary. For more information visit their website.
Members free; Adults $15, Seniors $12, Children (6 to 17) $8
Sunday, April 24 When Things Go Horribly Wrong: A Conversation with Sy Montgomery 2 PM On Zoom – Thoreau Farm, Concord, MA Sy Montgomery will discuss with Michael Frederick, Executive Directors of Thoreau Society, her writing process and her best-selling memoir, “The Soul of anOctopus” among other works spanning her long and adventurous career. Register on Zoom
Tuesday, April 26
Wild Animals We Thought We Knew
5:30 – 7 PM
Online.
Naturalist and professional tracker Susan Morse has traveled North America photographing and studying some of our most iconic creatures, including cougars, bears, caribou, wolverines, and Canada lynx. Her studies of scent-marking and “babysitter trees” have contributed to the new body of research that shows how little we have understood these animals, potentially resulting in management assumptions and practices that are inappropriate. Sue argues that it’s time to approach conservation and management with humility. With global warming and habitat fragmentation already impacting the lives and populations of many species, there is no time to lose. This presentation will offer a fresh synthesis of new discoveries. Sue’s breathtaking wildlife photos will illustrate the talk.This event is co-hosted with Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center.This event is free and made possible by NEWT’s wonderful community of supporters. Please consider a $5-10 donation to support Northeast Wilderness Trust’s work to save wild places. Click here to make a gift…thank you!
Wednesday, April 27
Cooler Concord Sustainability Series – Keynote Address: Climate Change Risk & Opportunities by MIT Climate Scientist Dr. Kerry Emanuel
7-9 PM
Harvey Wheeler Community Center and Zoom, 1276 Main St., Concord, MA
Prof. Emanuel has focused his research on hurricane physics and was the first to investigate how long-term climate change might affect hurricane activity. He is co-director of MIT’s Lorenze Center, a climate think tank devoted to basic, curiosity-driven climate research. Sign In to RSVP
Co-hosted with the Concord Carlisle High School Sunrise Hub.
Wednesday, April 27
MA Governor’s Race Forum on Energy & the Environment
6:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215) and streaming online
Join the Environmental League of Massachusetts and WBUR for a forum with candidates for governor Sonia Chang-Díaz, State Senator, MA 2nd Suffolk District, and Maura Healey, Massachusetts Attorney General. The candidates will have the opportunity to discuss their plans for renewable energy, clean transportation, environmental justice, resilient communities, and more. Free, but registration requested.
Friday, April 29 2022
Annual Arbor Day Celebration
9:30 AM for tree-themed story time for toddlers
10 AM Tree Planting Ceremony
Public Safety Facility, 371 Main St.
Join us in celebrating 150th Anniversary of Arbor Day
Questions: Contact DPW 978-929-7740 or treewarden@actonma.gov
Saturday, April 30
Cooler Concord Climate Festival
10-2 PM
Concord Free Pubic Library, Main Branch, Front Lawn, Concord, MA
Sign In to RSVP
Sunday, May 1
ACT Spring Service Day 2022
1-3 PM
Adjacent to 18 Wright Terrace. At the end of Wright Terrace, park off the road on the east side, facing garden.
Join us for this community service day of removing invasive plant growth at our beautiful Wright Hill Conservation Area. If you haven’t seen the antique corn crib in town, this is a perfect opportunity! You can register by clicking Spring Service Day 2022, or by going to our website: www.ActonConservationTrust.org.
Monday, May 2
Informational Zoom Session re: Conservation Acquisition of 95/105 Sargent Road, Boxborough
7:30 PM
Zoom
Boxborough Conservation Trust Is Fundraising to Help Purchase 21 acre parcel of forested uplands on Sargent Road in Boxborough for $1.25 million. Also, they are encouraging Boxborough residents to attend Annual Town Meeting at 7 PM, May 10, 2/3 vote required. For Zoom link, please email bharris@bctrust.org. For more information visit www.bctrust.org
Wednesday May 4
Building Community in the Watershed to Support At-Risk Pollinations Systems!
7-8:30
Zoom
The Metropolitan Conservation Alliance invites you to join the Native Pollinator Task Force (NPTF) for the next NPTF webinar. Guests Bryn Gingrich and Sara Lupkas from Lincoln will highlight the Lincoln Pollination Action Plan and community engagement efforts in their town. There will be time after the presentation for people to share ideas and experiences. Since 2020, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust has been implementing the Lincoln Lincoln Pollination Action Plan, a roadmap for building biodiversity throughout the town. Sparked by the desire to address climate change and declining pollinator populations, LLCT is committed to creating and maintaining functionally diverse pollinator habitat through Lincoln. Register here
Friday, May 6
Behind the Scenes Tour at Stonefield Farm
9-10 AM
Stonefield Farm, Acton
Join Usha Thakrar, Executive Director of the Boston Area Gleaners and Christa Collins, SVT Director of Land Protection to learn about how Acton’s Stonefield Farm was protected and what its future holds. The farm serves as BAG’s hub for storing and packing crops for hunger relief, and Usha will describe how this non-profit addresses food insecurity, on-farm food waste, and local farm sustainability through a variety of programs. Co-sponsored by the Boston Area Gleaners. Register at https://www.svtweb.org/node/10740/register
May 17, 2022
Spring Bird Walk at NARA Park, Acton, MA
7-9 am
NARA Park, Acton, MA
The birds are back in town! Grab your binoculars and join birder Al Sgroi for a few hours of bird watching and identifying at NARA Park. You can register by clicking Spring Bird Walk, or by going to our website: www.ActonConservationTrust.org.
Saturday, May 21
Acton Garden Club Plant Sale and Raffle
9-1 PM, Rain or Shine
Red House – Acton Center, 468 Main Street on Route 27
The plant sale is the major fundraiser of the Acton Garden Club. The proceeds benefit the many public gardens and plantings maintained by the Club within the Acton community. In addition the funds are used for the annual high school scholarship, the educational grant program and many other community service projects. Visit actongardenclub.org to learn more about Jumping Worms and how they deal with the issue.
NEWS!
Determining the Value of Nature’s Services,
April 6, https://www.svtweb.org/news/determining-value-natures-services
When speaking with local officials, SVT often explains that conservation has many “co-benefits” with tangible economic values, such as reducing flood risks and improving public health. Thanks to a working group of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition (MLTC), which was led by SVT, we now have data to support our assertions about the value of nature’s services.
The working group partnered with consultant Jessica Sargent from Primrose Research Group to develop a toolkit of materials that anyone can download and use to educate, inform, or advocate for land conservation in their community. We encourage you to take a look at these materials and use them in your own local advocacy.
Resources include a technical white paper that summarizes some of the latest data available for Massachusetts, a PowerPoint presentation that can be customized to address the needs and concerns of individual towns and cities, a User Guide to the presentation, and a one-page summary that can serve as a leave-behind for your audience. We encourage you to take a look at these materials and use them in your own local advocacy.
Lincoln Land Conservation Trust’s Pollinator Plant Sale Returns!
This sale is offered as a benefit to 2022 members. If you haven’t renewed your membership, please join today. Membership donations help support their work to create robust pollinator habitat throughout Lincoln and beyond! All plants are by pre-order online. Pick up is on Friday June 3rd in Lincoln, MA. Pick up will be in the afternoon and evening. Specific location and times will be announced soon. Before ordering, please ensure you will be available topics up (or able to arrange for a friend to pick up). This year LLCT is featuring a perennial kit that includes 24 plants, as well as many shrubs and trees offered a la carte.
Click here to view a PDF version of the Plant List and Descriptions
VOLUNTEER!
Boston Area Gleaners (BAG) is Rock Picking and Grocery Box Packing!
Join volunteers in the field to pick rocks or in BAG’s greenhouse on Wednesday, 4/25 to pack grocery boxes for local pantries and low-income housing facilities. Sign up to volunteer at https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
Monday, 4/25
Rock Picking
9 am to noon
Stonefield Farm, Acton, MA
Packing mixed produce boxes
1-4 PM
Stonefield Farm, Acton, MA
Wednesday, April 27
Packing grocery boxes
9-12 PM OR 1-4 PM
Stonefield Farm, Martin Street, Acton, MA
Goat Hikes – Good Pickin’ Farm
5 Gould Road, Westford
Goat Hikes. $65/group up to 8 people. Informative nature hike led by an ecologist, focusing on different flora or fauna of the area that is seasonal. Have fun while the goats walk and run along with you and enjoy their silly antics! For more information call 425-306-7203 or email hello@goodpicikinfarm.com
April Through May
Join Central Mass. Goat Rental for a Walk with Goats
48 West Acres Drive, Lunenberg
Take to the trails with friendly farm animals at your side. Anywhere from 6 to 16 goats will go on the hikes. Goats have a natural instinct to follow the leader, which makes them perfect hiking companions. The hike is relatively easy, lasting about an hour. Masks and social distance are required and group size is limited due to Covid-19. Each hike costs $35 per adult, $10 per child (under the age of 15 years old), and children ages 5 years and under are free. To book a hike, visit www.centralmagoatrental.com and choose the date of your hike.
Hiking with Dogs – The Trustees Did you and your family get a pandemic puppy? Are you and your older dog a little tired of the same old walking routes? Let our dog-friendly properties give you a burst of inspiration to get some fresh air for you and your four-footed companion. These 7 places might be just the thing this spring. Click here for Dog Friendly Hikes
Spring Ahead of Jumping Worms –Jumping worms (aka snake worms, crazy worms) are widespread and spreading aggressively throughout the Northeast. These invasive earthworms are noticeably larger than the established earthworms and thrash violently when disturbed. Damage caused by jumping worms includes devouring leaf litter that regenerates soil and over-aerating the soil, causing nutrients to each out, roots to loosen, and soil to erode. Read what Native Plant Trust is doing and a what you can do to stop their spread. What Native Plant Trust is doing to prevent the spread of jumping worms: All wood chips and compost used at Garden in the Woods are produced on site. We use new plastic pots for most of the plants we sell. We clean and sanitize any reused pots. Native Plant Trust, nativeplantrust.org for more information.
Garlic Mustard Season!
Neighborhood Pull Season: Now through- May 31.
Venture out and pull Garlic Mustard on your own! Need some exercise this weekend? It’s the start of garlic mustard season! Plants are up and easy to spot right now. Pull the plant up by the root. Tear it apart and shake soil out of the roots. From https://concordma.gov/778/Garlic-Mustard-Alliaria-Petiolata: Remove the plant with its entire root system or new plants may sprout from root fragments. Take care not spread any plants that have gone to seed. Remove completely from the site and dispose of in garbage bags. Foliar spray is not recommended as it can be harmful to the surrounding flora and fauna. Please check with Bettina Abe, babe@gmail.com, about pulling Garlic Mustard at the Acton Arboretum.
Support Acton Conservation Trust while you make purchases on AmazonSmile! ACT will receive a small payment, and these add up! From your desktop or laptop computer, AmazonSmile is available at at smile.amazon.com on your Web browser. Bookmark it for easy use! AmazonSmile is available from your mobile phone as well. To activate AmazonSmile in the Amazon Shopping app, simply tap on “AmazonSmile” within the Programs & Features menu or Settings and follow the on-screen instructions.
Sincerely,
Susan Mitchell-Hardt
President, Acton Conservation Trust
www.ActonConservationTrust.org
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