Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members,
Hornets typically build their nests uncovered areas such as tree branches, shrubs, attics, and crawl spaces. Wasps tend to build their nests under ease of roofs, wall cavities and garages.
The rule of thumb is that if nests don’t pose an immediate hazard they can be left alone. Wasps/bald face hornets vacate their nest in the fall and don’t reuse the same nest the next year. After a couple of hard frosts, the wasps should no longer pose an issue. Leaving wasp nests alone may reduce insecticides in the environment and support beneficial insects.
The following events may be of interest:
Boston Area Gleaners Volunteer Opportunities
Friday, August 30th
Veggie Glean
10:00am – 1 pm
Ipswich, MA
Veggie Glean
2-4pm
Ipswich MA
*Please join the waitlist if a trip is full! Not only will this help us gauge interest moving forward, but if someone is unable to attend who had previously committed, and depending on your place on the waitlist, you will be automatically added to the roster.
Don’t forget: The most up-to-date trip information is always on the website. We may post trips after the weekly email goes out. To stay in the loop about last-minute calls for volunteers, you can join our volunteer emergency text list!
Sunday September 1
Acton-Boxborough Farmers Market – Community Table: Acton Boxborough Girl Scouts, ABGirlScouts.org
10-1 PM
19 Elm Street, Acton
Bring your reusable grocery tote every Sunday and stock up on local produce and artisanal goods while you enjoy music, artisan offerings, our community table… and friends and neighbors.
The ABFM Operates on People Power! The ABFM exists because of our terrific vendors; the support of local businesses, organizations, and individuals; help from the Town of Acton and staff; and the hard work of volunteers. We need a few more adult volunteers to help manage our growing market. Want to help? Wonderful! Please email us at volunteers@abfarmersmarket.org, or stop by our booth on Sunday.
Wednesdays, September 4- November 20
“I Hiked Acton’s Trails!”
2:30-4:00 pm
Walk the trails in Acton’s conservation areas with the goal of earning a sticker and a sew-on patch! This weekly set of walks (typically 1-2 miles) is a joint effort between Acton Conservation Trust and Acton Conservation Division. We will complete the remainder of 22 conservation land walks which started last spring. Check out the “I Hiked Acton’s Trails” Challenge form HERE for more information about the challenge.
An accessible option is also available for those with devices or mobility issues. Contact us if you are interested in this option. For more information or questions, please contact jharris.actonconservationtrust@gmail.com. REGISTER HERE!
Saturday, September 7
19th Annual Ag Day Farmers Market in Concord, MA
10-2 PM
Main Street in downtown Concord (between Walden St. and the Flagpole rotary)
Concord Ag Day is a once a year farmers’ market celebrating local agriculture organized by the Concord Agriculture Committee to showcase Concord farms and local produce. This unique market showcases the bounty of Concord’s many farm businesses at the height of the growing season. For information: www.concordagday.com.
Come experience what Concord’s land can produce!
Sunday, September 15 – 3rd Sunday of every month – through November
Breakfast at Fort Pond Littleton
8 Kaleva Road
8-10:30 AM
For directions CLICK HERE.
kalevalittletonma.org
Menu:
Eggs, Homefries, Bacon or Sausage, Toast
-OR-
Pancakes, Bacon or Sausage
Plus Coffee, OJ, Pulla (Finnish sweet bread)
Adult $12 Child $8
For more information CLICK HERE
Tuesday, September 17
History of the Nashobah Praying Indians
7pm – 8pm
Church of the Good Shepherd, 164 Newtown Rd, Acton, MA 01720
Sunday, September 22
13th Stone Soup Dinner. An evening dedicated to supporting Concord agriculture!
4-7 pm
Verrill Farm, 11 Wheeler Road, Concord, MA 01742
Join us for a beautiful evening on the farm, supporting Concord Agriculture and enjoying Concord-grown produce prepared by Concord Chefs. This special event is not just a feast for your palate; it’s a celebration of our local farmers and the hard work they put into maintaining the agricultural spirit of Concord. Brian Donahue from Brandeis University will delve into the concept of “The Stone in Stone Soup” during the evening’s featured presentation. Enjoy delicious tastings from a selection of Concord’s finest restaurants. A cash bar will be available to complement your meal.
Please reach out to the Stone Soup Committee with any questions about the dinner.
Jennifer Verrill (Verrill Farm) – jen@verrillfarm.com
Chris Saia (West Concord Liquors) – chris@westconcordliquors.com
Justin Kopaz (The Concord Cheese Shop) – jandrewcooks@hotmail.com
Stone Soup Dinner Ticket
$60.00
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Household Hazardous Waste Day
DPW Garage located at 14 Forest Road
4-6:30 PM
If possible, please only make ONE trip to Hazardous Waste Day. Upon entering the site, please drive slow
and stay in your vehicle.
These collection services are for Acton residents only and proof of residency will be required.
See the Town’s Household Hazardous Waste Day Flyer for more information.
Wednesday to Saturday, Sept. 25-28
Land Trust Alliance Rally
Providence, RI
The Land Trust Alliance is proud to host its 37th year of Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference in Providence, RI. Serving as the premier training and networking conference, Rally offers learning sessions focused on land conservation topics, networking events, exhibits, plenary sessions and an awards presentation celebrating conservation leadership.
Learn more about Rally 2024 here
Saturday, September 28
OARS & Town of Acton’s Community Water Chestnut Removal Event
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Ice House Pond, 120 Concord Road, Acton
120 Concord Road , Acton, MA , 01720
Please join us for our second water chestnut removal event at Ice House Pond in 2024!
Registration is required, so please sign up HERE.
Sunday, October 6
Boston Area Gleaners: Ride for Food
Sign up, join our team, donate, and learn more about the event here.
Join our team!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Town of Acton Open Space Committee (OSC) is seeking one full time member and 2 Associate Members. We are reaching out to you given your interest in land preservation. The OSC is a sub-committee of the Conservation Commission, with seven permanent members and two associate members serving terms of three years each. The Acton Conservation Trust (ACT), your local non-profit land trust) and the OSC have formed a strong collaboration leading to many of the recent land acquisitions using Community Preservation funds and serves as a vital source of informaition about open space within Town Hall. It also forms a key part of Acton’s land protection ecosystem comprising ACT, the OSC, the Natural Resources Division, the Community Preservation Committee and our regional land trust the Sudbury Valley Trustees.
To learn more you can contact ACT at info@actonconservationtrust.org, Susan Mitchell-Hardt at mitchellhardt@gmail.com, 978-369-9264 or the Chair of the OSC, Karen O’Neill at kobbirdbrain@gmail.com, cell 508-517-7227.
Community Preservation Act (CPA) Update. more information available at https://www.communitypreservation.org/
CPA Advocacy: A Fluctuating CPA Trust Fund and Plans for the Future
Massachusetts has experienced declining state revenues recently, and this has had a substantial impact on the CPA Trust Fund. Despite our advocacy in 2023, there were no state budget surplus funds available, and our recent communications at the State House indicate that this will very likely be the case again this year. Due to a struggling real estate market and a low probability of state budget surplus funding, CPA communities are bracing for decreased revenue from the Trust Fund for the time being.
Completing the Coalition Transition to a New Fiscal Sponsor
One year ago, the Coalition successfully made its transition to our new fiscal sponsor at Third Sector New England. And while this process was not without its hurdles, we are pleased to report that we have securely settled into TSNE’s infrastructure, and all of our staff, IT, and database systems are now fully operational. Along with many process and reporting improvements, the move to TSNE provides lower overhead rates for the Coalition, allowing us to expand our staff later this year. We would like to especially thank each of our member communities for their patience during this process, and to the municipal accounting staff in these 196 municipalities that worked to update our records in their systems
Preparing for a CPA Milestone: 200+ CPA Communities on the Horizon
CPA adoption activity has picked up in a big way throughout the last year. With a high-profile election coming up this November, we’ve seen enormous interest from local advocates working to bring CPA to their communities. During a whirlwind town meeting season this spring, eight different communities succeeded in placing the question of CPA adoption on the November 2024 ballot. Residents in Clarksburg, Halifax, Rutland, Sheffield, Sherborn, Spencer, Swampscott, and Winchester will all now be voting on local CPA adoption proposals at the ballot. In addition, advocates in Colrain, Douglas, and Townsend have all started signature-collection campaigns for a ballot question petition in an attempt to advance CPA to the November ballot. With the potential for 11 different communities voting on CPA adoption this year, it’s very likely that we will see the total number of CPA municipalities finally crest over 200 this fall
Camp Acton is Open
Pope Road, Acton
Fee is $25 per site reserved through he Recreation Department.
Limited to 10 people per site. Visit http://trails.actonma.gov/ to learn more about Camp Acton.
Please complete the registration form 48 business hours prior to desired reservation date.
https://actonma.gov/623/Camp-Acton
Payments are due upon reservation confirmation
Portable toilet on site.
All users must follow social distancing, regulations and posted guidelines.
Please complete and send camp Acton Permit application via email to recreation@actonma.gov or fax to 978-929-6333. Please allow up to two business days to process.
See you on the trails!!
Susan Mitchell-Hardt
President, Acton Conservation Trust
www.ActonConservationTrust.org
P.S. Welcome new “Events of Interest” subscribers! As a non-profit organization focused on conserving land in Acton, we rely upon the support of our members. Visit our ACT website, and click on “Join Us”