Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members,
The following events may be of interest:
Friday, August 9th, 16th & 23rd
Nara Park Senior Stroll Part 2 for Acton, Boxboro, Littleton Seniors
10am-noon
Please meet us at the Sports Pavilion off the upper parking lots located off Quarry Road.
Come join other seniors from Acton, Boxboro and Littleton Council’s on Aging for conversation, coffee and a stroll around Acton’s Nara Park, 25 Ledgerock Way, Acton. Registration is required – call 978 929 6650. For additional information please call Nursing 978-929-6650.
Sunday, August 11
Concord Museum to celebrate the Concord250 Community Kick Off!
5:30 – 7:30 PM
Free admission to the Concord Museum and see the original lantern from Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride. Bring a picnic to eat on the Museum lawn or enjoy delicious food & beverages you can purchase from Northeast Smokehouse Food Truck and the Decanted Wine Truck. Music, cornhole, and face painting. Join the march to Monument Square led by Fife and Drum for a special lighting ceremony & special guest speakers.
Sunday-Monday, August 11-12
Perseid Meteor Shower
This year, the Perseid meteor shower should reach its peak during the overnight hours of late Sunday night into early Monday morning (Aug. 11-12), when there is almost no moon, making the late-night sky nice and dark for shooting star spectators and counters. The first quarter moon sets around 11:20 p.m. local daylight time, leaving the sky nicely dark thereafter. Some Perseids do appear during the evening, but the shower is always better from about 11 p.m. or midnight until the dawn’s early light.
Or, to put it another way, expect greater numbers of meteors to be evident during the pre-dawn hours because this is when your side of Earth turns to face the oncoming meteors more directly. Visit https://www.space.com/perseid-meteor-shower-2024-peak for more information.
Sunday, August 18 – through 3rd Sunday of every month – 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
Monday, August 19
Full Moon: Sturgeon Full Moon: Supermoon
It was traditionally called the Sturgeon Moon because the giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught during this part of summer and, it’s the first Supermoon of the year! This means that it will appear bigger and brighter than the full Moons we have seen thus far!
What Is a Sturgeon?
These prehistoric-looking fish have been traced back to around 136 million years ago and many people call them “living fossils.”
Females require around 20 years to start reproducing, and they can only reproduce every 4 years. However, they can live up to 150 years!
Today, there are about 29 species worldwide, including the lake sturgeon found in the Great Lakes. They have evolved in size from the size of a bass to monster sturgeon as big as a Volkswagen.
The lake sturgeon is quite rare today, due to intense overfishing in the 19th century, pollution, and damage to their habitat.
Females require around 20 years to start reproducing, and they can only reproduce every 4 years. However, they can live up to 150 years! This information is taken from https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-august
Wednesday, August 21
Nip the Knotweed
9am – 11am
Gowing’s Swamp, Concord (map)
Join long time SVT volunteer, Ruth Ladd, for a knotweed pull at Gowings Swamp in Concord! Ruth will provide an identification and removal overview for new volunteers. Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes, and bring gloves. More details HERE.
Sunday August 25
Acton-Boxborough Farmers Market – Community Table: Energize Acton
10-1 PM
19 Elm Street, Acton
EnergizeActon.org is dedicated to helping the community implement a clean energy future and ensure a healthy, resilient environment through education, support, and website resources that offer Acton residents concrete ideas to reduce carbon emissions. Co-sponsored by the Town of Acton Sustainability Office and the Acton Climate Coalition, the interactive website allows you to mark climate efforts already taken, learn about other actions, and connect with support people such as Acton’s free Clean Energy Coaches.
Sunday, September 15
Acton-Boxborough Farmers Market – Community Table: Green Acton
10-1 PM
19 Elm Street, Acton
Green Acton works to protect Acton’s natural resources and environment, and to help resolve the broad environmental crises we all face. Visit the Community Table to learn more about our work on energy/climate, water, land use, and materials (including toxics and plastics). Also, get great information on organic, sustainable lawn and garden care, and the risks of synthetic, phosphorous fertilizers (which are now legally regulated by MA). Bring your questions and ideas!
GreenActon.org
Tuesday, September 17
History of the Nashobah Praying Indians
7pm – 8pm
Church of the Good Shepherd, 164 Newtown Rd, Acton, MA 01720
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
ANNOUNCEMENTS
More Communities Working to Reduce Rat Poisons – for more information visit Mass Audubon Policy and Advocacy Wildlife advocates across the state are rapidly mobilizing to fight the use of rodenticides that poison pets and wildlife. Right now, 28 new communities are developing campaigns against rodenticides. When combined with the 17 community groups already established, there are now a total of 44 towns and cities organizing! Learn more about our Rescue Raptors campaign.
MA Beech Leaf Disease -For more information visit https://www.mass.gov/guides/beech-leaf-disease-in-massachusetts#:~:text=Beech%20leaf%20disease%20can%20be,the%20underside%20of%20the%20leaves. Beech leaf disease can be identified by the distinctive leaf symptoms it causes. Early BLD symptoms will include dark stripes between the veins on leaves. When looking up at the tree canopy from underneath, you might notice dark green bands on the underside of the leaves. As the disease progresses, leaves may become withered, curled, or develop a leathery texture. A heavily impacted tree may appear to have a thinner canopy or have sections of branch dieback.
If you think your beech tree might be infected with beech leaf disease, please use our online form, https://arcg.is/1Svrz40, to report it to the DCR Forest Health Program . Any details you are able to provide about the location, symptoms and severity of the disease, or any pictures of the tree will help us in our monitoring efforts of the progress of this disease in the Commonwealth.
CONCORD RIVER BACK TO SWIMMABLE STATUS by Melanie Gilbert | July 31, 2024 | The Lowell Sun
OARS, the watershed organization for the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers, restored a significant portion of the Concord River to swimmable status. The milestone was celebrated on June 18, with a special event and community swim at the Bedford Boat Launch, 285–305 Carlisle Road. This milestone highlights the impact of dedicated conservation work on revitalizing urban waterways. For more information visit: Concord River back to swimmable status – OARSoars3rivers.org
“When OARS was founded, nobody would have considered swimming here,” Executive Director Matt Brown said. “This event marks a huge success, and hopefully, someday, we’ll be swimming in the sections of the river that didn’t make the grade this time around.” For more information about OARS, call 978-369-3956, email office@oars3rivers.org or visit oars3rivers.org.
Sign up to volunteer for Boston Area Gleaners
Gleaning season is upon us and we need YOUR help! Be sure that you are signed up as a volunteer on our website – you will be automatically enrolled to receive weekly email updates when volunteer opportunities pop up. In the meantime, keep an eye on our volunteer opportunity list (or sign up for text message alerts – link below)
Sign up on our website and check out our FAQ to learn more!
Thursday, 8/8/24
Join us for a green bean glean! And maybe a pack depending on the weather.
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Acton, MA
2 of 6 volunteer spots filledLeader : Caitlin. (If you have specific questions about this trip, email cstolecki@bostonareagleaners.org)
Come glean a variety of crops! (potentially scallions, lettuce, chard, and squash!)
1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Ipswich, MA
3 of 8 volunteer spots filledLeader : Deb. (If you have specific questions about this trip, email dhicks@bostonareagleaners.org)
SIGN UP at https://www.bagetc.org/presignup.php?access=public
Boston Area Gleaners Are Hiring!
In other news, if you have not already heard, the Gleaners are hiring! We’re looking to fill several roles on our team. Read on to learn more about our openings and how to apply. We are looking to fill several roles on our team! Click the names of the positions below to read the full job descriptions. To apply, send a resume and cover letter to hiring@bostonareagleaners.org.
Now Hiring: Conservation Programs Intern!
MLTC is hiring a part-time intern with an interest in land conservation for the 2024-2025 academic year. The intern will work mostly from home, with occasional travel to MLTC events across Massachusetts. Responsibilities include providing research, technical assistance and logistical support for MLTC’s education programs, as well as maintaining our online resources such as our documents library, video library, service provider directory and grants database. Recent college graduates and graduate students are also welcome to apply. Please forward the following job description to anyone you think may be interested.
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”