Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members,
The following events may be of interest:
Daily – December 31
Self-Guided Story Walk® of Walden Pond, “The Shortest Day”
Your schedule
915 Walden St., Concord, MA 01742
The Shortest Day: Celebrating The Winter Solstice By Wendy Pfeffer; Illustrated by Jesse Reisch
Woods Path Trail
Come learn about the Winter Solstice, and how people from around the globe have celebrated the shortest day of the year over the millenia.
Posted on the Accessible Trail to the Thoreau House Site Trail, an easy 1/2 mile, crushed stone surface trail. All ages.
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
Programs are free and open to the public. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Reasonable accommodations upon request. Email walden.programs@mass.gov or call (978) 405-2082 for more information, No dogs/pets allowed on premises year-round. Park closes when visitor capacity is reached—DCR Closure Alert: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/dcr-park-alerts.
Through December 31, 2023
Sustainability Office – BECOME A VOLUNTEER CLEAN ENERGY COACH
The Town of Acton is seeking volunteers interested in clean energy to join the Clean Energy Coaching Program. Coaches work with the Town and Abode Energy Management to learn the ins and outs of clean energy upgrades and pass along their knowledge to Acton residents and businesses. Apply today to help reach Acton’s climate action goals by leading community progress in decarbonization.
HAVE QUESTIONS? Reach out to the Sustainability Office at sustainability@actonma.gov, or 978-929-6515 for more information.
APPLY NOW! Visit bit.ly/energycoachapplyto apply.
Sunday, December 17
Winter Solstice with Farrington Nature Linc
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
295 Cambridge Turnpike, Lincoln
Celebrating the Winter Solstice with Crafts and Cocoa. Free with suggested donation $10. Family Friendly!
Join us as we celebrate the Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice marks the exact moment when half of Earth is tilted the farthest away from the sun, making it the longest night of the year.
Together we’ll make a bird seed ornament and use recycled materials to create your own paper lantern. We’ll go on a lantern-lit hike and enjoy hot cocoa next to the fire.
Register Here! https://FNLWinterSolstice.eventbrite.com
Tuesday, December 19
Celebrate the Solstice
10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Greenways Conservation Area, Wayland
Come along with SVT as we celebrate the Winter Solstice two days early. Naturalist Roland “Boot” Boutwell will lead this “Celebrate the Solstice” walk at Greenways in Wayland, where we’ll enjoy the beauty of nature as winter approaches.
Boot will focus on plant ID and natural history, and we’ll also share solstice history, lore, and poetry. What a wonderful way to welcome winter! Register at https://svtprograms.funraise.org/
SVT members: Free
Nonmembers: $10 each
Thursday, December 21
Winter Solstice Celebration
5-7 PM
Fruitlands Museum
102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard, MA 01451
Join us as we light up the night with a Winter Solstice Celebration at Fruitlands Museum.
Listen to “The Shortest Day” by Wendy Pfeffer read by the fireside. Consider the renewal of the season change with a guided reflection. Stroll a luminary loop through our meadow. Grab a cup of cocoa or cider from our concessions to enjoy around one of our firepits.
Member Adult: $9; Member Child: FREE; Nonmember Adult: $15; Nonmember Child: FREE; REGISTER HERE
Tuesday, Dec. 26
Full Cold Moon
Clear skies permitting, you’ll see the last full moon of 2023
According to The Old Farmers Almanac, moon names have Native American origins, as Native Americans would use monthly moons to track the seasons.
The December full moon is called the Cold Moon due to cold weather officially moving in around that time of year. It has also been called the Long Night Moon since it occurs near the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.
Sunday, December 31, 2023
Audubon’s 124th Christmas Bird Count – 64th Concord CBC
Midnight to midnight
For more information, visit https://www.audubon.org/conservation/join-christmas-bird-count
The Christmas Bird Count for Acton, Boxborough, Concord, Littleton, Harvard, Westford will be on December 31, 2023
The longest running Citizen Science survey in the world, Christmas Bird Count provides critical data on population trends. Tens of thousands of participants know that it is also a lot of fun. Data from over 2000 circles are entered after the count and become available to query under the Data and Research link. Find a count near you (Acton, Littleton, Harvard, and Westford) and sign up to participate.
Visit https://concordcbc.org/
Acton, Littleton, Harvard, and Westford: Andrew Magee, (978) 263-0683, andrew839.magee@gmail.com
Sunday, January 1, 2024
First Day Hike
11:00 AM
Groton Conservation Fitch-Woods Hike with Susan Hughes and Chuck Vander Linden
Join trustees Susan Hughes and Chuck Vander Linden in another GCT tradition, hiking on the first day of the year. We will begin and end at Williams Barn and explore Fitch-Woods in a 4 mile hike. Start your year off right! This all ages event is free*. All are welcome!
Please register so we know to expect you.
Wednesday, January 17
Winter Sow Workshop
4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Wayland Town Hall, Wayland
Get a head start on next summer’s native perennial garden in this hands-on workshop.
Local Native Plant gardeners Shelley Trucksis and Jean Milburn will explain a winter sow technique for growing native flowering perennials from seed. Winter sowing is an economical way to add native plants to your yard and support pollinators in synergy with surrounding properties.
Fee: $10 to cover materials (soil and five packets of seeds). Participants should also bring five one-gallon translucent milk jugs and a box to carry filled jugs home. For more information click here.
Email Shelley to register!
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Volunteer for Boston Area Gleaners
Sign up at https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
Friday, December 15th
Leek and Brussels Sprout Glean
10:00am – 1:00pm
Location: Ipswich, MA
Friday, December 15th
Produce Pack
10:00am – 1:00pm
Location: Acton, 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.
Announcements:
SAFETY ALERT: Wear blaze orange this fall during outdoor visits and activities!Hunting is now through end of December.
Be safe, be seen! While hunters are required to wear blaze orange during certain seasons, all people who are outdoors this fall should wear blaze orange as a precaution for increased visibility.
Mass Wildlife Hunting Information.
Video: See hunting season video on the effectiveness of blaze orange…
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/deer-hunting-regulations#hunting-hours-
New Tax Break for Charitable Contributions
(From SVT electronic newsletter, https://www.svtweb.org/news/newsletters)
Getting ready to make your year-end charitable donations? Your generous contributions to SVT play a key role in the conservation of the natural areas that make this region of Massachusetts so special.
And here’s something to keep in mind: For the first time in over two decades, Massachusetts residents can deduct charitable donations from your 2023 state income taxes (even if you don’t itemize your federal taxes).
This means you can deduct the donations you’ve made to SVT and other nonprofits since January 1 of this year. So keep track of those receipts! And thank you for your support.
Please always consult your tax advisor before taking any deductions.
Acton Conservation Trust Membership Season
If you love Acton’s open space and trails, wildlife, scenic vistas, guided walks and virtual/in person lectures, and programs, please consider joining or renewing your ACT membership. Donations to ACT are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. As an additional bonus, ACT offers a free baseball cap with ACT logo. To join or renew, visit ActonConservationTrust.org and a click on “Join/Donate”.
Growing the ACT Board of Trustees
Are you interested in preserving open space in Acton? While Acton has the benefit of many acres of open space, some undeveloped parcels in Acton are not yet protected … Read more: https://actonconservationtrust.org/growing-the-act-board-of-trustees
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Sincerely yours,
Susan Mitchell-Hardt
President, Acton Conservation Trust
www.ActonConservationTrust.org