Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members,
On Jan. 8 the Acton Water District and Acton Conservation Trust held two walks of 549 Main Street led by Brewster Conant, Jr.
Visit our website, or our Instagram page, for more pictures and to read more about this event.
The following news and events may be of interest: If you prefer, you may read “Events of Interest” on our website, ActonConservationTrust.org
Saturday, January 14
Waltham: Duck Walk along the paved level paths of the Charles River with Waltham Land Trust
1 PM
130 River Street, Waltham 0243 Meet in the parking lot behind Shaw’s.
Join the Waltham Land Trust this January for a duck walk along the Charles River in Waltham. We’ll look for great blue herons, hawks, mallards, and other resident birds, plus hopefully hooded and common mergansers, buffleheads, ring-necked ducks, and golden-eyes. We might even see a bald eagle(!), ducks, herons, eagles, and more along the water’s edge. If WLT postpones the walk due to weather, the walk will happen the next day, Sunday, at 1 PM. Check the WLT website or call 781-893-3355 if in doubt. Registration is not required for this activity.
Monday, January 16 (Martin Luther King Day)
Civil Disobedience Walk
12-2 PM
Meet in the Visitor Center Gallery at Walden Pond, 915 Walden St., Concord
In honor of MLK Day, join Concord historian Richard Smith and Robbins House Programming Director Nikki Turpin for a conversation about Thoreau’s legacy of civil disobedience. Thoreau’s arrest for non-payment of taxes as a protest against slavery laid ground for his essay Civil Disobedience, which Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, and other activists read and cited in support of their activism. For ages 13+ years.
January 19
Women on the Land: Forest Management in the Face of Climate Change
7-8:30 PM
Free Webinar
Christina McKeown, a Climate Forester for Massachusetts’ Department of Conservation and Recreation, will be presenting on the effects of climate change and invasive species on our forests and what forest management strategies you can use to fight these effects. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A period.
Please join us for this free webinar! Sign up using this link. A Zoom link will be sent out the week of the webinar. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Thursday, January 26
Concord from Above the Trees: Copter Ecology Views, with Richard T.T. Forman
7-8 PM
Concord Free Public Library. Main Branch, Goodwin Forum. 129 Main Street, Concord, MA
Free. All are welcome. The Library is a fully accessible space. Register here.
This program is sponsored by the Concord Free Public Library, Concord Land Conservation Trust, and Concord’s Natural Resources Division.
About the Program
Where does Walden’s water come from and flow to? How many intriguing habitats are around Egg Rock? Stream, river, or railroad at Barrett’s Mill Farm? Are spotted sandpipers scarce on the Assabet? Any nature in a quarter-acre-lots neighborhood? Unknown big red spot surrounded by green? Does Spencer Brook migrate? Long unpaved strip with no plants? Wild rice in the area named for John Quincy Adams? Bog by our most dangerous spot? Where best to look for Phragmites? The most remote spot in Concord? Legacies of our first Mill Pond remain? Higher education…a different Concord comes alive.
The presentation will feature aerial photography recently captured, plus selections from the holdings of the William Munroe Special Collections. For more information visit https://www.concordland.org/
Saturday, January 28,
Winter Tracking Guided Walk
10-noon
Meeting location will be sent upon registration.
Acton Conservation Trust welcomes members and friends for our annual winter tracking walk led by Paul Wanta. We will walk along Nashoba Brook on the trails of North Acton. This area is the largest contiguous parcel of protected land in Acton, comprising 400+ acres.This will be a slow walk of 1-2 miles. This event is perfect for families, but no pets please! Dress warmly… wear several layers and bring a hat and gloves. We will have hot beverages and other refreshments at the end of the event. Visit ActonConservationTrust.org for more information.
Mondays, 1/30, 2/2, 3/27, 3/30, 5/29, 6/1, 2023 (Total of 4 Discussions Sections)
Women of the Land (WOTL) Book Club Sign Up: Braiding Sweetgrass
This year’s Women on the Land book club. We will be reading “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer in ~100-page segments. For any questions, please email Lina Clifford at lclifford@umass.edu.
There will be four Zoom book discussions and two dates/times for each discussion to help accommodate for everyone’s schedules. Discussions will occur every other month and each discussion will have a Monday afternoon 12-1PM sitting and a Thursday evening 7-8PM sitting.
Tuesday, January 31
“Hey Soil: What’s Going on Down There?”7 PM
In-person at the Lawrence Library and streaming live on ZOOM!
Please register at www.lawrencelibrary.org
Learn how soil microbes make veggies yummy and nutritious AND aid the planet in this fascinating talk by John Duke and Rubén Parrilla of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA). We will hear about soil health principles, look at soil microbes, and learn how soil relates to climate, our water resources, and human health.
Sponsored by the Nashua River Watershed Association, Pepperell’s Climate Change Committee, and NOFA.
This program is part of a Pepperell Cultural Council Grant “Loving a Leek and the Soil It Grows In: The Art and Science of Soil Microbes”. Stay tuned for a related exhibit of microbe art at Pepperell’s Lawrence Library Art Gallery May 2023.
Thursday, February 2, 9, 16; Thursday, Feb. 23 Noon-1 PM
Massachusetts Open Space Conference, Free Webinar Series
Noon-1:30
Virtual
Feb. 2: Open Space and Recreation Plans from Writing to Action
Feb. 9: Tips and Tools for Landowner Outreach
Feb. 16: Land Conservation & Restoration Initiatives for Climate Resiliency, an Exploration of Case Studies and Funding Sources.
Feb. 23: BioMap, the Latest and Greatest You can learn more and register for this free event here or at www.massopenspace.org
REGISTER HERE
Sunday, February 5
Full Snow Moon
February’s full Snow Moon reaches peak illumination at 1:30 P.M. EST on Sunday, February 5. It will be below the horizon at this time, so for the best view of this Moon, look for it starting the night before or later on Sunday; it will drift above the horizon in the east around sunset and reach its highest point in the sky around midnight.
The explanation behind February’s full Moon name is a fairly straightforward one: it’s known as the Snow Moon due to the typically heavy snowfall that occurs in February. On average, February is the United States’ snowiest month, according to data from the National Weather Service. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver, who had visited with the Naudowessie (Dakota), wrote that the name used for this period was the Snow Moon, “because more snow commonly falls during this month than any other in the winter.”
For more information visit: https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-february.
Thursday, February 9
Kill Your Lawn!
1-2 PM
Register here.
“Kill Your Lawn!” is a rallying cry heard all over the ecological horticulture community, and many of us try to do just that. If anyone out there is reluctant to get rid of your lawn, how about replacing even part of it? Anna Fialkoff, ecological programs manager for Wild Seed Project, can help you choose what to replace it with. Our class Native Ground Covers will go over everything you need to know, including the best low-growing plants for replacing a turf lawn. Anna will cover urban, suburban, and roadside spaces, along with the environmental benefits these native plants can offer. This webinar is a great way to warm up your design muscles before spring comes in.
Sunday, March 12
Preview of ACT Annual Meeting: “Eyes on Owls”
1 PM – 2:30 PM
Acton Town Hall, 472 Main Street, Room 204, Acton, MA
Naturalists Marcia and Mark Wilson will introduce you to 6 live owls up close and personal! After much anticipation, Marcia brings the owls out one by one. Each bird is safely perched on her glove as she walks close to everyone, providing intimate views of these secretive birds of prey. And, everyone gets to practice the owls’ calls during the hooting lessons! The Wilsons highlight the owls’ unique adaptations, habitats and behaviors in the wild, while sharing tips on how you can look for owls yourself. Questions are taken once the owls come out.
1 PM Business Meeting
1:20 PM Presentation of Carol Holley Conservation Award to Tom Tidman, former Natural Resources Director
1:30 PM-2:45 – Presentation
Acton Town Hall, Room 204 and Zoom
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Looking forward to protecting more land in 2023!!
Sincerely,
Susan Mitchell-Hardt
President, Acton Conservation Trust
www.ActonConservationTrust.org
P.S. Welcome new “Events of Interest” subscribers! As a nonprofit organization focused on conserving land in Acton, we rely upon the support of our members. Visit our ACT website, and click on “Join Us”!