Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members,
The following news and events may be of interest:
(If you prefer, you may read “Events of Interest” on our website, ActonConservationTrust.org)
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 https://concordmuseum.org/alive-with birds-
Members free; Adults $15, Seniors $12, Children (6 to 17) $8
Now to Sunday July 10, 9 PM
The Thoreau Society Annual Gathering:
Hybrid Conference (In person/Live-stream)
Wed, 7/6 at the Masonic Lodge, Concord, MA, is free and open to the public.
Use Option #2 to register). Visit https://www.thoreausociety.org/event/2022-annual-gathering-thoreau-society, for more information.
Thursday, July 7
Conversation with Bill McKibben
7-8 PM
Free Virtual Forum sponsored by The Concord Museum
In his new book – The Flag, The Cross, and The Station Wagon – award winning author, activist, and educator, Bill McKibben looks back at his adolescent years grown-up in Lexington where he cheerfully led tours of revolutionary battle sites and examines why we find ourselves living in an increasingly doubtful nation strained by bleak racial and economic inequality and on a planet whose future is in peril. Register Here.
Saturday, July 9
East Quabbin Forest Play Trail Grand Opening
1-3 PM
EQLT Office, 120 Ridge Road, Hardwick
Families with elementary school aged children are invited to take a walk along our short loop trail. Our Forest Play Trail features a Mud Kitchen, Water Wall, Fairy Village, and much more. Come join the fun! RSVP to: youtheducation@eqlt.org
Sundays, July 10-October 16
Acton-Boxborough Farmer’s Market
Elm Street Playground, West Acton
10 AM – 1 PM
Join us for our 14th season of promoting good food and supporting sustainable agriculture. Visit http://www.abfarmersmarket.org for more information.
Sunday, July 10
Jane Goodall To Receive the Thoreau Prize in-Person
2:30 PM.
Jane Goodall will receive the 2022 Thoreau Prize for Literary Excellence in Nature Writing.
Concord Carlisle High School,
Register on Zoom to watch Jane Goodall’s address. Register Soon. We will no longer have virtual conference registration after Thursday, 7/7, https://bit.ly/3yGdett
We request that masks be worn at all events. We are requiring masks to be worn at the Umbrella Arts Association, First Parish, and Concord-Carlisle High School.
Tuesday, July 12
Native Plant Gardening for Wildlife – in Person
7-8 PM
Meeting Room, Acton Memorial Library
Are you a butterfly or bird lover? The best way to attract local wildlife to your yard is to plant native plants! Animals need plants for many reasons including shelter and food. Many even have preferred food plants, so “if you plant it, they will come” in many cases. Joy Marzolf will teach us how gardening choices can help you turn your garden into your own wildlife sanctuary.
This program made possible by the Acton Memorial Library Foundation.
Registration required.
More information and registration on our online calendar.
Wednesday, July 13
Electrify Your Lawn and Landscape Care – Climate Café – sponsored by EnergizeActon.org
10:00-11:00am
541 Massachusetts Ave Picnic Tables, Acton
Tired of the roar of leaf blowers? Looking for more environmentally sound lawn care? Join the Climate Café for its July 13th topic, “Electrify Your Lawn and Landscape Care.” (There will be no July 6th Café. Looking ahead, the July 20th topic will be “Acton Businesses ActOn Climate.) For more information, contact ClimateCafe@ActonClimateCoalition.org, or go to EnergizeActon.org/events.
Wednesday, July 13
The Full Buck Supermoon!
This will be the biggest and brightest supermen of the year! It just edges out June’s Strawberry Moon by 200km. The Buck Moon gets its name because the antlers of male deer (bucks) are in full-growth mode at this time. Bucks shed and regrow their antlers each year, producing a larger and more impressive set as the years go by. Alternative July moon names also reference animals, including Feather Moulton Moon (Cree) and Salmon Moon, a Tlingit term indicating when fish returned to the area and were ready to be harvested. To learn more read “The Old Farmer’s Almanac.”
Wednesday, July 13
Concord Band at Fruitlands, Harvard, MA
7:15 PM, Gates open at 5 PM
Fruitlands,102 Prospect Hill Road. Harvard, MA
Gather on the lawn for a picnic concert with stunning sunset views. We are thrilled to welcome back the Concord Band, a group of 65 musicians from 40 area towns who have been performing since 1959. The Concord Band will treat concert-goers to a fun roster of timeless music, including pieces memorializing historic events, show tunes, holiday favorites and more.
Bring your blanket, lawn chairs and picnic basket. There is plenty of room on the concert lawn to spread out. Dogs are welcome to join for these picnic concerts and just must remain on leash while on the grounds at Fruitlands.
Pricing for Concord Band Concerts is per vehicle. One registration covers anyone arriving in a single car.
Any questions? Contact Catherine Shortliffe at cshortliffe@thetrustees.org
© 2022 The Trustees of Reservations | The Trustees is a 501c3 nonprofit organization | Est. 189
Saturday, July 16
Weed Warrior Training in Littleton
9-11 AM
Browns’s Woods, Littleton, MA
Join Dominic Portelli, SVT AmeriCorps Member, and Amy Green, Littleton Conservation Agent, at Browns’ Woods in Littleton for this Weed Warrior training. The primary focus will be learning to identify and pull Burning Bush, but you will also be introduced to other common invasives on the property and how to manage them like bittersweet, multiflora rose, and barberry. You can register at https://www.svtweb.org/calendar/weed-warrior-training-littleton
Tuesday, July 19,
Old Stone Walls and Other Discoveries with Richard T.T. Forman
8:30-10:30 AM
Chamberlin Woods and Newbury Field
Can we find these? Short-lived crop field? Big hickories lining pasture stonewall? Large barn foundation? Two erratic piles? Evidence of forming the Appalachians? A cattail-less marsh? Small stones still atop an original wall? A stone-breaking site? Largest pitch pine in town? Evidence of fire and wire (fence)? The best little-bluestem field? Tree with 5-ft-diameter underground stool? Building site with no cellar hole? Let’s find out, and discover much more…
Join Richard Forman, eminent landscape ecologist and professor emeritus of Harvard, for this mid-summer outing.
Limited to 20 participants. Registration required HERE.
Wednesday, July 27
Walking Tour of Ice House Pond
10-11 AM Ice House Pond (meet at 120 Concord Road, Acton
Join Bettina Abe, Natural Resources Assistant with the Town of Acton, as she takes participants on a walking tour of Ice House Pond. Learn more about the pond’s history as an ice harvester and enjoy the walking trails by the pond/Nashoba Brook. On this tour we will learn about the park’s history and ecology. Walks are approximately 45 – 60 min. and are a little over one mile in length. Trail surface is level, partially paved, partially grass, and partially natural forest floor with some roots to step over.Registration required. More information and registration on our online calendar, https://actonmemoriallibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/2022-july/
Saturday, July 30
Native New England Shrubs,
9:30-noon,
Wells Reserve at Laudholm, 342 Laudholm Farm Road, Wells, ME
What is woody, short, and typically multi-stemmed? A shrub! Shrubs are an important part of the New England landscape and lots of fun to learn about. We will take a close-up look at nine or ten native New England shrubs, plus a few non-native invasives . We will focus on key identification characteristics and also learn about the natural history and lore of our subjects. Included in our study will be a shrub whose fruits were used to make candles, a shrub whose berries Yankee sea captains brought on long sea voyages to help prevent scurvy, and a shrub whose flowers have been used as a remedy for craziness.
Presenter, Roland “Boot” Boutwell is a freelance itinerant naturalist who taught the core course in “Native New England Shrubs” and lead field trips for the New England Wild Flower Society for nearly 20 years and was a part time teacher/naturalist for the Massachusetts Audubon Society. He teaches nature programs and leads nature walks for a number of other organizations including: Arlington, MA Community Education; Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester, MA, The Winchester, MA public schools; The Friends of the Middlesex Fells (Greater Boston) and numerous other organizations. His hobbies include photography, acting in community theater, and the guitar.
RESERVATIONS required; To reserve your space, please email suzanne@wellsnerr.org or call (207) 646-1555 x116.
• Members: $10.00 • Non-Members: $13.00
Thursday, August 4
Tower Hill – Free Admission to the Garden on first Thursday of each summer month
10am to 8 pm
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill
Enjoy FREE ADMISSION to the Garden on the first Thursday of each summer month! Soak up the sun exploring our beautiful trails and gardens during our daytime hours, or unwind in the evening with live music and local brews from our outdoor Beer Garden. Please note we anticipate a high volume of visitors on these days. Therefore, the admission is first-come-first-serve basis. You can get tickets in person at the Garden or reserve your tickets online in advance to secure your preferred date.
Visit https://nebg.org/free-first-thursdays/ to learn about Things to Do During the Day and During the Evening
VOLUNTEER:
Boston Area Gleaners
Friday, July 8, 2022
We’ll be harvesting carrots, turnips and spinach. Come ready to kneel or squat.
9 am-noon
Lincoln, MA
7 of 7 volunteer spots filled, but you can add your name to the waitlist.
We’ll be gleaning kale and collards
9-Noon
Sudbury, MA
3 of 12 volunteer spots filled. Email Leader, Deb for questions at dhicks@bostonareagleaners.org
Sign up to volunteer at https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
For specific questions email group leader, Christopher, cbischoff@bostonareagleaners.org
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!
Boston Area Gleaners (BAG)
Seasonal Apprentices – July – November; $15/hour, full-time July-November
Boston Area Gleaners (BAG) are still hiring for seasonal apprentices. To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to hiring@bostonareagleaners.org.
Please help us spread the word at your favorite local spot! Visit here to volunteer https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
East Acton Village Green Plant Care Needed – Now through Summer:
Volunteers are needed to take care of the new plants at the East Acton Village Green this spring and summer as they become established. Contact Bettina Abe: babe@ActonMA.gov for further information.
NEWS:
Better than the Great American Lawn
The NY Times interviewed Dan Jaffe Wilder last week for a great article all about lawn alternatives. Dan recommends starting small (maybe adding clover and violets to the lawn) and then working one’s way up to a shrub and perennial garden, or native wildflower meadow. Read the Article Here.
Beech Leaf Disease From MLTC Newsletter, June 23, 2022
Beech leaf disease (BLD) is a newly described disease, first identified in Ohio in 2012. The disease complex is associated with a foliar nematode, Litylenchus crenatae. The disease causes damage to a tree’s leaves, leading to reduced vigor, and can eventually lead to mortality. The disease has quickly spread and has now been found in eight U.S. states and one Canadian province. The first detection in Massachusetts was in 2020 in Plymouth and symptomatic trees have since been found in Bristol, Worcester, Middlesex, Essex, and Norfolk Counties.
DROUGHT ALERT! Summer has just begun and after several months of low rainfall, our watershed is in drought. These low flow conditions contribute to warmer water temperatures, lower dissolved oxygen, cyanobacteria blooms, invasive species growth, and even fish kills.
Please visit our website for information on how you can conserve water! https://www.oars3rivers.org/whatyoucando/conserve-water
The Acton Water District’s latest Water Quality Report is available online at www.actonwater.com/ccr
Birding at Stonefield Farm
If you are interested in birding at the farm either on your own or as part of a group, please contact BAG’s Duck Caldwell for more information at duck@bostonareagleaners.org.
Goat Hikes – Good Pickin’ Farm
5 Gould Road, Westford
Where Growing Minds and Nature Connect Visit the farm, https://www.goodpickinfarm.com/scheduling.
Experiential fun and learning through farming, arts and recreation and pony rides!
For more information call 425 306 7203, email: hello@goodpicikinfarm.com
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
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”!