Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members,
The following news and events may be of interest:
Saturday, July 1-August 13
Riverfest 2023
To view all the events, visit https://www.sudbury-assabet-concord.org/riverfest-2023.php
Come, Connect, and Experience your local wild and scenic rivers! A Riverfest Summer!
Enjoy free hikes, paddles, walks, music, and family fun all summer long in this annual celebration of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Wild and Scenic River. Explore all the rivers have to offer, just west of Boston!
Saturday, July 8
History Paddle
9 AM
Meet at the Rte. 20 Sudbury River boat launch
Travel in time as you paddle with Brian Donahue, Brandeis University history professor and expert on the Sudbury River. Paddle to Sherman’s Bridge through the wide meadows that prompted the founding of Wayland and Sudbury and hear stories of a fascinating and sometimes lurid past. Bring your canoe/kayak and life jacket (required). Cars will be available at Sherman’s Bridge Rd. to ferry you back. For more information: 508-358-2980.
Sunday, July 9
Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will host an eco-garden tour at a garden in North Lincoln.
9-11 AM
North Lincoln. Participants will receive directions/parking information.
15 years ago, the Gingrich family planted a mostly native garden in their front yard. Since the launch of the Pollinator Action Plan in 2020, the family has added two pollinator meadow-gardens in the backyard, as well as a variety of native trees and shrubs throughout the property. Always a work in progress, the garden is ever evolving and growing. Participants will also see the rain water catchment system and vegetable gardens. This is a free program but space is limited. Register here. Participants will receive directions/parking information.
Sunday, July 9 and subsequent Sundays
Acton-Boxborough Farmers Market
Elm Street Playground, West Acton
10 AM – 1 PM
Join us for our 15th season of promoting good food and supporting sustainable agriculture.
Visit http://www.abfarmersmarket.org for more information
Tuesday, July 11
Read to a Horse
3:30-4:30 PM
Liberty Tree Farm
Young readers can make a 15 minute appointment to read aloud to Indy, a retired thoroughbred horse at the Liberty Tree Farm in Acton. Register here. Wait list is available.
Tuesday, July 11
Read to Goats
3:30-4:30 PM
Liberty Tree Farm
Young readers can make a 15 minute appointment to read aloud to 3 goats, Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose, at the Liberty Tree Farm in Acton. Register here. Wait List is available.
Wednesday, July 12 – Sunday, July 16
The 82nd Annual Gathering of the Thoreau Society
Thoreau & the Politics of Extinction -Andri Snær Magnason
Thursday, July 13
4:45-6 PM
Masonic Hall, Monument Square, Concord, MA
Register (Virtual or in Person) at https://thoreausociety.org/annual-gathering-registration-form/
Keynote Speaker: Andri Snær Magnason is an Icelandic writer and documentary film director. He writes novels, children’s books, essays, poetry, and nonfiction books. His book On Time and Water was an Icelandic national bestseller, translated into many languages. He has been active in the fight against the destruction of the Icelandic Highlands. His book Dreamland: A Self Help Manual for a Frightened Nation takes on these issues, and his text for the memorial of Ok glacier became widely read around the world. He ran for President of Iceland in 2016 with environmental issues on his agenda. He spent some of his early years in New England and now lives in Reykjavik.
For more information visit https://thoreausociety.org/events/annual-gathering-2023-thoreau-the-politics-of-extinction/
Wednesday, July 12 and subsequent Wednesdays in July and August
Energize Acton Climate Café Meet an Acton Clean Energy Coach
5:00-6:00pm
Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main St, Acton, MA
The Climate Cafés are informal gatherings where Acton residents can share info about clean energy technologies and ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Each week in July and August will be a different focus, with a range of technical and environmental topics. For more information, go to EnergizeActon.org or the Acton Memorial Library Calendar.
Wednesday, July 12
Wildlife Encounters
11-noon
Picnic Pavilion at NARA Park, 25 Ledge Rock Way, Acton, MA
See live animals close-up and learn about their behaviors and habitats.
Register here.
Wednesday, July 12 and subsequent Wednesdays through 7/19
Concord Band Concerts
Fruitlands, 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard Phone 978-456-3924
Gather on the lawn at Fruitlands Museum for a picnic concert with stunning sunset views. Bring your blanket, lawn chairs and picnic basket. There is plenty of room on the concert lawn to spread out and get comfortable.
The Concord Band is 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.
Wednesday, July 19 and subsequent Wednesdays in July and August
Energize Acton Climate Café Electric Vehicle “Petting Zoo” and EV Update
5:00-6:00pm
Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main St, Acton, MA
The Climate Cafés are informal gatherings where Acton residents can share info about clean energy technologies and ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Each week in July and August will be a different focus, with a range of technical and environmental topics. For more information, go to EnergizeActon.org or the Acton Memorial Library Calendar.
Climate Cafe Schedule for July and August
July 19: Electric Vehicle “Petting Zoo” and EV Update
July 26: Go Solar! Acton Homeowners Share Their Experiences
Aug. 2: State and Federal Incentives for Green Technology
Aug. 9: A Celebration of Plant-Based Foods – Potluck Picnic
Aug. 16, 23, 30: Topics to be announced
Wednesday, July 26
Sudbury Valley Trustees Ice Cream Social Member Appreciation
5:00 – 6:30 pm
Wolbach Farm, 18 Wolbach Rd, Sudbury, MA
Please register by July 19 at https://svticecream2023.funraise.org/
Take this opportunity to meet Lindsey Ketchel, SVT’s new Executive Director.
NEWS:
Introducing Lindsey Ketchel, SVT’s New Executive Director beginning July 17.
Sadly SVT’s E.D. Lisa Vernegaard is retiring.
After a robust national search, SVT’s Board of Directors has selected Lindsey Ketchel to be our next executive director. Lindsey will start on July 17th.
For over 25 years, Lindsey has worked in the fields of land conservation, environmental advocacy, sustainable agriculture, and climate resiliency. She has served as the executive director of conservation organizations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Alaska, and she also held directorial positions at agricultural organizations in Vermont.
Most recently, Lindsey’s work has focused on protecting aquatic habitat in the water-rich Upper Midwest, and she brings a strong track record of collaborating with a diverse coalition of partners to achieve conservation goals.
Over the past few weeks, Lindsey and Lisa Vernegaard, current Executive Director, have met regularly to ensure a smooth transition. Having gotten to know her she is confident that the future of SVT is in great hands. Lindsey’s energy and passion for this work is palpable, and she is eager to build on SVT’s 70 years of success in protecting and caring for our region’s prized natural areas and farms.
SVT members can meet Lindsey at our Annual Ice Cream Social on July 26. This informal gathering will offer members a great chance to say “hello” and see what a wonderful choice the Board made for SVT’s next leader. (Our July Monthly News e-mail will provide more details.)
CPA Update
An Exciting Move for the CPA Coalition – Transitioning to a New Fiscal Sponsor (from Stuart Saginor, Executive Director, CPA):
As we’ve mentioned a few times over the last year, the Coalition has been updating our organization’s strategic plan to better map out the future of our work on the Community Preservation Act. Today, we are excited to announce a pivotal new development in that process: beginning on July 1st, the Community Preservation Coalition will be moving to a new non-profit fiscal sponsor atThird Sector New England (TSNE).
Since 2001, we have been housed within The Trust for Public Land (TPL), one of the non-profit organizations that originally founded the Coalition. And while our move to TSNE is certainly exciting, that doesn’t mean we are saying goodbye to TPL! Our staff will continue to work out of TPL’s Boston office, so our physical location will remain the same. And all of our contact information remains the same too – including our phone numbers, emails, and the Coalition website. For more details on what this development means for the future of our work on the CPA program, read the full story by clicking the link below.
Bioblitz 2023 Results
Matt Liebman summarized the results of the June 2023 Bioblitz quite favorably! You can read about it here.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Sign up to volunteer at BAG, https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
*Saturday, July 8th
9:00am – 12:00pm: TBD!
Location: Lincoln/Weston Area
*Saturday, July 8th
1:30pm – 4:30pm: TBD!
Location: Lincoln/Weston Area
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!
Walden Pond in Concord
7 am-7 pm
915 Walden St.
walden.pond@state.ma.us; 978-369-3254, bridal paths, and farm roads.
Boat ramp Sunday – Saturday: 5 AM – 7 PM.
Parking: MA resident $8; Non-MA resident: $30
Annual and senior passes NOT sold in park, click here to purchase an annual pass, click here to purchase a senior pass.
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”!