Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members:
ACT’s Spring Bird Walk led by Acton birder, Al Sgroi, coordinated by ACT Trustee, Jody Harris at NARA Park last Tuesday. Between 7-9 AM the group saw 41 species of birds – including Baltimore Orioles and Indigo Buntings! If you would like to see the list, we would be glad to send it to you, THANK YOU, AL AND JODY!!! and to all those who participated!!
The following news and events may be of interest:
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 their website.
Members free; Adults $15, Seniors $12, Children (6 to 17) $8
Now through May 31
No Mow May – (To Prevent Habitat Loss) sponsored for Town of Lincoln by Lincoln Land Conservation Trust
Did you know that 2% of the U.S. is covered in lawn? That’s 40 million acres! And that’s a problem because lawns are not habitat. They don’t provide good food or shelter to wildlife. Habitat loss is one of the many causes of pollinator decline. Join in “No Mow May” and commit to letting the flowers bloom in your lawn this month! Studies show that unmown lawns host a greater diversity of bumblebees and have an overall higher abundance of pollinator visitors.Better yet, mow less frequently throughout the summer. Plants such as Self Heal, Violets, Clover, and Wild Strawberry add color, beauty, and ecological value to a lawn.
Best of all, consider replacing some or all of the lawn with native plants. Native ground covers, once established, form a beautiful and low maintenance lawn alternative. So don’t dust off your mower just yet! Let’s let the flowers bloom first! Learn more about “No Mow May” here. Check out this nice list of native ground covers for both shady and sunny areas.
Saturday, May 21
Acton Garden Club Plant Sale and Raffle
9-1 PM, Rain or Shine
Red House – Acton Center, 468 Main Street on Route 27
The plant sale is the major fundraiser of the Acton Garden Club. The proceeds benefit the many public gardens and plantings maintained by the Club within the Acton community. In addition the funds are used for the annual high school scholarship, the educational grant program and many other community service projects. Visit actongardenclub.org to learn more about Jumping Worms and how they deal with the issue.
Saturday, May 28
Three Sisters, Many Hands – a Native American Celebration
2-3:30 PM
Caouette-Simeone Conservation Land in South Acton
Please join the Friends of Pine Hawk for a Native American celebration! Quiet Storm and Strong Bear Medicine of the Nashobah Praying Indians, Massachusetts Nation, will be joined by shaman Red Medicine to perform a Three Sisters
Planting ceremony. Attendance is limited and registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/3SistersActon.
The planting ceremony will include Native singing, dancing, ceremony, music, and storytelling, all revolving around the planting of a traditional Native Three Sisters Garden: beans, corn and squash. The Nashobah Praying Indians, who are indigenous to this area, traditionally lived at their Chief Tahattawan’s primary village at Fort Pond in Littleton. They became one of 14 Praying Indian Plantations in 1654, in what is now Littleton, and part of Acton, Boxborough, and Littleton community. There is limited parking at the site, but ample free parking in the three nearby MBTA station parking lots, with overflow parking at the Jones Field Playground.
Presented by Friends of Pine Hawk, with special thanks for their support to Boston Area Gleaners at Stonefield Farm,
Acton Conservation Trust, and Sudbury Valley Trustees.
Wednesday, June 15
Snakes of New England – Live-Animal Program
2-3 pm
Sponsored by Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department/in-person at Brooks Gymnasium, 6 Ballfield Road, Lincoln
After-school fun for all! This is a free program and all are welcome. Donations will be gratefully accepted from those who are able to contribute. Have you ever caught a glimpse of a snake just as it disappeared and wished you’d gotten a better look? Now’s your chance to see snakes up close!d Rick Roth, local snake expert and Director of Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team, will bring his favorite snakes to Lincoln to talk about the incredible reptiles. No registration required.
NEWS!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ACTON CLIMATE COALITION, the Acton Conservation Trust, Acton residents and others who supported Acton Climate Coalition’s Article 56 – Mobilizing Acton’s Climate Action Plan at Tuesday’s Town Meeting! Stay tuned for the first iteration of Acton’s Climate Action Plan, to be released in mid-June, and come to the celebration at NARA; June 11, 12-3 PM.
CONGRATULATIONS TO HARVARD CONSERVATION TRUST (HCT) ON SATURDAY’S TOWN MEETING VOTE. Harvard residents approved the final round of CPA funding for the Prospect HIll Community Orchard perpetual agricultural preservation restriction. Victory is in sight. HCT still needs to raise approximately $235,000 by the end of June to complete the purchase of an APR on the orchard. These remaining funds will be raised among HCT, Sudbury Valley Trustees,, Community Harvest Project, and private donors. For more information and/or to donate, _https://harvardconservationtrust.org or statement-prospect_hill_orchard-09182020.pdf
Massachusetts Rivers Alliance Action Alert! Drought season came early.
The state declared a Level 1 – Mild Drought for Southeastern Massachusetts and the Islands.
Don’t be fooled by the term “mild drought” – having any drought designation this early in the season doesn’t bode well for our rivers and water supply later in the summer. Please consider supporting the drought bill. For more information contact Policy Specialist Katharine Lange (katharinelange@massriversalliance.org) with any questions.
If you missed the Boxborough Conservation Trust’s Annual Meeting Talk on 3/29/22 by Dr. Doug Tallamy, author of several best-selling books (Nature’s Best Hope, Bringing Nature Home, The Nature of Oaks), and professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. He co-founded the “Homegrown National Park”, a network of citizens dedicated to planting natives and regenerating biodiversity at home, one yard at a time. View his complete talk here! (Passcode: 2Xaq%K@J)
If you missed “Your Landscape Matters: Changing the Conservation Paradigm” presented by “Grow Native”founder, Claudia Thompson:
| To view a recording of the program, please visit our website www.metrowestclimatesolutions.org or our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1iTnInPXoVkQ6vGlZgAgqw. To learn more about native plants, Claudia Thompson suggests you start at https://grownativemass.org. To participate in the Residential Pollinator Habitat Enhancement Pilot Program, please email Jean Milburn to request a garden visit at 39york@gmail.com. To stay in touch with future programming by MetroWest Climate Solutions or other local environmental organizations, please sign up for our newsletter at metrowestclimatesolutions.org or follow us on Facebook. |
VOLUNTEER!
Boston Area Gleaners (BAG) is Grocery Box Packing!
Join volunteers in BAG’s greenhouse on Monday, 5/23 to pack grocery boxes for local pantries and low-income housing facilities. Sign up to volunteer at https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
Monday, 5/23 Packing mixed produce boxes
9-noon
Stonefield Farm, Acton, MA
For specific questions email group leader, Christopher, cbischoff@bostonareagleaners.org)
Sign up to volunteer at https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
Monday, 5/23 Packing mixed produce boxes
1-4 PM
Stonefield Farm, Acton, MA
For specific questions email group leader, Christopher, cbischoff@bostonareagleaners.org)
Sign up to volunteer at https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
Monday, 5/23
Washing radishes!
9-11 AM
Stonefield Farm, Martin Street, Acton, MA
Sign up to volunteer at https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
Wednesday, May 25
Packing grocery boxes!
9-noon
Stonefield Farm, Acton, MA
For specific questions email group leader, Christoph
Environmental Voter Project (EVP)
EVP’s mission is to identify inactive environmentalists and transform them into consistent voters to build the power of the environmental movement. They estimate that over 8 million environmentalists did not vote in the 2020 presidential election and over 12 million skipped the 2018 midterms. EVP is a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on a simple high leverage solution to the problem: with a 6 year track record of success, they’re accurately identifying these non-voting environmentalists and efficiently converting them into a critical mass of consistent voters that will soon be too big for politicians to ignore. To learn more about them visit https://www.environmentalvoter.org/about and to get involved, visit https://www.environmentalvoter.org/get-involved
Goat Hikes – Good Pickin’ Farm
5 Gould Road, Westford
Goat Hikes. $65/group up to 8 people. Informative nature hike led by an ecologist, focusing on different flora or fauna of the area that is seasonal. Have fun while the goats walk and run along with you and enjoy their silly antics! For more information call 425-306-7203 or email hello@goodpicikinfarm.com
April Through May
Join Central Mass. Goat Rental for a Walk with Goats
48 West Acres Drive, Lunenberg
Take to the trails with friendly farm animals at your side. Anywhere from 6 to 16 goats will go on the hikes. Goats have a natural instinct to follow the leader, which makes them perfect hiking companions. The hike is relatively easy, lasting about an hour. Masks and social distance are required and group size is limited due to Covid-19. Each hike costs $35 per adult, $10 per child (under the age of 15 years old), and children ages 5 years and under are free. To book a hike, visit www.centralmagoatrental.com and choose the date of your hike.
Hiking with Dogs – The Trustees Did you and your family get a pandemic puppy? Are you and your older dog a little tired of the same old walking routes? Let our dog-friendly properties give you a burst of inspiration to get some fresh air for you and your four-footed companion. These 7 places might be just the thing this spring. Click here for Dog Friendly Hikes
Spring Ahead of Jumping Worms –Jumping worms (aka snake worms, crazy worms) are widespread and spreading aggressively throughout the Northeast. These invasive earthworms are noticeably larger than the established earthworms and thrash violently when disturbed. Damage caused by jumping worms includes devouring leaf litter that regenerates soil and over-aerating the soil, causing nutrients to each out, roots to loosen, and soil to erode. Read what Native Plant Trust is doing and a what you can do to stop their spread. What Native Plant Trust is doing to prevent the spread of jumping worms: All wood chips and compost used at Garden in the Woods are produced on site. We use new plastic pots for most of the plants we sell. We clean and sanitize any reused pots. Native Plant Trust, nativeplantrust.org for more information.
Garlic Mustard Season!
Neighborhood Pull Season: Now through- May 31.
Venture out and pull Garlic Mustard on your own! Need some exercise this weekend? It’s the start of garlic mustard season! Plants are up and easy to spot right now. Pull the plant up by the root. Tear it apart and shake soil out of the roots. From https://concordma.gov/778/Garlic-Mustard-Alliaria-Petiolata: Remove the plant with its entire root system or new plants may sprout from root fragments. Take care not spread any plants that have gone to seed. Remove completely from the site and dispose of in garbage bags. Foliar spray is not recommended as it can be harmful to the surrounding flora and fauna. Please check with Bettina Abe, babe@gmail.com, about pulling Garlic Mustard at the Acton Arboretum.
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 the support of our members. Visit our ACT website, and click on “Join Us”!