Dear Acton Conservation Trust Members and Other Friends,
The following news and events may be of interest:
Now through November 14 Art Ramble – Something in the Air Concord’s Hapgood Wright Town Forest, Walden St. opposite the entrance to Concord-Carlisle High School. An outdoor public art installation along the trails of Concord’s Hapgood Wright Town Forest. This family and dog friendly exhibition is presented in collaboration with Concord’s Division of Natural Resources and supported in part by a grant from the Foundation for Metrowest. Access with parking for 20 vehicles is on the east side of Walden Street across from the entrance to Concord-Carlisle High School. TheUmbrellaArts.org/Ramble.
Monday, November 15 -Help MLTC Work for You: A Forum for All-Volunteer Land Trusts, 5-6 PM Zoom This networking discussion provides an opportunity for board members of all-volunteer land trusts to provide input on MLTC’s 5 year strategic planning process that is currently underway. How can MLTC be a better advocate for you? Or help with your technical, funding, communications or other needs? Hosted and facilitated by Robb Johnson, MLTC Executive Director. This discussion will not be recorded. Free, but advance registration required here. If you are unable to attend but would like to provide input, please let Robb know at robb@massland.org
Tuesday, November 16 Community Gardens and Food Waste sponsored by The Western MA Regenerative Food System6-7 PM Online How does working with food waste bring us closer to our 30×30 goal? What solutions lie within food waste organizing? Join us for a presentation and dialogue around community gardening, food waste reduction and animal husbandry with local resident Katie Salz. We’ll be leaving plenty of room for dialogue and exploring collaboration; come introduce yourselves! WMRFS’s goal is for Western Mass. to produce and consume 30% of their food regeneratively in their own bioregion by the year 2030 (30×30). Register here.
Thursday, November 18 Full Moon Hike Gibbet Hill 7 PM Gibbet Hill, Groton Groton Conservation Trust president Mark Gerath will lead a hike to one of the most beautiful spots in Groton. This will be a relatively short hike but a pretty steep one. Bring a headlamp for walking in the trees and in case there are clouds The view of the village at night is a real treat. This event is free for all, but registration is required.
Friday, November 19 Full Beaver Moon, accompanied by a near-total eclipse!The near-total lunar eclipse will be visible from most of North America, reaching its maximum at approximately 4 AM Eastern Time today. Why the “Beaver” Moon? This is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having laid up sufficient stores of food for the long winter ahead. During the time of the fur trade in North America, it was also the season to trap beavers for their thick, winter-ready pelts.
Saturday, November 20 Rain date: November 21 Fall Fest at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge!12-2 PM Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge!, 680 Hudson Road, Sudbury. Turn in at Winterberry Way. Parking at Visitors CenterA variety of activities are planned including Hoverball Archery, Scavenger Hunt, Arts and Crafts, Furs and Skulls Table, Nature Store Pop-up, Friends Group Table and small group tours of the Visitor Center Exhibit Hall. Hope to see you there!
Tuesday December 7 Public Forum to Discuss the Proposed Archaeology Bylaw, 7 PM, Online Meeting, advance registration required. An Archaeology Bylaw will allow an archaeological study to be done on any large parcel of undeveloped land (3+ acres) as part of the Town’s permitting process. This bylaw is being formulated by a subcommittee of the Acton Historial Commission.
Landowner Webinar Series: Plan for Your Land, 2nd Thursday of each month, November 2021 – April 2022, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Hosted by UMass MassWoodsThis six-part webinar series for landowners will feature relevant professionals to provide information and help answer questions. Sign up for individual webinars or the entire series. Learn more and register.
- December 9 – What’s my land worth financially and ecologically?
- January 13 – Who will own my land next?
- February 10 – How can I reduce my property taxes?
- March 10 – How can I conserve my land?
- April 14 – What are the financial benefits of land conservation?
Sunday, March 13 Preview of ACT Annual Meeting: New Conservation Strategies for the 21st Century – presented by Claudia Thompson. 6:15 PM Business Meeting; 7 PM – Presentation. Acton Town Hall, 472 Main Street, Room 204, and/or Virtual.
Fight Climate Change with Nature Based Solutions: Climate change and loss of biodiversity are the critical ecological challenges of our time. To address these crises, conservation efforts must become much broader and more inclusive than has been the norm, so that they engage virtually all citizens throughout our communities. The extent of our current human impact, and the fragmentation of our landscapes over the past one hundred years, clarify the need – every piece of land, large or small, public or private, deserves careful stewardship so that it becomes part of the solution instead of contributing to the problem. Using her garden as a case study, Claudia will discuss valuable lessons learned over several decades was she transformed her small urban property into a landscape rich with habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Much can be achieved. Indeed, the significant challenges before us are motivating many people to action. The growing native plant movement, with its focus on landscapes as ecological systems, instead of gardens as adornments, is an essential component of 21st century conservation strategies.
AVAILABLE ONLINE!
If you missed last Tuesday’s “Ecosystem Services: What Nature Does for Us and How We can Talk About it “- presented by SVT’s Christa Collins, here is the recording of her talk.
Monarchs and Milkweed Recap – from Lincoln Land Conservation Trust’s program of August 11 about Monarch Butterflies. Dr. Martha Gach joined LLCT on a room call with about 30 participants to speak about these charismatic creatures! Martha is the Education Manager at Mass Audubon’s Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, and the president of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club. If you missed the presentation, you can watch a recording online here.
Harvard Conservation Trust is excited to present the video of Prof. Robert Thorson’s discussion about New England’s stone walls recorded at HCT’s Speaker Series: Harvard’s Stone Walls Mysteries Solved. The Harvard Conservation Trust hopes that you will enjoy this video. Please consider supporting their efforts to preserve Harvard’s landscape and natural beauty. Visit their website to join.
How to Preserve Pollination Systems Webinar; it focuses on how to create Public Display Native Pollination Preservation Gardens. A recording of the webinar and links to all the resources discussed in the presentations are now available on the MCA Native Pollination Systems Task Force webpage.
SVT’s Backyard Invasives presentation – Link to recording from Kristin O’Brien’s talk on Tuesday, 9/14, and other resources.
Bats, Behavior, and Wind Farms recorded if you weren’t able to make it or you want to recommend it to a friend.
Water Chestnut (Trapa natans) Watch this short video that provides a quick overview of the water chestnut – an aquatic invasive plant. Video created by Concord Land Conservation Trust’s former Executive Director, Laney Widener Wilder. Visit concordland.org to learn more about Concord Land Conservation Trust and their activities.
Spotted Lanternfly found in Fitchburg: The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has found a small breeding population of the spotted lanternfly on a cluster of three trees in Fitchburg. This is the first confirmation of a breeding population in the state.This invasive sap-feeding insect from Asia feeds mainly on tree-of-heaven, but it does attack other plants and can have an impact on agricultural commodities such as apples and maple syrup.There is no need to pre-emptively treat for these pests, but if you find a spotted lanternfly, please take a photo and report it to MDAR. Read more.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!
From Boston Area Gleaners: The farming seasons is ending, but our volunteer projects will continue, and we could use your help! While there may be fewer harvesting opportunities at this time of year, we plan on continuing to sort and pack food at Stonefield Farm every week. This includes our ‘Just Eats’ grocery box packs every Wednesday and Thursday, where we work together to fill family-sized boxes with produce and grocer staples. Volunteer with the Gleaners! Register here. We are also always looking for more ways to connect with more communities and new volunteers. If you are part of a community that may be interested in working with the Gleaners, or have suggestions for volunteer outreach, please email us at outreach@bostonareagleaners.org
Associate Land Stewardship Committee member needed for Acton Canoe Launch and the Assabet River Blue and Green Trail. Duties are occasional summer mowing, periodic cutting of invasive knotweed, trimming overgrowth, walking the trail, picking up litter. Average time required, 1-2 hours per week year ‘round.
Seeking stewards to assist with Great Hill Conservation Land and Nashoba Brook Conservation Land. Please email Bettina Abe for more information babe@actonma.gov or call 978-929-6634.
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.
ONGOING!
Walden Pond in Concord 7 am-4 pm 915 Walden St.walden.pond@state.ma.us; 978-369-3254, bridal paths, and farm roads. Boat ramp Sunday – Saturday: 5 AM – 5:30 PM.Parking: MA resident $8; Non-MA resident: $30 Annual and senior passes NOT sold in park, use link to purchase a pass: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/purchase-an-annual-parking-pass-for-massachusetts-state-parkshttps://www.mass.gov/how-to/get-a-senior-parking-pass.
Emerson-Thoreau Amble, Concord, MA This Winter Hike is available for groups of 4 or more by reservation only. Call 978-318-3061 or email visitors@concordma.gov to request your date and time. Tours leave the Concord Visitor Center located at 58 Main Street Concord, MA, rain or shine.Adults (13+) $20Youth (12 and under) $15Senior Citizens (65+) $15
Camp Acton is Open! Pope Road, Acton Fee is $25 per site reserved through he Recreation Department. Limited to 10 people per site. Visit http://trails.actonma.gov/ to learn more about Camp Acton. Please complete the registration form 48 business hours prior to desired reservation date. https://actonma.gov/623/Camp-Acton Payments are due upon reservation confirmation Portable toilet on site. All users must follow social distancing, regulations and posted guidelines. Please complete and send camp Acton Permit application via email to recreation@actonma.gov or fax to 978-929-6333. Please allow up to two business days to process.
Boxborough Birders is a local, all-volunteer group of bird watchers with varying levels of experience. Local walks in Boxborough, Acton, Harvard, Stow, Bolton, Littleton, are organized during spring and fall migration and occasionally beyond. Our walks are free of charge and most are scheduled on weekends. (Due to Covid-19 pandemic, all scheduled walks for 2021 will be limited in size, masks will be worn, no shared equipment and social distancing required). Visit their website: boxboroughbirders.org for links to local birding spots, photos, and more. You can sign up there to be on our mailing list and get all the information you need. We hope you will join us out on the trail soon.
Birding Kits – available for curbside pick up at Acton Memorial Library, Main Street, Acton. The library has two Birding Kits available for loan to Acton residents. Each kit includes a canvas field bag with Eagle Optics 8 by 42 binoculars with case, Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Birding for the Curious, Town of Acton Guide to Conservation Lands, and a laminated copy of Sibley’s Backyard Birds of the Northeast, a quick reference card. The kits circulate for two weeks. Acton residents may place a hold on a Birding Kit by contacting the Reference Desk, at 978-929-6543 or email reference@acton-ma.gov. Give your card number and phone number and the Circulation Department will call you when it is ready for curbside pickup.