Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members,
Growing the ACT Board of Trustees
Are you interested in preserving open space in Acton? While Acton has the benefit of many acres of open space, some prized undeveloped parcels in Acton are not yet protected … Read more
Tremendous storm damage sustained from our mid-September storm at Heath Hen Meadow Brook Conservation Land including 176 Central Street CR next to Mount Hope Cemetery.
The following news and events may be of interest:
Saturday, November 4
Come see Eyes on Owls
11 am – 12:15 pm.
Wolbach Farm, Sudbury
Do you love birds? Marcia and Mark Wilson have thrilled audiences of all ages with their live owl presentations for the past 28 years. The Wilsons highlight the owls’ unique adaptations, habitats and behaviors in the wild, while sharing tips on how you can look for owls yourself.
Register in SVT’s online Program Calendar! https://svtprograms.funraise.org/
Monday, November 6
Creating Landscapes for Bird Diversity with Claudia Thompson
7:00 – 8:30PM, online
Presented in partnership with Cary Memorial Library.
Our landscapes impact bird diversity, and with so many native bird populations in steep decline, understanding their needs is more important than ever.
Using photographs and her urban garden as a case study, Claudia will explore the essential principles for creating avian friendly landscapes for a wide variety of landbird species— from songbirds, to owls, woodpeckers, and more. Native plants provide the foundation, with healthy flora-fauna relationships that are essential for food and habitat. Also important is the physical structure of the landscape itself, so that it offers varied canopy layers, protective cover, and water. Finally, she will consider the pros and cons of our human interactions with birds, using birdfeeders and nest boxes, and through the design of our built environment. Every landscape matters and each of us can make a difference! Register
Tuesday, November 7
Creating Winter Gardens & Beyond: Using the Art of Lay-out Design by Maria von Brincken, Landscape Designer.
10:30 am.
Acton Town Hall.
Learn how to create winter gardens that delight and inspire. You’ll learn lay-out techniques that work in all seasons. Discover how to make a winter garden that is the bones of the four-season landscape. The program is open to the public at 10:30 AM following the Acton Garden Club business meeting for members. For more information about the Acton Garden Club go to actongardenclub.org.
Tuesday, November 7
Leave the Leaves, Save the Stems
7pm
Bemis Hall or tune in on zoom with the Lincoln Garden Club, Lincoln Common Ground, and LLCT
Kathy Connolly will speak at the Lincoln Garden Club’s fall public meeting. In a continuation of this season’s theme, Kathy will share tips and tricks on how to tend to an “ecosystem friendly” garden in the fall.Kathy is a landscape designer, writer, and speaker who emphasizes earth-friendly designs, native plants, and low-impact land care techniques. She specializes in lawn reduction, flowering meadows, deer-resistant gardens, and hillside plantings.
If attending via zoom, register here for the meeting link
Friday- Sunday, November 10-12
The Northeast Antiquities Research Association (NEARA) Fall Conference
Marlborough, MA
Keynote speaker Saturday evening: Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines-Roberson Jr., Nipmuc Cultural Steward “Eastern Woodlands Culture and Traditions – 12,000 years”
Information about NEARA and a link to the full program and registration is available HERE.Codman Farm hosts Jen Turner of The Robbins House on November 12th from 4-5pm. This lecture, Recovering Lost Voices, explores an important and often overlooked part of Lincoln’s history-the lives of people who worked the land, many of whom were forced to do so. In person at 58 Codman Rd in Lincoln.
RSVP here.
Sunday, November 12
Codman Farm hosts Jen Turner of The Robbins House lecture on Recovering Lost Voices
4-5pm
In person at 58 Codman Rd, Lincoln
This lecture explores an important and often overlooked part of Lincoln’s history-the lives of people who worked the land, many of whom were forced to do so.
RSVP here.
Tuesday, November 14
Read to Goats
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Liberty Tree Farm, 24 Liberty Street, Acton
Young readers can make a 15 minute appointment to read aloud to 3 goats, Dorothy, Sophia, and Rose at the Liberty Tree Farm in Acton.
Please register online. Register here
Please register only 1 child per 15-minute slot and please only register each child once.
Please let us know if your plans change and you won’t be able to make your appointment, we often have a waitlist. Please register for a maximum of one appointment a day.
Tuesday, November 14
Read to a Horse
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Liberty Tree Farm, 24 Liberty Street, Acton
Young readers can make a 15 minute appointment to read aloud to a horse named Indy at the Liberty Tree Farm in Acton.
Please register online.
Please register only 1 child per 15-minute slot and please only register each child once.
Please let us know if your plans change and you won’t be able to make your appointment, we often have a waitlist. Please register for a maximum of one appointment a day.
Register here
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eNEWS from The Trustees
Favorite Fall Foliage Hikes
Looking to find the best fall foliage hikes in Massachusetts? Autumn is the best season to get outdoors and take in the brilliant leaf displays that New England is known for. You will be delighted by the list of lesser-known gems for leaf-peeping which comes highly recommended from our Stewardship Team. Click on Get Peepin’ →
Acton Photo Competition
We are looking to update the Town’s Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) with photos of Acton’s natural landscape, open spaces, and recreation. Do you have any favorite photos of Acton’s nature, open spaces, and recreation? The Town of Acton is actively collecting photographs to be featured in our updated Open Space and Recreation Plan
Please email your photos to photos@actonma.gov or scan the QR code on the flyer
Please include in the following in your submission:
-Your name
-Location the photo was taken
-Any other notes you would like to add
Reminder, all photographs of any individuals must be submitted with the individual’s consent. The deadline for submissions to the photo competition will be in December.
Important News from Sudbury Valley Trustees (SVT)
New Role at SVT
Laura Mattei, SVT’s long-time Director of Stewardship, has been promoted to the newly created position of Director of Conservation. Laura will now oversee SVT’s Land Protection projects while also managing our Stewardship efforts. She will play a key role in establishing our conservation priorities, take the lead on collaborative conservation projects with our many partners, and continue to devise strategies for restoring wildlife habitats.
VOLUNTEERS:
Boston Area Gleaners is looking for gleaners!
Gleaning is in full swing! We have volunteer trips happening Wednesdays through Saturdays during the season. Be sure that you are signed up as a volunteer on our website. You will be automatically enrolled to receive weekly email updates when volunteer opportunities pop up. In the meantime, keep an eye on our volunteer opportunity list (or sign up for text message alerts – link below)!
Sign up on our website and check out our FAQ to learn more! For more news and information from the Gleaners visit https://www.bostonareagleaners.org/
ne.org/team/499746
RESULTS OF CUCURBIT FARM’S SCARECROW CONTEST TO SUPPORT NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR MENTAL ILLNESS.(NAMI)
ACT’S “MOTHER NATURE” SCARECROW, CREATED BY JAN EISENBERG, CAPTURED FIRST PLACE!!!!
MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO VISITED AND VOTED IN CUCURBIT FARM’S SCARECROW CONTEST!!!
They also have a corn maze!!!
“Mother Nature” supports MENTAL HEALTH/NAMI and CUCURBIT FARM!!!
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Sincerely yours,
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”!