Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members,
Our 2025 membership drive was added to our website under “News.” View it HERE. I encourage all non-ACT Member subscribers to “Events of Interest” to take this opportunity to join ACT to show your support of Land Protection in Acton!! Free Acton Conservation Trust baseball caps to those who renew, while they last!!
The Heath Hen Meadow Brook conservation land is adjacent to Mount Hope Cemetery. Last Sunday’s ACT Community Service Project involved recruiting a crew of Scouts, friends, ACT Members and Trustees to remove the invasive Glossy Buckthorn along the Muddy Brook. Next, ACT is looking forward to getting after the Japanese Barberry also along the trail by Muddy Brook!
For more photos, including those from the Wednesday Walk of the yellow trail of Nagog Conservation Land, visit our Instagram page.
The following news and events may be of interest:
Daily
Cucurbit Farm Corn Maze
32 Parker Street
9 AM-4:30 PM
Maze is open and it’s double in size
Thursday, October 24
“Eyes on Owls” Program
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m
Sargent Memorial Library.
See Owls Up Close with Boxborough Birders’ “Eyes on Owls” Program
The Boxborough Birders, with funding from the Friends of Sargent Memorial Library and the Boxborough Well-Being Committee, will present an “Eyes on Owls”.
The program will be run by teacher/naturalist Marcia Wilson and author/photographer/naturalist Mark Wilson.
Participants will be introduced to the owls of New England, such as the Great Horned Owl, Northern Saw-Whet Owl, and Eastern Screech Owl.
“You will meet six live owls and get to see them up close, learn about their habits and habitats, and listen to the different calls each one makes. Mark and Marcia point out the field marks of each owl, and detail the signs and naturalist’s skills that you can use to find wild owls in the woods–without disturbing them. They also provide tips on how to attract and protect owls near you.”
Look forward to seeing the Great Horned Owl, Northern Saw-Whet Owl, and Eastern Screech Owl. Learn about their habits and habitats, and listen to the different calls each one makes.
This program is appropriate for ages 5 years and up. Register in advance by October 20 at https://boxlib.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/boxborough-birders/
Saturday, October 26th
Clean Energy Home of the Month – Focus on Heat Pumps
Two sessions: 11am and 1pm
South Acton address sent with registration.
More than ever, our environment calls us to switch from fossil fuels. Are you thinking about air source heat pumps for your home? Come see a house that has an air source heat pump and a heat pump hydronic system, plus other clean technologies. The homeowner is one of Acton’s Clean Energy Coaches and he looks forward to your questions about transitioning off fossil fuels. There will be two free sessions, one at 11am and one at 1pm. The address will be sent upon registration. Sponsored by EnergizeActon.org. For info and registration, click HERE.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
“Birds of Prey” with Tom Ricardi
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Walden Pond Visitor Center, 915 Walden Street, Lincoln
Join Friends of Walden Pond and Tom Ricardi of the Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center in Conway, MA, as he returns with some of his feathered friends! Get up close, and hear about the predatory birds that call New England their home. All ages. The Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center continues to rely on public support for funding. A $5 Donation is suggested to help keep the center operating and successful!
All are welcome. Reasonable accommodations upon request. For more information call: (978) 405-2082 On sunny days, holidays and weekends, Walden Pond often closes due to capacity. Check DCR Park Alerts for closures.
Sunday, October 27
Run For The Hills, 2024
10am
Community Harvest Project Barn, 115 Prospect Hill Rd, Harvard MA 01451
Register now to get a guaranteed race shirt!
8:00am Registration Opens
10:00am 5k Race Starts
10:30am Kids Fun Run Starts
Sunday October 27
Invasive Species Walk in Boxborough with Anya Brunker
Noon
LIBERTY FIELDS / PATCH HILL, Boxborough
Anya is a high school student who recently received her Girl Scout Gold Award for her project on invasive species in Boxborough. You have probably seen her informative signs along the trails! She led a walk at Steele Farm in August (see photo below), and will continue to hold them throughout the seasons. . No need to register, just meet at the parking lot at Liberty Fields on Liberty Square Rd.
Questions? bharris@bctrust.org
Wednesdays, October 30 – November 20
“I Hiked Acton’s Trails!”
2:30-4:00 pm
Walk the trails in Acton’s conservation areas with the goal of earning a sticker and a sew-on patch! This weekly set of walks (typically 1-2 miles) is a joint effort between Acton Conservation Trust and Acton Conservation Division. We will complete the remainder of 22 conservation land walks which started last spring. Check out the “I Hiked Acton’s Trails” Challenge form HERE for more information about the challenge.
An accessible option is also available for those with devices or mobility issues. Contact us if you are interested in this option. For more information or questions, please contact jharris.actonconservationtrust@gmail.com. REGISTER HERE!
Sunday, November 3
Daylight Saving Time Ends
Clocks will “fall back” one hour on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 a.m., marking the official end of daylight saving time for the year. This means earlier sunrises, sunsets well before 7 p.m. and for many, an extra hour of sleep. It won’t be until March 2025 that we adjust our clocks to “spring ahead” once again.
Tuesday, November 5
Election Day
Wednesday, November 6 (Weather date: November 8)
Astronomy in the Park
6:00-9:00 pm
Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston will be on the fields of NARA with some incredible telescopes for a family star party. The moon will be at its first quarter phase and Jupiter will be rising in the early evening skies with Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune already up for viewing! Click HERE to register.
Co-sponsored by AB STEAM and Acton Conservation Trust. For more information or questions, please contact Jody Harris at jharris.actonconservationtrust@gmail.com.
Saturday, November 9 (Rescheduled from Oct. 19)
Adult Archaeology Walk (Note New Date)
10AM–noon, in-person only
Nashoba Brook Conservation Area
This walk was formerly scheduled for October 19, but Bettina Abe is unavailable due to a knee injury. Now Ian Bergemann, Land Stewardship Coordinator for the Town of Acton, will lead this hike along the Nashoba Brook Trail, with stops at the stone chamber and Native American ceremonial sites. Trail conditions can be rocky, uneven, and often wet, and thus participation is limited. Registrants will receive a detailed email several days before the walk. Limited to 20, ages 17 and up. Events are free but require registration at tinyurl.com/pinehawk-2024 Questions? Email friends.of.pinehawk@gmail.com
Thursday, November 14
Coyote Ecology and Behavior
7pm
Lincoln Public Schools, Learning Commons, Ballfield Road, Lincoln, MA
LLCT is pleased to welcome Jonathan Way to Lincoln in mid-November. This is part of LLCT’s continued efforts to provide education about how humans can co-exist with coyotes, an important carnivore in New England.
Way will speak about the coyote’s territory, activity patterns, denning behavior, and hybridization. He will also speak to the coyote’s successful survival in close proximity to urban and suburban areas.
This is a 90 minute presentation, free, and open to the public.
Jonathan (Jon) Way has a B.S. (UMass Amherst), M.S. (UConn Storrs), and doctorate (Boston College) related to the study of eastern coyotes/coywolves. He is the author of numerous books. Jon founded and runs his organization, Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research, where his goal is to conduct long-term ecological and behavioral research on eastern coyotes.
Friday, November 15
Full Beaver Supermoon – reaches peak illumination on Nov. 15, 2024
This is our fourth and final Supermoon of the year! Get more information, including Full Moon rise times, why we call it a “Beaver” Moon, and the best days by the Moon at https://www.almanac.com/full-moon-november
Why the “Beaver” Moon? This is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having laid up sufficient food stores for the long winter ahead. During the fur trade in North America, it was also the season to trap beavers for their thick, winter-ready pelts.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The CPA Trust Fund Trending Positively for Three Straight Months – from “CPA Update”
With the annual CPA Trust Fund distribution scheduled for next month, many CPC’s have been asking for an updated projection for this year’s match. Earlier this year, the Department of Revenue (DOR) projected a 14% base match for eligible communities – but Trust Fund collections over the last three months have demonstrated an unexpected turnabout, and now this year’s base match is likely to be a few percentage points higher than expected!
Collections in July were particularly high this year, with revenue showing a 200% increase compared to July of 2023. Coalition staff contacted the Department of Revenue to better understand why such a significant increase occurred, and we learned that the July collections included three months of delayed payments from one of the state’s larger Registry of Deeds. These late payments, combined with the collections from August and September, were substantial enough to swing the Trust Fund from a year-over-year decline to an increase.
As soon as DOR releases the final distribution figures on November 15th, the Coalition will provide additional information to all CPA municipalities.
“Stand Up to Stigma” Scarecrow Contest – Cucurbit Farm, 32 Parker St., Acton
The scarecrows will be on display for the month of October, and the public is invited to cast their vote for the winning entry. The goal is 100 scarecrows along the fence, as well as many conversations about mental health! There is still time to build your scarecrow creation or plan to enter a carved Jack O’ Lantern in the Glow By event on the weekend before Halloween. There’s a corn maze too!
Additional info can be found at namicentralmiddlesex.org/newsletter/scarecrow-contest2023.
VOLUNTEERS:
Boston Area Gleaners is looking for gleaners!
Sign up to volunteer at BAG, https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
Cucurbit Farm, 32 Parker Street, Acton, Needs 88 Pumpkin Carvers for annual Glow-By to benefit NAMI
We need 88 pumpkins carved next weekend for our annual Glow-By to benefit NAMI.
- Bring $10 and pick up your pumpkin this week. (the $10 goes to NAMI and insures we get the pumpkins back).
- Carve you pumpkin next Saturday or Sunday (please not before).
- Return the pumpkin to us on Saturday or Sunday.
- Sunday-Tuesday we will light the pumpkins each night.
- Load your family in the car and drive to the farm passing the farm with the farm on your right hand side. (if you come from the School St. direction you won’t see the pumpkin faces).
- Enjoy and donate to NAMI Central MIddlesex.
Town of Acton’s Agricultural Commission Needs Members
Meetings once/month, September – April; Advocating and representing Acton’s agricultural resources since 2020. Interested? Please contact AG@ACTONMA.gov
See you on the trails!!
Susan Mitchell-Hardt
President, Acton Conservation Trust
www.ActonConservationTrust.org
P.S. Welcome new “Events of Interest” subscribers! As a non-profit organization focused on conserving land in Acton, we rely upon the support of our members. Visit our ACT website, and click on “Join Us”