Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members,
See as many hawks as possible this September
Hawks are on the move! And September’s the best time for watching them. Thousands of hawks move through the state at this time of year. If the winds are right, you may catch a kettle of Broad-winged Hawks along with Sharp-shinned Hawks, Northern Harriers, and American Kestrels this month. Learn what to look for, and then check out one of these great hawkwatching locations. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to see these impressive birds in action. For more information, visit https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/birds/birds-of-prey/hawk-watching/fall-hawk-watching
VOLUNTEERING
BOSTON AREA GLEANERS (Sign up to volunteer at https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php)
Wednesday, September 29
Apple Harvest
10-1 AM
Harvard, MA
Thursday, September 29
Radish and Mizuna Harvest
10-1 AM
Sharon, MA
Thursday, September 29
Apple Harvest
1:30-4:30 PM
Harvard, MA
Friday, September 30
Leeks and Greens Harvest
9 AM-Noon
Lincoln, MA
Friday, September 30
Apple Harvest
10-12:30 PM
Harvard, MA
Friday, September 30
Apple Harvest
1:30 – 4:30 PM
Harvard, MA
Saturday, September 24
Apple Harvest
9-noon
Harvard, MA
Saturday, October 1
Stay Tuned!
Now – October 31
Scarecrow Contest – “Stand Up to Stigma”
Cucurbit Farm, 32 Parker St
Calling all entries to Cucurbit! Enter the “Stand Up to Stigma” Scarecrow Contest to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Central Middlesex. Bring your $25 donation to Cucurbit Farm and pick up your scarecrow starter frame. Individuals, organizations, and businesses are invited to participate. The scarecrows will be on display for the month of October. Additional info at namicentralmiddlesex.org and cucubitfarm.com.
Be sure to visit Actonius, the Acton Conservation Trust Scarecrow!
Now through September 30
Story Book Trail, “Henry Hikes to Fitchburg” by D.B. Johnson
Dawn to dusk; drop in at your convenience
The Muller Trail (Trailhead is located at the parking lot just past 74 Littleton County Rd., Harvard)
Created by the Harvard Conservation Trust. This trail experience is ideal for young reader of all levels.
Inspired by the life of Henry David Thoreau,” Henry Hikes to Fitchburg” is a a New York Times bestseller and a local classic! This story follows two friends who have very different approaches to life. When the two agree to meet one evening in Fitchburg, which is thirty miles away, each decides to get there in his own way. The two have drastically different journeys…with surprisingly similar results.
About The Muller Trail
This trail is the very first trail established by The Harvard Conservation Trust nearly 50 years ago! The full loop is well marked, and just a little over 1 mile in total. There is a great spot for a picnic in a grassy clearing that you will discover. If you’re up for a longer adventure, there is a connection to Horse Meadows Knoll too!
Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2 – now through October
Thoreau Farm is Open for Tours!
11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM
Thoreau Farm, 341 Virginia Road, Concord, MA
Take an inside look at the restored 1730s house listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse/Henry David Thoreau Birth House. Locally, it is also known as “Thoreau Farm.” Tour includes the lovingly restored second-floor room where Henry David Thoreau was born in 1817. Visits are by guided tour only. Admission is free. Suggested Donation $5/person.
Saturday, October 1
Iron Work Farm “Open Air Taproom” fundraiser
4-8 PM
Faulker Homestead, 5 High Street, Acton
Plans are still being finalized, but they include the Music, Minutemen, and Merriment of the past combined with the ease and freedom of an outdoor event. You are cordially invited to join us – tickets are still $30 per adult. Children are free and welcome.
There will be music by Ward Hayden and the Outliers, brews from True West, and cider from Pony Shack Cidery. True West will also be catering the event with dinners to order on site, or guests may bring their own picnics. In case of inclement weather, we will have large tents for shelter, and fire pits for drama and warmth.
Visit our website at ironworkfarm.org for tickets and more information.
Sunday, October 2
Acton-Boxborough Farmer’s Market
Elm Street Playground, West Acton
10 AM – 1 PM
Join us for our 13th season of promoting good food and supporting sustainable agriculture.
Come visit the Acton Conservation Trust Community Table, say hello to Trustees, Joe, Joanne, and Susan and find out what’s new!!
Visit http://www.abfarmersmarket.org for more information.
Sunday, October 2
Ride for Food
Noble & Greenough School, Dedham
Please join us in participating in the 2022 Ride For Food. The RFF is a bike ride fundraiser organized by Three Squares New England to support local hunger relief efforts. This year, the RFF is offering many options to get involved! The traditional in-person bike ride will take place on October 2nd at the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, and there will also be a 5k walk option this year as well. Can’t make the October 2nd event? No problem! There is a virtual option again this year, so you can participate however and wherever you wish! The Boston Area Gleaner team is fundraising to support our hunger relief efforts. Please join or donate to our team today, and help us distribute more food to families in need! Register or donate at https://ride.threesquaresne.org/team/425405
Monday, October 3
Great Falls, A Documentary
7:00 PM
Smithsonian filmmaker Ted Timreck will screen a retrospective of his film that tells a dramatic story of environmental and cultural preservation when Turners Falls, Massachusett’s plans to expand its airport runway included removal of a ceremonial stone landscape Native Americans identified as a ritual site. Sponsored by the Sargent Memorial Library in Boxborough. In-person and Zoom. The Friends Pine Hawk 2022 Fall Program is presented with support from the Acton Memorial Library, the Sargent Memorial Library, and Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area. All programs are free but require registration here. Questions? Email friends.of.pinehawk@gmail.com.
Tuesday, October 4
The Bee-cology Project; Native Pollinator Decline and Conservation”
10:15 AM
Room 204 of Acton Town Hall
The presenter is Dr. Robert Gegear, the Director of the New England Bee-cology Project and an Associate Professor in the Biology Department of UMASS Dartmouth.
Why is ecological pollinator conservation so important? Dr. Gegear will help us understand this question and how the Bee-cology Project can speed up the process of identifying major stressors before threatened species become extinct.
The Bee-cology Project aims to provide information needed to develop effective conservation and restoration strategies for threatened species by recruiting citizen scientists from across the region to digitally collect and submit ecological data on native pollinator species using the project’s freely available smartphone and web apps.
The public is invited to join the meeting in person or via Zoom. Please leave a message for the webmaster here if you would like the Zoom link. You will be contacted by email with the information needed to log into the meeting.
Tuesday, October 4
Online Farm Business Planning Course – sponsored by MDAR
8-week course filled with information, activities, and presentations from excellent guest speakers that will help you write your farm business plan. Designed to help you create a written plan to start or expand your farm business. Course recognized by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) as fulfilling one of their financial management training requirements. More details here.
October 4 – November 1, series of five consecutive Tuesdays
Being Prepared for “What If”: Ensuring Conservation Permanence
4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
This new program is designed to help land trusts understand and identify risks, and assess current risk management strategies through a series of online training sessions and consultant-supported risk assessments. The program will cover risks such as the risk of someone hurting themselves on a trail or while volunteering, insufficient funding, lack of board member involvement, and conservation easement violations, among others. Learn more and register. View info session video.
Friday October 7
Nashobah Praying Indians: A Living People, A Living Landscape
7 PM
Reuben Hoar Library in Littleton, MA
Meet Strong Bear Medicine of the Nashobah Praying Indians and local historian Daniel V. Boudillon as they discuss the 1654 Nashobah Praying Indian Village. Topics include the Nashobah People – a vibrant, living community – as well as the living landscape Native ceremonial structures, in Littleton, Acton, and neighboring towns. Co-sponsored with Littleton Historical Society and Littleton’s Reuben Hoar Library, In-Person only. The Friends Pine Hawk 2022 Fall Program is presented with support from the Acton Memorial Library, the Sargent Memorial Library, and Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area. All programs are free but require registration air https://tinyurl.com/pinehawk-2022 Questions? email friends of pinehawk@gmail.com.
Saturday, October 8
Honey Bee Education Days at State Apiaries – In person
Amherst and Danvers – Topic: Winter Management. Details here.
Sunday, October 9
Fall Foliage Paddle on the Concord River
Start: 8:30 am End: 12:00 pm
Lowell Road Boat Launch (google directions) We will put-in and takeout at this location.
Paddle the Concord River from the Old Calf Pasture downstream through Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge to Ball’s Hill and back (~6 miles roundtrip).
Bring: canoe or kayak, PFD/life jacket (required), and water
Leader: Roger Beatty, a member of OARS Board Register here.
Thursday, October 13
Garden as if the earth matters: Planting for Biodiversity and Climate Resilience
7 PM
Acton Town Hall, Room 204 and Virtual
Join Anna Fialkoff, from the Wild Seed Project in North Yarmouth, Maine, as she explores how gardening with native plants helps foster biodiversity and creates more resilient landscapes. Formerly of the Native Plant Trust in Framingham, MA, Anna highlights the wonderful ecological connections that happen in our own backyards and public spaces when we focus on native plants. Without sacrificing beauty, we can create extraordinary, vibrant habitats for the insects and birds who are essential to a healthy ecosystem. Anna shares many concrete suggestions for planting and for landscape care, all designed to enrich our soils and to help mitigate the stresses of climate change. Instead of taming nature, find ways to cooperate with nature and create a beautiful community in your yard.
Please register at EnergizeActon.org or use the QR code on the poster on their website.
This event is co-sponsored by EnergizeActon.org, the Acton Garden Club, and the Acton Conservation Trust. Many thanks to the Acton Garden Club for co-hosting this event as part of their special Shirley Towle Lecture Series.
Saturday, October 15
Fall Mushroom Forage with Boston Mycological Club – sponsored by Acton Conservation Trust
10:30 AM-12:30 PM
WAITLIST AVAILABLE
The Boston Mycological Club is the oldest amateur mycology club in the USA, founded in 1895. Our walk will will take us through one of Acton’s conservation areas with BMC’s Jonathan Kranz to help ID our finds.
All ages are welcome. No pets, please! Refreshments will be provided after our walk.
Parking information and meeting location will be sent a few days before the event. This event will be held rain or shine as rain is great for mushrooms! Lightning will cancel the walk.
Register here. If you have questions, please contact Jody Harris at jharris.actonconservationtrust@gmail.com
Saturday, October 15, November 19
Polysterene Collection Day
10 AM-1 PM
Acton Transfer Station and Recycling Center
Bring your clean polystyrene; We can’t accept polystyrene food containers.Questions? Contact the Sustainability Director at abecerra@actonma.gov. Transfer Station sticker required for access.
Sunday, October 23; Rain Date, Sunday, October 30
Acton Conservation Trust Fall Community Service Day
1-3 PM
Spring Hill Conservation Land, Spring Hill Road, Acton
This fall we will be working at Spring Hill Conservation Area, removing invasive plant growth and widening the blue trail. In addition, there is a need to walk the entire loop system at Spring Hill, cutting back overgrowth to make the trails the proper width. You should plan to wear long sleeves and long pants. Please bring leather work gloves, clippers, bypass pruners and loppers and weed wrenches if you have them. You might need sunscreen and insect repellent as well.
Please register here.
There are also release forms for adults, as well as those 18 years old and under. We will need a signed release form for each participant, so please print the form, fill it out, then bring it with you to the event! If you’re 18 years old and under, please have a parent or guardian sign the form as well.
Thank you for forwarding this email to any and all interested parties. Everyone is welcome to join us, including families, students and scouts.
For more information or questions, please contact Jody Harris at jharris.actonconservationtrust@gmail.com and/or visit ActonConservationTrust.org.
Tuesday, October 25
Household Hazardous Waste Day
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: DPW Garage at 14 Forest Road
The Town of Acton holds a Hazardous Waste Day twice a year and offers residents a safe and legal way of disposing of hazardous materials. For more information on hazardous waste disposal or Hazardous Waste Day, please contact the Health Department at 978-929-6632.
Note: These collection services are for Acton residents only and proof of residency will be required.
This year there will be extra precautions in place due to COVID-19:
• All residents must stay in their vehicles at all times. Clean Harbors has a policy that anyone who attempts to exit their vehicle will be asked to leave.
• Waste accepted from truck bed, trunk of car, or back hatch of SUV. Materials will not be accepted from seats or when handed from residents.
• Clean Harbors will not be returning any containers (gas containers, storage totes, etc.). Please plan accordingly.
• If possible, make one trip to Household Hazardous Waste Day.
See our Household Hazardous Waste Day Flyer for more information.
Wednesday, October 26
Walden Woods Project – Silent Spring Revolution: A Conversation with Douglas Brinkley
7pm – 8 PM
Virtual
http://www.walden.org/events/silent-spring-revolution-a-conversation-with-douglas-brinkley/
Sunday, October 30
Rich and Healthy: No-till for Successful Farms
10 AM-5 PM
Orange, MA
Are you a farmer or market gardener seeking to start or transition to no-till methods that use simple tools, build healthy soil, reduce labor and cost inputs, promote climate resilience and increase your connection to the land? You’ll learn several no-till, climate resilience techniques in this experiential, day-long workshop with seasoned farmer Ricky Baruc and no-till soil science researchers. Guest soil science researchers will share their knowledge too!– Caro Roszell from American Farmland Trust and PhD candidate Alexa Smychkovich. Details here.
Wildlife of Acton, MA YouTube Playlist
Visit https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaLTsF_59WP0dAL19gvrjjkyxiXvY596u by Rebecca Harvey
Coyote, fisher, raccoons, porcupine, fox, weasels, deer, otter, and many more
NEWS – Boston Globe 9/21/22
Wu Announces Forestry Division to Preserve and Expand Tree Canopy in Boston
The announcement comes as her administration released a new Urban Forest Plan, which provides a roadmap for how to grow the city’s tree canopy. Wu made the announcement Wednesday at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, which gave the city a gift of 10 dawn redwood trees to be planted in neighborhoods across Boston. Those redwoods are descendants of seeds provided by China in 1948, the first such redwoods to grow in North America in more than 2 million years, arboretum officials said.
“Trees are our best green technology to fight climate change and build healthy, beautiful communities, especially as heat and storms intensify,” Wu said. “Dedicating staff and resources to our new forestry division will empower the city of Boston to strengthen our tree canopy citywide, so every community benefits from these treasured resources.”
Why Save the Bees?
This article from EcoWatch provides clear reasons why it’s important to save the bees, and steps to take to help the process along.
Downed Wood is Good in Waterbodies
Downed trees and fallen branches that settle in streams provide nutrients, increase dissolved oxygen, and add complexity to the stream channel. Woody habitat also makes an excellent hiding place for trout and other fish. Learn more.
Boston Area Gleaner (BAG) INFORMATION
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!
Got Banana Boxes?
We’re looking for banana boxes to pack and transport our gleaned produce! Banana boxes can be collected from grocery stores, corner stores, pantries, or anywhere that sells bananas.
We’ll keep a running total of the boxes you’ve dropped off at Stonefield Farm and we’ll be in touch to give you merch in recognition of your efforts! For more detailed information and instructions, click here.
Help for Volunteers who commute to BAG’s Stonefield Farm, 91 Martin St., from South Acton Station
As a reminder, if you are planning to take the MBTA to volunteer at Stonefield Farm in Acton, feel free to use one of the three BAG bikes (covered in BAG stickers) now parked at South Acton station for the short commute to the farm! Please reach out to outreach@bostonareagleaners.org prior to your volunteer trip to coordinate.
Walden Pond in Concord
7 am-7:30 pm
915 Walden St., Concord, MA
walden.pond@state.ma.us 978-369-3254, bridal paths, and farm roads
One-way trail loop system to promote social distancing; Boat ramp Sunday – Saturday: 5 AM – 7 PM.
Parking: MA resident $8; Non-MA resident: $30 Annual and senior passes NOT sold in park
Use this link to purchase a pass: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/purchase-an-annual-parking-pass-for-massachusetts-state-parks
https://www.mass.gov/how-to/get-a-senior-parking-pass
HIT THE WATER – PICK YOUR PADDLES
The South Bridge Boathouse
Canoe and Kayak Rental service in Concord
496 Main St., Concord, MA
Monday-Friday: 10 AM to one hour before dusk; Weekends and Holidays: 9 AM to one hour before dusk.
Rent a canoe or kayak and explore miles of peaceful waterways on the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord Rivers. A leisurely 1.5 mile paddle to the
Old North Bridge is a favorite.
For more information contact 978-369-9438 or visit https://www.southbridgeboathouse.com/
Camp Acton is Open
Pope Road, Acton
Fee is $25 per site reserved through the 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.
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.
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 support of our members. Visit our ACT website, and click on “Join Us”!