Dear Friends and Acton Conservation Trust Members,
The following news and events may be of interest:
Friday, September 8
Art on the Trails
5:30-7:00 pm
Beals Preserve, Southborough
Southborough Artist Catherine Weber will lead a guided tour of this year’s juried exhibition of 16 outdoor sculptures, with a theme of Transformation. The 7th Annual Art on the Trails is presented by The Southborough Open Land Foundation. Register at https://svtprograms.funraise.org/
Saturday, September 9
East Acton Village Green Commemoration
10 AM
East Acton Village Green, 128 Concord Rd.
A commemorative event to officially open the East Acton Village Green
If you can’t walk or bicycle to the event via the BFRT, parking is available
Ice House Pond Parking Lot;
Right side only of Horseshoe Drive;
Morrison Farm 116 Concord Road; and
Soccer Field 104 Concord Rd
Saturday, September 9
18th Annual Ag Day Farmers Market in Concord, MA
10-2 PM
Main Street in downtown Concord (between Walden St. and the Flagpole rotary)
Concord Ag Day is a once a year farmers’ market celebrating local agriculture organized by the Concord Agriculture Committee to showcase Concord farms and local produce. This unique market showcases the bounty of Concord’s many farm businesses at the height of the growing season. For information: www.concordagday.com.
Ag Day 2023 will feature your favorite Concord Farmers selling their bounty, as well as the return of the famous Veggie Race Track this year sponsored by Vanderhoof Hardware! In addition, several Concord nonprofits will be there with information on a variety of environmental and ‘ag’ related topics. Come experience what Concord’s land can produce!
Saturday, September 9
Plant ID Walk
9:30-noon Horse Meadows Knoll, Harvard
Join naturalist Roland “Boot” Boutwell for an informative nature walk. Focus on plant identification as well as fun and interesting natural history about the plants we see. Register at https://svtprograms.funraise.org/
Saturday & Sunday, September 9 & 10
Wilderness First Aid
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Stewardship Training Center, Plymouth, MA
Accidents happen. People get hurt, sick, or lost. The temperature drops, the wind picks up, and it starts to rain. Would you know what to do? Wildlands will host SOLO Wilderness Medical School to teach a course on Wilderness First Aid. Learn more and register Published in eNews, July 2023, Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition
Sunday, September 10
Acton-Boxborough Farmer’s Market – October 15
Elm Street Playground, West Acton
10 AM – 1 PM
Join ABFM for our 15th season of promoting good food and supporting sustainable agriculture.
Visit http://www.abfarmersmarket.org for more information.
Sunday, September 10
Family Hike: Hamlen Woods
9 -11:30 AM
194 Rice Road, Wayland, MA
Hosted by Public Lands Store, Framingham:
This hike is part of the Sudbury Valley Trustees property in Wayland. The hike has nice views and interesting features including formations of quartzite rock known as “Rice Gneiss.” This trail is moderate to easy with 262 feet of elevation gain over 3 miles. Dogs allowed but must be on a leash.
Register and check for updates here before leaving home
Tuesdays, September 12 and September 26
Read to Goats
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Liberty Tree Farm, 24 Liberty Street in 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.
Tuesdays, September 12 and September 26
Read to a Horse
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Liberty Tree Farm, 24 Liberty Street in 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. 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.
Wednesday, September 13
Using iNaturalist to Improve You Identification Skills
7-8:30 pm
Click for information and registration.
Thursday, September 14
Conservation & Housing in Collaboration
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
via Zoom
This one-hour discussion will start with a brief summary of potential avenues for collaboration between land conservation and affordable housing that have been covered in prior meetings this year, then discuss whether and how to further dig into any of them. Part of MLTC’s Stronger Together networking series, intended for staff and board members of land trusts and their conservation partners. Facilitated by Robb Johnson, and not recorded. Register.
Wednesday, September 20
Bears of the West: Vital Ground Foundation and Douglas Chadwick
7-8:15 PM
Virtual
Douglas Chadwick is an American Wildlife biologist, author, photographer and frequent National Geographic contributor. He is the author of fourteen books and more than 200 articles on wildlife and wild places. For more information contact Walden Woods at 781-259-4700 or visit walden.org/contact-us
Thursday, September 21
“From Crown Tensions to Tea Parties: The Role of…… Read on
Noted Historian Prof. Robert Allison Inaugurates the Acton 250 Lecture Series on with “From Crown Tensions to Tea Parties: The Role of…… Read on
Friday, September 22,
Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition (MLTC aka MassLand) Conservation Partners Meeting (formerly known as “Steering Committee”)
10:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Hybrid: Barnstable Land Trust, 1540 Main St, West Barnstable, MA and via ZoomLand trust staff and board members as well as conservation partners are welcome to this quarterly meeting, featuring relevant news from state agencies, a timely update on state and federal policy matters, announcements, and this quarter’s featured topic: increased state and federal funding for land conservation, and how to access it.
Registration required here only if you’re attending via Zoom.
Date: September 22, 2023
Rain Date: September 24, 2023
ACT Evening of Astronomy 2023
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm
Nara Park, Acton
Please click here to register, so we know how many people to expect. Exact location and parking information will be sent to you a few days before the event.
– This event is open to everyone and perfect for families, but no pets please! Dress warmly… bring several layers and perhaps a hat and gloves. We will be outdoors with plenty of hot beverages and other refreshments for you to enjoy.
– Bring a headlamp or flashlight with a red light source to protect our night vision. We’ll have red cellophane available to cover white light sources. We ask that you follow these flashlight etiquette rules:
Use a small one to keep the stray light low.
Point it toward the ground only.
Cover it with several layers of red cellophane or use a red LED light. Red light doesn’t affect our adaptation to night vision unless it’s too bright or pointed directly into someone’s eyes.
Clouds or rain will cancel observing. We will consult the local weather forecast and contact you by 2:00 p.m. that day (September 22) with a GO/NO GO decision. For more information or questions, please contact Jody Harris at jharris.actonconservationtrust@gmail.com
Saturday, 9/23
Save Ice House Pond from Water Chestnuts – Volunteers Needed
Town of Acton Conservation Department & OARS is hosting a Community Water Chestnut Removal Day at Ice House Pond on 9/23/23 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM.… Read on
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Sign up to volunteer at BAG, https://www.bagetc.org/gleanlist.php
Saturday, September 9
Apple Harvest
9:00am – 12:00pm:
Location: Harvard, MA
Saturday, September 9
Carrot Harvest!
9:30am – 12:30pm:
Location: Ipswich, MA
Saturday, September 9
Apple Harvest
1:00pm – 4:00pm:
Harvard, MA
Saturday, September 9th
Carrot Harvest
1:30pm – 4:00pm:
Location: Ipswich, MA
*Please join the waitlist if a trip is full! Not only will this help us gauge interest moving forward, but if someone is unable to attend who had previously committed, and depending on your place on the waitlist, you will be automatically added to the roster.
*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!
Ride For Food 2023
The Ride For Food is an annual fall bike-riding fundraiser, hosted by Three Squares New England. Every year, the Gleaners’ team of dedicated riders come together to raise money for our food access programs. You can support our efforts by joining our team or making a donation toward our fundraising goal at the link below.
Support the Gleaners’ Team!
Walden Pond in Concord
5 am-7:30 pm
915 Walden St.
walden.pond@state.ma.us; 978-369-3254, bridal paths, and farm roads.
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 an annual pass.
Use this link to purchase a senior lifetime parking pass.
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”!