6 Office Resolutions + Snowy Owls

Gabriela Silva

Meet Gabriela Silva, our Assistant Director at Wildlands Trust. She works behind the scenes to make sure our land protection and stewardship staff have the tools and funds to do their jobs well. As a New Years resolution, Gabriela is hoping to get outside more with her family! Over this past weekend, she visited the Little Conservation Area off Union Street in Marshfield. Approaching a dock on the ~75 acre preserve that overlooks the North River, Gabriela and her family bumped into friends they hadn't seen in over 4 years. Have you ever bumped into old friends or made new friends on the trails? Whether you answered yes or no - we invite you all to become our trail buddies through participating in our free Wildlands Trailrunners program.

Gabriela and son at Little Conservation Area off Union Street in Marshfield.
(Town CPA project)

View of the North River reached by trail on Little Conservation Area.

Next weekend, Gabriela plans to head to Duxbury Beach with her family to look for Snowy Owls. Here are some photos that Allison Gillum, Wildlands Trust Regional Conservationist - AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer, took of the graceful birds on Jan. 8, 2012.

Even though these birds appear on Duxbury beach almost every year, the last time I set out to observe them was on my 9th Birthday! Time flies...

Tell us about your new years resolutions (nature related resolutions) and winter wildlife sightings on our facebook page.

Need some inspiration for a nature related resolution? Here's a list of several office resolutions proposed by our staff and volunteers:

1. Compost our lunch scraps.

2. Participate in staff exercise (weekly walks / stretching series).

3. Get outside more with our families.

4. See many of our ongoing land protection projects come to fruition.

5. Save the Davis-Douglas Farm and create a center for connecting people to the land.

6. Use less paper.

Thanks for reading & don't forget to click "Join this site" so you can get our blog posts sent directly to your email inbox!

-Post by Sarah Kugel, Community Outreach Coordinator, AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer at Wildlands Trust (You can reach me at skugel@wildlandstrust.org)

The First Snow w/ the "Wildlands Trailrunners"

The "Wildlands Trailrunners" aren't just runners! We're also walkers and all committed to staying active, even as the temperature drops.

Yesterday the "Trailrunners" group set out to the Emery Preserve West, located off of Ship Pond Road in Plymouth, where we enjoyed the crunching of the first snow under our feet!

 

The group is now on break until after the New Year. Depending on snowfall, weekly walks/runs may switch to weekly snowshoe sessions. As a reminder, these meet-ups are free and open to the public, all ages and levels are always welcome! *If you would like to be notified via email of our events, please email a request to admin@wildlandstrust.org


-Post by Sarah Kugel, Wildlands Trust, AmeriCorps MassLIFT, skugel@wildlandstrust.org

For the Love of Garlic

On Friday, I swung past Hannaford Supermarket in Kingston and bought a pack of 6 organic garlic bulbs for $1.99. I then headed to our community garden at The Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless in Kingston (Bridie's Garden) to plant them. Since it was Veterans Day, there was no school and 3 kids staying at the shelter were able to come out and help me in the garden.

Rock label

We separated the bulbs into individual cloves (there were probably 70 cloves) and planted them about 1" deep along two edges of the garden (using rocks as labels so everyone will know where we planted them).

Making a rock label

We had been avoiding the center of the garden since it was recently tilled and with all the rain - was quite the mud pit. BUT THEN, we had only a few cloves of garlic left and the brilliant idea to plant them in secret spots throughout the garden. So, we ventured from the garden's edges where we had begun our planting and into the mud, when I heard a little girl yell "I'm stuck!" I thought she was kidding at first but it quickly became apparent that she wasn't! I ran out to the center of the garden and pulled her out of the mud. You could hear the suction release when she was freed. BUT THEN, I was stuck too and my shoes were sinking quickly! My feet slipped out of my shoes as I was trying to free myself... and that was the end to the white socks I was wearing. There's not much more to the story, except that everyone was laughing at the end and we can't wait to harvest our garlic next spring. For the love of garlic, gardening, and the opportunity to share that moment with some incredibly cheerful kids from the shelter.... it was totally worth it!

My shoes

 Also, our garden volunteers planted winter rye (a cover crop and nitrogen fixer) in the garden several weeks ago. We were happy to see it sprouting!

Winter rye

-Post by Sarah Kugel, Community Outreach Coordinator, AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer at Wildlands Trust (skugel@wildlandstrust.org)

Back to the Land with the Wildlands Trailrunners

Wildlands Trailrunners can't hide their smiles after a group run/walk.

The Wildlands Trust has launched its new Wildlands Trailrunners program. The program meets on a weekly basis for low-impact trail runs and walks throughout Southeastern Massachusetts; however, participants may attend as many or as few sessions as they please. Every session is free of charge and non-competitive. Runners and walkers of all levels and ages are encouraged to attend. This is a great opportunity for those looking to connect with other trail runners and walkers. It’s also a chance to discover many beautiful places that few people know or explore. You do not need to be a member of the Trust to participate.

Leader of the Wildlands Trailrunners, Sarah Kugel, said, “I see huge potential for the Wildlands Trailrunners and interest in the group is already growing. People want to live healthier lifestyles and get back to the land. We had runners and walkers of various ages and abilities at our last event and we all had a blast together. It’s energizing to get outdoors with a group!” Wildlands Trust always has 2 leaders at the weekly events so the group can divide into walkers and runners. Sarah hopes to offer events in different towns on various dates and times to include as many people as possible. Sarah added, “We usually follow trails or paths for 2 to 3 miles. We plan to continue throughout the seasons as long as the weather permits!”

Wildlands Trailrunners November Schedule*:

RSVPs are appreciated, but not required: admin@wildlandstrust.org

11/2- 9:30am Sherburne Carter Preserve, Kingston (Town Conservation Land)

11/13- 10:00am Great River Preserve, Bridgewater

11/16- 1:00pm The Pinehills, Plymouth (Rain date: 11/18)

11/21- 1:00pm Halfway Pond Conservation Area, Plymouth

If you would receive Wildlands Trailrunners e-mails with our monthly schedule, photos, and cancellation notifications*, let us know by e-mailing admin@wildlandstrust.org. Updates about weekly runs are also posted to the Wildlands Trust Facebook Page.


*Events will be cancelled in the case of severe weather.

Directions & Parking Information: 

Sherburne Carter Preserve: Driving west on Route 106 it is located about a half mile past Ring Rd on the left.  As soon as you pass Nobadeer Circle (on right) you will see old bogs on the left that are part of the Sherburne Carter Preserve.  There is an area to pull off the road and park on the left.

Great River Preserve: From Rt. 106 East, West Center Street, bear right onto Rt. 28/S Main Street, bear left onto Rt. 104/ Summer Street. Bear right onto Walnut Street, and left onto Auburn Street. Continue on Auburn Street about 1/2 mile to the Trailhead Parking Lot on right.

The Pinehills: Check our website for directions soon!

Halfway Pond Conservation Area: Rt. 3 to Exit 3. Turn left if coming from south, right if from north. Proceed to stop sign. Turn right onto Long Pond Road, continue about two miles, passing Plymouth schools. Turn left onto Mast Road, across from the golf course. Follow Mast Road about two miles to trailhead parking on right before Halfway Pond.

The Climate Lab at Old Field Pond

Integrating cutting-edge science with hands-on data collection opportunities for young students.

The Climate Lab at Old Field Pond.

Working in partnership with the Manomet Center for Conservation Sceinces, Wildlands Trust will be piloting the Climate Lab in spring 2012. This is an environmental education project in which middle and high school students will collect data on indicators and learn about climate change adaptation and mitigation. Engaged in standardized data collection, students will develop increased knowledge of local natural systems, the impacts of climate change, and a better understanding of scientific methodology. The students' work will contribute to a database on local climate change used by Manomet scientists, building on the climate change adaptation strategies already being developed by Manomet.

In preparation for piloting the program, Wildlands Trust and Manomet have been combining forces to plan the best and most appropriate climate change indicators measurable by students. Below is a series of photos from their visit at Old Field Pond, a property that lends itself well as an environmental classroom and as a place for students to enjoy the beauty of Southeastern Massachusetts.

Owl pellet with small rodent (mole or vole) bones.

Trevor Lloyd-Evans, Banding Director, with a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus).

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus).

Alex Etkind, Wildlands Trust AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer, with a garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis).

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) skeleton.

Sarah Kugel, Wildlands Trust AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer, with a praying mantis (Mantis religiosa).

Red maple (Acer rubrum).

Wolf spider (Lycosa carolinensis).

Field at Old Field Pond.

Old  cranberry bog at Old Field Pond.

Multiple generations of pitch pine (Pinus rigida) cones.

Frog pond.

Old Goat Pasture Pond.

Over the next few months, Wildlands Trust and the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences will be identifying study plots, demarking transects, and preparing the lab for its pilot run with students in Spring 2011.

For more information about the lab and inquiries about school groups visiting the lab, contact:

Sarah Kugel, Community Outreach Coordintor

AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer

Wildlands Trust

skugel@wildlandstrust.org

781.934.9018

A Collection of Our Favorite Photos!

It's amazing how New Englanders transition through the seasons! Here are some of our favorite photos from the winter. Remember all that snow?

Our hiking trip with Liam Murphy's Canine Fitness in the Myles Standish State Forest.

Temperatures below 0F for a week straight!

A Duxbury resident enjoying a walk at Cow Tent Hill Preserve during a "work snow day."

Wildlands Trust AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer, Sarah Kugel, with Conservation George in Central Park in NY.

Picnic table outside our office in Duxbury, MA.

Wildlands Trust AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer, Allison Gillum, snowshoeing at the Great River Preserve in Bridgewater.

Hardening Off Our Crops

Memorial Day is just around the corner... so as we take time to honor our soldiers, we're also in the process of hardening off our crops that we'll be transplanting into Bridie's Garden this coming weekend!

Sarah Kugel, our Community Outreach Coordinator, AmeriCorps MassLIFT volunteer,  giving the plants she's been raising in the greenhouse a breath of fresh air, taste of direct sunlight, and contact with the light spring breeze.

Our fingers are crossed that the last frost has already passed!

Allison Gillum, our Regional Conservationist, AmeriCorps MassLIFT volunteer,  tending to the little seedlings (that aren't so little anymore!).

Bridie's Garden is the community garden that we've started at the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless in Kingston, MA this year. The food grown in the garden will greatly benefit individuals and families staying at the shelter in addition to those who receive food from the shelter's food pantry.

Have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!

-Sarah Kugel, Community Outreach Coordinator, AmeriCorps MassLIFT, skugel@wildlandstrust.org

Nature Filming and Photography: It's All About the Story

This past weekend was the first ever Whaleback Environmental Film & Art Festival in Portsmouth, NH. The whole festival was kicked off with a film about the Anderson Farm located in West Bridgewater, MA. This 14th generation family farm was permanently protected in 2010 through an APR (Agricultural Preservation Restriction) with the help of Wildlands Trust. The film about the project was produced by Jerry Monkman, renowned nature photographer, environmentalist, and friend of the Trust.


The Anderson Farm film was Jerry's first film. Our Executive Director, Karen Grey, had showed Jerry a slideshow with audio of an interview with people who had previously donated land to the Trust. Jerry found the combination of audio and visuals compelling and decided that he could use his photography style along with high definition technology to start producing films.


To make the Anderson Farm film, Jerry spent an afternoon filming and watching the Anderson brothers work before interviewing them on camera. Jerry did this so the brothers would feel more comfortable come interview time. Jerry finds that the characters and storytellers drive the story and he'll shoot extra footage to fill in the gaps.


His Anderson Farm film was a hybrid between a documentary and a promotional piece for the Trust. The phenomenal music that accompanies the film was created by his brother, Jeff Monkman. You can listen to samples of Jeff's folk/rock music here and take a peak at Jerry's other films here.


Jerry added that, "It's most important to find and tell a story - you don't need expensive equipment. Just decent sound and people." We asked him where he'd travel to if he could take pictures or capture footage anywhere in the world. He modestly replied that he doesn't have the time to think about that since he's so focused on work, but maybe Alaska. He spent time there 15 years ago and thinks it may be nice to go back there with the skills he has since developed. Jerry will be leading a Sunrise Nature Photography Workshop at our Annual Meeting this June 18th. The workshop/annual meeting is for members only.


-Post by Sarah Kugel, Community Outreach Coordinator, skugel@wildlandstrust.org