Don Doucette, Devoted Steward of Our Watershed
Don Doucette at the 2011 Attleboro Land Trust Annual Meeting.
Don Doucette, long-time advocate of watershed conservation, passed away on May 9. Don was devoted to the preservation of our local environment and its history. He was a founding member of the Ten Mile River Watershed Alliance (TMRWA) in 1990, and he with his wife Nancy were early members and supporters of the Attleboro Land Trust, which was founded that same year.
A partnership between the two organizations resulted in the donation of Larson Woodland to the land trust by Ray Larson in 1997. Don played a key role in that acquisition. Earlier, in 1996, the TMRWA had dedicated a 3-mile urban trail beginning at Balfour Riverwalk Park and following the Ten Mile River upstream as far as West Street. A guide to the Ten Mile River Heritage Trail, written by Don, described historic stopping points along the route.
2011 Attleboro Land Trust Annual Meeting.
One of the land trust’s most memorable annual meetings was in 2011, when Don was our keynote speaker. His talk, “The Ten Mile River Watershed: A Walk Through Time,” was accompanied by a stunning slide show consisting of mostly of postcards he had collected of scenes photographed up and down the Ten Mile during the early decades of the twentieth century. Don’s authoritative grasp of his subject reflected not only painstaking research, but the fact that, with fellow TMRWA member Mark Benoit, he had trekked the entire 27-mile length of the river, from Plainville to East Providence, in 2 days in 1995.
Keynote speaker Don Doucette at the 2011 Attleboro Land Trust Annual Meeting.
Of his motive, Don wrote, “The primary intent was adventure–to cross, as does water, all human imposed, social and physical bounds that tend to fragment the Ten Mile River Watershed. Envisioned was a more intimate encounter with the river–we were not disappointed.”
The Month of May
Peony at Richardson Preserve, May 2021.
Trillium at Richardson Preserve, May 2021.
Pink lady’s slipper (Cypripedium acaule) at Vaughan Memorial Forest, May 2014.
Violets at Vaughan Memorial Forest, May 2014.
Dogwood at Colman Reservation, May 2014.
Bluet (Houstonia caerulea) at Leach Sanctuary, May 2014.
Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor) at Lawrence Preserve, May 2009.
Wild oats or sessile bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia) with wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia) in background at Lawrence Preserve, May 2007.
Celebrating 35 Years
April 11 marks the birth, 35 years ago, of the Attleboro Land Trust at a public meeting at the Attleboro Public Library. Here are some items from our archives covering events in our first decade…
Flyer announcing our first meeting in 1990.
Letter to the editor, announcing our first meeting in 1990.
Article in The Sun Chronicle, November 11, 1990
ALT Annual Meeting, September 21, 1991, on the grounds of Texas Instruments. Board members attending from left to right: Charlie Adler, Larry St. Pierre (President), Carol Haslehurst, Howard Bibeault, Joanne Wright, Robert Schoch, Ron Carlson
Dedication of the Colman Reservation, October 16, 1993. Board members and dignitaries attending from left to right: Larry St. Pierre (President), Joanne Wright, George Largess, Carol Haslehurst (Treasurer), Shanthi Raam, Adele Colman, Mayor Judith Robbins, Robert Schoch (Secretary), Ron Carlson (Vice President), Charlie Adler
Adele Colman donated our first gift of land, the Colman Reservation, in 1992.
Following the dedication of the Colman Reservation, a reception with wine and cheese was held under the Giant Hemlock.
The Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve was donated on November 11, 1994. In the fall of 1995, ALT board members met informally at the preserve to thank the donor. From left to right: Charlie Adler, Anthony Lawrence with two family members, Carol Haslehurst, Shanthi Raam, Joanne Wright, and Mildred Bauer.
ALT Board members assembled for a photo on October 26, 1998, at the dedication of the Phil and Ginny Leach Wildlife Sanctuary. From left to right (front ): Debby Leach, Joel Johnson, (rear): George Largess, Jim Lewis, Bob Duffin, Bob Thayer, Robert Schoch, Ted Leach, (president) Larry St. Pierre, Charlie Adler, Michael Brown