It’s not too late for you, or your child, to play a part in our scientific study
The Attleboro Land Trust invites you to participate in “A Year in the Life of the Lawrence Preserve”, a one-year scientific study of the Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve. Jessie Knowlton, Associate Professor of Biology at Wheaton College, is leading the study, which began in June.
Members of the public are invited to participate in the project as Volunteer Observers by visiting the Preserve on their own and reporting what they observe. Professor Knowlton and her team of Wheaton students have already identified many species of plants and animals observed over the summer. However, one goal of the study is to record seasonal changes in the Lawrence Preserve ecosystem, so it would help to have more eyes and ears at the site throughout the remaining nine months of the study. You, as a citizen scientist, might encounter an elusive bird, mammal, or amphibian that no one has yet seen.
You may submit observations in the form of photos, videos, drawings, notes, or audio recordings. If you are tech savvy, you may upload photos using a free cell phone app called iNaturalist. Photos submitted may be viewed at the iNaturalist website.
At the conclusion of the study, a final report will include recommendations for maintaining and protecting the Preserve’s ecosystem, and for engaging the public in stewardship of the property.
If you or your child would like to sign up as a Volunteer Observer, use the online form on this website or email attleborolandtrust@gmail.com. If you are under 18, you need an adult partner to co-sign your application and go with you on your site visits.
This project is made possible by a Giving While Living Grant from the Woodard & Curran Foundation.
302 Species observed at the Lawrence Preserve
Our scientific study of the Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve has documented 302 different plants and animals since observations began on June 6. These results can be viewed on the iNaturalist website, where our project is named “A Year in the Life of the Lawrence Preserve.” Eighteen members of our project have uploaded photos of their observations using the iNaturalist app on their cellphones. Participants include project leader Jessie Knowlton, several of her students at Wheaton College, and some of you!
The study will continue until June 2025, and we expect many more species to be identified as the seasons change.
To view our project on iNaturalist, use this link: www.inaturalist.org/projects/a-year-in-the-life-of-the-lawrence-preserve
To join the project as a volunteer observer, use our online form.
ALT Receives a $10,000 Grant from the Woodard & Curran Foundation
The Attleboro Land Trust is pleased to announce that we have received a $10,000 Giving While Living Grant from the Woodard & Curran Foundation, whose mission is to support nonprofit organizations that work locally to protect our environment, with a special focus on water resources. We are one of 10 non-profits receiving grants out of 35 organizations nominated. There is no application process, and we did not know we were one of the nominees.
The ALT will use the funds to study and protect the Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve in South Attleboro. The 59-acre Preserve, most of which was donated by Anthony Lawrence in 1994, includes a stretch of the Seven Mile River which winds through a pristine open marsh. Grant money will be used initially to support a scientific study of the Preserve’s ecosystem, and then to address any needs identified.
The study, “A Year in the Life of the Lawrence Preserve,” has just been launched and will continue for one year. Jessie Knowlton, Associate Professor of Biology at Wheaton College, is leading the study and a group of Wheaton students are working under her direction. We have also invited members of the public to participate in the study as Volunteer Observers. This will be a direct educational benefit to those children and adults who participate, as well as providing additional observational data for inclusion in the study.
The ALT was nominated for this grant by Sherri Peak-Palermo, an Attleboro resident who works at the Providence office of Woodard & Curran, an environmental consulting firm. The Woodard & Curran Foundation is supported by donations from the firm and its employees.
We are honored to have been chosen as a grant recipient, and grateful to be able to devote funds toward enhancing the preservation of one of our most pristine properties.