Author Archive: caa

The Month of May

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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.

Don Doucette, Devoted Steward of Our Watershed

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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.”

 

Celebrating 35 Years

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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

Volunteer opportunity – April 19

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Tasks:
Trimming and stacking tree branches and brush along field edges

Tools needed (we will provide some, but bring what you have):
Loppers, pruning shears, pole saws/pruners, pruning saws, garden rakes, and other pruning tools
String trimmers, weed whackers, brush cutters, sturdy step ladders.

Please bring your own:  work gloves, water bottles

Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Please RSVP to Ken Salome:  ksalome2@comcast.net

Thanks, Marcum!

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Thanks to these volunteers from Marcum LLP for their clean-up efforts at the Richardson Preserve on November 27.  A large swath of the invasive multi-flora rose has been removed from the Lower Hayfield.  This plant is known for its sharp thorns, which make it challenging to remove!

Annual Meeting on November 19 to Feature Wildlife Observations

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Wheaton Professor Jessie Knowlton, with her students at the Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve

You are invited to attend the 35th annual meeting of the Attleboro Land Trust:

Tuesday, November 19
Murray Unitarian Universalist Church
505 North Main Street, Attleboro

The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm with the traditional social gathering with light refreshments, followed at 7:00 pm by the business meeting and keynote address.

We are excited to have Jessie Knowlton, Associate Professor of Biology at Wheaton College, deliver our keynote:  “A Year in the Life of the Lawrence Preserve.”

Professor Knowlton will be discussing the one-year scientific study of our Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve that began this summer and share the observations that her team from Wheaton and our local “citizen scientists” have made to date.  Her presentation will include photos and video from a remotely-triggered wildlife camera, including deer, wood ducks, a coyote, and a bobcat.

This project, which will lead to recommendations for protecting the Lawrence Preserve ecosystem, is supported by a Giving While Living Grant from the Woodard & Curran Foundation.

The annual meeting is open to the public, so please bring a friend.  Only members of the Attleboro Land Trust may vote during the brief business meeting.

If you have donated $25 or more in the past year, you are automatically considered a member.  If you have donated $50 or more in the past year, two adult members of your household are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Members should have received a notice of the meeting by U.S. mail.  If you donate now, your membership will not expire until December 31, 2025.

18th Annual City of Attleboro River Clean-Up

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Help the City clean up the Ten-Mile River!  Join the 18th Annual City of Attleboro River Clean-up on Saturday October 26th.  Meet at the Judith Robbins Riverfront Park at 8:00 AM to clean up around the River and the walking paths connected to the river.   Event runs till 11:00 AM.

For more information contact Attleboro Conservation Agent Nick Wyllie at 508-223-2222 ext 3145.