Ted Leach, ALT President, and Bob Faulkner at Annual Meeting, November 2, 2011. Image credit: C. Adler
We at the Attleboro Land Trust are saddened at news of the death of Bob Faulkner on February 1. Bob was a major donor, supporter, and friend of the Attleboro Land Trust. Although a resident of Barrington, RI, Bob was born in Attleboro and maintained close family and business ties to the City. His affirming presence at our annual meetings in years past was always welcomed.
Dedication of Vaughan Memorial Forest, October 11, 2003, (l-r) Cecilia Walsh, Larry St. Pierre, State Rep. John Lepper, Jean Vaughan, ALT President Bob Thayer, Robert Schoch Image credit: Bob Thayer
We at the Attleboro Land Trust would like to express our sympathy to the family and friends of Jean Vaughan, who passed away on January 31. Jean and her late husband Victor were known to many, as they were both active in many community organizations. In 1999 Jean donated 32 acres of land on Steere Street in memory of Victor. Her gift, combined with another acquisition, is now the 52-acre Vaughan Memorial Forest. We are honored to be caretakers of this living legacy.
Don Ouellette, a longtime advocate for the environment in Attleboro, passed away on January 26 after a long illness. Don served on the 2002 Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee, Ducks Unlimited, the board of the Attleboro Land Trust, and the Conservation Commission.
While Don and his wife Laura had been members and supporters of the land trust going back to at least 1997, Don was first elected to the Board of Directors in 2010. He became Chair of Land Acquisition later that year, serving in that position until 2017. He also served as Vice President from 2011 to 2016. Under Don’s leadership as acquisition chair, the land trust had a long string of successes in protecting additional land in the city. Nine properties totalling 197 acres were acquired and another 80 acres were put under a conservation restriction.
Don was perhaps proudest of the acquisition of the 63-acre Deborah and Roger Richardson Nature Preserve. This was by far the most complicated project in ALT history, requiring teams from the City, Mass Audubon, the ALT, and the Richardson family all working together to cross the finish line.
Charlie Wyman, Ted Leach, Don Ouellette, and Lauren Gordon on a 2014 site visit to what was to become the Deborah and Roger Richardson Nature Preserve. Image credit: C. Adler
Don also left his mark on the partnership that has formed to promote Attleboro as an attractive place to live, work, play, and go hiking. Past ALT president Ted Leach, who launched the partnership, credits Don with coming up its slogan: “Hike Attleboro.” As Ted recalls, “Don suggested it during a meeting at City Hall with Mayor Kevin Dumas. It was an immediate hit with all present.”
We will remember Don, not only for his dedicated service to the land trust, but also for the personal warmth and enthusiasm he brought to his every endeavor.
It is impossible for the edge of Larson Woodland on Riverbank Road to absorb the huge amount of leaves that fall each year. It takes a crew of volunteers to rake and remove the leaves in order to keep the edge of the woodland walkable. Fortunately, a great group of volunteers answered the call on Friday, December 11, and the job was done. The leaves were used to help control erosion on a slope facing the Ten Mile River.
Thanks to everyone who helped in this annual effort.
TerraCorps, an AmeriCorps-affiliated environmental nonprofit, has selected the Attleboro Land Trust as a partner for the 2020-21 TerraCorps program year. This partnership will allow the Attleboro Land Trust to host one “Land Stewardship/Community Engagement Coordinator” in a full-time 8-month service position from December 2020 to July 2021.
TerraCorps members serve communities by developing local partnerships, leading activities, and engaging with volunteers. Members have the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience and receive professional development training and mentorship. As part of AmeriCorps, members also receive a living allowance, and are eligible for healthcare coverage, childcare coverage, loan forbearance, and an education award.
The Attleboro Land Trust’s member will focus on (1) activities to enhance and protect the 492 acres of conservation land under its care and (2) engagement with the public to increase awareness of and involvement with the land trust’s mission across all sectors of the community.
To apply for this position, visit terracorps.org. For questions about serving with TerraCorps, contact Lianna Lee (admin@terracorps.org). For more about the TerraCorps position in Attleboro, contact Charlie Adler (attleborolandtrust@gmail.com).
Save the date–the public is invited
November 17th 7:00 pm via Zoom
This year’s guests promise an expert’s look at the past 30 years of land conservation, contrasted with an exploration of what the future holds for the local environment.
Our guests are uniquely qualified to guide us on this quest. They are:
We’ll also be recognizing some of our dedicated volunteers who have kept the Land Trust moving forward in spite of the pandemic and letting our members in on some hot news about upcoming activities and projects.
Please plan to zoom in. The Zoom invitation is posted below:
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Topic: ALT 31st Annual Meeting
Time: Nov 17, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 890 2994 3713
Passcode: 719575
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This post features some of the volunteers who helped the land trust with outdoor maintenance projects this fall.
Alan Henry
Russ Pray
Mike Davis
Dawn Bender
Ken Drucker
Staff and volunteers from the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council in Rhode Island paid a visit to the Attleboro Land Trust’s Larson Woodland on September 17 to take a census of fish species in the Ten Mile River. They came at the invitation of Keith Gonsalves of the Ten Mile River Watershed Council. Keith has long been concerned about the health of the river and its inhabitants and has been arranging these scientific surveys annually for a number of years to monitor the river’s condition.
Volunteers helped collect the fish, using a device which temporarily stuns the fish with a slight electric shock. The fish are counted and measured, then returned unharmed to the river.
In this video clip, ranger Jacob Gorke measures a baby largemouth bass.
This is a Yellow Bullhead Catfish.
Other species found in the river were Golden shiner, Tesselated darter, Pumpkin seed, Bluegill, Redfin pickerel, Crawfish, and Chain pickerel.
As noted in a previous post, the Attleboro Land Trust is participating in the annual Big Read program of the Attleboro Public Library. This year, the entire community is reading the book Circe, a story about Greek gods and goddesses by Madeline Miller.
If you are visiting the Phil and Ginny Leach Wildlife Sanctuary to do the Virtual Mythology Scavenger Hunt, be sure to visit Big Rock before you leave. This glacial boulder serves as a reminder of Sisyphus, a character from Greek mythology not mentioned in the book. Sisyphus was a dishonest and greedy king who was punished by being forced to roll a huge boulder up a hill, over and over again for eternity. Whenever Sisyphus got to the top of the hill, the boulder would roll down again.
We invite you to take a selfie with Big Rock and post it on our Facebook page or send it to us.
