Thanks to Our Donors, 2019-20

Posted on March 28, 2020September 11, 2020 by caa

We are grateful to the following organizations and individuals for their financial support of our mission through donations and in-kind contributions.

Corporate Sponsors and Institutional Partners, 2019-20

American Legion Aux Unit # 312
Attleboro Arts Museum
Attleboro Foundation/Bank of America, N.A.
Briggs Garden and Home
Casey Law Offices, P.C.
Cryan Landscape Contractors, Inc.
Duffy-Poule Funeral Service Inc
Faulkner Family Foundation
Fredric J Hammerle Charitable Trust
Gilmore Insurance
Houghton Physical Therapy
Lewis & Sullivan, P.C.
Liston Portables
Plymouth Rock Foundation
Reeves Company
Sensata Technologies, Inc.
W. Walsh Company, Inc.
Woodard & Curran Foundation
Zumalt Tree Experts

Individual Major Donors, 2019-2020

A Grant with Fond Memories Attached

Posted on March 28, 2020January 30, 2021 by caa

Applying for a grant is usually a laborious process, requiring pages of applications, documents, and financial statements. Usually! The Attleboro Land Trust recently received a $2000 grant that came to us through a different set of circumstances.

Enter Sherri Peak-Palermo, who works for Woodard & Curran, an environmental consulting firm with an office in Providence. The firm, together with its employees, has set up a foundation to support non-profit groups across the country in their efforts to protect the environment.

Sherri is the daughter-in-law of the late Paul Palermo, Sr., who passed away in 2019. Palermo was widely-respected as the City of Attleboro’s electrical inspector, serving in that capacity for 30 years. Sherri nominated the Attleboro Land Trust for the grant in memory of her father-in-law and in recognition of his love for the city.

Our thanks to the Woodard & Curran Foundation for this grant, and to Sherri for nominating us. Stay tuned for more about the specific project on which these funds will be spent.

A Spring Chorus

Posted on March 27, 2020January 30, 2021 by caa

COVID-19 Guidelines

Posted on March 25, 2020June 22, 2021 by caa

Attleboro Land Trust properties are open during daylight hours, with the understanding that visitors will follow local, state, and federal COVID-19 rules and guidelines.

When visiting our properties:

Maintain a 6-foot distance between yourself and other people on trails, boardwalks, and at parking lots.
Be generous in yielding the right of way to others, if you can safely do so.
On loop trails, follow the arrows.
Do not step onto a boardwalk if someone is already on the boardwalk coming toward you.
Treat all with extra courtesy and respect.
Leash your dog, use a doggie bag, and take it home with you.
Remember to take precautions for ticks.

For extra comfort on the trail, download and print a trail map before you leave home.

Attleboro Land Trust – Coronavirus Contingency Plans

Posted on March 13, 2020January 30, 2021 by caa

If you were planning to attend or volunteer at one of our events, we understand that your plans might change, based on concerns about the coronavirus. By the same token, we may cancel some of our planned events and activities, out of an abundance of caution, or use various communication tools, rather than face-to-face meetings, to carry out our work. Any cancellations or updates to our scheduled activities will be announced on our website.

Walking the boundaries at the Nickerson Walking Woods Preserve

Posted on March 12, 2020January 30, 2021 by caa

On Saturday, March 7, 2020, a group of volunteers walked the boundaries of the Nickerson Walking Woods Preserve. The purpose of the walk was to inspect the condition of the preserve, check for any encroachment of the boundaries, and find existing boundary markers. From the parking area on Richardson Avenue, we headed for the far corners of the property.

A snowfall the previous night had added a sparkle to the landscape.

After crossing the power line easement, we found a steel pipe marking the SE corner of Nickerson Walking Woods Preserve. This point is on the town line between Attleboro and Norton.

We placed a witness post near the pipe to make it easier to find next time.

The pipe is at the end of this stone wall.

We added a sign with our visitor regulations.

We walked the entire length of the power line easement from south to north.

We put up another regulation sign at the edge of the power line along our northern boundary.

Thanks to all who attended the walk!

Boundary Walks on March 14 and 21 are cancelled

Posted on February 27, 2020March 25, 2020 by caa

A series of boundary walks was planned for the first three Saturdays in March, weather permitting. The purpose of boundary walks is to maintain signs and markers along the boundaries and to check for encroachment.

The first boundary walk was held at the Nickerson Walking Woods Preserve, 221 Richardson Avenue, on Saturday, March 7.

News About Your Land Trust and More

Posted on January 5, 2020January 5, 2020 by caa

Click below to read our monthly electronic newsletter, intended for distribution over social media, that includes news of what is happening at our conservation properties, as well as general conservation topics. There are also articles on Attleboro history, with a focus on the Barrows Farm (now the Richardson Preserve) and what seasonal tasks the Barrows family might have been working on as they derived their living from this land 300 years ago. News of the Attleboro Community Garden is also a regular feature.
This publication is being produced by the Education and Outreach Committee of the Attleboro Land Trust, local volunteers, and some of the classes at Attleboro High School.

Newsletters

Many help launch an invasive plant removal project at Larson Woodland

Posted on December 18, 2019January 30, 2021 by caa

Invasive species are organisms that are not native to an area, that tend to spread and displace native species, and that have harmful consequences for the environment. Invasive species include animals, plants, and even fungi. In the twentieth century, diseases caused by non-native fungi–accidentally introduced in North America–devastated elm and chestnut trees. Invasive gypsy moths have damaged many other local tree species.

Invasive trees and shrubs are common in our area and threaten to crowd out native plants–wreaking havoc with native ecosystems. The Attleboro Land Trust has launched an invasive removal project focusing on Larson Woodland. At four acres, this is one of our smaller nature preserves. This will serve as a demonstration project, and we hope to apply lessons learned to our other preserves.

A survey of the preserve was conducted by Gary Krofta and Phil Boucher, resulting in a map identifying the invasive species to be targeted and their locations. Longtime watershed protection advocate Don Doucette has been a key advisor. The project was kicked off on Saturday, November 23. Among the volunteers who pitched in was a contingent of Scouts from Attleboro Troop 15.

A good turnout of volunteers helped to remove invasive plant species at Larson Woodland on November 23, 2019. Image credit: C. Adler

Oriental bittersweet was removed from the banks of the Ten Mile River near the spillway. The bright red berries (once prized for their decorative value during the winter holidays) were bagged and will be burned to prevent propagation of new plants.

Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is an invasive vine that originated in China. Image credit: C. Adler

Some large non-native honeysuckle bushes along Riverbank Road were also removed.

Scouts from Troop 15 removing an invasive honeysuckle bush at Larson Woodland. Image credit: C. Adler

Project work parties will continue in the spring. Some of the other species to be targeted are buckthorn, purple loosestrife, and Norway maple. We welcome more volunteers to help with the work.

Annual meeting focuses on “Hike Attleboro”

Posted on November 14, 2019January 30, 2021 by caa

Trail advocate Don Burn brought his vision to a full house at the Attleboro Land Trust’s annual meeting on October 22. Burn was the driving force behind a network of trails in Westborough, Massachusetts, known as the “Charm Bracelet.” His words helped to energize a similar effort underway locally dubbed “Hike Attleboro.” The Attleboro Land Trust, Mass Audubon, and the City of Attleboro each own and manage conservation lands with walking trails in the city. Hike Attleboro will use a common logo and roadside signs to direct residents to these trails.

The Westborough Charm Bracelet was driven by Burn’s vision to “Connect with trails every public open space parcel and recreation area in Westborough to every neighborhood and to the adjoining towns.” This neatly coincides with a similar vision in Attleboro’s 2011 Comprehensive Plan of walkable neighborhoods with public parks within a 10-minute walk.

Don Burn points out one of the benefits of walking in the woods. Image credit: Ken Salome

Burn touted the many benefits of walking trails, including research that indicates a strong connection between time spent in nature and reduced levels of stress and anxiety. He emphasized the importance of partnerships in attempting a project of the scale of the Charm Bracelet, which included participation by civic organizations, youth groups, businesses, landowners, developers, and many municipal boards and departments.

Hike Attleboro is now in the design stage. Volunteers with the following skills are needed: WordPress site development, computer graphics, GIS mapping, real estate, and civil engineering. Later stages will involve more on-site work involving evaluation of natural features and trail design. Contact us if you would like to get involved.