Wetlands at Attleboro Land Trust property showing mossy rocks and log in shallow water

Attleboro Land Trust Supports 50-Foot Wetland Protection Zone Ordinance

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Recently, the Board of Directors of the Attleboro Land Trust voted unanimously to endorse the revised city ordinance on wetlands, extending the “no disturb zone” from 25 feet to 50 feet. The Board considers this a crucial step in reaching a sustainable strategy for balancing development with the protection of natural resources in Attleboro, where rapid development has adversely affected the wetlands that are critical to the city’s natural environment.

Current studies indicate that a 25-foot buffer is too narrow to effectively remove sediment and pollutants or provide adequate wildlife habitat, particularly on steep slopes, in areas with silty/clay soils or a lack of vegetation, or where runoff is highly polluted. Increasing the buffer to 50 feet, as proposed in this ordinance, will most certainly enhance water quality and wildlife habitats in Attleboro’s wetlands.

Letter from ALT to City Council in Support of Change to Wetlands Ordinance

A Successful Clean-Up at the Charron Farm Preserve

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A determined group of volunteers gathered at the Charron Farm Preserve to do some maintenance brush and briar clearing at the edge of this heritage hay field. Armed with loppers and ladders, saws and pruning shears, we tackled the thorny overgrowth encroaching on the perimeter walking path. The weather was ideal for working outdoors, and we (as well as a passing flock of turkeys) enjoyed a morning full of sunshine. And shout out to Ted Charron for carrying out the brush with his farm equipment.

Thank you to our dedicated volunteers! If you’d like to join us on a similar project, keep an eye on our volunteer opportunities, and please consider joining the Attleboro Land Trust. The Charron Farm Preserve isn’t open to the public yet, but it should be soon. Stay tuned!

A briar-free walking path at Charron Farm Preserve.

All clear!    Image credit: Ken Salome, Karole Nicholson

A graphic showing various volunteer activities, butterflies and red flowers

Intro to the ALT and Update on Current Projects – April 8

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With the coming of spring, the Attleboro Land Trust is busy with trail maintenance and other projects on its 504 acres of conservation land. On Wednesday, April 8, 2026, Charlie Adler will provide an update on what the land trust is doing and how you can help. The presentation will be at the Attleboro Public Library, 74 Main Street, Attleboro, at 7:00 pm. There will be plenty of time for questions, and an opportunity to sign up to help with all facets of the organization, including educational activities for families, fundraising, boundary monitoring, habitat restoration, and saving more land.

Clean-Up at Charron Farm Preserve on April 4

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A Clean-Up will be held at the Charron Farm Preserve on Saturday, April 4, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.  We will appreciate the help of anyone who would like to join us in this effort.

Our goal for the Preserve is to maintain the hayfield for the production of an annual crop of hay as well as for the enjoyment of visitors hiking the property.  Our focus on April 4 will be to trim excess growth along the perimeter of the field to maintain a clear edge between field and forest.

The main tasks will be:

  • Pruning and cutting back brush, vines, and thorny briars along the edge of the hayfield
  • Removing some invasive plants entirely
  • Removing overhanging branches, for the safety of the operator of the tractor when the hay is cut

We will have tools you can use, but if you have your own, please bring some with you, such as:

  • Loppers, pruning shears, pruning saws, and other pruning tools
  • Weed whackers, brush cutters
  • Standard rakes and leaf rakes

Dress accordingly for protection against poison ivy and ticks. Please bring your own:

  • Work gloves
  • Water

Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Rain date is Saturday, April 11, 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Any cancellations due to weather will be posted here.

Directions:

From downtown Attleboro, take County Street south for 3.8 miles.
Turn right onto Read Street and drive 1/2 mile.
Turn left onto Morse Avenue and drive 1/4 mile.
Look for signs directing you to parking on the field.

The Charron Farm Preserve is not yet officially open to the public, but it should be soon.  Stay tuned!

World Water Day Bungay River Cleanup

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Friends of the Ten Mile River Watershed and the Attleboro Council on Human Rights will once again be teaming up for a cleanup in celebration of World Water Day. Volunteers will meet in the parking lot of CVS on North Main Street in Attleboro on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 9:00 AM  and will clean along the Bungay River. Participants should wear gloves and long sleeves. Trash bags will be provided. Plan on doing some walking along the waterway. The Bungay River is one of the major tributaries to the Ten Mile River and is a natural resource for the Attleboro area. The cleanup should take less than 2 hours. We hope to see you there!

Keep Attleboro Beautiful 9th Annual Cleanup

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Keep Attleboro Beautiful logoJoin Keep Attleboro Beautiful on April 18, 2026, for the 9th annual community cleanup! Bring your family, friends, and neighbors to help give the city of Attleboro a thorough spring cleaning! To participate, fill out the registration form on the Keep Attleboro Beautiful site—one form per volunteer. Groups are also welcome to register.  To register your group, please contact the organizers at KeepAttleboroBeautiful@gmail.com.

Larson Woodland – Where Nature and History Intersect

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Although only four acres in size, Larson Woodland sits at a strategic location, in a dense neighborhood, across from an elementary school, and next to a dam on the Ten Mile River whose flow had once powered a nearby cotton mill.

Autumn view of the dam at Mechanics Pond, 2008.

Great blue heron, 2014.

In 2019, Ben Cote led a guided walk along the Ten Mile River, stopping here in Larson Woodland.

Snapping turtles lay their eggs on Sandy Point.    Image credit: David Laferriere

Fishing at Sandy Point, Larson Woodland, 2009.

Swan, Mechanics Pond, 2009.

Tufted Titmouse, Larson Woodland, 2007.

Fish census, 2020.

Large mouth bass

Yellow Bullhead Catfish

In Memoriam: Ray Larson

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Ray and Muriel Larson, 2009

The Attleboro Land Trust mourns the passing of Ray Larson on February 9.  Larson Woodland was donated to the land trust by Ray in 1997 and formally dedicated at a ceremony held on October 31, 1999, with Congressman Jim McGovern in attendance.

The dedication read as follows:

“The gift of Larson Woodland comes from a man with deep roots in Attleboro and a faith in our city’s future.  Ray Larson has made this neighborhood home for his entire life.  By preserving this precious piece of landscape, Ray and his wife Muriel have ensured that all future visitors to this area will be able to experience the same sense of place, the same sense of continuity which they have known.

“This property is dedicated to all of the children who have trod its riverbanks on the way to school at Willett and St. John’s, to all the workers who have passed this way enroute to the Watson mill buildings, and to all the residents who have lived in the shadow of these tall trees.

“In this place where the power of the Ten Mile River was once harnessed to sustain industry, a member of the city’s industrial community has made a gift that will help us to sustain the river.  May all who come here appreciate this gift, enjoy this place, and help to take care of it.”

Congressman Jim McGovern with Muriel and Ray Larson at the dedication of Larson Woodland.

ALT members and friends at the Larson Woodland dedication in 1999.

Annual Meeting on November 13

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Please join us at our annual meeting on Thursday, November 13, beginning at 6:30 pm with the traditional brief social half-hour, followed at 7:00 pm by the business meeting and keynote address.  The meeting will be held in the Unity Room at Murray Unitarian Universalist Church, 505 North Main Street, Attleboro.
We are excited to have Benjamin Cote, President of the Friends of the Ten Mile River Watershed, deliver our keynote address.
The Friends of the Ten Mile River Watershed work to protect and preserve the river which we are fortunate enough to have flow through our city. Please join us in learning more about this important natural resource and what we can do to protect it.
This meeting is open to the public, so please bring a friend. Only members of the Attleboro Land Trust can vote during the brief business meeting.

Local business support makes a difference at the Charron Preserve

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The Attleboro Land Trust is grateful for services donated by WB Construction & Development and Ryan Asphalt in the construction of a gravel parking lot and stormwater management system at the Charron Farm Preserve.


WB Construction and Development constructed the gravel parking area and an infiltration basin to manage stormwater runoff.

 

Ryan Asphalt paved the twin driveways leading into and out of the parking area.

Photos by T.A. Charron