Category Archives: STEWARDSHIP

A major responsibility of our organization is the maintenance and management of our conservation lands. Some of the most important tasks are to keep our trails open, to encourage visitors to follow our posted rules, and to maintain well-marked boundaries.

Guided Walk Postponed to Sunday July 7 at 1:00 pm

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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, will lead the study and provide guidance to participants.

Volunteer Observers will be asked to visit the Preserve on their own at least once in each of the four seasons and to report what plants and animals they observe.  These reports may include notes, sketches, photographs, and audio or video recordings.  The volunteer reports will be collected every three months and combined with the observations of Professor Knowlton and her students.  The data will then be reviewed, summarized, and made available to the public.

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 be a Volunteer Observer, you may sign up by email to attleborolandtrust@gmail.com, or by using the online sign-up form on this website.  If you are under 18, you must have an adult partner to accompany you on your site visits and to co-sign your application.  A guided walk for Volunteer Observers will be led by Professor Knowlton at the Lawrence Preserve on Sunday, July 7 at 1:00 pm.  Any schedule changes will be posted on this website.  

If you are undecided about becoming a Volunteer Observer, you may attend the guided walk to find out more before deciding whether to sign up.  Just let us know that you will be attending by emailing attleborolandtrust@gmail.com.

This project is made possible by a Giving While Living Grant from the Woodard & Curran Foundation.

Help Clean Up the Richardson Preserve on April 27

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A Spring Clean-Up will be held on Saturday, April 27, at the Deborah and Roger Richardson Nature Preserve, 577B Wilmarth Street, Attleboro, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Your participation will be welcomed, whether you have volunteered before or this is your first time.

Maintenance tasks will include:
— Raking up fallen branches in lawn areas
— Picking up trash
— Pruning along edges of lawns, hayfields, and street
— Removing invasive plants
— Weeding flower gardens

Tools needed may include:
— Standard rakes and leaf rakes
— Loppers, pruning shears, pruning saws, and other pruning tools
— Shovels
— String trimmers, weed whackers, brush cutters
— Chain saw
— Gardening tools

We will have some tools, but please bring what you have.

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 Sunday, April 28, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Any cancellations due to weather will be posted on this website.

Make Arbor Day Last All Year Long!

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Please note there will be a 1 hour delay in the start of this event. 

The Attleboro Land Trust is excited to once again distribute free trees in honor of Arbor Day. Our goal is to empower individuals to contribute to a healthier environment for generations to come.

The trees will be distributed, while supplies last, at the Attleboro Land Trust table at the Spring Fling, which is being held at Balfour Riverwalk Park in downtown Attleboro on Saturday, April 20.  Originally scheduled to run from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, it will now start at 12:00 noon and end at 3:00 pm.

Both trees selected this year are native species that contribute significantly to our local wildlife habitat. When these trees flower in the spring, they attract pollinating insects, birds, and even bats.  By planting one of these beautiful trees in your yard, you will be supporting the survival of its pollinators, many of which are facing the peril of habitat loss.

Downy Serviceberry (photo credit: Arbor Day Foundation)

The Downy Serviceberry is a fine naturalizing species that is very adaptive to our local soils–on the edges of woodlands, the moist low areas, and the rocky slopes that are found in our area. The tree bears flowers in white drooping clusters at the beginning of spring in late April. Late summer finds small maroon fruit that birds are particularly fond of.  The tree’s fall color is pleasing though it does not last a long time. Arbor Day.org Downy Serviceberry Care Instructions

White/Bur Oak (photo credit: Arbor Day Foundation)

The White Oak/Bur Oak is a stalwart in woodlands as it supports many forms of life, from the soil to the top of the tree, including over 520 different pollinators.  Beginning in May, the flowers attract both nocturnal and diurnal insects, bats, butterflies, and birds, all of which help to produce acorns that are key to the survival of a number of birds and mammals.  Arbor Day.org White/Bur Oak Care Instructions

A huge thank you to the Arbor Day Foundation for providing affordable trees for our Arbor Day handout!

See their bare root planting instructions here:  https://www.arborday.org/trees/planting/bare-root.cfm 

Many Hands Make Light Work at Fall Clean-Up

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Every year the edges of Larson Woodland are piled high with the leaves dropped from the trees along Riverbank Road and Watson Avenue.  It takes a lot of effort to rake them up and move them away from the old stone curb, so that pedestrians can walk along the edge of the woodland.

On Saturday, Nov. 25, we had an outstanding crew of site stewards and other volunteers helping with this effort, including seven members of the Ezekiel Bates Lodge of Attleboro.  The Lodge has been partnering with the Attleboro Land Trust as a site steward of Larson Woodland since 2014.

Volunteers invited to help with maintenance at Richardson Preserve on Oct. 28

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Our next work party will be on Saturday, October 28, at the Deborah and Roger Richardson Nature Preserve, 577B Wilmarth Street, Attleboro, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.  If you are available, we would welcome your help, whether you are a seasoned volunteer, or this is your first time volunteering for the Attleboro Land Trust.

Various “housekeeping” tasks will include:
–Cleaning mildew off the sides of the Barrows House
–Raking up the seed husks that have fallen from the Chinese chestnut tree
–Sweeping leaves off the boardwalks
–Cleaning out the leaf matter that has built up between the slats of the boardwalks
–Washing grime off the trailside signs
–Touching up areas with peeling paint on the Barrows House and some signs

We will have tools and supplies, but please feel free to bring anything you think might be helpful, including containers of water for some of the cleaning tasks, as the site has no running water.

Dress accordingly for protection against poison ivy and ticks.  Please bring your own:
— Work gloves
— Water bottles

Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Charron Farm Work Party Postponed to Oct. 1

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Due to the rainy weather forecast, the work party at Charron Farm Preserve is postponed from Sept. 24 to Sunday, October 1, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

Volunteer help is needed to dig post holes for boundary markers and regulation signs.  Also, trees and shrubs need to be trimmed along the edges of the hayfields.

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.
Stop next to the open field on your right, just after the recently-constructed home at 41 Morse Avenue.
Park on the edge of the road.
(Don’t rely on Google Maps, which mislabels part of Morse Ave. as Gillette Ave.)

Tools needed include:
— Loppers, pruning shears, pruning saws, and other pruning tools
— Pole saws
— String trimmers, weed whackers, brush cutters
— Tarps
— Chain saw
— Shovels
— Post hole diggers

We will have some tools, but please bring what you have.  If anyone has a mechanical auger, please let us know in advance by contacting:  attleborolandtrust@gmail.com

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.

River Clean-up POSTPONED to SEPT. 23 30

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This event is POSTPONED to Sep. 23 30.

Help the City clean up the Ten-Mile River! Saturday September 30th 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. Free refreshments on the day will be provided by Dunkin. If you would like to get in the river, please remember to bring your own wet suit.
For more information contact Attleboro Conservation Agent Nick Wyllie at 508-223-2222 ext 3145.

Site Stewards Wanted

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The Attleboro Land Trust is seeking volunteers who would like to serve as site stewards by “adopting” one of its nature preserves and helping to care for it.  The duties of a site steward are to walk their property once a month, pick up litter, report vandalism, and help with routine trail maintenance.

A site steward may be an individual or a group, such as a group of neighbors, church group, youth group, or fraternal organization.

For more information on the site steward program, members of the public are invited to attend an orientation led by Charlie Adler, chair of the land trust’s property management committee, at the Richardson Preserve, 577B Wilmarth Street, on Sunday, July 23 at 1:00 pm.  The orientation will include a walk around the preserve, a discussion of the challenges faced by an all-volunteer organization managing over 500 acres of conservation land, and time for questions.

If you can’t attend the orientation, but are interested in becoming a site steward, email the Attleboro Land Trust at attleborolandtrust@gmail.com.

Only “YOU” Can Prevent Forest Fires

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Last week brush fires occurred at Larson Woodland and at the Colman Reservation.  We thank the Attleboro Fire Department, as well as the City’s Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks and Forestry for helping to put out these fires.

Signs like the one shown above have been posted at all the entrances to Attleboro Land Trust nature preserves.  Although there has been some rain since last week’s dry spell, we expect that the fire risk is going to continue for some time, and we ask everyone to follow our request to refrain from smoking and other activities that may cause fires to start in fields, forests, and other open spaces.

Learn More About the Attleboro Land Trust on March 1

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On Wednesday, March 1, at 7:00 pm, the public is invited to attend a program that will provide an introduction to the land conservation work of the Attleboro Land Trust.

The program will give some background on the founding of the non-profit organization in 1990, describe the various public walking trails available on its 492 acres of conservation land, and explain how citizens can get involved to help maintain trails, save more land, and ensure that the organization continues to thrive.

The meeting will be held in the Balfour Room at the Attleboro Public Library, 74 North Main Street, Attleboro.

Some volunteers serve as site stewards by “adopting” one of the Attleboro Land Trust nature preserves, individually or with a group, such as a group of neighbors, church group, youth group, or fraternal organization. The duties of a site steward are to:

  • Walk the property on a regular basis
  • Pick up litter
  • Report vandalism
  • Help with routine trail maintenance
  • Assist with special projects

Volunteers are also needed to help with educational outreach, fundraising, social media, real estate transactions, boundary monitoring, and event planning.

For more information, contact Charlie Adler by emailing attleborolandtrust@gmail.com or by calling 508-223-3060 ext. 4.