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!
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.
18th Annual City of Attleboro River Clean-Up
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.
Learn more about the Lawrence Preserve Study at the Attleboro Public Library on October 7
The Attleboro Land Trust’s Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve is currently the focus of a one-year scientific study of its ecosystem. Jessie Knowlton, Associate Professor of Biology at Wheaton College, is leading the study, which began in June.
Professor Knowlton and her team of Wheaton students have already identified many species of plants and animals observed over the summer. The study will continue through fall, winter, and spring. You are invited to help as a Volunteer Observer by visiting the Preserve once in each season on your own and reporting what you observe.
To find out more about how the study is being conducted, and how you can help, you are invited to attend a free Orientation Session to be held on Monday, October 7, at 7:00 pm at the Attleboro Public Library, 74 North Main Street, Attleboro.
This project is made possible by a Giving While Living Grant from the Woodard & Curran Foundation.
It’s not too late for you, or your child, to play a part in our scientific study
The Attleboro Land Trust invites you to participate in a one-year scientific study of the Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve. Jessie Knowlton, Associate Professor of Biology at Wheaton College, is leading the study, which began in June. More information is available on the project page.
Professor Knowlton and her team of Wheaton students have already identified many species of plants and animals observed over the summer. The study will continue through fall, winter, and spring. You are invited to help as a Volunteer Observer by visiting the Preserve once in each season on your own and reporting what you observe. As a citizen scientist, you might spot a rare bird or other animal or plant that no one else has seen.
You may submit observations in the form of photos, videos, drawings, notes, or audio recordings. If you are tech savvy, you may upload photos using a free cell phone app called iNaturalist. Photos submitted may be viewed at the iNaturalist website.
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 sign up as a Volunteer Observer, use the online form on this website or email [email protected]. If you are under 18, ask an adult partner to co-sign your application and go with you on your site visits.
This project is made possible by a Giving While Living Grant from the Woodard & Curran Foundation.
Would you like to be a volunteer observer?
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, is leading the study and providing guidance to participants.
Volunteer Observers are 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 reviewed every three months and combined with the observations of Professor Knowlton and her students. The data will then be summarized and made available to the public.
The study began in June and will end on June 21, 2025. A final report will include recommendations for maintaining and protecting the Preserve’s ecosystem, and for engaging the public in stewardship of the property.
There is still time, if you or your child would like to be a Volunteer Observer. You may sign up by email to [email protected], 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.
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
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!
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.
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
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
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
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
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: [email protected]
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.