Category Archives: OTHER

Clean-Up at Richardson Preserve on June 7

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The Attleboro Land Trust invites residents to volunteer at a Clean-Up to be held on Saturday, June 7, at the Richardson Nature Preserve, 577B Wilmarth Street, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.

Maintenance tasks will include:

— Raking lawn areas

— Picking up trash

— Pruning along edges of lawns, hayfields, and street

— Removing invasive plants

— Weeding flower gardens

— Various trail maintenance tasks

We have many tools you can use, but if you have your own, please bring a few with you, such as:

— Standard rakes and leaf rakes

— Loppers, pruning shears, pruning saws, and other pruning tools

— Shovels

— String trimmers, weed whackers, brush cutters

— Gardening tools

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, June 14. Any cancellations due to weather will be posted on this website.

Don Doucette, Devoted Steward of Our Watershed

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Don Doucette at the 2011 Attleboro Land Trust Annual Meeting.

Don Doucette, long-time advocate of watershed conservation, passed away on May 9.  Don was devoted to the preservation of our local environment and its history.  He was a founding member of the Ten Mile River Watershed Alliance (TMRWA) in 1990, and he with his wife Nancy were early members and supporters of the Attleboro Land Trust, which was founded that same year.

A partnership between the two organizations resulted in the donation of Larson Woodland to the land trust by Ray Larson in 1997.  Don played a key role in that acquisition.  Earlier, in 1996, the TMRWA had dedicated a 3-mile urban trail beginning at Balfour Riverwalk Park and following the Ten Mile River upstream as far as West Street.  A guide to the Ten Mile River Heritage Trail, written by Don, described historic stopping points along the route.

2011 Attleboro Land Trust Annual Meeting.

One of the land trust’s most memorable annual meetings was in 2011, when Don was our keynote speaker.   His talk, “The Ten Mile River Watershed:  A Walk Through Time,” was accompanied by a stunning slide show consisting of mostly of postcards he had collected of scenes photographed up and down the Ten Mile during the early decades of the twentieth century.  Don’s authoritative grasp of his subject reflected not only painstaking research, but the fact that, with fellow TMRWA member Mark Benoit, he had trekked the entire 27-mile length of the river, from Plainville to East Providence, in 2 days in 1995.

Keynote speaker Don Doucette at the 2011 Attleboro Land Trust Annual Meeting.

Of his motive, Don wrote, “The primary intent was adventure–to cross, as does water, all human imposed, social and physical bounds that tend to fragment the Ten Mile River Watershed. Envisioned was a more intimate encounter with the river–we were not disappointed.”

 

Celebrating 35 Years

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April 11 marks the birth, 35 years ago, of the Attleboro Land Trust at a public meeting at the Attleboro Public Library.  Here are some items from our archives covering events in our first decade…


Flyer announcing our first meeting in 1990.

 


Letter to the editor, announcing our first meeting in 1990.

 


Article in The Sun Chronicle, November 11, 1990

 


ALT Annual Meeting, September 21, 1991, on the grounds of Texas Instruments.  Board members attending from left to right:  Charlie Adler, Larry St. Pierre (President), Carol Haslehurst, Howard Bibeault, Joanne Wright, Robert Schoch, Ron Carlson

 


Dedication of the Colman Reservation, October 16, 1993.  Board members and dignitaries attending from left to right:  Larry St. Pierre (President), Joanne Wright, George Largess, Carol Haslehurst (Treasurer), Shanthi Raam, Adele Colman, Mayor Judith Robbins, Robert Schoch (Secretary), Ron Carlson (Vice President), Charlie Adler

 


Adele Colman donated our first gift of land, the Colman Reservation, in 1992.

 


Following the dedication of the Colman Reservation, a reception with wine and cheese was held under the Giant Hemlock.

 


The Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve was donated on November 11, 1994.  In the fall of 1995, ALT board members met informally at the preserve to thank the donor.  From left to right:  Charlie Adler, Anthony Lawrence with two family members, Carol Haslehurst, Shanthi Raam, Joanne Wright, and Mildred Bauer.

 


ALT Board members assembled for a photo on October 26, 1998, at the dedication of the Phil and Ginny Leach Wildlife Sanctuary.  From left to right (front ):  Debby Leach, Joel Johnson, (rear): George Largess, Jim Lewis, Bob Duffin, Bob Thayer, Robert Schoch, Ted Leach, (president) Larry St. Pierre, Charlie Adler, Michael Brown

Growing Garlic Workshop

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Woman holding organic garlic

Juliet Teixeira, expert gardener, will present an exciting workshop September 7th at 11:00 AM at the Attleboro Community Garden (corner of Mechanic St. & Riverbank Rd.)

Participants will learn about the growing garlic cycle from September through July
How to Plant, Harvest, Cure, and Store garlic. The workshop will also cover the main types of garlic and where to buy seed garlic.
This is an enjoyable and information-rich opportunity.

302 Species observed at the Lawrence Preserve

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Our scientific study of the Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve has documented 302 different plants and animals since observations began on June 6.  These results can be viewed on the iNaturalist website, where our project is named “A Year in the Life of the Lawrence Preserve.”  Eighteen members of our project have uploaded photos of their observations using the iNaturalist app on their cellphones.  Participants include project leader Jessie Knowlton, several of her students at Wheaton College, and some of you!

The study will continue until June 2025, and we expect many more species to be identified as the seasons change.

To view our project on iNaturalist, use this link:  www.inaturalist.org/projects/a-year-in-the-life-of-the-lawrence-preserve

To join the project as a volunteer observer, use our online form.

Volunteers got it done in 2023!

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At the Annual Meeting on November 16, Property Management Committee Chair Charlie Adler asked everyone present who had helped in the maintenance of our properties over the past year to stand, and he thanked them for the essential work that they voluntarily do for the good of the land trust.  He was especially appreciative for the number of people who volunteered to be site stewards this year.

He also singled out the following individuals for noteworthy accomplishments:

  • Bill Ward – mowing the hayfields at Richardson.
  • The Mowing Team for mowing the lawn areas at Richardson – Phil Boucher, Randy Lithway, Russ Pray.  Also pitching in were James Tetreault and Johnny Bender.
  • Russ Pray – rebuilding the bulkhead of the Barrows House at Richardson.
  • Macie Broussard – monitoring the bluebird houses at Richardson.
  • Lauretta Koch – for tending the perennial gardens at Richardson.
  • Dave Rolince and Scott Hirshberg for some major repairs to the Scout boardwalk at Colman.
  • Mike Davis and his sidekick Alan Henry for being our Storm Response Team and doing whatever is necessary to mitigate the effects of fallen trees at our properties.
  • Randy Lithway for suggesting and completing a new pathway across from the Colman parking lot to the beginning of the Vaughan trail.
  • And last but not least, board member and attorney Patrick Sullivan for his assistance in matters where our boundaries must be defended from encroachment.

Annual Meeting on November 16

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The annual meeting of the Attleboro Land Trust will be on Thursday, November 16, at 6:30 pm.  It will again be in-person at Murray Unitarian Universalist Church, 505 North Main Street, Attleboro.

The event will begin with the traditional social half-hour before the business meeting and keynote address.  Eva Vaughan, an environmental analyst for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, will deliver the keynote–on Backyard Green Infrastructure.  Eva will be discussing the impact of climate change on inland flooding and sharing ways we can adapt to combat the issue, even in our own backyards.

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.

Celebrate 25 Years of Community Gardening

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Update: Due to flooding at the Garden earlier this week and impending inclement weather, the event will be held at the Attleboro Public Library.

Join us in celebrating the Attleboro Community Garden’s 25th anniversary on Saturday, September 16. The event is free and open to the public.  It will run from 1:00 to 3:00 pm and will take place at the Attleboro Public Library, 74 North Main Street.The afternoon all-ages program will include:

  • 1:15 “Save Seeds- Save for the Future and Save the Past” presentation by Master Gardener Kathi Gariepy.
  • 2:00 “Preserving Your Harvest” presentation by Modern Homestead & Gardens founder Danielle Cournoyer.
  • A garden-themed drop-in painting activity for children will run from 1:00 to 2:30.
  • 2:40 A program celebrating the Garden’s achievements will take place.

Throughout the event:

  • Gardening information table
  • Raffles and light refreshments

For more information contact attleborocommunitygarden@gmail.com

When

September 16th at 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Where

The event will take place at the rain location at the Attleboro Public Library, 74 North Main Street.

 

New Garden Compost Unit Assembled by Point32Health Volunteers

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A group of Point32Health volunteers assembled a new compost system at the Attleboro Community Garden during the company’s annual volunteer week.

The compost system is an important part of the garden, it serves as a way for both gardeners and the community to recycle food waste and plants. This is a three bin compost, where raw materials are chopped into small pieces and given time to decompose in the first bin (left side). Worms, bugs and microbes feast on the material, breaking it down into small pieces. The middle bin is where the compost material has a chance to heat up and ‘cook’ the material. This is the stage where visually the most transformation happens, leaves, plant stalks, spoiled vegetables all are broken down and begin to look like soil. Finally, the third bin (far right) is where the compost is sifted to remove large pieces of material, rocks and other materials. Producing healthy soil that gardeners can re-use in their plots to fuel plant growth.

Work started months in advance, with the support from Phil at the Attleboro Land Trust and garden committee member Monica, designing and purchasing supplies for the new system. Many gardeners supported the efforts of disassembling the existing compost system, which was nearly 10 years old and had served its time well. The work of Point32Health volunteers was important as many hands were needed to assemble the compost bins. From the assembly of the wood frame, to attaching galvanized wire, all hands were busy. Many trusted advisors supported this project, both from the Attleboro Land Trust and active community gardeners the ensure the project went smoothly.

Gardeners are already using the new compost system. Soon, the finishing touches will be completed, including educational signs and lids to complete the project.

Feel free to stop by the community garden to see this completed project at the corner of Riverbank Road and Mechanic Street.