Learn more about the Lawrence Preserve Study at the Attleboro Public Library on October 7

Several volunteers look on as biology professor Jessie Knowlton demonstrates how to use the iNaturalist app to record observations at the Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve.

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.

 

Trail to be named for former ALT president Larry St. Pierre

On Saturday, June 1, a trail at the Handy Street Conservation Area, 109 Handy Street, will be formally opened to the public.  The 80-acre preserve was acquired by the City of Attleboro in 2014 in a collaborative project that also involved the Attleboro Land Trust and Mass Audubon.  The trail will be named in memory of Larry St. Pierre, who served as president of the land trust from 1991 to 1994 and 1997 to 2001.

The public is invited to attend the opening ceremony, beginning at 1:00 pm.  Following the ceremony, there will be a guided walk along the trail.  If you are planning to join the guided walk, wear footwear appropriate for muddy conditions.

Vehicle parking is limited. Additional parking on Doral Lane.

A temporary map of the trail is available here.

The program for the event may be downloaded here.

 

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.

MLK Day Event to be co-sponsored by ALT

Please join us on Monday, January 15, 2024, as the MLK Committee of Greater Attleboro hosts its 37th annual commemoration of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The program theme: environmental equity, will address racism in outdoor spaces and other environmental issues impacting African Americans and historically marginalized groups.

The day’s events will feature a municipal program with local and state representatives at 1:00 p.m. at Attleboro City Hall, followed by an interfaith service at 2:00 p.m. at the Evangelical Covenant Church, 841 North Main St, Attleboro.

At the interfaith service, Kalila Barnett will deliver a keynote address on the committee’s theme: “The Nature Gap: Bridging the Racial Divide in Outdoor Spaces.” Ms. Barnett is the senior program officer of Climate Resilience at the Barr Foundation and serves on the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Council. The service will also feature a performance by storyteller V Raffini, selected readings from local clergy, and music by steel pan drummer Jefferey Clayton and the Attleboro High School Mixed Chorus.

The Attleboro Land Trust board voted in October to co-sponsor the keynote presentation and will be at the church to greet community members following the service. We hope you’ll attend and join us in celebrating Dr. King’s 95th Birthday!

Annual Meeting on November 16

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.

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:  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.

It’s Time to Update the City’s Open Space and Recreation Plan – NEW DATE

The City of Attleboro needs to update its Open Space and Recreation Plan. Citizens are invited to attend a public workshop at Attleboro City Hall, 77 Park Street, on Thursday, , at 6:30 pm. At this workshop, attendees will join in small groups to generate recommendations for actions the City should be taking to protect open space and to provide recreational opportunities.  (This event was originally scheduled for Sept. 13 but was not held on that date due to weather.)
More information at:  attleboroosrp.com

Celebrate 25 Years of Community Gardening on Sept. 16

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.

Due to flooding at the Garden earlier this week and impending inclement weather, the event will be held 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