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It’s not too late for you, or your child, to play a part in our scientific study

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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.

 

 

ALT Receives a $10,000 Grant from the Woodard & Curran Foundation

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The Attleboro Land Trust is pleased to announce that we have received a $10,000 Giving While Living Grant from the Woodard & Curran Foundation, whose mission is to support nonprofit organizations that work locally to protect our environment, with a special focus on water resources.  We are one of 10 non-profits receiving grants out of 35 organizations nominated.  There is no application process, and we did not know we were one of the nominees.

The ALT will use the funds to study and protect the Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve in South Attleboro.  The 59-acre Preserve, most of which was donated by Anthony Lawrence in 1994, includes a stretch of the Seven Mile River which winds through a pristine open marsh.  Grant money will be used initially to support a scientific study of the Preserve’s ecosystem, and then to address any needs identified.

The study, “A Year in the Life of the Lawrence Preserve,” has just been launched and will continue for one year.  Jessie Knowlton, Associate Professor of Biology at Wheaton College, is leading the study and a group of Wheaton students are working under her direction.  We have also invited members of the public to participate in the study as Volunteer Observers.  This will be a direct educational benefit to those children and adults who participate, as well as providing additional observational data for inclusion in the study.

The ALT was nominated for this grant by Sherri Peak-Palermo, an Attleboro resident who works at the Providence office of Woodard & Curran, an environmental consulting firm.  The Woodard & Curran Foundation is supported by donations from the firm and its employees.

We are honored to have been chosen as a grant recipient, and grateful to be able to devote funds toward enhancing the preservation of one of our most pristine properties.

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.

News About Your Land Trust and More

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Click below to read our monthly electronic newsletter, intended for distribution over social media, that includes news of what is happening at our conservation properties, as well as general conservation topics. There are also articles on Attleboro history, with a focus on the Barrows Farm (now the Richardson Preserve) and what seasonal tasks the Barrows family might have been working on as they derived their living from this land 300 years ago. News of the Attleboro Community Garden is also a regular feature.
This publication is being produced by the Education and Outreach Committee of the Attleboro Land Trust, local volunteers, and some of the classes at Attleboro High School.

Newsletters

Contact us if you would like to subscribe to the email version of this newsletter.

Would you like to help steward one of our sites?

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A site steward is a volunteer who “adopts” 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.

Duties of a site steward:

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

If you would like to find out more please contact us at [email protected] or by using our Contact page.