Tag Archives: volunteer-opportunities

A Successful Clean-Up at the Charron Farm Preserve

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A determined group of volunteers gathered at the Charron Farm Preserve to do some maintenance brush and briar clearing at the edge of this heritage hay field. Armed with loppers and ladders, saws and pruning shears, we tackled the thorny overgrowth encroaching on the perimeter walking path. The weather was ideal for working outdoors, and we (as well as a passing flock of turkeys) enjoyed a morning full of sunshine. And shout out to Ted Charron for carrying out the brush with his farm equipment.

Thank you to our dedicated volunteers! If you’d like to join us on a similar project, keep an eye on our volunteer opportunities, and please consider joining the Attleboro Land Trust. The Charron Farm Preserve isn’t open to the public yet, but it should be soon. Stay tuned!

A briar-free walking path at Charron Farm Preserve.

All clear!    Image credit: Ken Salome, Karole Nicholson

A graphic showing various volunteer activities, butterflies and red flowers

Intro to the ALT and Update on Current Projects – April 8

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With the coming of spring, the Attleboro Land Trust is busy with trail maintenance and other projects on its 504 acres of conservation land. On Wednesday, April 8, 2026, Charlie Adler will provide an update on what the land trust is doing and how you can help. The presentation will be at the Attleboro Public Library, 74 Main Street, Attleboro, at 7:00 pm. There will be plenty of time for questions, and an opportunity to sign up to help with all facets of the organization, including educational activities for families, fundraising, boundary monitoring, habitat restoration, and saving more land.

Clean-Up at Charron Farm Preserve on April 4

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A Clean-Up will be held at the Charron Farm Preserve on Saturday, April 4, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.  We will appreciate the help of anyone who would like to join us in this effort.

Our goal for the Preserve is to maintain the hayfield for the production of an annual crop of hay as well as for the enjoyment of visitors hiking the property.  Our focus on April 4 will be to trim excess growth along the perimeter of the field to maintain a clear edge between field and forest.

The main tasks will be:

  • Pruning and cutting back brush, vines, and thorny briars along the edge of the hayfield
  • Removing some invasive plants entirely
  • Removing overhanging branches, for the safety of the operator of the tractor when the hay is cut

We will have tools you can use, but if you have your own, please bring some with you, such as:

  • Loppers, pruning shears, pruning saws, and other pruning tools
  • Weed whackers, brush cutters
  • Standard rakes and leaf rakes

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, April 11, 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Any cancellations due to weather will be posted here.

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.
Look for signs directing you to parking on the field.

The Charron Farm Preserve is not yet officially open to the public, but it should be soon.  Stay tuned!

World Water Day Bungay River Cleanup

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Friends of the Ten Mile River Watershed and the Attleboro Council on Human Rights will once again be teaming up for a cleanup in celebration of World Water Day. Volunteers will meet in the parking lot of CVS on North Main Street in Attleboro on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 9:00 AM  and will clean along the Bungay River. Participants should wear gloves and long sleeves. Trash bags will be provided. Plan on doing some walking along the waterway. The Bungay River is one of the major tributaries to the Ten Mile River and is a natural resource for the Attleboro area. The cleanup should take less than 2 hours. We hope to see you there!

Keep Attleboro Beautiful 9th Annual Cleanup

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Keep Attleboro Beautiful logoJoin Keep Attleboro Beautiful on April 18, 2026, for the 9th annual community cleanup! Bring your family, friends, and neighbors to help give the city of Attleboro a thorough spring cleaning! To participate, fill out the registration form on the Keep Attleboro Beautiful site—one form per volunteer. Groups are also welcome to register.  To register your group, please contact the organizers at KeepAttleboroBeautiful@gmail.com.

18th Annual City of Attleboro River Clean-Up

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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.

For more information contact Attleboro Conservation Agent Nick Wyllie at 508-223-2222 ext 3145.

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.

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.

Many help launch an invasive plant removal project at Larson Woodland

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Invasive species are organisms that are not native to an area, that tend to spread and displace native species, and that have harmful consequences for the environment.  Invasive species include animals, plants, and even fungi.  In the twentieth century, diseases caused by non-native fungi–accidentally introduced in North America–devastated elm and chestnut trees.  Invasive gypsy moths have damaged many other local tree species.

Invasive trees and shrubs are common in our area and threaten to crowd out native plants–wreaking havoc with native ecosystems.  The Attleboro Land Trust has launched an invasive removal project focusing on Larson Woodland.  At four acres, this is one of our smaller nature preserves.  This will serve as a demonstration project, and we hope to apply lessons learned to our other preserves.

A survey of the preserve was conducted by Gary Krofta and Phil Boucher, resulting in a map identifying the invasive species to be targeted and their locations.  Longtime watershed protection advocate Don Doucette has been a key advisor.  The project was kicked off on Saturday, November 23.  Among the volunteers who pitched in was a contingent of Scouts from Attleboro Troop 15.

A good turnout of volunteers helped to remove invasive plant species at Larson Woodland on November 23, 2019.    Image credit: C. Adler

Oriental bittersweet was removed from the banks of the Ten Mile River near the spillway.  The bright red berries (once prized for their decorative value during the winter holidays) were bagged and will be burned to prevent propagation of new plants.

Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is an invasive vine that originated in China.    Image credit: C. Adler

Some large non-native honeysuckle bushes along Riverbank Road were also removed.

Scouts from Troop 15 removing an invasive honeysuckle bush at Larson Woodland.    Image credit: C. Adler

Project work parties will continue in the spring.  Some of the other species to be targeted are buckthorn, purple loosestrife, and Norway maple.  We welcome more volunteers to help with the work.