What's New

DRUMLIN FARM SUMMER CAMP AT WOLBACH FARM

Drumlin Farm is known for their incredible summer camps focusing on building a connection between young people and the land through hands-on farm and nature activities, games, and crafts. SVT is thrilled to be teaming up with Drumlin Farm to offer their programs at SVT's headquarters at Wolbach Farm in Sudbury. This year's Drumlin Farm's Summer Day Camp includes week-long sessions at Wolbach Farm. There are six one-week programs, two each for grades 3-5, 1-3 and preschool - 1.

Drumlin Farm Summer Day Camp helps campers develop an appreciation of nature. Campers gain confidence and comfort being in the natural world and understand the interconnectedness among people, land, and wildlife.

Statewide Open Space Conference, June 8

On Saturday, June 8, 10:00am - 3:00pm at Oakmont Regional High School in Ashburnham, SVT is co-sponsoring the 2nd Statewide Open Space Conference. This event is designed for municipal volunteers from Massachusetts involved in open space protection. This year’s conference will include nine different breakout sessions with topics ranging from managing town land, creating a town forest, starting a trails subcommittee, promoting CPA, planning a Woods Forum, and writing an Open Space & Recreation Plan. A lunch will also be provided at this free event.

Conference workshops and speakers will run from 10:00am - 3:00pm (9:30am Registration and Coffee + Pastries). To RSVP or for more information please contact Andrea Buglione @ 978-248-2055 x21 or conservationist_americorps@mountgrace.org.

In addition to SVT, this conference is sponsored by the North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, Nashua River Watershed Association, UMass Amherst, and the MassLIFT AmeriCorps program.

For more information on break out sessions go to: http://mountgrace.org/open-space-conference-68

Community members get outside and work hard for the Earth with SVT

Under sunny, blue skies last week, fifth-grade students battled invasive honeysuckle roots, teens fixed bridges and cleared trails of downed branches, and a group of retired men installed steps on a steep riverside slope. These were just a few of the many projects that Sudbury Valley Trustees conducted in celebration of Earth Day and National Volunteer Week. By dusk on Saturday, April 27th, over 128 volunteers contributed more than 375 hours of service to improve local conservation properties. Families, school groups, scouts, local businesses and individual community members came together to support diverse wildlife habitats, outdoor recreational trails, combat invasive plant species and support local land conservation. Americorps member Beth Gula coordinated this week of stewardship projects, and SVT staff and volunteers led work projects in Sudbury, Wayland, Framingham, Southborough and Westborough.

SVT’s Spring Stewardship Volunteer events took place during National Volunteer Week and were supported in part by the Massachusetts Service Alliance. REI also supports SVT’s volunteer stewardship program throughout the year.

Trail Access at Garfield Woods

We are disappointed to announce that we will soon be closing access to the trail at Garfield Woods Reservation in Berlin. It has come to our attention that the trail from Lancaster Road has had no official crossing agreement with the active railroad at the site. The current trail crosses private railroad property, and because of this SVT must not encourage its use. We are saddened by the need to take these steps, especially given the amount of work that SVT has received from volunteers along the trails there over the years. We know that this land is a favorite to visit for many of our neighbors in Berlin and SVT members there and in surrounding towns. Because of this, we will be working this spring to locate and build a trail that doesn’t require crossing the railroad. We will also continue to look for a safe way of providing access to the heart of Garfield Woods Reservation and the neighboring Forty Caves and Musche Woods conservation lands that are cared for by the Town of Berlin Conservation Commission.

Earth Day's Lustre

By Michael Sanders, Director of Membership

Earth Day lost its lustre this year in Massachusetts. At least for me. The tragedy at the Boston Marathon on Patriots Day has sadly taken over my thoughts. There is so much more charitable need than we could have imagined a few weeks ago, on top of all the good causes that already exist. To bring me back into Earth Day focus, I’m thankful for Beth Gula, SVT’s Americorps Mass-LIFT Land Steward.

Last week was National Volunteer Week. Several months ago, Beth completed her first successful grant application, which has allowed SVT to host lots of volunteers last week to improve the quality of the lands cared for by SVT. I’m most excited to see young people helping; Scouts working on their Eagle Scout project; students from Wayland, Lincoln-Sudbury, and Acton-Boxborough enthusiastically taking part in Stewardship projects.

JOIN SVT FOR SPRING STEWARDSHIP VOLUNTEER WEEK, APRIL 19-27

To celebrate Earth Day and National Volunteer Week, SVT invites families, community groups, and individuals to take part in one of SVT’s spring stewardship events. Projects include trail improvements, property and roadside clean-up, and invasive plant removal on reservations in towns throughout the region. Share your skills, get to know other members of the community, make a difference this Earth Day. No experience required! These projects will be led by SVT staff and veteran SVT volunteers. At the conclusion of the project, the coordinators will lead a guided walk on the reservation, introducing the volunteers to the unique features and habitat on the property.

Volunteer opportunities are still available by registration only for the projects listed below. If you are interested in helping with one of the following activities or have additional questions, please contact Americorps member Beth Gula at 978-443-5588 x135.

SVT’s Spring Stewardship-National Volunteer Week events are supported in part by the Massachusetts Service Alliance. REI also supports SVT’s volunteer stewardship program throughout the year.

Support Your Local Land Trust On Earth Day

Earth Day is April 22nd, and SVT believes this is the perfect opportunity to remind everyone that open space enhances the health of our Earth. SVT is participating with other land trusts across Massachusetts in acknowledging local land trusts and the important work they do. If you have a visible property, would you consider displaying an SVT Earth Day lawn sign in your yard between April 15th and April 29th? If so, or if you would like more information, please contact Ashley Davies before April 15. Learn what else SVT is doing to celebrate Earth Day this year.

SVT's Trail-a-Thon, Sunday April 28

SVT is hosting its second annual Earth Day "trail-a-thon" fundraiser on Sunday April 28, beginning at noon at the Memorial Forest in Sudbury. The walk will include a 10K (6.2 mile) route and a family-friendly 3K (under 2 mile) loop. Naturalists will join walkers to introduce the many habitats existing on the land, including coldwater streams, witch's cove, pitch pine-scrub oak habitat, and the sand pit. Refreshments will be served and patches will be awarded.

All adult walkers are encouraged to maximize sponsorship, but must be willing to commit to a $25 minimum contribution. All sponsors pledging $25 or more will receive a one year membership to SVT, enabling them to learn more about the organization and its accomplishments.

The walk will bring attention to many of our shared concerns and interests. We hope you will consider joining us. Register to walk on-line, or sponsor another walker on-line. For more information, please contact Michael Sanders.

The Power of Nature for Kids

By Susan Crane, Land Protection Specialist

I’m inspired by a beautiful short film of nursery school students playing in the woods, shown at this year’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Logs carefully placed by the children were transformed into an airplane, magically transporting its miniature passengers around the world. When one little girl asked to be dropped off in “the middle of nowhere,” the four-year-old pilot obligingly touched down just where their journey had begun – in a hardwood forest somewhere in Scotland.

Richard Louv coined the phrase “nature-deficit disorder” in his highly acclaimed book, Last Child in the Woods. It seems intuitive that children thrive in nature, where they can get lost in time and peacefully explore the world at their own pace. In nature, infinite surprises always await the curious.

I cannot even imagine having grown up or raising my own children without nature as an integral part of our lives. Something wonderful happens when left to their own devices in the outdoors, without man-made props or technology for entertainment. Their boundless curiosity awakens all of their senses as they discover the interwoven complexities of nature by experiencing them.

Concord’s annual Musketaquid Earth Day parade

By Christa Collins, Director of Land Protection

For a number of years SVT had a strong presence at Concord’s annual Musketaquid Earth Day parade and celebration, with volunteer marchers, a giant paper mâché salamander named Sally, and a table at the post-parade festival. For various reasons, our participation in the event fell off, but this year I’m excited to pick up the mantle and represent SVT at the April 27th event. I welcome any of our members and friends to join me there!

This year’s theme is Edges: Where Habitats Meet, Where Habits Meet. Last Sunday I took my two children, 8 and 5, and another 5 year old friend, to one of several Sunday afternoon puppet making workshops being held at Emerson Umbrella in preparation for the parade. We saw up-close some of the remarkable creatures that in years past we’ve only glimpsed from the parade sidelines, and got to make some new creatures of our own to carry in the parade.

Morningstar Medaye, one of the event’s organizers, shared posterboards she had made showing some of the creatures with whom we share the edges of our suburbanized region, and we talked about our own experiences with such animals around our homes. I never cease to be amazed at the power of wild creatures to fascinate us – even to hold the attention of rambunctious, five-year-old boys! We see this at SVT with the popularity of our Nature Sightings web page and emails. Images of common, everyday creatures can be astounding when we pause once in a while to really consider them.

Information about the parade and related events can be found at the Emerson Umbrella website.

1953Sudbury Valley Trustees2013Celebrating 60 Years of Conservation, Collaboration and Community