Happy New Year to all

[Dave Small]

Not too late to make a yearend contribution, join or renew your membership to support your
Athol bird and Nature Club and the Millers River Environmental Center

Mail a check to ABNC 100 main Street Athol or make an online contribution:  http://www.millersriver.net/abnc/abncform.html

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Happy New Year to All
Start the New Year Right, Join us on an ABNC adventure!

Sunday, January 1, all day               “New Year” Seabird and Gull Excursion

Our annual ritual to Massachusetts' premier winter birding location. Meet at 7 a.m. at the Center, or call ahead to join the group at 9 a.m. at Friendly's off the Rte 128 circle in Gloucester. Bring snacks and EXTREME cold weather clothing! Info: Mark Taylor 413-498-4380 or bird...@hughes.net.

 

<<>> Wednesday, January 11, 7 p.m.         Meeting

At our regular meeting here at the Center, award-winning nature photographer Gail Hansche Godin will show us how to find wildlife photo opportunities close to home and all year round, luring subjects with their favorite foods, flowers, shrubs, trees and water attractions. She’ll demonstrate how backyard photography lets us learn about the nature in our own back yards and prepares us for those important trips to exotic locales.

 

<<>> Wednesday, February 8, 7 p.m.         Attracting Wildlife for the Nature Photographer

Henry Cramer

 

<<>> Wednesday, March 14, 7 p.m.           Butterflies Near and Far

Join expert naturalist Sue Cloutier here at the Center for our regular monthly meeting, an evening of butterfly photos that will take you from your own neighborhood to the Arctic in search of these beautiful insects.

 

Tuesday, April 10, 8-10 a.m.                        Accessible Birding with Joe

Join Joe Superchi on the second Tuesday of the month visiting local sites. Open to birders of all abilities. Meet at the Center. Call ahead for wheelchair van access, 978-248-9491.

 

<<>> Wednesday, April 11, 7 p.m.              The Wolves of New England

Michael LeBlanc, who has been studying wolves since 1978, both in the wild and in captivity, will clarify the many misconceptions that exist about wolves, share his first-hand knowledge of their habits, and tell the history of this remarkable animal that once roamed and hunted in this area. Accompanying LeBlanc will be Denahee, a wolf he has raised since birth. Note: This monthly meeting will be held at Liberty Hall at the Athol Town Hall (584 Main St.) and is ABNC’s gift to the town of Athol in celebration of its 350^th anniversary.

 

Saturday, April 28, 6 a.m.                            Mount Auburn Cemetery
Visit this beautiful historic cemetery, a famous spring hotspot for migrating songbirds. Meet at the Center for carpooling at 6 a.m. or at the gate at 7:30 a.m. (Let us know if you’ll be meeting us at the gate.) If time allows, we’ll also visit the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Info: Joan or Larry Duprey, 978-249-4964.

Friday, May 4, 8:45 a.m.                              Friday Mornings with Earle

Join naturalist Earle Baldwin in exploring some of his favorite places – this time Thousand Acre Dam and Little Falls. Meet at the Center. Rain cancels. Info: Earle Baldwin, earleb...@gmail.com or 249-9436. Part of ABNC’s celebration of Athol 2012.

 

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SAVE JANUARY DATES TO COUNT EAGLES

As part of an annual nationwide Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey, anyone spotting an eagle in Massachusetts from January 4, 2012 - January 18, 2012 is strongly encouraged to report their sighting to the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW).  Please provide date, time, location, and town, number of birds, juvenile or adult bird, and observer contact information. Images are welcome, but not required. Report sightings either to: Mass.w...@state.ma.usor by postal mail to "Eagle Survey", MassWildlife, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA, 01581.

Dr. Tom French, DFW’s Assistant Director of Natural Heritage and Endangered Species, noted that citizen interest in the eagle survey has been very help  ful. "With higher numbers of eagles dispersing throughout their range, we can't possibly cover the entire state. Citizen spotters play an increasingly important role in our survey efforts. In January of 2011, we received 61 emailed reports from people who saw eagles during the 2-week survey period."

A target date of January 6, 2012 will be used for a concentrated survey of major rivers, lakes, reservoirs and the coast by staff from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and volunteers across the state. In 2011, a record 107 bald eagles were documented in Massachusetts during the one-day event. A fact sheet on bald eagles can be found at: www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/species_info/nhfacts/haliaeetus_leucocephalus.pdf.

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~Northfield Mount Hermon Protects 117 Acres on New England National Scenic Trail~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mount Monadnock from the New England national Scenic Trail (Photo Sam Richardson) Northfield Mount Hermon School sold 117-acres of land to Mount Grace, including ¾ miles of New England's National Scenic Trail, as part of the Metacomet-Monadnock Forest Legacy Project. Situated along a ridgeline known as the Bald Hills, which includes the popular hiking destination Crag Mountain, the protected land runs east toward the Warwick town line and includes part of Northfield's Great Swamp and several unnamed tributary brooks that feed it. Parking for access to the trail is at the Brush Mountain Conservation Area on Gulf Road. Mount Grace will transfer the property to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in 2012, when it will be added to the Northfield State Forest. "We have a truly awe inspiring wetland system and wilderness back there," said Mount Grace Conservation Director David Graham Wolf. "The property is part of a nearly 8,000-acre roadless area, making it a very significant biodiversity hot spot for our region. This is a big win for land conservation in Massachusetts." This is the seventh property protected through the Metacomet-Monadnock Forest Legacy Project. Partners in the project include local towns, Mount Grace, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Greater Northfield Watershed Association, and the USDA Forest Service, which provided a $1,645,000 grant to conserve approximately 1,200 acres in six towns. Northfield Mount Hermon's decision to join in the Forest Legacy application was a major factor that played into the award of the grant. Other grants in support of the project were provided by the Bafflin Foundation, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, and the Fieldstone Foundation.

 

 

 

Dave Small

Athol Massachusetts

978-413-1772

Da...@dhsmall.net