Events update
Dave Small
Athol Bird & Nature Club
Field Trips & Meetings 2012
Unless otherwise noted, programs meet at
the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street, Athol.
If weather is questionable on a field trip day,
please call the trip leader at least an hour before the scheduled meeting time.
There are many chances to give back to your Athol Bird and Nature Club. Most all of our programs are offered free of charge mostly due to the generosity of our leaders, but if you're not a trip leader you can still contribute.
1) New participants on the Board of Directors are welcome. We meet monthly on the 4th Monday of the month (mostly).
2) I am looking for someone to help with ABNC offering a Birding merit badge for Boy Scouts. getting young people interested in nature is very important to us all...
3) Are you handy? there are always things to fix, paint, and clean at the Center....
4) Our sister group "Friends of Rich Environmental Park" can use help the afternoon of June 2nd planting and general upkeep of the park. Help anytime in weeding etc. always welcome.
If you're interested in any of these opportunities please e-mail me at Da...@dhsmall.net
Friday, May 25, 8:45 a.m. Friday Mornings with Earle
Join naturalist Earle Baldwin in exploring a forgotten road from a fisherman’s kiosk to Raven Trestle and the Burned River Plain. Meet at the Center. Rain cancels. Info: Earle Baldwin, earleb...@gmail.com or 978-249 2539. Part of ABNC’s celebration of Athol 2012.
Saturday, June 9, 10 a.m.-12 noon Dragonflies & Damselflies for Families
Join educator Rachel Roberts and naturalist David Small here at the Center to learn about dragonflies and damselflies. The class includes story time with a featured book and multiple hands-on art and science activity stations. Weather permitting, we will drive to a nearby body of water for a look at habitat – so dress appropriately and have transportation available. Free and open to the public, this class is geared towards families with young children but has activities all ages can enjoy. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Athol Local Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Saturday, June 9, 1 p.m. Dragonflies along the Millers River
Meet naturalists David Small and Lula Field here at the Center for an afternoon of intensive dragonfly searching. Participants should bring snacks, insect net, and a sense of adventure; be prepared for wet feet. Children welcome with adult. Severe weather cancels. Info: Dave Small, 978-413-1772 or Da...@dhsmall.net. Note: Families participating in the morning class are welcome to double-up on their adventures!
Sunday, June 10, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Bearsden Revisited
Join Allen Young, author of North of Quabbin Revisited, for a hike in Bearsden Woods along the Observation Hill and Thousand Acre Brook trails, a moderate loop of about 3-4 miles. Meet at the Center for car-pooling to the trail head. Bring sturdy shoes, water, and a picnic lunch. Info: Allen Young, ay...@columbia.edu or 978-249-7612. Part of ABNC’s celebration of Athol 2012.
Tuesday, June 12, 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.
Saturday, June 16, 9 p.m. - late night 4th Annual Moth Ball
Join ABNC president Dave Small and naturalist Lula Field at Dave and Shelley’s house, 1542 Pleasant St., Athol, to search for Lunas, underwings, silkmoths and other night flying insects. Participants are invited to bring their tents, snacks to share and favorite moth baits. (Don’t know what those are? You’ll find out!) Info: Dave Small, 978-413-1772 or Da...@dhsmall.net.
Saturday, June 23, 7 a.m. Joan & Larry & the Birds of Athol
This excursion into Cass Meadow with expert birders Joan and Larry Duprey will meet at the Alan E. Rich Environmental Park, near 50 Main St. in Athol. Heavy rain cancels. Info: Larry Duprey, 978-235-6581 or Larry_...@hotmail.com. Part of ABNC’s celebration of Athol 2012.
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust is joining with the Town of Northfield to host a BioBlitz on Saturday, June 9th, at the Northfield Town Forest. Volunteers are invited to come down and join the BioBlitz—an event in which people gather to survey a property and compile an extensive list of species, both plants and animals, present in the area.
Volunteers of every level of outdoor experience are encouraged to attend. Trained experts in a variety of fields will be on hand to make final identifications of species found. The BioBlitz will have two shifts. A morning walk for bird species will be led by birders Bill and Jay Rasku and by Mount Grace Stewardship Biologist Tom Wansleben from 7:30-9:30 am.
In the afternoon, from 1-5pm, volunteers will gather to catalog plants, fungi, and signs of animals. Participating team leaders include biologists Kasey Rolih and Brad Compton from UMass, Foresters Helen Johnson and Mike Barry, outdoor educators Clare Green and Ted Watt, tracker David Brown, and Mount Grace’s MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Land Steward Meghan Cornwall.
There will be an arts and crafts table for children which will be led by Mount Grace’s MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Outreach Coordinator Aja Lippincott. Kids will be able to draw what they have found, help create a logo for the Town Forest and more. Kids of all ages are welcome to assist on the walk and create nature art.
The information gathered at this event will be used to help plan future stewardship at the Northfield Town Forest, a 151-acre property protected in 2011 with assistance from Mount Grace. Come help discover the town forest on Saturday June 9th at the Northfield Town Forest trail head on Gulf Road.
Directions to the Northfield Town Forest are as follows: From the Northfield Town Hall, head south on 63, turn east (left) onto Maple St. Continue onto Gulf Rd for about 2.2 miles. The event headquarters will be at the parking area for the Brush Mountain Conservation Area. Volunteers will be helping to direct parking. Please carpool, if possible.
For more information or to RSVP to this event please contact Meghan Cornwall, at
(978) 248-2055 x 14 or steward_a...@mountgrace.org
Position opening:
The Massachusetts Land Initiative for Tomorrow (MassLIFT) AmeriCorps program is seeking candidates for our 2012 service positions. This program, initiated and managed by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, is a collaborative effort of regional conservation groups to meet critical community needs for land and watershed protection, stewardship of protected lands, conservation outreach and education, and service learning that engages young people in conservation.
Twenty AmeriCorps members serve MassLIFT each year. Our members serve in one of four positions: land steward, regional conservationist, service learning coordinator, or community outreach coordinator. These full-time positions come with living allowances, health insurance, and the potential to earn education awards. The 2012 program runs from September 11, 2012 to August 23, 2013.
The following regional land trusts and conservation organizations will be hosting MassLIFT-AmeriCorps members in our 2012 program: Buzzards Bay Coalition, East Quabbin Land Trust, Essex County Greenbelt Association, Franklin Land Trust, Groundwork Lawrence, Hilltown Land Trust, Kestrel Land Trust, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, Nashua River Watershed Association, Sudbury Valley Trustees, and Wildlands Trust. Appalachian Mountain Club-Berkshires and Greenagers will share the assistance of a Service Learning Coordinator; and the Connecticut River Watershed Council and Millers River Watershed Council will share the services of a Community Outreach Coordinator.
Member Application specifics, position descriptions, and information about MassLIFT-AmeriCorps and the organizations hosting 2012 members can be found on the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust website: www.mountgrace.org/masslift-americorps. The application deadline is June 14, 2012. Additional applications will be accepted and reviewed on an as needed basis. ****
Dave Small
president
Athol Bird and Nature Club
Millers River Environmental Center
100 Main Street Athol Ma 01331
