events update
Dave Small
Athol Bird & Nature Club
Field Trips & Meetings 2013
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.
Scroll down for more special events around the region
Special Fundraising announcement: The Blind Pig, 98 Exchange Street in Athol, Has pledged to donate to the Athol Bird and Nature Club .25 cents for every glass of "Athol Ale" served in March and April. So if you're in town, have a great sandwich or other delicious meal add a cool glass of Athol Ale and help support our club.
<<>>Wednesday, April 10, 7 p.m. Naturally Curious
Join us here at the Center for our regular meeting, when naturalist/photographer Mary Holland will share her passion for the flora, fauna, and landscapes of New England with a presentation and display of her natural artifacts collection. Holland is the author of Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide and Month-by-Month Journey through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England, copies of which will be available for purchase.
Sunday, April 14, 7 a.m. “Early Bird” Birding with Jeff
Join Jeff here at the Center before heading out to explore the North Quabbin area for spring migrant birds. Come for as long as your schedule allows. Severe weather cancels. Info: Jeff Johnstone, 978-249-9052.
Monday, April 15. 6 p.m. Potluck & Skydance
We will join our MREC partners, the North Quabbin Trails Association, for their monthly pot luck supper here at the Center followed by a visit to Cass Meadow at sunset to witness the mating ritual of the woodcock. Bring a dish to share and your own drink. Info: Bob Curley, atph...@yahoo.com.
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
For this spring’s first “Friday Hike”, we will be visiting Tom Brouillet’s property in Phillipston, near Red Apple Farm and several other wonderful conservation properties. This is a beautiful place with trails and a view of the Thousand Acre Swamp, which Tom has very graciously agreed to share with us. Tom placed a conservation restriction on his 70 acre property in 2010, with the help of the North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership and Mount Grace, as part of a large conservation project surrounding the Thousand Acre Swamp.
The walk will begin at 2PM at the entrance to the property, where we will meet up with Tom for a leisurely walk and discussion. We will also hear about the process of helping Tom to conserve his property for the future and why it is such a special place. We are really looking forward to visiting Tom’s land and enjoying a nice spring walk!
We would encourage those wishing to attend to meet at Mount Grace headquarters at 1:20PM for a carpool, in order to not crowd Tom’s driveway. If you would like to carpool please RSVP with a note so we know to wait for you. Contact me with any question and please join us if you can!
Molly Heuss, MassLIFT AmeriCorps Land Steward 978 248-2055 x14 steward_a...@mountgrace.org
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust 1461 Old Keene Road, Athol, MA 01331t: 978 248-2043 f: 978 248-2053 www.mountgrace.org
Petersham Craft Center
Award winning photographer, Gail Hansche Godin, will visit the Petersham Art Center for a two-part program on using creative digital photo-shopping techniques. The classes will be held on Saturday, April 13, and Saturday, April 20, from 9AM-12 Noon. The Photoshop Elements program will be the basis of the instruction, but the ideas reviewed would be useful for anyone. Beginning to experienced photographers will benefit from the class to learn how to create any imaginable work, from funny and whimsical to the classically beautiful.
Gail will begin the first part of the program by demonstrating image enhancement by adjusting lighting, color and clarity. She will discuss the use of proper work flow and how to use short cuts to speed up the work. Function of tools, using layers, burning (darkening) and dodging (lightening) areas of a photo, removing unwanted areas of a photo, cloning from one image to another (adding images), filters, and converting to black and white will be some of the discussion points. For the second day of the program, participants come back to the class with questions from practicing assignments from the first program. The classes will be tailored to the level and needs of each individual participant.
Gail is a well-regarded teacher and artist who has won numerous awards in international photography competitions. She has had her photographs published in National Wildlife, Massachusetts Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy and Massachusetts Audubon Connections magazines. She is especially passionate about advocating for preservation of our wildlife treasures and natural heritage through photographic art.
The two-part class is $30 for members and $45 for nonmembers. There are no computers provided but the instructor will demonstrate on her own computer, or participants may bring their own computers. Call the Petersham Art Center at 978-724-3415 to register or for more information. The Art Center is located at 8 North St, just off Rt. 32, near the Petersham Common.
American Chestnut Foundation (ACF) and restoration program
being introduced/led by the ERS staff and students
Date: April 20th, 2013
Time: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM
Cost: FREE
Taught by: Vice President of the ACF MA/RI Chapter; Lois Breault-Melican
This class is introducing the ERS's new involvement of preserving New England's lost species of the American Chestnut. Due to a major airborne fungal blight the American Chestnut has dropped population to a point where there is very few trees that even come to fruition. This will be explained in detail at the talk. The ERS is receiving some trees to aid in this cause and will be planted on this day and monitored thereafter by Daniel Larrabee and his team. You may visit their website for more information: http://masschestnut.org/index.php. Matt Waldrip (See Class Below: Delineating Wetland Species) will briefly discuss the characteristics that make up wetlands and the values they provide to society (e.g. 8 interests of the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act). We will follow up with discussing on how human development and landscape alteration have led to wetland degradation and in turn has had a direct influence on the values wetlands provided for people and wildlife. We are hoping to have a talk concerning the Emerald Ash Borer and the Japanese Longhorn Beetle and hopefully a discussion about invasive plant and endangered and threatened species. We will keep you posted. All are welcome to participate in the assistance of protecting our native trees and plants. We will be having a much larger class than normal, but space is still limited. A free 2013 membership for all attending. e-mail us at theeternal...@gmail.com to sign up. the class will be held in Barre Ma. at the Eternal River School. We will send all the information and directions when they contact us.
"Edible Perennial Gardening and Landscaping" at 7:00 PM on Thursday, April 18 at the Moore-Leland Library in Orange. John Root http://www.johnroot.net a power point presentation about growing trees, shrubs, vines, canes, and herbaceous plants for produce in New England with naturalist and landscaper John Root, will be presented on Thursday, April 18 at 7:00 PM at the Moore Leland, 172 Athol Rd. in Orange. Informational flyers will be available, and plants will be offered for sale. The program, which is free and open to the public, is supported by a grant from the Orange Cultural Council.
APRIL: 20th 9-2pm 7th Annual Earth Day/Opening Day Celebration
WORKSHOPS: Conservation with Rose Frizzel
Recycling your trash down to zero - Irene Congdon
Composting - Irene Congdon
WOW - Watershed on Wheels - The WOW Express includes a full immersion trailer that lets people experience plants and animals from habitats found in the Connecticut River Watershed. A second trailer contains several educational kiosks and interactive displays.
Sugar Hollow Farm -Natural Products for Getting Back to Basics- 425 Queen Lake Rd Phillipston, MA 01331www.sugarhollowfarm.com 978-652-5186
Dave Small
president
Athol Bird and Nature Club
Millers River Environmental Center
100 Main Street Athol Ma 01331
