Ray Brown's "Talkin' Birds" Broadcasts Live from Wildlands Trust

On the last day of April, Ray Brown arrived at the Wildlands Trust Community Conservation Barn prepared to remotely broadcast his Sunday morning radio show, Ray Brown’s "Talkin’ Birds". Normally broadcast from local Marshfield station 95.9 WATD on Sundays at 9:30 am, "Talkin’ Birds" is also broadcast across New England, New York, and Maryland, is available on podcast and live stream services.

A live audience enjoyed brunch as they listened to and participated in the show; cheering on Ray, his on-air guest Trevor Lloyd-Evans, and various call-in guests to the show. Trevor joined us from Manomet, where he leads the Landbird Conservation Program. The two longtime friends talked about the effects of climate change on bird populations, how bird behavior can be an indicator of climate change, and more.

From the left: Debbie Bleacher, Ray Brown, and Trevor Lloyd-Evans broadcasting live on Sunday, April 30 from Wildlands Trust.

After the live show, special guests Wayne Petersen of Mass Audubon, Brian Harrington formerly of Manomet, and Trevor Lloyd-Evans hosted an off-air panel discussion about this important topic, touching on the challenges that land birds, shore birds, and sea birds face due to accelerated climate change.  The discussion was dynamic and engaging, allowing the audience to participate and still leaving much to be seen as these charismatic animals adapt, “or not” as Trevor says, to a rapidly changing planet.

After the show, Wayne Petersen, Brian Harrington, and Trevor Lloyd-Evans hosted a panel discussion titled "Climate Change: Listen To What The Birds Are Telling Us".

The morning was truly a delight, and we’d like to thank our special guests Ray Brown, Trevor Lloyd-Evans, Wayne Petersen, and Brian Harrington, the folks at 95.9 WATD, and caterer Faith Flemming for making the show a success and for the importnat work they do in our community.

Didn’t catch us on Sunday? You can listen to the show right here on the Talkin’ Birds website: http://www.talkinbirds.com/archive/

Trust Expands Kingston Preserve with New Acquisition

Courtesy of the Frey family, Wildlands Trust’s Indian Hill Preserve in Kingston has almost doubled in size. On April 21, 2017, Daune and Bill Frey donated a 4.6-acre parcel off of Indian Pond Road in south Kingston. 

The donated parcel consists of scenic upland woods with steep slopes, is within multiple areas identified as important wildlife habitat by the Commonwealth’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, and is also significant for water supply protection.  It is located within a Zone II Wellhead Protection Area, and helps protect the Plymouth-Carver sole source aquifer, a vital regional resource that provides drinking water for thousands of area residents. 

The donation expands and complements the adjacent Indian Hill Preserve, donated by Mary Hathaway in 2003. 

Thank you to the Freys for their generous donation! 

Massasoit Students Canvas for Brockton Audubon

On a beautiful Monday afternoon in April, Massasoit Community College Honor Students led by professor Susan Martelli met up with Wildlands Trust staff, Erik Boyer and Ryan Krapp, to canvas the neighborhoods surrounding the new and improved trail system at Brockton Audubon Preserve. 

Massasoit students, professor Susan Martelli, and Wildlands Trust Property Manager Erik Boyer at the 20 ft. boulder, or "glacial erratic", at Brockton Audubon Preserve. 

The goal of the day was to hand out over 100 invitations to come enjoy the new trails located in the backyards of Brockton residents. There are now over 1.5-miles of trails with two new boardwalks, a large kiosk at the Pleasant St. parking lot, and five interpretive trail-side signs along the way. If you haven’t been to Brockton Audubon Preserve in a while you better stop by to check it out! Get the map here http://wildlandstrust.org/trail-brockton.

Thanks Massasoit Community College honor students for your volunteerism and enthusiasm for the work we're doing in Brockton!

One of the new boardwalk trails at Brockton Audubon Preserve.

Plymouth Town Meeting Approves Two Open Space Acquisitions

At this past Saturday’s Spring Annual Town Meeting, Plymouth Town Meeting members approved two open space acquisitions funded entirely or in part by Community Preservation Act funds. 

Both of these acquisitions help protect one of Plymouth’s most vital natural resources, the Plymouth-Carver Sole Source Aquifer.  The pollution-sensitive aquifer encompasses 199 square miles, and in addition to Plymouth serves seven other communities with drinking water. 

One project will protect 43 acres of diverse upland, wetland, and riparian habitat along the Eel River in Chiltonville.  This property is closely proximate to two Wildlands Trust preserves, including the 58-acre Eel River Fields property, and is one of the largest remaining unprotected parcels along the lower Eel River corridor.  It includes rare species habitat and 1,300 feet of river frontage. 

The Town has qualified for Commonwealth of Massachusetts “LAND” Grant Program funding that will help defray the cost of acquiring the property.  The LAND Grant Program provides partial funding for open space acquisition projects to qualifying municipalities, and allows them to make more efficient use of local resources, particularly Community Preservation Act funds.   

The second project will protect 10.2 acres of wooded upland near the terminus of Russell Mills Road.  This property connects with town-owned parcels directly abutting to the west and east, thereby creating an expanded area of contiguous open space.

In keeping with our longstanding partnership with the Town, and to ensure compliance with Community Preservation Act requirements, Wildlands Trust will hold permanent Conservation Restrictions on both properties. 

These projects are the latest in a long series of open space acquisitions enabled by the Community Preservation Act in Plymouth, and provide further affirmation of how the CPA continues to benefit town residents.  Congratulations to the Community Preservation Committee and the Town’s Environmental Management staff for advancing these outstanding land preservation projects! 

Wildlands Trailrunners

You may have noticed a ragtag pack of fleet footed harriers on Saturday mornings on Morgan Rd. and various locations around Halfway Pond.  Last October Wildlands Trust started hosting monthly trail runs from Douglas-Davis Farm in an effort to connect with the local running community.  These runs, which started smaller in the first few months, are now drawing over twenty runners, even during some of the rougher stretches of weather that we had this past February.  

Erik Boyer, Wildlands Trust Property Manager, leads trail runs at Halfway Pond every month.

The group is mostly made up of runners from Mayflower Runners, a running club based out of Plymouth, and Running Around Plymouth, a Facebook page devoted to providing runners an outlet to connect with others in the local running community.  On any given month, we have groups of runners that span across a range of skill ability levels joining us.  Our typical 6 mile route traverses the Halfway Pond loop, which utilizes parts of our Halfway Pond Conservation Area and Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife trails, but there is also a 3 mile option available.

Trailrunners gather at Davis-Douglas Farm on a chilly Saturday morning in January.

"It’s been great to see friendships develop every week and familiar faces each run," says Erik Boyer, the Wildlands Trust Property Manager who leads these monthly trail runs. As we approach the beginning of spring and some more welcoming weather, it’s a good time to lace up those shoes and get out of the trails! Trail runs and other outdoor programs are posted regularly on our events page.

If you’re ever around Douglas-Davis Farm during the week feel free to stop in and learn about some of the nearby trails that you can access right from our office.  We hope to be starting a weeknight run with warmer weather and more daylight this spring so stay tuned!