2019 Annual Meeting, May 4, 2019
Published on May 7, 2019 by Hal
SOLF held its annual meeting Saturday May 4, at the historic 1812 Deacon Webster Johnston House, 49 Lynbrook Road, Southborough, MA, home of the L’Abri Fellowship, donors to SOLF of a 5.5 acre parcel of land across from their historic home. The meeting began with a welcome by Ben Keyes of L’Abri Fellowship followed by walk to the little brook on our newly acquired land and an unveiling of the sign identifying the new land. The meeting continued with the presentation of SOLF’s Annual Elaine Beals Conservation Award to Beth Rosenblum, recently retired Conservation Agent for the Town of Southborough. SOLF President Whit Beals presented Beth with a carving of a Barn Swallow done by Southborough artist Ben Keyes.
SOLF President Whit Beals presenting the Ealine Beals award to Beth Rosenblum.
The meeting continued with a tour of the historic house, a summary of SOLF’s 30 years of land protection and a wine and cheese social hour.
Our Endangered Trees: Asian Longhorned Beetle, Spotted Lanternfly, and Emerald Ash Borer
Published on March 17, 2019 by Hal
On Thursday April 4, 2019, the Southborough Open Land Foundation sponsor4d a presentation by Joshua Bruckner on Invasive Insects Threatening Massachusetts Trees. The talk focused on the Asian Longhorned Beetle, the Spotted Lanternfly, and the Emerald Ash Borer, The Asian Longhorned Beetle is responsible for the destruction of over 36,000 trees in Worcester over the last 10 years and poses a continuing threat to trees of our area. The Spotted Lanternfly, a sap-feeding invasive insect from Asia, poses a threat to 70 different plants and crops, including apples, grapes, and hops.
The Emerald Ash Borer is an emerging threat to the ash trees of New England. The presentation covered what is being done to combat these invasives, how to identify the insects and their damage, and how to report any sightings.
Joshua Bruckner is the Asian Longhorned Beetle outreach coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. He works to spread information and awareness about the Asian Longhorned Beetle and other invasive insects in Massachusetts. He has a masters and bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Clark University.
Carl Guyer Receives 2018 Elaine Beals Award
Published on January 10, 2019 by Hal
Carl Guyer, at a December 12, 2018 SOLF meeting, receives the annual Elaine Beals award from trustee Sally Watters for his leadership in environmental conservation and awareness. Elaine Beals was among the founding members of the Southborough Open Land Foundation. She served on the Board of Trustees of SOLF for many years. She was dedicated to the preservation of the environment and open space, reinforcing her conservation ethic as a member of the Town of Southborough’s Open Space Preservation Commission. In her honor, SOLF presents the Elaine Beals Conservation Award each year to a local resident who has shown outstanding leadership in environmental conservation.
September 15, 2018, Birds of Prey with Tom Ricardi
Published on September 23, 2018 by Hal
The Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) presented Tom Ricardi, founder and operator of the Massachusetts Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Facility in Conway, MA, with a program on Birds of Prey at the Southborough Library, September 15, 2018, at 2:00 PM. A large number of children and adults were in attendance to see the variety of birds Tom presented.
You can watch a video of Tom’s presentation here.
May 12, 2018, Bird Walk at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land
Published on May 16, 2018 by Hal
On a damp and cool Saturday morning, Jeff Collins, Director of Mass Audubon’s Ecological Management Department led a group of 16 participants on a “Bird-a-thon” day bird walk at the Breakneck Hill Conservation Land, on Breakneck Hill Road, Southborough. Altogether, we saw 28 species including a number of Bobolinks, a Yellow Warbler, Indigo Bunting, and an Eastern Bluebird.
Bird walk participants. Photo courtesy of Kathryn McKee
Annual Meeting, May 9, 2018
Published on May 16, 2018 by Hal
In addition SOLF announced the annual Elaine Beals Conservation Award to be given to Carl Guyer for his efforts to protect the environment by making Southborough a Green Community and encouraging recycling. SOLF also recognized two Algonquin High School students, Shannon Provencal and Kathryn Gowdy, for their outstanding efforts in organizing Hike Southborough Day in September 2017.
May 6, 2018, Our First Summer Stroll
Published on May 15, 2018 by Hal
Summer Stroll Participants. Photo by Debbie Costine
October 28, 2017, Massachusetts Birds of Prey with Tom Ricardi
Published on October 29, 2017 by Hal
The Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) presented Tom Ricardi, founder and operator of the Massachusetts Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Facility in Conway, MA, to a large and enthusiastic audience at the at the Southborough Library, October 28, at 2:00 PM. Tom Ricardi, a retired Fish and Game Warden with more than 30 years experience, is a licensed game rehabilitator and breeder. He brough with him a variety of live birds of prey including a Golden Eagle, a Barred Owl, a Harris Hawk, a Turkey Vulture and several other birds under his care. The picture below shows a Harris Hawk that suffered an injury and is unable to fly or live in the wild. The photo is courtesy of Sally Watters.
Watch a video of the presentation here. Our thanks to Southborough Access Media for recording this program and posting it to YouTube.
Tom Ricardi with a Harris Hawk
Art on the Trails Thank You Catherine Kundrath Weber
Published on September 27, 2017 by Hal
The Southborough Open Land Foundation extends a tremendous THANK YOU to Catherine Kundrath Weber for pulling off a highly successful “Art on the Trails” project. From original concept, to all the many threads that must be coordinated, to perseverance throughout the entire process to even a celebration walk and poetry reading at the end, she maintained enthusiasm and a “can do” attitude. Because of this, many residents of our town discovered the Beals Preserve for the first time and found a safe place of natural solace to revisit and cherish. Catherine, you are a champion of Art and Nature.
September 23, 2017, Wildlife Tracking with Paul Wanta at Beals Preserve
Published on August 14, 2017 by Hal
The Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) presented naturalist, tracker and teacher of wilderness skills Paul Wanta in an exploration of the wildlife and plants that inhabit Beals Preserve, Southborough, MA. Paul Wanta has taught wilderness and tracking skills to young people for over 30 years. He lead us through the trails of Beals Preserve looking for the tracks and signs of the wildlife present in the Preserve.
