On September 23, 2023, Freddie Gillespie, Chair of the Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission, and Sally Watters, Southborough Open Land Foundation Trustee, honored Whitney Beals’ dedication and life passion for open space by renaming the pollination garden at Beals Preserve to The Whit Beals Garden – Biodiversity Through Pollination. Whit devoted much effort in recent years to help make this garden become a reality.
Have maple trees? An experienced maple syrup maker will explain how you can make your own.
The talk is courtesy of the Southborough Open Land Foundation in partnership with the Southborough Library. But it will be held in Cordaville Hall (aka the Senior Center).
The presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, October 25 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. No registration required.
Obviously, to actually take advantage of the tips, you’d have to have a maple tree on your property (or permission from someone who does). But even those who don’t are welcome to come learn more about what goes into making syrup.
Tony Willoughby’s talk will cover:
Willoughby has 15 years experience as an amateur maple syrup maker.
Volunteers and stewards help us fulfill our mission to preserve, protect, conserve, and enhance the natural resources in the Town of Southborough.
Love the outdoors? Want a a way to combine your love of the outdoors with some community service? SOLF’s volunteer program is growing and we are currently planning work days at various Southborough properties over the next few months, usually on Saturday mornings but other days as well. Help with trail maintenance, invasive plant control, sprucing up entrances, and more. Work alongside board members and other volunteers. If so, just fill out our quick survey regarding your preferences for volunteering. Our work days will also be announced on our Facebook page.
SOLF proudly owns and cares for 15 properties comprising 190 acres. As you might imagine, making regular visits to all of these woods and fields is not easy – and that’s where you come in! As a steward for one of our properties, you can be our eyes and ears, walking trails if they exist, and making note of any problems in general. For example, a neighbor to Kallander Woods noticed a broken SOLF sign on Valley Road, sent us an email, and met with us as we put up a new sign. Though we would like a commitment of at least 2 to 3 visits annually, communication is key as we also want to foster a better routine to care for and enjoy our neighborhood spaces. Please consider becoming a steward. You can learn about our properties at https://solf.org/property-map/. Please let us know at info@solf.org, indicating if you have a particular property in mind.
Beals Preserve now has 2 granite benches, in addition to the wood benches built by Cassie Melo for her Eagle Scout project. SOLF trustees Brett Peters arranged for delivery to the property and then prepared the ground and set the legs. Trustees Whit Beals with his trusty tractor, Brett Peters, and Larry Samberg worked to get the benches in place on the legs. One bench is under the tree by the kiosk and the other is by the Pollinator Garden on the Main Street Field side of the property. Well done!
Press release from Southborough Artist Catherine Weber:
The Southborough Open Land Foundation invites the general public to visit Beals Preserve for the 7th annual Art on the Trails.. This year’s theme is Transformation. The exhibition will take place again this year at the Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve in Southborough, Massachusetts.
A juried exhibition of sculptural installations will be on view beginning June 10, and closing on September 17. The exhibition is juried by Sculptor Sarah Alexander, Creative Director, Hopkinton Center for the Arts.
Sixteen projects will be exhibited from 21 artists. Artists participating are: Lisa Barthelson (Rutland, MA), Ted Castro (Acton, MA) , Marie Despres (Grafton, MA), Holly Ewald (Providence, Rhode Island), Maxwell Fertik (Providence, Rhode Island), Gints Grinbergs (Dedham, MA), Matthew Haberstron (Medford, MA), Meagan Hepp (Brighton, MA), Linda Hoffman (Harvard, MA), Alexandra Ionesco (Providence, Rhode Island), Denise Johnson and the students of Margaret Neary Elementary School (Southborough, MA), Jon Laustsen (Providence, Rhode Island), August Lehrecke (Providence, Rhode Island), Hope Lesson (Providence, Rhode Island), Madeleine Lord (Dudley, MA), Gena Mavuli (Boston, MA), Margot McMahon (Oak Park, Illinois), Matthew P. Muller (Providence, Rhode Island), Hildreth Potts (Garrison, NY), Bridie Wolejko (Lunenburg, MA), and Melanie Zibit (Shirley, MA).
Art Juror Sarah Alexander said of the selection process, “It is always a challenge to select from many excellent submissions. I am confident that the work, while diverse in material and subject, will present a cohesive show along the trails of the Preserve. I look forward to seeing it installed!”
A representative of Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) said, “The Southborough Open Land Foundation is pleased that the Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve serves as the beautiful backdrop for the 7th Annual Art on the Trails. It is fascinating to see the intersection of art and nature as various aspects of the preserve serve as inspiration for the artists’ creations.”
In addition to the installations, the program will include poetry written in response to the work and will be juried by poet Maura Snell. A prize winning poem will be selected from submissions by Scituate poet Joanne DeSimone Reynolds .
Learn more about this event at https://artonthetrails.com.
Our Partners
We are honored to have the generous support from the following organizations:
Southborough Open Land Foundation
The Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) is a private land trust founded in 1988. The all-volunteer organization with over 300 local members and a Board of Trustees, preserves and protects open space in Southborough, Massachusetts. SOLF manages 191 acres of open space as well as sponsoring a variety of nature-based recreational and educational activities in cooperation with the Southborough Gardeners, Arts Center at Southborough, Southborough Extended Day, Boy and Girl Scouts, Southborough Recreation, and other organizations including walks, plant lectures, trail maintenance, field trips for school children, snowshoe clinics, art shows, and Earth Day clean-ups. SOLF also collaborates with the Town of Southborough, other land trusts, and state and federal agencies to conserve open space and promote biodiversity.
Southborough Community Fund
The Southborough Community Fund (SCF) promotes a spirit of philanthropic giving to fund the critical needs and the wonderful wants of Southborough citizens. Established in 2014 by local residents as a fund of the Foundation for MetroWest, the SCF is a source of financial support, as well as a convening mechanism to foster innovation and collaboration across the townspeople and the organizations designed to benefit them. By providing opportunities in the areas of Family Support, Arts, Culture, and Environment, the Fund enables residents to make an immediate impact in their community. Visit their website at southboroughcommunityfund.org.
Additional funding comes from Ginny Martins & Associates and Fay School.
Dates:
February 3: Theme and art Juror announced
February 15: Call for art opens
April 15, midnight: Call for art closes (no exceptions)
April 30: Art selections announced
June 10: Artists install work – Public Invited to attend
June 12: Submissions for poetry open
July 31, midnight: Deadline for poetry submissions
August 25: Poets notified
September 17 (3–5 pm): Closing Poetry Reading and Reception. Poets read work along the trail in response to art installations.
Allan Bezanson, long-time Southborough resident, and native of Northborough, has, since his retirement, had a big impact on preservation; first in devoting hundreds of hours to saving the historic Burnett property and since then sharing his stunning photos of beautiful natural sights from Great Blue Herons, to goldfinches to ponds with amazing reflections. It is when we love and appreciate something that we will work to preserve it.
Southborough Open Land Foundation had its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 10 at the Community House at 28 Main Street in Southborough. The evening started at 6 pm with light refreshments, followed at 7 pm with Trustee introductions and remarks, the presentation of the 2023 Elaine Beals Conservation Award to Al Bezanson, and a program by Trustee Debbie Costine entitled, “A Virtual Walk in the Woods.”
Allan Bezanson, long-time Southborough resident, and native of Northborough, has, since his retirement, had a big impact on preservation; first in devoting hundreds of hours to saving the historic Burnett property and since then sharing his stunning photos of beautiful natural sights from Great Blue Herons, to goldfinches to ponds with amazing reflections. It is when we love and appreciate something that we will work to preserve it. [Presentation by Debbie Costine]
On April 27 at 7 pm at the Southborough Library, SOLF, in conjunction with Earth Day, offered a program by Dr. Jon Way on The Eastern Coyote/Coywolf – How Coyotes behave and live so successfully near people.
Topics included:
The presentation ran about one hour and a half, including questions and book sales. Our thanks to the Southborough Library for hosting the event.
Jonathan (Jon) Way has a B.S. (UMass Amherst), M.S. (UConn Storrs), and doctorate (Boston College) related to the study of eastern coyotes/coywolves.
Postponed from April 23 due to rain, with new date TBD: As part of Earth Day celebrations, SOLF will host a natural history walk at Beals Preserve. Join Whit Beals and other SOLF board members to learn about the history of the property, as well as the flora and fauna found there. [Photos by Trustee Debbie Costine.]
Annual Meeting on May 8 with raptor rescue presentation
Birding walk at Beals Preserve on Saturday, April 27 at 8 am
Call for Volunteers! Interested? Fill out our survey.
