Nature of Southborough Columns
The Nature of Southborough is a special guest series in mysouthborough.com focusing on appreciating nature in Southborough, contributed by the Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF). Most of the articles, covering a wide variety of nature related topics, have been written by Trustee Debbie Costine. You can navigate to the News and Events tab to find them or just click here.
Mysouthborough.com is a blog for locals, written by a local.
SOLF Newsletters
Art on the Trails 2026 on Beals Preserve
The Southborough Open Land Foundation, in collaboration with Southborough Artist Catherine Weber, is pleased to present the 10th Annual Art on the Trails at the Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve. This year’s theme is Time in the Landscape.
Art on the Trails is an annual juried exhibition of sculptural installation. Each summer, artists install original works along the preserve’s trails, where they remain on public view from June through September. The program, which is free and open to all, also features an accompanying poetry component: community poets visit the preserve, respond to the installed works with original poems, and join artists at a closing reading and reception each fall. Selected art and poetry are published together in a full-color annual chapbook. Learn more about the program here.
This year the program runs from June 13 through September 13. View a map of the installation here.
Join the Southborough Open Land Foundation Board of Trustees!
The Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) is a private, volunteer-run land trust protecting and preserving natural spaces right here in Southborough. You may know us best from The Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve — one of our most beloved properties and a favorite spot for walkers in our community.
We maintain our properties through volunteer efforts and professional contractors, funded entirely by donations and grants, with no town funding.
If you care about conservation, love being outdoors, and want to make a real difference locally, we’d love to hear from you. As a trustee, you’ll play a hands-on role in guiding SOLF’s work — reviewing the condition of our properties, making decisions about projects and programs, and helping shape the future of open land in Southborough.
What’s involved:
- Monthly board meeting (second Wednesday of the month) to review properties and make decisions about projects and programs
- Walking and checking in on our properties as a land steward
- Pitching in on trail work and volunteer days if able
- Helping organize events and community programs
No prior board experience needed — just a genuine passion for land conservation and a willingness to show up.
If interested, please contact Eileen Samberg at info@solf.org
Serve With Liberty Volunteer Day
On May 12, 2026, a group from Liberty Mutual volunteered at Beals Preserve as part of the Serve with Liberty program. Each year, over a three-week period, Liberty employees gather with colleagues from across the organization and spend the day volunteering at non-profits. Thank you Liberty Mutual. See you next year!
Saturday Work Days Underway
We’ve started our 2026 Saturday volunteer workdays and would love your help maintaining our properties and trails. Projects include removing invasive plants, clearing and maintaining trails, improving roadside appearance, and other seasonal tasks. We rotate among our accessible properties throughout the season. View the calendar here. To sign up, go to https://solf.org/volunteer/ and follow the link to signup genius or simply send an email to info@solf.org telling us you want to join in. Looking forward to having you pitch in!
