Saturday morning (and other days) trail work by SOLF Trustees and volunteers has begun again! There’s always work to do from sprucing up our entrances to clearing and keeping invasives at bay and trails clear. Watch our Facebook page for announcements. Contact us at info@solf.org if you would like to volunteer.
Author Archives: Eileen Samberg
Granite Benches Installed at Beals Preserve
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!
New Benches for Our Visitors at Beals Preserve
Thanks to Cassie Melo and her Eagle Scout project, visitors to The Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve can now take advantage of two beautiful oak benches on which they can relax and enjoy the scenery. Cassie, a member of Troop #823, along with some help from her father, John Melo, built and then on April 9 transported the two benches to the Beals Preserve Main Street parking lot. Trustee Whit Beals and his gator transported the benches to the placement sites. One of the benches is across from the Lone Wolf Trail entrance in the Upper Meadow. The second is along the Riding Ring Trail, on the right, under some pine trees. Congratulations to Cassie on a job well done!
The first set of pictures was a walk with Cassie to determine placement in the Upper Meadow.
April 9, 2023 – Installation Day.
Art on the Trails 2023 – Through September 17
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.
Rotary Club Day at Pollinator Garden on May 20
On Saturday, May 20, 2023, 12,000 Rotarians from 450 clubs across five states will be doing a wide variety of local service projects in their communities. The Southborough Rotary Club will be working with Freddie Gillespie, Open Space Preservation Commission Chair and Pollinator Preservation Garden expert, at the Pollinator Preservation Garden at Beals Preserve from 9:00 – 11:00 am.
Allan Bezanson Receives 2023 Elaine Beals Award
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.
Al Bezanson Receives Elaine Beals Conservation Award at the Annual Meeting
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]
SOLF Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 10
Please join us for the Southborough Open Land Foundation’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 10 at the Community House at 28 Main Street in Southborough. The evening starts 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.”
Artist and “curious naturalist,” Trustee Deborah Costine is the past Vice-President of Southborough Open Land Foundation, a long-time member of Sudbury Valley Trustees SVT, and a National award-winning puppeteer. Slow, solitary walks in the woods pausing often to look carefully and taking pictures is what grounds her. In this presentation, previously hosted by SVT in 2021, Debbie will take her audience along with her, settling into the rhythm of the forest and looking at some of her favorite photos.
Earth Day Clean-up April 22, 2023
SOLF trustees and volunteers participated in this year’s Earth Day clean-up, starting at the trailhead to Templeman Woods on Route 85, and heading south past Richards Road, stopping at our other property at Lambert Corners.
Program on Eastern Coyote/Coywolf on April 27
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 typical home range and territory size of the Eastern Coyote.
- Its movement and activity patterns.
- Its sociality, denning behavior, and hybridization.
- Many photos and some video clips.
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.
Beals Preserve Saturday Work Day April 15, 2023
Saturday morning trail work by SOLF Trustees and volunteers has begun again! There’s always work to do from sprucing up our entrances to clearing and keeping invasives at bay and trails clear, for our first day, April 15, it was volunteer Kathryn Korostoff and Trustee Debbie Costine, doing what they enjoy: cutting, clearing and chatting. [Pictures by Trustee Debbie Costine]
Natural History Walk at Beals Preserve: New date TBD
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.]
Events and Activities
View the Calendar
SEARCH our website
Art on the Trails 2025 at Beals Preserve
Help SOLF in its mission – Volunteer, Steward
SOLF’s Create in the Woods Challenge November through May
Dark Skies Initiative
Light pollution is an ever growing problem as land is continuously developed. Without an eye towards the future, open land conservation, and responsible lighting choices, we’ll lose what little we have left on the planet for truly dark skies.
Visit our page under Resources to learn about the Dark Skies initiative in Southborough.
Daisy Scouts Perform Trail Work at Clark Grove
Recently Daisy Scout Troop #64042 did some trail work at SOLF’s little “Clark Grove” property on Highland St. They even cleaned our sign! We love that we’ve been able to create a small trail for a neighborhood to enjoy. Thank you troop #64042 and leader Phaea Crede !
Annual SOLF Appeal
Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) Board is excited to share with you some of our accomplishments from this past year. Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to support our efforts that help make Southborough such an attractive and unique community.
Annual SOLF Appeal 2022
Open space, with fields and woods, streams, and wetlands, greatly enhances our quality of life here in Southborough, providing diverse habitat and quiet woodland trails. As Fall arrives, the Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) Board is excited to share with you some of our accomplishments from this past year.
- Working with the Open Space Preservation Commission to establish a native plant pollinator garden at Beals Preserve
- Sponsoring the 6th Annual Art on the Trails at Beals Preserve
- Creating a small parking area in the Main Street Field at Beals Preserve for
safer access to the property - Working with volunteers to clear invasive plants and improve trails at Beals
Preserve, Bigelow Wildlife Refuge, and Clark Grove - Running a successful challenge to help fund the newly created Linda Hubley
Memorial Town Scholarship - Holding our annual meeting with well-known naturalist Peter Alden as the
featured speaker
Your support is essential to helping us keep up this positive momentum. Now that we are again able to meet in person, we are eager to resume offering some nature-based programs. Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to support our efforts that help make Southborough such an attractive and unique community.
SOLF is a private, non-profit 501 (c)(3) land trust that serves the citizens of Southborough. Since our founding in 1988, we have preserved nearly 200 acres of land. SOLF does not receive any tax-based support from the town or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Trustees of SOLF
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SWCA Environmental Consultants Volunteer at Bigelow Wildlife Refuge
On Monday, November 28, eight employees from the SWCA Environmental Consultants office in Southborough volunteered at Bigelow Wildlife Refuge, spreading wood chips and pulling invasive honeysuckle. Thank you, Ariel and group for thinking of us!
Cub Scout Pack 1 Service Projects at Beals Preserve and Templeman
On Sunday, November 20, Cub Scout Pack 1 learned about and practiced trail maintenance at two of our properties, Beals Preserve and Templeman Woods.
The older Cub Scouts and their parents worked with Board members Brett Peters and Larry Samberg at Templeman Woods-Watkins Woods off Rt. 85 by the Mass Pike overpass. With some hard work, they improved trail conditions through addition of new trail markers, clearing limbs and other trail blockages, enhancing trail sight lines, and cleaning up trash and litter from the area. Big thanks to the Scouts and parents who stepped up to help out!
The younger Cub Scouts and their parents worked with Board members Whit Beals, Debbie Costine, Lawrence Spezzano, and Eileen Samberg at Beals Preserve, starting at the Red Gate entrance. The Scouts learned about the importance of water bars to channel water off the trail, and helped clear them. Then the group walked down the trail to the Riding Ring junction, where they learned about invasives, pulled bittersweet and small buckthorn and burning bush saplings, watched and helped Whit Beals use a “puller bear” to pull larger buckthorn and burning bush saplings out by their roots. Big thanks to the Scouts and parents!
History Walk by Whit Beals on October 16, 2022
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Whitney Beals, president of the Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF), led a group of about sixteen on a history walk at the Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve on Sunday, October 16 , 2022.
In the 1950s, Whit’s family purchased land on both Chestnut Hill north of route 30 and what is now the Beals Preserve south of route 30. You can read his entertaining and educational talk, describing the land purchase, the conservation restrictions to save the land from development, the history of the ice pond, and plans to maintain the trails, the forest, and the meadows.
You can read a transcript of his talk here.
