Please join us for a Nature Walk at the Beals Preserve on Sunday, October 20 at 1 pm. The walk will be led by curious naturalist, artist, and SOLF trustee Debbie Costine.

Stroll in the meadows and woods, taking time to see what nature is doing at this time of the year. We will hear birds and insects, see the colorful leaves of different types of trees, look for mushrooms, moss and lichens, signs of animals and more.

Park in the SOLF lot located on the south side of Main Street between Northborough Road and Chestnut Hill Road. Follow the path down through the field go across the bridge and meet at the Kiosk. The walk will be about one and a half hours on fairly level terrain, and will be postponed in the event of rain.

All ages welcome. For question, email us at info@solf.org.

Monday, October 14, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, SOLF trustees will be at our booth for Heritage Day. Please stop by say hello and learn about the land that we have protected and things that volunteers can do.

We are excited to have a presentation by Jess Zorge, the founder of Raptor Tales Rescue of Shrewsbury. Raptor Tales Rescue (RTR) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit that is run entirely on a volunteer basis. Jess works full time in the biomedical field. She is a Shrewsbury, MA native and military veteran with a soft spot for animals in need. Jess holds both state and federal wildlife rehabilitation and educational permits. She specializes in the rehabilitation of birds of prey. Raptor Tales Rescue admits injured and orphaned wildlife from members of the public, as well as State and Federal agencies. RTR has treated over 300 birds of prey since the start of the rescue in 2020. Jess volunteers speaking about raptors and wildlife rehabilitation to a variety of organizations. She has a wonderful 12-year-old daughter named Harper that helps her on many rescue missions (a young wildlife rehabilitator in the making!) As part of her presentation, she will be bring a Blue, a non-releasable barred owl. Please join us for this information and fascinating talk.

Our 2023 Annual Appeal is underway.

Forests, wetlands, lakes, and open fields are all understood to be important habitat for wildlife. But there’s more! Shrublands, those “overgrown fields,” and small shallow ponds also provide food and shelter for many species. The Southborough Open Land Foundation is working to create and maintain such diverse habitats of native species. This is an important component for a healthy environment.

• SOLF and the Open Space Preservation Commission honored SOLF Trustee Whitney Beals, a much loved and sorely missed advocate for healthy habitats, with the dedication of The Whit Beals Garden: Biodiversity through Pollination at Beals Preserve.
• We have launched “SOLF presents: Nature in Southborough,” a monthly column for MySouthborough and our website.
• Cassie Melo completed her Eagle Scout Project of building and installing two cedar benches at Beals Preserve.
• Middlesex Savings Bank funded two granite benches, also placed in Beals Preserve.
• SOLF is prioritizing more trails and maintenance at our properties.
• Programs such as our recent talk on how maple syrup is made will continue.
• SOLF will keep building a team of volunteers for trail work.

Your support is essential to helping us keep up this positive momentum. Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to support our efforts that help keep Southborough such an attractive and unique community.

Please go to our support page to make a donation by mail or via Paypal. Thank you!

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:

• How to identify different maple trees
• When and how to tap
• Boiling techniques
• Filtering & bottling

Willoughby has 15 years experience as an amateur maple syrup maker.

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.

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.

Join Whitney Beals and the Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) for a history walk at the Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve on Sunday, October 16 at 10 am. President Whitney Beals will walk and talk about the history of the property. Meet at the kiosk on the south side of the aqueduct. Sign up at the SOLF booth at Heritage Day or send email to info@solf.org to let SOLF know that you are planning to attend. Note there is now a parking lot on Route 30 Main Street. To get directions, more parking information, and a map for Beals Preserve, go to on https://solf.org/beals-preserve/.