Mark your calendars for the Southborough Open Land Foundation’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 18 at the Community House in Southborough, with a reception and light refreshments at 6 pm, followed by a presentation at 7 pm by Peter Alden — Concord native, ornithologist, naturalist, author — on changes over time to Concord’s bird and mammal inhabitants. Read more about Peter here. Meet the SOLF Trustees and help congratulate Jim Gorss, the winner of the Elaine Beals Conservation Award. See the flyer here.

The Southborough Open Land Foundation, in collaboration with Southborough Artist Catherine Weber, is pleased to present the 2022 Art On the Trails, with the theme: EXPOSURE. The exhibition will be installed from June 13 to September 11, 2022 at Beals Preserve. With the generous support again this year from Southborough Community Fund and the Southborough Cultural Arts Council, all accepted artists will again receive $100 stipends. Link to a map of the installations.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

The Southborough Open Land Foundation,  with support from the Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission and Sudbury Valley Trustees, invites you to a complimentary workshop to explore options for conserving family land, Sunday, June 25, 2017, 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM, Southborough Community House, 28 Main Street, Southborough, MA 01772. Presentations by Steve Sloan, Owner of Cambridge Consulting, a firm that helps protect natural areas,  farmland, and historic sites across Massachusetts; Frederica Gillespie, Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission; and a panel of Southborough landowners who have successfully conserved their properties.

Please direct questions/RSVPs to Chelsea Polevy by June 21. Email: cpolevy@svtweb.org or call (978) 443-5588 ext.138.

For a flyer on the event, click here.

This workshop is made possible by a generous grant from the Foundation for Metrowest,  Southborough Community Fund.