The Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) invites you to a presentation by Rebecca Watters about a 350 mile cross country ski trek through the Altai Mountains of Mongolia in search of evidence of wolverines and other wildlife. Rebecca will also talk about wolverine/wildlife research in the United States. Rebecca is a graduate of Algonquin Regional High School, St. Lawrence University, and Yale University. She is Executive Director of the Wolverine Foundation and works with Round River Conservation Studies directing a student study abroad program in Mongolia where she works closely with the National Parks administration.

7:00 PM, Thursday, January 9, 2020
Southborough Library, 25 Main Street, Southborough, MA

The program is free and open to all. No registration is required.

Expedition Members with Rangers

On Thursday April 4, 2019, the Southborough Open Land Foundation sponsor4d a presentation by Joshua Bruckner on Invasive Insects Threatening Massachusetts Trees. The talk focused on the Asian Longhorned Beetle, the Spotted Lanternfly, and the Emerald Ash Borer, The Asian Longhorned Beetle is responsible for the destruction of over 36,000 trees in Worcester over the last 10 years and poses a continuing threat to trees of our area. The Spotted Lanternfly, a sap-feeding invasive insect from Asia, poses a threat to 70 different plants and crops, including apples, grapes, and hops.

The Emerald Ash Borer is an emerging threat to the ash trees of New England. The presentation covered what is being done to combat these invasives, how to identify the insects and their damage, and how to report any sightings.

Joshua Bruckner is the Asian Longhorned Beetle outreach coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. He works to spread information and awareness about the Asian Longhorned Beetle and other invasive insects in Massachusetts. He has a masters and bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Clark University.

You can watch a video of the program here.

In addition SOLF  announced the annual Elaine Beals Conservation Award to  be given to Carl Guyer for his efforts to protect the environment by  making Southborough a Green Community and encouraging recycling.  SOLF also recognized two Algonquin High School students, Shannon Provencal and Kathryn Gowdy, for their outstanding efforts in organizing Hike Southborough Day in September 2017.

The Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) presented Tom Ricardi, founder and operator of the Massachusetts Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Facility in Conway, MA, to a large and enthusiastic audience at the  at the Southborough Library, October 28, at 2:00 PM. Tom Ricardi, a retired Fish and Game Warden with more than 30 years experience, is a licensed game rehabilitator and breeder. He brough with him a  variety of live birds of prey  including a Golden Eagle, a Barred Owl, a Harris Hawk, a Turkey Vulture and several other birds under his care. The picture below shows a Harris Hawk that suffered an injury  and is unable to fly or live in the wild. The photo is courtesy of Sally Watters.

Watch a video of the presentation here.  Our thanks to  Southborough Access Media for recording this program and posting it to YouTube.

Tom Ricardi with a Harris Hawk