tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79198260668046496432024-03-13T01:21:48.837-07:00Bedford Conservation Land StewardsWho we are, what we do, and how you can get involved.Bedford Land Stewardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09986766540598786665noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-77025068949157202312016-04-24T21:08:00.005-07:002016-04-24T21:09:25.899-07:00Spring Meeting, 2016The Bedford conservation land stewards meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 26th at 7:30 pm. It will be at Town Hall, 10 Mudge Way, in the Lower Level Conference Room.<br />
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We've gotten a lot of excellent field reports. If you have not yet, please file one <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YSpPbaDi48MlQ_iLbmHh2DrlNvh3OzQOwofdQ62UWCI/viewform" target="_blank">using the online form</a>.<br />
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Looking forward to seeing you there!Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-10361840068452737662015-10-28T12:23:00.001-07:002015-10-28T12:23:18.124-07:00Fall 2015 Stewards MeetingThe Fall 2015 Bedford conservation land stewards meeting will be Thursday, October 29th at 7:30 p.m. in the town hall.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YSpPbaDi48MlQ_iLbmHh2DrlNvh3OzQOwofdQ62UWCI/viewform">Please use the web form to file a report for your area</a>.<br />
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See you there!Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-69317244492696755882015-04-27T07:37:00.002-07:002015-04-27T07:37:51.510-07:00Spring Stewards' Meeting 2015The spring meeting of the Bedford Conservation Land Stewards will be on Thursday, April 30th at 7:30p.m. in the lower-level conference room of the town hall.<br />
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Please submit a report for your area:<br />
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https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YSpPbaDi48MlQ_iLbmHh2DrlNvh3OzQOwofdQ62UWCI/viewform<br />
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See you there!Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-80632669313640035202014-09-26T08:38:00.000-07:002014-09-26T08:38:02.564-07:002014 Fall MeetingThe 2014 fall stewards' meeting will be Thursday, October 23rd at 7:30 p.m. We will meet in the lower conference room in the Town Hall on Mudge Way.<br />
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Make sure to spend some time in your areas and file a report. The report form (available at any time!) is here:<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YSpPbaDi48MlQ_iLbmHh2DrlNvh3OzQOwofdQ62UWCI/viewform" target="_blank">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YSpPbaDi48MlQ_iLbmHh2DrlNvh3OzQOwofdQ62UWCI/viewform</a><br />
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See you on the 23rd!Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-84111020510648694022014-04-07T08:16:00.000-07:002014-04-07T08:17:18.752-07:002014 Spring MeetingThe Spring meeting of the Bedford conservation land stewards will be on Thursday, May 1st at 7:30 p.m. We will meet in the town hall.<br />
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New this meeting - file your report online. Enter your report information at the web form below. Your input will be seen and acted upon much more quickly.<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YSpPbaDi48MlQ_iLbmHh2DrlNvh3OzQOwofdQ62UWCI/viewform">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YSpPbaDi48MlQ_iLbmHh2DrlNvh3OzQOwofdQ62UWCI/viewform</a><br />
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As the weather turns warmer, get out to your areas and submit reports before the meeting. If it's easier, you can submit your report using the traditional form. But please use the web form if possible!<br />
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Before the meeting: please let us know if you are interested in participating in a plant identification session. This session will be held on a week day and will help stewards identify important native and invasive species. If you would like to attend, RSVP to bedfordlandstewards@gmail.com.
Thank you!
Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-51477198774312313512014-01-30T20:57:00.003-08:002014-01-30T20:57:46.449-08:00Bedford Citizen Inventory of Public Trees, May 10 & 17The Bedford Arbor Resources Committee (BARC) is planning a town-wide citizen inventory of public trees on May 10th and 17th. They have invited conservation land stewards to participate either as area captains or as field volunteers.
Please see <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0KdjcJ4VeqqNDVTbXhlbUJ1eUU/edit?usp=sharing">the event flyer</a>. Contact BARC at <a href="mailto://bedfordarbor@gmail.com">bedfordarbor@gmail.com</a> if you are interested in upcoming training.Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-66702567725099761012013-10-17T13:38:00.001-07:002013-10-17T13:39:08.201-07:00Trail Maintenance TechniquesMark Levine, from the Trails Committee, has shared some trail maintenance techniques with us. Thanks, Mark!
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RGI2Ua4hdpNSBCz-z6Ke4rZX8gFPPQZTcmKR18S6k77sSYnAIGhvBxIBHRiKcKzywFsDZR1xhBtsI71gDnp0vN6iLnXp1obPT1IM-a08UWkPslCqUmUPyhVkVof_jI1wyA8DHUeOymE/s1600/trail-corridor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RGI2Ua4hdpNSBCz-z6Ke4rZX8gFPPQZTcmKR18S6k77sSYnAIGhvBxIBHRiKcKzywFsDZR1xhBtsI71gDnp0vN6iLnXp1obPT1IM-a08UWkPslCqUmUPyhVkVof_jI1wyA8DHUeOymE/s320/trail-corridor.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmpBAKI0cCybMX7Zu5uzaMpayWHtiUtU6Xp8xLjAsKhksZIXtGEB8toGV7jXy7XteIIx9eLeh5mMIG75p1YMcK5JUJrLsjsUSfOR7V6_gkHcMw0GnqqwaXgxkV2Rx9GOO8HvP8IQIUmE/s1600/water-bars.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmpBAKI0cCybMX7Zu5uzaMpayWHtiUtU6Xp8xLjAsKhksZIXtGEB8toGV7jXy7XteIIx9eLeh5mMIG75p1YMcK5JUJrLsjsUSfOR7V6_gkHcMw0GnqqwaXgxkV2Rx9GOO8HvP8IQIUmE/s320/water-bars.png" /></a></div>Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-13524051505589252722013-09-18T19:26:00.000-07:002013-09-18T19:27:18.919-07:00Fall Meeting 2013<span style="font-family: inherit;">The 2013 fall meeting of the Bedford conservation land stewards will be on Thursday, October 17th at 7:30 PM. We will meet in the multipurpose room of the town hall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Make sure to complete a field report before the meeting. The field report form is available <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/bedfordlandstewards/forms/bedford-land-stewards-field-report.rtf?attredirects=0&d=1" target="_blank">here on the stewards' site</a>. </span><br />
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To get to the multipurpose room, enter the main door to Town Hall, bear left in the hall and then immediately right between the Selectmen’s room and the wooden table with the leaflets. Go down the steps, we will have the door propped open.<br />
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Thanks again! See you on the 17th.Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-76504289491424478372013-05-13T08:23:00.001-07:002013-05-13T08:26:06.401-07:00Post Meeting Notes Spring 2013<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Four new stewards were welcomed. Two to
Huckins Farm Trails: Paul Sobchenko, sophomore at UMass Amherst, and
Clem Larson, resident of the Huckins community. At Minnie Reid
Conservation Area, Lorna Hyland. At Hartwell Town Forest, Tom Hodges.
O’Connor Conservation Area off 469 Old Billerica Rd, 19.9 acres,
was featured as in need of stewardship and several good possibilities
came up at the meeting.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Elizabeth Bagdonas, the Conservation
Commission Administrator, is hopeful that a summer work crew will be
available again this summer. The job of assigning and particularly
supervising the crew for her is a difficult one. They are usually
high school age and can be inexperienced but often work out well with
some direction. The stewards can help tremendously by contacting
Elizabeth when they might be available to oversee the crew at their
area. This does not mean doing the actual work but checking on them.
She will then work out a schedule to accommodate your dates.</div>
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We are very pleased and thankful to
have stewards Peter Desjardins and Michael Barbehenn volunteer to
head up the stewards with Yan’s departure. Both are stewards at
Lindau Farmland off Pine Hill Rd. Peter set up the stewards website
and manages it today and Michael is on the Trails Committee and is
quite versed in plants. They will officially take the helm August
1st. Having been long-time stewards and active with the Trails
committee, they know well the ways of the town’s conservation
areas. Good hands! Yan will actually be leaving for the Republic of
Georgia as her husband will be interim Director for a year at the
private high school he founded in 2001. Many years has been her
supreme pleasure of serving the many land stewards, a special, caring
group of people.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We learned how we can help an
endangered species project in the area by biologist and herpetologist
Bryan Windmiller. If we have any sightings of a Blandings Turtle or a
Wood Turtle, please take a photo if possible and report the sighting
to Elizabeth Bagdonas at the Conservation Commission office. Photos
of both will be on our website. For more information see article in
the 4/16/13 <a href="http://www.thebedfordcitizen.org/">www.thebedfordcitizen.org</a>.</div>
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The Circuit Trails (20.6 mi and 6.3 mi)
were presented on a poster board map to view its routes. There are
some easements that need to be finalized, decisions to be made about
signage. No other town has all its conservation areas connected by a
circuit trail. "These trails will be a living history of
Bedford," to quote Ralph Hammond who is the instigator of this
project.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There will be a dedication ceremony on
May 18 at 2:00 pm at the Wilson Mill Site. Steward Philippe Kelty has
been a loyal steward of Wilson Mill. After many years of planning,
the renovation of the area finally has been completed and plans go
forward for landscaping with native species. Sounds like we all
should make a visit soon to see our reconstructed mill site, 140 Old
Billerica Rd.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We were treated to pictures on Peter
Desjardins' laptop. He was able to show us what the endangered Wood
and a Blandings turtles look like. We viewed the face page of our own
website with sightings of wildlife by stewards Yan Thomas (Kestrel
Hawk) and Bob Dorer’s series of wildlife photos including a Gray
Fox on the Engelhardt Conservation Area that borders his house. Do
visit our website: <a href="http://www.bedfordlandstewards.blogspot.com/">www.bedfordlandstewards.blogspot.com</a> and send on
your photos and comments, and use its links.</div>
Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-797256883051348982013-04-21T09:41:00.004-07:002013-04-21T09:42:59.496-07:00Agenda Items (tentative) Spring 2013 Land Stewards Meeting<br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">Thursday April 25 at 7:30 PM Town Hall</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/bedfordlandstewards/forms/bedford-land-stewards-field-report.rtf?attredirects=0&d=1" target="_blank">Field Report Form</a> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Introductions New Members</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Run Down on Land Stewards and Areas (list available)</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">Areas in Need of Stewardship</span></li>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Conservation Commission Items (Elizabeth)</span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #222222;">Summer Work Crew</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;">Endangered Turtle Project Bedford (photos) </span></li>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Bedford Circuit Trails</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Land Steward Website</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Wilson Mill Site Renovation and Wildlife Plantings Planning</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Field Report Issues </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">*Head Steward Position Open (August 1)</span></div>
<br />Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-37680716952146792412013-04-18T19:20:00.000-07:002013-04-21T09:36:15.206-07:00American Kestrel SightingYan Thomas shared a report of her American Kestrel sighting a few days ago:<br />
<br />
I watched the <span class="il">kestrel</span> for several minutes about ten yards right off my house on Dudley Road on the field in somewhat of a
declivity, wings out to the side, obviously "working on" some kind of
prey underneath. Though a small hawk the colors were dramatic, mostly rufous, face a black and white curved pattern.<br />
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These birds have become much rarer in our area lately. Thanks, Yan.Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-34367989494123160772013-03-12T21:55:00.000-07:002013-03-12T21:55:34.907-07:00Wildlife at the Englehardt AreaSteward Bob Dorer was kind enough to share some pictures of wildlife that he has taken at the Englehardt conservation area. This area is tucked between Otis Street and Railroad Avenue. It's very close to the town center but is no less well enjoyed by several species. Thanks, Bob!<br />
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<br />Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-53795274043320595722013-03-12T20:52:00.002-07:002013-03-12T20:52:39.243-07:002013 Spring Meeting - April 25thOur 2013 Spring meeting will be on Monday, April 25th at 7:30 p.m. We'll meet in the second floor conference room of the town hall. See you there!Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-79423599731609619292012-12-20T19:41:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:46:54.070-08:00Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count 2012<br />
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It's time once again to start planning for the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count! Frank Gardner will be organizing the count in the Bedford sector of the Concord Christmas Bird Count. The count which will be on Sunday, December 30th. </div>
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The portion of Bedford which falls within the official count circle area is small and limited to the southwest corner of Bedford, but we have done a great job finding lots of good birds in our area in past years.</div>
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Please let Frank (<a href="mailto:frg444@gmail.com" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #777777; font-size: 12px;">frg444</span><wbr style="color: #777777; font-size: 12px;"></wbr><span style="color: #777777; font-size: 12px;">@gmail.com</span></a>) know if you are interested in participating this year, so we can divide up the various areas appropriately to get good coverage and accurate counts of birds. We will also have a planning meeting at the Bedford Starbucks at 7pm on December 27th. Please let Frank know if you can attend that as well.<br />
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Your response by December 24th is most appreciated. See you soon!</div>
Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-88841979850422812122012-11-12T08:41:00.000-08:002012-11-12T08:41:17.901-08:00Post-Meeting Notes - Fall 2012<br />
1. Noted were the conservation areas that are in need of more stewardship. List follows. We were pleased to have the Bedford Citizen, a recent on-line Bedford news reporting organization, cover our meeting. You may have seen Kim Seibert’s article about us (Oct 26) and the list of the underserved conservation areas. Their web address: <a href="http://www.thebedfordcitizen.org/">www.thebedfordcitizen.org</a>.<br />
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List of conservation areas in need of coverage: Huckins Farm Trails (Dudley Rd. area); Frost C.A. (between Great Rd. and Pine St.); O’Connor C.A. (off Old Billerica Rd., near Noreen<br />
Dr.); Shawsheen River C.A.(off Middlesex Trnpk, along the river); Webber/Vanderhoof (off Concord Rd., past Hartwell Rd.).<br />
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2. Your Fall Field Reports have been summarized by Yan and made available to the Trails Committee for information in their work. It is up to the Conservation Commission to work out the details of the items to be acted upon in these reports. In the light of storm SANDY which did its damage after our Reports were in, some of you may be notified to do a quick evaluation of any storm damage. Remember, automatically report to Elizabeth (or Yan) any important change in your area at any time of the year.<br />
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3. Do stay on top of the developments of the Bedford Circuit Trails which is very much in the planning stages. We had an extensive presentation by Ralph Hammond on this subject at the meeting He is one of our stewards (York) and also a member of the Trails Committee. For those of you not at the meeting, there has already been sent out to you a brief explanation of the Circuit Trail concept along with a map of the tentative routes for the two circuit trails. When any of you have questions, concerns, suggestions especially as you see where these trails go through your conservation area, it is asked that you notify Ralph or Elizabeth with your comments. It’s an exciting concept, creating these 2 circular routes for a way to better enjoy our Bedford natural resources - and – coincidentally getting a little exercise. Ralph Hammond’s email: Ralph.Hammond@verizon.net Elizabeth’s email: elizabethb@bedfordma.gov<br />
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4. When your map boxes are empty, stewards, please arrange to get copies found on the steward or town website, or from Elizabeth. Being the monitor of your area is one of your responsibilities. Steward Website: <a href="http://bedfordlandstewards.blogspot.com/">bedfordlandstewards.blogspot.com</a> Town Website: <a href="http://bedfordma.gov/">bedfordma.gov</a> Link on both: Trail Maps<br />
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5. When what we call “hazard” trees (trees hanging over trails endangering walkers, not trees lying down that one can step over), are dutifully reported by you to Elizabeth, she will notify the D.P.W. who will go in and take care of the problem. It is paramount upon your reporting, however, that you locate on a map the position of the hazard tree.<br />
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6. A truly comprehensive, professional environmental study of our conservation areas done in 1977 was handed out to show what we might consider doing today in support of our conservation lands. The example study contains information about geological features, plant populations, and management objectives. It appeared that the study was met with great enthusiasm. If any of you would like a copy of this example of an environmental study please let Elizabeth know.<br />
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7. Lindau Farmland’s sale agreement with the town established an expiration next year of its tenure as “conservation” land. The feeling by the Lindau stewards present was that there was very little threat in the future of the Town using this piece of land for anything but open space.<br />
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8. Copies listing our conservation areas and their current stewards and contact information were made available at the meeting. Please let Elizabeth know if you want a copy.<br />
Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-74906938943366888862012-09-28T09:47:00.000-07:002012-09-28T09:55:35.064-07:00Help NE Wild Flower Society remove buckthorn in Concord, Oct 3 & 4<br />
Plant conservation volunteers from the <a href="http://www.newenglandwild.org/">New England Wild Flower Society</a> could really use your help removing invasive buckthorn from the Old Calf Pasture in Concord. This area is the site of the world’s largest population of Viola brittoniana – Britton’s coastal violet.<br />
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The plant conservation volunteers will be removing the buckthorn on October 3rd and 4th from 9am to 3pm. They have been working on this for a few years and are going to be taking out some of the larger trees around the edge of a field. Staff will be along to squirt some herbicide on the stumps, and there will be a lot of small trees to remove.<br />
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Any help you can give would be great. You can show up for just a few hours or any time The New England Wild Flower Society will provide all the tools.<br />
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The Old Calf Pasture is just outside of Concord center on Lowell Road. Here’s a link to <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Old+Calf+Pasture,+Concord,+MA&hl=en&sll=42.036922,-71.683501&sspn=2.521302,5.158081&oq=Old+Calf+Past&t=h&hq=Old+Calf+Pasture,+Concord,+MA&z=16">the location shown on a Google maps page</a>.<br />
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Let John Burns know if you can make it or you can just show up. John is the Plant Conservation Volunteer Administrator for the New England Wild Flower Society. You can contact him at <a href="mailto:jburns@newenglandWILD.org">jburns@newenglandWILD.org</a> or 508-877-7630 ext 3204.Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-77696057548783384072012-09-28T09:19:00.000-07:002012-09-28T09:19:17.241-07:00Fall Meeting 2012<br />
Dear Stewards,<br />
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This is the time with fall upon us to start thinking about reporting on our conservation areas. Many of the areas were visited by the summer work crew, please comment on their work. And most important, of course, list what remain as issues. This is an ongoing, dynamic process and your input is essential. The <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/bedfordlandstewards/forms/bedford-land-stewards-field-report.rtf?attredirects=0&d=1">field report form is available here</a>.<br />
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The meeting is planned for MONDAY, Oct. 22nd at 7:30pm, at the Town Hall. Monday is a change from the usual Thursday because Elizabeth cannot meet on any Thursday in October.<br />
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Look forward to receiving your reports any time now before the meeting. Thanks for your ever-going efforts.<br />
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Yan Thomas, Head Steward<br />
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Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-74508452319863297402012-05-14T20:15:00.000-07:002012-05-14T20:20:48.986-07:00Post Spring Meeting Notes - 2012Discussion of the issue of dumping that continues at several conservation areas. Photographs and exact locations are to go to Elizabeth for follow-up of various options.<br />
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The interdependent relationship between the Steward Group and the Trails Committee was emphasized by Yan. As head steward she attends the monthly meetings of the Tails Committee and shares the relevant field report items on which you report. Yan provided a copy of the Trails Committee 2011 Annual Report that lists the prior year’s accomplishments (includes installation of bog bridges and posts, brushing trails, and much more) and the present year’s plans, which the Trails Committee is required to publish in advance. You can see by this how important the input of the conservation land stewards plays in caring for Bedford’s 25+ conservation areas.<br />
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Please volunteer to lead an informal trail walk in your area on a first Saturday morning of any month. The monthly trail walk is a program run by the Trails Committee who will help you with the details.
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We are missing field reports on Huckins Farm Trails, Shawsheen River, and Webber/Vanderhoof. These are needed to efficiently plan the work of the summer crew this year and for the planning by the Trails Committee. Thank you.<br />
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Website manager Peter Desjardins said several of you tried unsuccessfully to send email to the stewards' email list (bedford-land-stewards@googlegroups.com). The stewards' email list is for announcements only; members cannot post messages. The list is configured that way to minimize the number of messages that members receive. All field reports should be sent directly to Elizabeth and Yan. Any photos are very much welcomed on the website. Continually, announcements regarding steward affairs are on the site to view. Send photos or communication to the website to: bedfordlandstewards@gmail.com.<br />
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You may be receiving a form requesting your impressions of your area to help with the descriptions in the development of a new Bedford Trails Guide booklet of the conservation areas. This is under the guidance of Peter Desjardins for the Trails Committee. Please help the writers of this guide with your personal highlights. You won’t be quoted!<br />
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Elizabeth announced there’s added acreage to the Clark Conservation Area off Davis Rd. This extension will mean a varied habitat of trees and a brook added to that part of the field.<br />
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A special event is planned for the Bedford portion of the Concord River for the celebration known as Riverfest on June 23, 24. Stewards Dan Hurwitz will lead the boats paddling from the Town launching area on Rt. 225 to the Two Brothers Rocks and Yan Thomas will lead a trail walk from Old Causeway Rd. off Rt. 225 to the Two Brothers Rocks through the Harvard and Huckins Farm trail system. The Historic Preservation Commission will elaborate on the history of the area at the “rocks.” All sizes welcome.<br />
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The plan is to have a summer work crew program, and if secured Elizabeth may need to be in touch with you about your area.<br />
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Sign and return a town waiver form to Elizabeth if you plan to do any kind of work in your area. As a land steward you may want to sign this form anyway to be covered.Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-21385819086700778012012-04-22T20:06:00.002-07:002012-04-22T20:16:36.831-07:00Riverfest 2012<div>Elizabeth Bagdonas, the Town of Bedford Conservation Office Administrator, sent us this message about the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers Riverfest event:</div><hr /><div>Carla Gomez of the Organization for the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Rivers is coordinating this year's Riverfest activities throughout the watershed and Bedford is an important part of it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 23rd an 24th and Carla hopes that Bedford will offer an activity to be included in the Riverfest brochure. In the past, Bedford has run a trail walk and coordinated boat trip to Two Brothers Rocks from the Concord River Boat Landing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Boaters bring their own boats and are led by Bedford boaters. Walkers either meet at the boat landing or on Old Causeway Road and walk with a Bedford guide over the West Bedford Trail to Two Brothers Rocks. We in Bedford could have someone present from the Historic Preservation Committee to give the history, and/or someone to describe Bedford’s contributions to open space preservation in the area.</div><hr /><div>Please let <a href="mailto://elizabethb@bedfordma.gov">Elizabeth Bagdonas</a> know if you are interested in this event and can contribute.</div><div><br /></div>Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-22223884413054008832012-04-22T19:48:00.005-07:002012-04-26T09:26:12.952-07:00Agenda for the Spring 2012 MeetingBedford Conservation Land Stewards<div><br /></div><div>Spring Meeting April 26, 2012</div><div><br /><hr /><br /></div><div>Conservation Areas & Stewards Roster Updates (Yan & Elizabeth)<br /><br />Trails Guide in Progress –Input from Stewards form (steward Peter Desjardins)<br /><br />Conservation Commission – (Elizabeth)<br /><br />“Riverfest” Planning – Bedford sector June 23, 24<br /><br />Downed Tree List<br /><br />Volunteer Waiver Forms<br /><br />Trails Committee update – Map boxes + (Yan, steward rep)<br /><br />Website Update (Peter Desjardins, mgr)<br /><br />Field Reports – Highlights & Issues</div>Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-85801008910057330972012-03-20T08:08:00.003-07:002012-03-20T08:13:07.784-07:00Spring 2012 Meeting<div><span>The 2012 spring meeting of the Bedford conservation land stewards is scheduled for Thursday, April 26th. We will meet in the upper conference room of the Bedford town hall at 7:30 p.m.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Please submit a field report for your conservation area before the meeting. Complete the form that is available <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/bedfordlandstewards/forms/bedford-land-stewards-field-report.rtf">here</a> and send it by email to both Yan Thomas and Elizabeth Bagdonas. Their email addresses are provided on the field report form.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>The stewards are heavily relied upon to update the conditions and needs of our town’s conservation areas. We're looking forward to hearing from you.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Please send any agenda items for the meeting to <a href="mailto://schoolmastery@comcast.net">Yan Thomas</a>, head land steward. Thank you!</span></div>Bedford Land Stewardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09986766540598786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-22147259032378476992012-01-28T21:04:00.000-08:002012-01-28T21:09:20.614-08:00Christmas Bird Count ResultsFrank Gardner shared results from the Concord Christmas Bird Count. The area encompassed by the count includes sections of Bedford.<br /><br />In Frank's words:<br /><br />We had a good outing for the Concord Christmas Bird Count - Bedford Sector.<br /> <br />Dale & Janice Landis, Barbara Centola, Rob Dobson, Andy Clerkin, and I were all able to participate. We had a total of 29 species and 509 individual birds tallied for the day. Highlights for Bedford included new all-time highs of 30 mallards (thanks to all the open water), 18 downy woodpeckers, 3 northern flickers, and 27 white-breasted nuthatches. We also added one new first-time species for the Bedford Sector - 2 swamp sparrows! The really exciting thing about this species is that it was seen in the restored wetland area behind the Pulte development (Hartwell Farms) off of Hartwell Road. As recently as last year this area was part of an old abandoned parking lot and now it is a nice-looking wetland!Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-54944705625677343432012-01-09T20:46:00.000-08:002012-01-09T20:51:51.717-08:00Trail Walks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfIiRuvSNu2Pziw19Rhz4lieysQ0tP0XurPDr8o5xpT3quSmDgI91GR5EhMqO8r0m8YiOtBEvU_3WnvY8Qw5bHvr0gRfb4cyfwdkZRhDmjGldM-Ecc6qIf8Qc50ZHpaJuItZb1cUBxAc/s1600/trail-walk-photo.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfIiRuvSNu2Pziw19Rhz4lieysQ0tP0XurPDr8o5xpT3quSmDgI91GR5EhMqO8r0m8YiOtBEvU_3WnvY8Qw5bHvr0gRfb4cyfwdkZRhDmjGldM-Ecc6qIf8Qc50ZHpaJuItZb1cUBxAc/s320/trail-walk-photo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695861176724445410" /></a><br />Stewards Dan Hurwitz and Yan Thomas (taking photo), Paul Marcus (Trails Committee), Arthur Hildreth, Linda Kovitch, and Ron & Carol Reynolds went on a very pleasant Saturday trail walk (Jan 7th) to the Altmann conservation area and the Brothers Rocks (pictured). Every month on the first Saturday meet behind the library at 9:45 am rain or shine to walk one of Bedford's conservation areas. Sponsored by the Trails Committee.Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-58306477741929152252011-12-22T07:18:00.000-08:002011-12-22T07:36:25.385-08:00Audubon Society Christmas Bird CountThe Concord Christmas Bird Count will be January 2, 2012. This event is a part of the National Audubon Society <a href="http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count">Christmas Bird Count</a> and its survey area includes parts of southwestern Bedford.<br /><br />The Concord Christmas Bird Count group is looking for field observers to go out and count birds in some of the Bedford open spaces such as Clark, Little Meadow, and the open space along the bike path between Hartwell Rd and the Concord line. In addition to the field observers, feeder watchers keep an eye on the birds that come to their feeders/yards that day.<br /> <br />The National Audubon Society charges $5 for each field observer. All participants under the age of 18 and feederwatchers are free.<br /><br />Please contact Frank Gardner by email at <a href="mailto://frg444@gmail.com"> <br />frg444@gmail.com</a> before Christmas (if possible) to participate.Peter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919826066804649643.post-58897410689102853352011-11-17T20:25:00.000-08:002011-11-17T20:28:00.882-08:00Brown Creeper Sighting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Certhia-americana-001.jpg/284px-Certhia-americana-001.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 598px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Certhia-americana-001.jpg/284px-Certhia-americana-001.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />If you see a very small brown bird (white throat, breast) creeping up a tree you are probably looking at a Brown Creeper. Spotted one on Nov 4, 5, 16 & 17 to date creeping up, always up, oak tree trunks near my bird feeders off Dudley Rd. <br /><br />Yan ThomasPeter Desjardinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12292592675501199533noreply@blogger.com0