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Category Archives: Blog
Naturalist’s Corner – Winter Tree ID
Posted January 29, 2020 When identifying trees, looking at the leaves is typically the first step; however, this is much more difficult in the winter since most trees have lost their leaves. To identify trees in winter, the shape of the tree, bark, and buds, from which new leaves emerge, are used. American beech trees… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Animals Prepare For Winter!
Posted January 23, 2020 Before the harsh conditions of winter set in, animals prepare in a variety of ways. Some animals, like warblers, migrate to places that are warmer and have food more readily available. Whales migrate to warmer areas in winter to breed and give birth, and they return to colder waters in the… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Snow!
Posted January 15, 2020 In New England, winter marks the time for plenty of snowstorms. Snow is formed when water freezes in the atmosphere. Each snowflake has a unique shape based on how the ice crystals form, but they are typically six-sided, symmetrical, and range in size from two to 200 ice crystals. If you… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Cardinals!
Posted January 8, 2020 The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a songbird that lives in most of the United States. They typically live in evergreen trees and thick bushes, which is where they establish their territory, or the area that they live in year round. Since northern cardinals stay in their territories, they do not… Continue Reading
Property Spotlight – Agawam River Trail
Posted January 3, 2020 Did you know that beautiful scenic views do not disappear in the winter? Even though the leaves have fallen and many plants have wilted, there is still much to enjoy at the Agawam River Trail on Knowles Avenue in East Wareham! With no foliage to block the view, the Agawam River… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Eastern Chipmunks!
Posted January 1, 2020 The eastern chipmunk is a type of ground squirrel, which means they build their nests on the ground instead of in trees. Eastern chipmunks typically have dark brown fur with lighter stripes down their backs, but the coloration and pattern on their fur can vary depending on the region in… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Evergreens!
Posted December 25, 2019 For some people, the holiday season includes baking, shopping, spending time with family, and putting up a decorative tree. Have you ever wondered where those trees come from or wanted to know more about them? Eastern white pine trees (Pinus strobus) are very tall conifers (up to 150 feet) that produce… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Deer!
Posted December 18, 2019 White-tailed deer are one of the most abundant of the five deer species in North America. They have a widespread distribution; they are found in woodland areas in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Deer typically forage at dusk and dawn, and they are strictly herbivores, meaning they only eat… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Winter Plants!
Posted December 11, 2019 Looking for some ornamental plants to spruce up your winter garden or decorate your home for the winter season? Here are some things you should know about those popular glossy green plants with reddish fruits. Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a woody vine that is native to Japan, China, and… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Gray Squirrels!
Posted December 4, 2019 Gray squirrels are among the most common species of squirrel in North America. They are diurnal mammals, meaning they search for food during the day and sleep at night. Gray squirrels live in nests called dreys, which are typically made up of twigs, leaves, grass, and bark. During the winter… Continue Reading
Property Spotlight – Douglas S. Westgate Conservation Area
Posted December 1, 2019 Looking for a hike that incorporates riverside habitats, woodland areas, and retired cranberry bogs? Douglas S. Westgate Conservation Area on Papermill Road in West Wareham is a great place to explore! Named after Wareham Conservation Commission member Doug Westgate, the property offers scenic views of natural and human-made landscapes, including remnants… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Native American Heritage Month!
Posted November 27, 2019 Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find your own food and use natural resources to make everyday items? For thousands of years, the Wampanoag people in this region did just that. During the winter months, the Wampanoag people lived further inland to avoid the harsh coastal weather.… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Snowy Owls!
Posted November 20, 2019 Snowy owls are birds with mostly white feathers, though they have a black bar pattern. They live in the Arctic regions in North America, Europe, and Asia. Snowy owls are an irruptive migratory species, which means that they migrate when there is a change in resources in their normal range.… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Wampanoag Language!
Posted November 13, 2019 We have incorporated terms used by Wampanoag people into our current language. “Wampanoag” is defined as “People of the Dawn,” which alludes to how living on the eastern coast made them the first people to see the sun rise every morning. Wareham’s native name is “Nepinnae Kekit”, which translates to “summer… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Turkeys!
Posted November 6, 2019 GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE! Did you hear that? That was the sound of a wild male turkey asserting his dominance and warning other turkeys to stay away from his territory. Wild turkeys are native to North and Central America, and some have been domesticated to be raised on farms for food around… Continue Reading
Property Spotlight – Tweedy and Barnes
Posted November 2, 2019 Hoping to combine history and nature on your hike? Tweedy and Barnes on Blackmore Pond Road in West Wareham is the place for you! Named after the Tweedy and Barnes Cranberry Company that once stood on the property, the trails follow where railroad tracks once ran. The preserve includes pines, hardwood… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Bats!
Posted October 31, 2019 Some people dislike bats or think they are scary, but these flying mammals are just misunderstood. Bats are helpful creatures that eat disease-carrying mosquitoes and crop-destroying grasshoppers and beetles. Little brown bats can eat around 150 mosquitoes in just 15 minutes! They also help to pollinate plants such as peaches,… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Hurricanes!
Posted October 25, 2019 Did you know that the hurricane season lasts for most of the fall season? For the eastern U.S., hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, but storms can occur outside of this time period as well. Hurricanes develop in warm, tropical regions. The eye of a hurricane is… Continue Reading
October 2019 Trail Work Day
Posted October 24, 2019 October Volunteer Trail Work Day at Tweedy and Barnes We had a great turnout of members for our October Volunteer Trail Work Day today at Tweedy and Barnes! The surprisingly nice weather made it a perfect day for trail work, but with the all fall rainstorms we’ve been having this month,… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Fall Foliage!
Posted October 21, 2019 Ever wonder why leaves change color in the fall? Plants have a green coloration because they contain a pigment called chlorophyll. Leaves have a large amount of chlorophyll to capture light energy that can be converted and used to produce the energy necessary for the plant to survive, a process called… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Apples!
Posted October 11, 2019 Farmers work very hard to ensure that the trees in the apple orchard have enough space to grow, good drainage from a gentle slope on the land, and a climate that will optimize growth. Apple picking is a great way to appreciate the work put into the crops by farmers and… Continue Reading
Naturalist’s Corner – Cranberries!
Posted October 7, 2019 In Wareham, and many surrounding towns in southeastern MA, fall signifies the time for cranberry harvests. First cultivated from a wild variety in the early 1800s, cranberries grow in wet, acidic soils on vines that make up the bogs. The harvest consists of a dry harvest by hand or with a… Continue Reading
Property Spotlight – Agawam River Trail
Posted October 2, 2019 Beautiful foliage, a riverside trail, and a kayak launch all in one place? Must be the Agawam River Trail on Knowles Avenue in East Wareham! This trail is a wonderful place for bird watching and appreciating the simplicity of the forest, all while catching a glimpse of the Agawam River through… Continue Reading
Property Spotlight – North Water Street Beach
Posted September 21, 2019 Trying to hold onto the last few days of warmth? Looking for a place to catch a glimpse of an osprey before they migrate for the winter? Want a small place to introduce your kids to the wonders of the ocean? Just searching for somewhere to get away from the stresses… Continue Reading
Tick and Mosquito Talk – September 18, 2019
On September 18th, Plymouth County Entomologist Blake Dinius gave a talk at the Wareham Town Hall about ticks and mosquitoes. If you were unable to attend, Wareham Community Television recorded the presentation. It can be viewed here. The Wareham Land Trust would like to thank Blake, the Town of Wareham, the Wareham Board of Health,… Continue Reading
Wheeler Kayak Series: June 27, 2019 Agawam River
Join the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Wareham Land Trust as we honor longtime supporter, lifelong educator, and environmental advocate Richard Wheeler with a series of free kayak explorations across Wareham. In the first event of this series, join us for an opportunity to explore the landscape and ecology of the Agawam River. We will be setting off from Whitlock’s Landing (150 Glen… Continue Reading
3/30/19 March Volunteer Trail Work Day
Join us on March 30th from 10am-noon at Marks Cove for a volunteer work day. We will be working to clear debris on the trail systems that cover the patchwork of properties there protected by the Wareham Land Trust, Buzzards Bay Coalition, and Wildlands Trust to get ready for the Spring season! We will be… Continue Reading
Bluebird Birdhouse Building Workshop – 2/16/19
Last weekend the Wareham Land Trust hosted a birdhouse building workshop at the Wareham Free Library. Advisory Board Member Tom Kinksky led the workshop which resulted in the completion of over 25 new birdhouses that can now be used as nesting cavities, especially for bluebirds! More about this workshop can be found in the Wareham… Continue Reading
Stakeholder Notification/Public Notice
Stakeholder Notification/Public Notice The Wareham Land Trust, Inc. is pleased to announce it is applying for renewal of accreditation. A public comment period is now open. The Land Trust Accreditation Program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an… Continue Reading
ChalkFest 2018! Onset, Saturday August 25th
We’ll be at the Onset Bay Association’s annual chalk-full-o’-fun street festival! And we’ll have a prize for the best representation of Wareham’s natural beauty. $5 entry gives you a spot of pavement and chalk to create your masterpiece. Saturday, August 25th, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm. Continue Reading
Ode to a Towhee: Passerine Kerfluffle
On April 19 I heard his familiar “chewink” for the first time this spring. Towhee was back for the season! We live on a woodland edge in the midst of a ravel of understory blueberry, bayberry, huckleberry, checkerberry, green briar, poison ivy and more—a thicket of trouble for us humans but towhee’s natural, sought-after habitat. … Continue Reading
Stoney Brook Conservation Project – 600 Main Street
At Wareham’s spring 2018 Town Meeting, voters will be asked to support the Wareham Land Trust’s latest conservation proposal: purchasing 6.63 acres of undeveloped woodland and wetland habitat straddling Stoney Run. Please vote “YES” on this CPC Warrant Article #7 and on #5 which returns $89,197 to CPC from a previous project. Thank you! UPDATE:… Continue Reading
Fearing Hill Conservation Area – Trail Work
Thanks to WLT’s Nancy McHale, Kathy Pappalardo, Mack Phinney, Len Boutin, and Michelle Krauser; Wareham’s Conservation Agent Dave Pichette; and seven service members from the U.S. Coast Guard for helping on a recent sunny March Saturday with this ongoing trail work. The WLT holds the Conservation Restriction on the property. Continue Reading
Stoney Run Property News
One of the basic principles in scouting is to be good stewards of the land. The Narragansett Boy Scout Council, which covers parts of Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts, has lived up to this doctrine. This past year the Council has worked diligently with several land trusts to place some of their surplus properties into… Continue Reading
2017-2018 Winter Walks with the BBC and WLT
Does winter weather get you feeling down? Do you miss spending time outside? No need to wait for spring to get outdoors and enjoy the natural world around you! I always say there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing choices. So bundle up and take a walk! Programs run the 2nd… Continue Reading
#GivingTuesday
It’s the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the beginning of many holiday celebrations for Wareham residents. The Wareham Land Trust family extends our warmest wishes to our members. We don’t often talk about fundraising here on the blog, but next Tuesday is called “Giving Tuesday” and I think it is a good time to sing our… Continue Reading
10 (not so) Spooky Species of Wareham’s Woods and Waters
Bats, spiders, toads, vultures — many animals suffer from a creepy reputation as Halloween rolls around every year. But in fact, lots of our local species in Wareham that may seem spooky are actually essential and exciting members of our environment. Learn more about these 10 not-so-spooky species and appreciate them the next time… Continue Reading
10/22/17 Trail Walk with our Neighboring Conservation Partners
We have wanted to join together with our neighbors for some time now. We’re all family in spirit, after all, with a shared vision of working together to promote land conservation. At one of our recent monthly Outreach meetings, WLT volunteers were joined by Jim Bride of the Sippican Lands Trust and Halima Tiffany from… Continue Reading
Board of Directors 2017-2018
At the September monthly Board meeting, the annual election of Officers and Directors was held. Susan McCombe was elected as the new President. Thank you, Sue, for all your hard work and accepting this new and exciting challenge! We are all VERY grateful for the hard work, talent, commitment, and thoughtful planning and organizing skills… Continue Reading
Community Preservation Coalition Success Stories
It’s always nice to be noticed. The Community Preservation Coalition, the catalyst behind the state’s Community Preservation Act campaign, which WLT founders and members enthusiastically support, is recognizing our most recent collaborative effort in their “Success Stories” category. The project, protecting and preserving 8 acres of land along the Weweantic River as well as providing… Continue Reading
Summer Weekend with the WLT
What a wonderful weekend for volunteers and members of the Wareham Land Trust to enjoy what we all love most–our beautiful, natural spaces. The stewardship volunteers were hard at work helping with property maintenance at both the Agawam River Trail and Whitlock’s Landing. Like to kayak? Be sure to check out both for easy launches! … Continue Reading
DIY Hummingbird Nectar
Hummingbirds may be some of the smallest birds in the world, but they’re also among the most active. Flapping their wings at up to 90 beats per second, these tiny iridescent birds build up quite the appetite. According to Audubon, hummingbirds consume half their body weight in bugs and nectar each day, feeding every 10-15… Continue Reading
Ospreys – Get the Facts!
Photo credit: Dan McHale Ospreys can be long term residents to long-distance migrants. Most ospreys that breed in North America spend their winters in Central and South America. Their migration routes follow broad swaths of the eastern, interior, and western U.S. A few overwinter in the southernmost United States,… Continue Reading
2017 STEAM Night – Decas School
We are proud and happy to once again be participating in STEAM (Science/Technology/Arts/Math) night, this coming Wednesday, April 12th, at the Decas school from 6:00-7:00 pm. Designed to encourage students’ interest and interaction with sciences and art, STEAM nights are perfect opportunities to expose young people to the wonders of nature. Here are some photos… Continue Reading
Wednesday Walkabouts – What We Witnessed
The history of Wareham was brought to life this March during a series of four walking tours through local conservation properties. Ben Hyland, Youth Education Coordinator for the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Wareham Land Trust, led the walks each Wednesday morning focusing on the natural, industrial, and native history of each property. These events… Continue Reading
March 2017 Wednesday Walkabouts
Have you ever wondered about the stories our quiet rivers and sandy soils could tell? Join the Wareham Land Trust and Buzzards Bay Coalition for a series of Wednesday morning walks that will immerse you in the history of four conservation properties in Wareham. During these hour and a half long tours, you’ll enjoy some… Continue Reading
Dining for a Cause! March 2017 Fundraiser
Have any dinner plans on Tuesday, March 7th? We’re hoping you can help the Wareham Land Trust by dining at our local 99 restaurant that night. Print off the coupon below (important!: you MUST have it with you in order for us to benefit) and give it to your server. 15% of your bill will… Continue Reading
Romantic Walks in Wareham
Maybe you love to celebrate Valentine’s day with rose petals and champagne, or maybe you’re just in it for the half-off candy the day after. Either way, this romantic occasion is a wonderful time to take a quiet walk through nature with the one you love, whether that be a pet, a significant other, or… Continue Reading
6 Tips to Mindful Walks and 2017 Mindfulness Walks
A mindful walking practice can bring you closer to your body and nature. Here are 6 tips to get you started on your journey. Mindful walking is an active form of meditation that brings you closer to your body and nature while strengthening your concentration and connecting you to the present moment. This fall… Continue Reading
Winter Wonderland by Michaella Sheridan
Winter is full of wonders, like ‘I wonder how I can enjoy the outdoors when it’s so cold and snowy out!’ Sure, the brief daylight hours, freezing temperatures, and seemingly lifeless landscapes can appear uninviting to the casual explorer, but the bare trees, snowy ground, and dark, crisp nights afford us unique and exciting ways… Continue Reading
2016 Tweedy and Barnes Educational Trail Sign Installation
Ben Hyland and Michaella Sheridan of MASSLift AmeriCorps recently completed a project started last year by Sarah Gossett. Educational signage about Wareham’s history – “from the ice age to today” – is now displayed throughout a looping trail on the Tweedy and Barnes property. Here is a great video of their time spent installing the… Continue Reading
Wareham Land Trust–Community Connections
As the Youth Education Coordinator serving the Wareham Land Trust and the Buzzards Bay Coalition, connecting with local youth is a major goal of my service year. One way I have been achieving that goal is through Wareham CARE, a ‘Beyond School Time’ program that takes place at three local schools. I, along with another… Continue Reading
Nip it in the Bud
Nips (miniature liquor bottles) are small, but they’ve been creating a big problem at Wareham Land Trust’s Tweedy and Barnes Conservation Area in West Wareham. Tom Kinsky, the volunteer land steward for this property, has collected close to 700 Disaronno nips there since last December. The tiny glass bottles are found by the dozens… Continue Reading
AmeriCorps/MassLIFT Members Join WLT
We are once again very fortunate to be sharing the talents and time of two AmeriCorps/MassLIFT workers with the Buzzards Bay Coalition. For a service year, running now through next August, Ben Hyland and Michaella Sheridan will be participating in our ongoing efforts to bring conservation-related news and local activities to residents of Wareham. Ben’s… Continue Reading
Kayaking on the Agawam River
Wareham Land Trust Board members Nancy McHale and Kathy Pappalardo took a late summer kayaking trip with Nancy’s brother Dan. He provided these stunning photos for us and we’re so grateful and happy to share them! They launched from our Agawam River Trail property at the end of Knowles Avenue (see the property page for… Continue Reading
“What Do You Like About Nature?”
I was helping on a school program yesterday. When I say “school program” I mean that we went into a public school and took the students on a small field trip into their own schoolyards, helping them explore the nature right outside their door. As we were walking into the woods, one of the students… Continue Reading
Our Cosmopolitan Neighbors
Spring often seems like a chain reaction—sort of like that joke: April showers bring May flowers, and what do Mayflowers bring? The first domino is the herring swimming upstream. The herring are swimming upstream to spawn, but they’re also a food source for other animals, so others follow: underwater, the striped bass feed on the… Continue Reading
April 2016 Itty-Bitty Bay Explorers is Back!
Get your little ones to discover the outdoors during Itty Bitty Bay Explorers, a series of four free outings on Wednesdays in April with the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Wareham Land Trust. Through fun games, stories, and hands-on activities, your whole family will learn about Buzzards Bay’s animals, plants, and habitats. To RSVP online,… Continue Reading
Local History and the Environment
by Kari Amick When you visit Wareham’s conservation areas, it’s hard not to stumble into the town’s history. Sometimes that’s literal: near the entrance to the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s Horseshoe Mill visitors can find slag, which is a byproduct of the iron manufacturing that used to occur there. At the Town of Wareham’s Douglas S.… Continue Reading
Links of Interest
I had a little time today to scan social media for articles of interest regarding conservation. It didn’t take long to find some! Here is a great overview of the recent federal legislation that passed, nearly doubling tax incentives for landowners to protect their property from development. The LTA (Land Trust Alliance) has provided an… Continue Reading
December – The Night Sky
by Kari Amick, Community Engagement Coordinator, MassLIFT-AmeriCorps The unseasonably warm weather lately means we have been spending a lot of time talking about whether it feels like winter; there’s not much of a chill in the air, there’s no snow on the ground or ice anywhere. But there is one winter thing to complain about:… Continue Reading
Introduction to Exploration
Meet Kari Amick (and her dog Jayber) Kari is our AmeriCorps/MassLift Community Engagement Coordinator. Each month she will be writing a blog post on a topic of her choosing. November: Introduction to Exploration The first time I get lost during my year with Wareham Land Trust, I am not in Wareham at all. I might… Continue Reading
On the Trail with Grade 3 by Tanya Creamer
Tanya Creamer is the MassLIFT AmeriCorps Service Learning Coordinator hosted by the Wareham Land Trust and Buzzards Bay Coalition during the 2015- 2016 service year. When I began my year of service with the Wareham Land Trust in September; I came into it with a wonderful familiarity of Wareham, the community of people who… Continue Reading
2015 Photography Contest
We are happy to announce the winners of our first photography contest. There were over 125 entries and all of the photographers did a beautiful job interpreting our two categories: Solitude and Serenity of Nature and People Enjoying the Land. An album of all prize winners and honorable mention photographs are posted on our Facebook… Continue Reading
Introduction to Outdoor Photography
Sunday, October 18th, 1:30 p.m. Westgate Conservation Area, Papermill Road. John Wiliszowski is a wonderful professional photography instructor and WLT Board member. He will lead this introduction to basic techniques that can be used to get the most from your camera when shooting nature. Special emphasis will be placed on techniques for photographing plants, landscapes,… Continue Reading
Hunting Seasons
A friendly reminder to walkers and other explorers enjoying the nature trails of Wareham: hunting seasons are varied and many begin this month. Please always remember to wear fluorescent orange when you are in the woods. And don’t forget to protect the dogs when they’re with you! Keep them safe with orange vests as well.… Continue Reading
Wareham Land Trust Photo Contest
Deadline: 31 October 2015 The Wareham Land Trust invites you to explore the outdoors and submit your digital photographs that capture the natural beauty of Wareham. Use this opportunity to discover our properties. Click on the Properties tab here on the website to view information about our conservation land. We encourage participation from photographers of… Continue Reading
Peace and Parcels at Mark’s Cove
It was the signage along Cromesett Rd in Wareham reading simply “Wildlife Sanctuary” that helped convince my husband and I to buy a small cottage at Mark’s Cove three years ago. “Somebody cares” I said, pleased to know that open space along the Cove was valued. The ritual of early Sunday morning walks through trails… Continue Reading
2015 Annual Membership Cruise
The rain kept quite a few of our members away from the annual membership cruise aboard the Viking this summer which resulted in more food and fun for the hearty souls who did attend! Here are some highlights of the meeting portion of the evening. As you can see, 2015 has been a very active… Continue Reading
Sarah Gossett
We simply can’t say enough about the work of Sarah Gossett, a Community Engagement Coordinator who has been working with the WLT for the past year as part of the MassLIFT AmeriCorps program. Every month, Sarah would come to our Board’s Outreach Committee meeting with a notebook full of program and project updates that she… Continue Reading
A Walk in the Woods
5.24.15: What a difference a month makes! This morning we loaded the dog in the truck and headed out to the Westgate Preserve. I was last there for a photo tour on April 18th and spring was just beginning to show herself. The informal goal of that morning was to find signs of the season… Continue Reading
2015 Membership Drive
Thanks to a generous donation from the Stifler Family Foundation, all new memberships from May-November, 2015 will be MATCHED dollar-for-dollar. Existing members can help us with this program as well. Any amount donated above your current membership level will ALSO be matched. Tell your friends and neighbors, help us grow, and thank you for your… Continue Reading
Sarah Gossett – Reflections on Wareham
Sarah is an AmeriCorps worker from Texas and began her year-long assignment with us in September, 2014. As of this writing, March 2015, I am halfway through my AmericaCorps service year working with the Wareham Land Trust and the Buzzards Bay Coalition. I serve as a Community Engagement Coordinator, connecting people to their outdoor environment.… Continue Reading
Wareham’s Green Necklace
Many of you may have heard the romantic terms “Emerald Necklace” or “Green Necklace” used to define continuous areas of green spaces plotted through an urban setting. These descriptive phrases came to mind recently at a land trust program led by Mack Phinney. The theme of the program was inviting nature into our own backyards.… Continue Reading
Our new website is live! See what’s new!
Welcome to the new online home of the Wareham Land Trust. Our goal is to provide an informative home base for members and guests where we will share our history, our stories, our news, and events. In addition to content updates, the site is easily viewable on a variety of devices and we now provide… Continue Reading
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