Mark your calendars for the Ninth Annual Monarch Blitz on July 25 – August 3 to support Monarch butterfly conservation. The Monarch Blitz invites people across North and Central America to go outdoors and share their sightings of Monarch butterflies, eggs, caterpillars. chrysalids, and milkweed plants. These observations help researchers identify and prioritize actions to better conserve our emblematic Monarch butterfly. Visit MonarchBlitz.org for more information.
Join the Native Land Conservancy for a land care event at Tall Pines, now called Qâqunôhqus8ee K8âut in Centerville, Massachusetts on Wednesday, July 16 from 9 am – noon. We will be doing general clean up and trail maintenance. We are starting early and ending before lunch to avoid the heat of the day. Bring your sunscreen, bug spray, and hand tools if you have them. NLC will provide light refreshments, tools, and supplies. Meet at the Cape Cod Chamber parking lot, 5 Patti Page Way in Centerville. Register to join at bit.ly/NLCPines
Mayor Michelle Wu has announced the Annual Mayor’s Garden Contest highlighting the hard work of Boston’s urban gardeners. The competition provides the perfect opportunity to recognize the skills of all Boston residents who contribute to the beauty of the city’s landscape.
Boston’s green thumbs have until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9 to submit their gardens for award contention. The contest recognizes gardeners who have landscaped, planted flowers, trees, shrubs, and, in the process, helped beautify Boston’s neighborhoods.
Gardeners or those nominating their favorite gardeners may find printable and online nomination forms HERE. The preferred method of entry is to submit photos through the online application. Alternatively, contestants may request an application by emailing their name and address to gardencontest@boston.gov. Paper applications are also available in English and ten additional languages.
Judges will fan out across the city visiting finalists in late July. Once the votes are tallied, first place winners will receive the coveted “Golden Trowel” award from Mayor Wu while second and third place winners will be awarded certificates. The traditional awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in the Boston Public Garden in late August
Gardeners who have won three or more times in the last ten years will be automatically entered into the Hall of Fame. These distinguished Hall-of-Famers are not eligible to enter as contestants but are invited to return as judges.
First place winners are eligible for a drawing for a JetBlue Grand Prize consisting of round trip flights for two to any nonstop destination from Boston. Terms, conditions, and blackout dates apply. In addition, Mahoney’s Garden Centers will provide gardener’s gift bags to the top three winners in each category, as well as gift certificates for the 2025 Hall of Fame winners.
For details and to enter the contest, visit the website.
Calling local photographers of all ages. Submit original photographs of the Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens for a chance to have your work featured at the Plymouth Public Library, win prizes courtesy of the Massachusetts Audubon Society and the South East Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance, and contribute to the documentation and conservation of our pine barrens. Submit Photos Online at https://bit.ly/4l9nctj. For more information see: THE CALL FOR PHOTOS—Locally-Found, Globally-Rare—Your Photographs of the Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens.
Tim Johnson, CEO of the Native Plant Trust, has issued a statement and call to action on a proposal from the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, both institutions “under new management”, set forth below. Clicking on to to the Share Your Comments link brings you to the Federal Register site, and comments need not be lengthy or complicated, but the more people adding their objections to the bill, the better. Comments close on May 19, so take a moment now to support the environment:
| In April, the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service announced their intention to weaken the power of the Endangered Species Act by no longer recognizing the harmful effects of changing or destroying the habitat of endangered species. Those of us in the conservation community fear that such a change will mean that federal regulators will ignore the impact of habitat loss–the number one cause of species extinction–when considering mining, logging, and development on ecologically sensitive lands. The Endangered Species Act was voted into law by Congress in 1973. It is designed to protect and conserve endangered and threatened species and their habitats so that these species can be spared from extinction. To state the obvious, a species cannot survive without its habitat. A forest cannot survive in a parking lot. Fish cannot survive in a drained pond. This change to the Endangered Species Act would be catastrophic for endangered species everywhere. Excluding damage to habitat when considering the impact of human activities on endangered species unravels the very fabric of the law and its intent. At present, there are 944 species, varieties, and subspecies of plants on the endangered species list, including the globally rare Astragalus robbinsii var. jesupii (Jesup’s milk vetch) a species Native Plant Trust has worked hard to protect from climate change-induced habitat loss and flooding through seed banking, reintroduction, and invasive species control for more than 20 years. Without the habitat protection afforded this species through the Endangered Species Act, the habitat this species occupies could be destroyed. Without that habitat, Jesup’s milk vetch will go extinct in the wild. The same goes for hundreds of other species. Your voice matters. I ask you to use it now on behalf of endangered species across the country. Sharing your opinion about this proposed change before the public comment period ends on May 19. Tell those in power that biodiversity matters to you and that you are paying attention to the plight of endangered and threatened plants and animals. |
| Share Your Comments |
If you are one of the Native Land Conservancy’s Western Massachusetts neighbors or expect to be in the area, you may want to save the date for these events in Leverett in May. We are excited about getting to meet our new neighbors there and to care for the 53.7 acre parcel off of Montague Road that was donated to NLC in December. The land now called Nepesoneag ascends Brush Mountain, is bisected by Doolittle Brook and abuts more than 2800 acres of conservation land. For more information visit https://www.nativelandconservancy.org/
World Migratory Bird Day is a special day to celebrate these incredible birds and help protect them. World Migratory Bird Day is officially celebrated on the second Saturday of May in Canada and the US, and the second Saturday of October in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. However, every day is Bird Day, and you can celebrate birds and host events any day of the year! This year, we’re focusing on making our cities, villages, towns, and communities, from rural to urban, more bird-friendly. In 2025, WMBD will raise awareness about the many challenges migratory birds face due to human activities and expanding urban development. The campaign will advocate for strategic urban planning and conservation efforts that incorporate bird-friendly practices, making sure that our communities become havens for these remarkable travelers. The 2025 theme encourages action from all sectors, including national and local governments, businesses, community groups, and individuals worldwide. he 2025 poster, illustrated by Annamaria Savarino Drago of Mexico, features birds that depend on safe spaces. Look closely in the image to find the ways that you can create bird-friendly cities and communities.
What does “bird-friendly” mean? “Bird-friendly” means making our environment safe and welcoming for birds. We can do this by planting native plants, providing clean water, and avoiding the use of harmful chemicals. By creating and protecting shared spaces, we can help birds on their long journeys and make our communities more beautiful and healthy. Throughout the year, we will explore the many actions communities can take to make their spaces more bird-friendly. For more information visit https://worldmigratorybirdday.org
A Vernal Pool BioBlitz at Webster Conservation Area will take place Sunday, April 6 from 10 – noon. The area to be covered is the trail head to Webster Conservation Area on West Side of Hammond Pond Parkway, 450 Hammond Pond Parkway, in Newton .
These BioBlitz events are part of a larger effort by Newton Conservators to document and raise awareness about the great diversity of plants and animals that inhabit Newton’s open spaces. At the beginning of the event, we will give a brief tutorial on the iNaturalist app, which we use to document species and as an identification aid. Download this free app ahead of time if you want to use it yourself.
Vernal pools are small wetlands that are important habitats for a great diversity of amphibians, aquatic insects, and other invertebrates. Join us as we explore vernal pools in Webster Woods/Hammond Pond Reservation and document what we see in iNaturalist. Bring calf boots if you have them, but waterproof boots will not be needed. We may encounter frog or salamander eggs and might hear calling spring peepers or American toads. We will also look at a variety of vernal pool invertebrates under magnification.
Meet at Hammond Pond Parkway trailhead just south of the MBTA tracks on the west side (parking available along the west side of the road).
Trip leader: Jonathan Regosin, a Director at Newton Conservators and Technical Advisor and Consulting Biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife.
For questions, email jonathan.regosin@gmail.com
Registration is optional but recommended, so we can send you scheduling changes, directions or advice (such as about trail hazards) before the event and educational resources after it. Please register at:
https://newtonconservators.org/…/vernal-pool-bioblitz-2
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy invites you to join them for this year’s Muddy River Cleanup on Saturday, April 26. The cleanup will take place at multiple locations: Charlesgate Park, Back Bay Fens, Riverway, Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, and two sites at Franklin Park. All volunteers will be required to wear a face covering and practice social distancing during the event. We advise that volunteers who feel ill within 72 hours of the event do not participate. All volunteers will be required to sign a COVID-19 volunteer waiver, along with our standard volunteer waiver, in order to participate.
The Muddy River Cleanup is a part of the Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup; this event takes place throughout the Charles River Watershed and builds on a national effort as part of American Rivers’ National River Cleanup® which, to date, has removed over 25 million pounds of trash from America’s waterways. From 2016 to 2019, the Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup was recognized by American Rivers for the Most Pounds of Trash Collected and Most Volunteers Mobilized.
The Charles River Cleanup brings together over 3,000 volunteers each year to pick up litter, remove invasive species and assist with park maintenance along all 80 miles of the Charles River. Residents are drawn to the popular Charles River Cleanup from a desire to give back to their community while enjoying the beauty and wildlife along the river. Volunteers hold onto the connections they establish during this day of stewardship by returning to the Charles to exercise, play and enjoy nature throughout the year. Register for this year’s cleanup at emeraldnecklace.org
Celebrate the businesses, community groups, and individuals taking innovative action to support Boston’s decarbonization, energy transformation, resilience, and waste reduction. Learn more and submit nominations at https://boston.gov/climate-awards/
