Boston Flora

Tag: Appalachian Mountain Club

  • John Judge Appointed New President and CEO of The Trustees

    The Board of Directors of The Trustees of Reservations  announced the appointment of John Judge as its fifth President and CEO.  Judge joins The Trustees following his role leading the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC).  The appointment follows an eight-month search.   

    As President and CEO,  Judge will oversee all aspects of management for the conservation and preservation organization, which protects and cares for over 120 properties for the public in perpetuity.  Judge will lead the organization by setting strategy, advancing programmatic goals, fostering environmental innovation, and supporting a culture of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Judge will also work closely with the Board Chair and Directors to develop and nurture The Trustees’ outstanding staff and ensure effective governance and leadership.  

    The Trustees now welcomes two million visitors annually, with its membership reaching over 100,000 households and an annual operating budget topping $40 million. During the pandemic, the organization has welcomed visitors with increased interest in being outdoors to enjoy safe, enjoyable experiences across its full range of properties: from woodlands, to farms, to museums, to historic sites and public gardens.   

    As President and CEO of the AMC for a decade, Judge’s leadership has been rooted in community-building, increasing access to and engagement with the outdoors for all people and tackling climate change. He has long-standing expertise in conservation policy, outdoor recreational infrastructure, nature system services, and climate resiliency. He has long focused on welcoming diverse and urban audiences, with a focus on creative partnerships.  

    Prior to the AMC, Judge was the Chief City Planning and Economic Development Officer for the City of Springfield. During this time, he oversaw redevelopment in Springfield including various commercial and industrial projects and the establishment of the University of Massachusetts Design Center.    For more information on Mr. Judge and new initiatives of The Trustees, visit www.thetrustees.org

  • Friday & Saturday, December 7 & 8, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – RootSkills Conference

    Wondering how to start a zero waste, living economy, or land & water project in your neighborhood? Exploring how to deepen and get to root causes in your food systems, energy or environmental health work? Have questions about fundraising or group governance? Are you looking to center equity in your community efforts?

    The goal of the RootSkills Conference, to be held in the Hogan Center at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester on December 7 & 8 is to create synergy among community organizers working towards environmental, social and economic justice. Workshop sessions highlight trends, best practices, and solutions-based tools by and for community organizers. A planning committee representing a broad range of lived experiences helps design the event and an open call for workshops sessions creates space for new leadership, new voices to work towards co-created learning objectives. The event is sponsored by the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund. There are 11 workshop tracks with a total 33 interactive sessions. Keynote speaker will be Kali Akuno, Co-­Founder and Co­-Director of Cooperation Jackson. He served as the Director of Special Projects and External Funding in the Mayoral Administration of the late Chokwe Lumumba of Jackson, MS. Kali is also an educator, writer, and an organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots movement.To register visit www.grassrootsfund.org. The conference is sponsored by the Appalachian Mountain Club, Barr Foundation, Food Solutions New England, Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare Foundation, Kennebunk Savings, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Patagonia, Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer PC, Revision Energy, Solidago Foundation, Tamarack, and The Fine Fund.

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  • Wednesday, February 11, 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Edible Native Plants for Your Landscape

    There’s an increasing inclination to utilize more native species in home landscaping and in parks and other conserved landscapes, thanks to books like Doug Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home, which extol the virtues of native plants over exotic ornamentals for attracting and sustaining beneficial insects. Yet, for some property owners/managers, this alone may be insufficient motivation to “go native”. Perhaps knowing that many native species are edible by people too will provide an additional incentive to plant native species. Juneberries (Amelanchier spp.), for example, are equally edible by songbirds and people. Picture below from www.blogs.cornell.edu. The taste of the ripe fruit is like a cross between cherries and almonds. Edible wild plants offer opportunities for people to connect to nature via their taste buds, thereby building their enthusiasm and public support for adding edible native plants to their home landscaping, as well as for conserving other lands that offer foraging opportunities. Adding native edible plants to a landscape can boost biodiversity as well as “spice it up” (literally as well as figuratively – i.e., we can have our acorn cake and eat it too). Learn about at least three dozen of the tastiest native species the Northeast U.S. region has to offer. Keys to the identification of each species are provided, along with edible portions, seasons of availability and preparation methods, along with guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging.

    Russ Cohen’s “day job” is serving as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration. He has spoken to The Garden Club of the Back Bay as well.  One of his areas of expertise is in riparian vegetation. He has compiled a list of native plant species suitable for planting in riparian areas; wrote nine fact sheets on the ecological and other beneficial functions of naturally vegetated buffers along rivers and streams, intended to aid the effective implementation of the Mass. Rivers Protection Act; and (in partnership with the Appalachian Mountain Club) prepared “Trees, Paddlers and Wildlife”, a set of outreach materials (YouTube video, brochure and PowerPoint presentation) intended to raise the awareness of paddlers, riparian land owners and managers, and others about the ecological and other beneficial values of retaining trees and other woody vegetation (living or dead) in and along rivers and streams. In his spare time, Cohen pursues his passion of connecting to nature via his taste buds. He is an expert forager and the author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, published in 2004 by the Essex County Greenbelt Association. Mr. Cohen has been teaching foraging since 1974 and leads foraging walks each year at a wide variety of venues throughout the Northeast. The Ecological Landscaping Alliance’s free webinar with Russ will take place Wednesday, February 11, from 7:30 – 8:30. See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-edible-native-plants-for-your-landscape/#sthash.yQGWH35b.dpuf

  • Saturday, June 8 – Sunday, June 9 – Alpine Garden Exploration: A Mountain in Bloom

    Join the Appalachian Mountain Club on June 8 – 9 and discover the world of tiny delicate flowers, hardy plants, and remarkable wildlife that survive in a harsh and unpredictable climate.  Package includes lodging, meals, instruction, transportation and a copy of AMC Field Guide to New England Alpine Summits.  Instruction only package is available.  For more information, contact Reservations (603-466-2727).  Call between 9 – 5, Monday through Saturday.  Or email amclodging@outdoors.org.  Rates start at $232/adult member, $290/adult nonmember, $161/youth member, and $169/youth nonmember.  The trip will be repeated June 13 – 14, June 20 – 21, and 22 – 23.

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  • Tuesday, July 27, 6:30 pm – Wild Harvest: Foraging Food from Fields and Forests

    Enjoy nature’s harvest without fussing with plant pots, grow lamps and watering. Join plant enthusiast and past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Russ Cohen for a workshop including how to identify, collect and prepare food from the wild.

    Did you know that New England is home to over 150 species of edible wild plants and dozens of species of edible mushrooms? What about the reported fact that many are more nutritious and flavorful than their cultivated counterparts? If this is news to you, then you must plan to join Slow Foods Boston and  The Appalachian Mountain Club at 4 Joy Street in Beacon Hill on Tuesday, July 27th at 6:30pm for a little enlightening.

    Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, will present a 90-minute slide show and question and answer period. He will cover over 70(!!) of the tastiest species the region has to offer. These range from plants you know well, like Daisies and Dandelions, to plants that you may never have even heard of, like Calamus and Carrion Flower.

    He’ll include information on about a dozen of the tastiest (and easiest to recognize) mushroom species, from Morels in the spring, Black Chanterelles (below) in the summer and Hen of the Woods mushrooms in the fall.

    Information covered will include identification tips, edible portions, seasons of availability and preparation methods, along with general guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. And just ‘cuz we’re special, Russ promises to bring along a foraged goodie or two to taste!

    Cost for the evening’s presentation is only $5, and pre-registration is appreciated at www.slowfoodboston.com. Many thanks to our co-hosts, the Appalachian Mountain Club Boston Chapter Young Members Committee.

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  • Saturday, May 22, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Wild Harvest: Foraging Food from Fields and Forests

    Enjoy nature’s harvest without fussing with plant pots, grow lamps and watering. Join plant enthusiast and past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Russ Cohen for a workshop including how to identify, collect and prepare food from the wild. His Berkshire Botanical Garden program focuses on plants that people are “likely to encounter”, highlighting edible natives, but also yummy weeds and invasive species. Following the presentation, take a field trip in search of wild edible plants. Learn where and when to find tasty plants in the wild as well as native edible species you might want to plant in your yard. Finally learn how to prepare the wild harvest and nibble on some wild treats.

    Russ Cohen is a professional environmentalist and wild food enthusiast. He leads classes for the Trustees of Reservations, Appalachian Mountain Club, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. He is the author of the popular book Wild Plants I Have Known…..and Eaten.

    This May 22 workshop and field study program will begin at 1 pm at Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, West Stockbridge, and from there you will carpool to selected sites.  $35 for BBG members, $45 for non members.  You may register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926, or email info@berkshirebotanical.org.

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  • Sunday, November 15, 10:00 – noon – Arnold Arboretum Walk

    Explore the Arnold Arboretum, off path and up hill, with Chris McArdle of the Appalachian Mountain Club.  The three hour walk will be followed by a bagel lunch in Jamaica Plain.  Meet at the Visitor Center on the Arborway.  Park on the street or take the T to the Forest Hills stop.  Call Chris at 617-480-3351 if the weather is bad and you’re unsure if the walk will take place.  Registration is not required for this trip.  $1 for non- AMC members, and sorry, no dogs on this outing.  For more fabulous walks in the area, log on to www.outdoors.org.

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  • Sunday, October 19, 11:00 am – Groton Foliage Hike

    Join the Appalachian Mountain Club for a hike in the rural woods in Groton, Massachusetts on Sunday, October 18, beginning at 11:00 am.  Come see New England autumn splendor in a quiet rural setting. The hike will be 2-3 hours at a moderate pace and will feature eskers, scenic ponds, beaver dams, and of course lots of colorful leaves. From I-495 in Littleton take 119 west towards Groton. In 6.5 miles turn right onto Route 40. In 4.0 miles turn left onto Cow Pond Brook Road. Take this road about 1.6 miles until it ends and park. 42.6250N, 71.5027W.  Sponsored by the Boston Chapter of the AMC, registration is not required for this trip, but contact Leader Olin Lathrop at olin@embedinc.com with any questions.  For more information about upcoming activities of the Boston Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, log on to www.outdoors.org.

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