In the winter of 2023 DCR Division of Water Supply Protection launched the Forest Stand Improvement pilot project. This project seeks to improve Forest Resiliency in young forests to increase native tree biodiversity, improve wildlife habitat, and climate resilience. Millers River Environmental Center 100 Main Street, Athol, at 1:30 pm on September 22, with speaker Austin Gelinas. Free and open to the public, sponsored by the Athol Bird & Nature Club.
The Athol Bird & Nature Club is excited to have Jim Morelly return to the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol, Massachusetts on January 28 for a presentation on Black Bears. Jim presented his “5,000 Miles Hiked with Jim Morelly” at our regular Monthly meeting last October and returns to MREC to show us in vivid pictures and wonderful anecdotes his experience observing and photographing Black Bears in the Quabbin Region. The Center opens at 1:00 PM and the presentation will begin at 1:30. Questions please contact Dave@atholbirdclub.org
Join the Athol Bird & Nature Club and the North Quabbin Garden Club on Thursday, September 21 at 7 pm at the Millers River Environmental Center in Athol to hear Dave Small as he explores the transformation of his yard from a boring suburban lot dominated by lawn to a rich habitat for our native wildlife. Removing invasive species, planting native plants, and providing water, food, and cover for a variety of wildlife species and people resulted in a space that has become a wonderful place to hang out with family and friends. For more information visit http://www.atholbirdclub.org
This 3-week hybrid course led by members of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club (3 online lectures, 2 field experiences) will introduce you to the diversity, ecology, and life history of our beautiful New England butterflies, along with management tools to help them. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden course is designed for the butterfly enthusiast who wants to dig deeper, and for those who would like to further their appreciation of the natural world around them. This program consists of five classes. When registering, please make sure all five classes are selected.
General Outline (For a full breakdown click this link)
Week 1: Introduction to New England Butterflies: Diversity, Anatomy, Field Identification
Week 2: Butterflies in the Wild: Ecology and Behavior
Week 3: Butterfly Conservation: Creating Habitat through Gardens
Bill Benner is a life-long East Coast gardener who has been planting for wildlife and pollinators in western Massachusetts since 2004. His gardens are particularly focused on butterflies and hummingbirds, with both nectar and host plants, and a strong emphasis on natives. He is eager to share his enthusiasm for pollinator gardening with others, and he has lectured and taught on butterflies and gardening for the Native Plant Trust, the Hitchcock Center, and a number of garden centers, garden clubs, and conservation groups. He is a past president of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club, and currently serves as the editor of its publication, Massachusetts Butterflies.
Martha Gach is current president of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club and Conservation Coordinator and Regional Education Manager with Mass Audubon, based at Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary and Conservation Center in Worcester. She also teaches at Worcester State University. An ecologist and evolutionary biologist, Martha designed the Broad Meadow Brook campus landscape to support butterflies and pollinators, but also birds and wildlife, and was featured on “Ask This Old House” for a segment on butterfly gardens.. She coordinates the annual Butterfly Festival at Broad Meadow Brook and serves on her town’s Conservation Commission, advocating for native plantings.
Dave Small is president of the 250-member Athol Bird and Nature Club and Director of the Millers River Environmental Center. Dave shares his passion for Birds, Butterflies, Dragonflies and most recently moths through workshops, lectures and field trips around New England. Dave volunteers for several non-profits including Millers River Watershed Council, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, Mass Watershed Coalition, and Mass Audubon’s Important Bird Area Technical Advisory Committee, National Moth Week Science Advisory Board, and the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program Advisory Committee. Working for the Commonwealth of Mass for 35 years, Dave served as Assistant Regional Director at the DCR Quabbin Reservoir in Central Massachusetts retiring in 2013.
$150 Member Adult, $175 Adult(Registration includes admission to the Garden on field session days) To register, click HERE
Join naturalist David Small online on May 13 at 7 pm to learn about dragonflies and damselflies.
The presentation is geared for the beginner but will be a good refresher for more experienced observers. Beginning with a discussion on the origins and life history of the Dragons and Damsels followed by a look at the families encountered in Massachusetts with some hints on where to find them. The timing of this presentation is designed to get you ready for the beginning of dragonfly emergence in Mid-May. Sponsored by the Athol Bird and Nature Club and hosted by the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust.
The Athol Bird & Nature Club will post a link to the Zoom meeting when available. Visit http://atholbirdclub.org. For more information contact David Small at Dave@dhsmall.net.
Each native plant species has a suite of host-specific insects that depend on it for food. Even allowing a single “weed” to grow in your garden can significantly increase its habitat value, and choosing to plant native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers will cause your yard to teem with life. Using a number of common New England plants as examples, Charley Eiseman will introduce us to some of these insects, their natural history, and signs of their presence to look for on their host plants. His close-up photos will provide an unusual perspective on the tiny animals that are going about their lives right under our noses. Charley Eiseman is a freelance naturalist, conducting plant and wildlife surveys for various nonprofits, state agencies, and universities throughout New England. He has co-taught an “Ecology Through Animal Tracking” course in various incarnations since 2004, and since 2018 he has been teaching week-long field seminars on insect tracks and sign at the Eagle Hill Institute in Maine. He holds an MS from the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program and a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation and Management from the University of Massachusetts. Charley is the lead author of Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates (Stackpole Books, 2010) and Leafminers of North America (self-published e-book, 2019), and he has coauthored over 30 scientific papers, including the description of over 60 new insect species. http://charleyeiseman.com/ . This lecture, on October 9 beginning at 7 pm, will take place at the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol. Free and open to the public. For more information visit http://atholbirdclub.org.
For almost two decades, pollinators have been declining in abundance, species richness, and geographic distribution at an unprecedented rate worldwide. These declines pose a significant threat to global biodiversity due to the keystone role that pollinators play in terrestrial ecosystems – more pollinator species means more plant species, and more plant species means more food, shelter, and nest sites for wildlife at other trophic levels. Yet, we presently lack the information on pollinator-plant connections or ‘networks’ at the species level needed to fully assess the impact of human activities on ecosystem health. Please join Dr. Robert J. Gegear for a discussion on how the concept of pollination networks can be used to develop effective ecosystem restoration strategies at different spatial scales. The May 8 program of the Athol Bird and Nature Club will begin at 7 pm at The Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street, Athol. The program is free and open to the public. For more information visit http://atholbirdclub.org.
To celebrate National Bat Appreciation Day (April 17th), MassWildlife’s Bat Conservation Program Coordinator, Jennifer Longsdorf, will share her knowledge and experience regarding the most underappreciated and misunderstood mammal on Earth. During her seven years with MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, Jennifer has been involved with a variety of conservation and restoration projects aiding red-bellied cooters, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, coastal waterbirds, salamanders, and, more recently, bats. Bats are fascinating and unique creatures that play a critical role in many environments around the world. However, dramatic population declines have put bats in the spotlight recently. Come to discover how human activity and White-nose Syndrome have decimated bat populations. Learn the general facts and help dispel common myths and fears about these shy, gentle, and intelligent creatures. Join us for some tips on how to help conserve and protect these ecosystem superheroes. The April 10 program of the Athol Bird and Nature Club will begin at 7 pm at The Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street, Athol. The program is free and open to the public. For more information visit http://atholbirdclub.org.
On Wednesday, December 12 at the Athol Bird & Nature Club meeting, Bob and Dana Fox (pictured below) will relate their research on the 16.000+ crows roosting in the Lawrence area each winter: where and when they evolved, a discussion of current research demonstrating their intelligence, an overview of their natural history; and a recount of their over 90 nights observing up to 16,000 crows staging and roosting at the Greater Lawrence, MA crow roost last winter. You will want to go out and find your own crow roost when they finish! Programs are free and open to all, meet at 7 pm at The Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street, Athol. For more information visit http://atholbirdclub.org.
Join the Athol Bird& Nature Club on Sunday, August 12 at 2 pm at the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol, for an Open House and lecture on Our Native Massachusetts Bees. Can you tell a bee from a wasp? What about a native bee from a honey bee? What is a bee and where does it live? The University of Massachusetts Bee Lab members -Andrea Sroka, Aliza Fassler, and Phoebe Hynes — will have specimens of bees and their look-alikes on hand for you to look at under a microscope. You will also learn about native bee nesting strategies and how to help bees in your backyards. Free. For more information visit www.atholbirdclub.org
