Boston Flora

Tag: Royalston

  • Saturday, May 31, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Dragonfly Field Trip

    Join Athol Bird & Nature Club President Dave Small on May 31 in search of early season dragonflies (and butterflies) starting at the Mount Grace Land Trust Eagle Reserve in Royalston, Massachusetts. As time allows, a look at nearby Birch Hill WMA and Millers River will be included. Meet at 10 am at the parking area for Birch Hill opposite 69 Winchendon Road in Royalston. There are no facilities in the general area, so please be self-contained with food, water, snacks, insect repellant, sunscreen, binoculars, camera, bug net, and shoes for wading in shallow water. The program is free and open to all. For additional information contact Dave Small at Dave@atholbirdclub.org

  • Saturdays, October 3 and October 10, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Celebrate Royalston 250th

    As part of the town of Royalston’s 250th celebration, the Royalston Open Space and Recreation Committee and the Athol Bird and Nature Club are cosponsoring Saturday walks this fall to five outdoor gems, each from 10 a.m. to noon. The first walk is to the top of Mount Tully along part of the Tully Trail on October 3, led by Carl Kamp, past president of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club and an avid naturalist and photographer. Meet at the Tully Lake Campground parking lot on Doane Hill Rd. Next, explore a section of the New England Trail (formerly called the M&M Trail) on October 10, led by Paul Montero, Royalston’s representative to the NET. A professional land surveyor, Montero will also demonstrate compass use. Meet at the Royalston Falls trailhead on Rte. 32 (Newton Cemetery). Other dates and venues will be announced. All the walks are weather permitting. If in doubt, call Paul Montero at 978-249-5879 by 9 a.m. on any walk morning. Royalston Falls is pictured below.

  • Saturday, October 26, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm – The Garnet Cabinet

    The Millers River Natural History Museum and Laboratory presents its inaugural show, The Garnet Cabinet, on October 26 in a new gallery at 100 Main Street in Athol, Massachusetts. The three-dimensional “cabinet” made by Royalston artist Donald Shambroom uses paintings, sculpture, and rhombic dodecahedrons constructed of cardboard by local crafters, to evoke the space under the earth’s crust where crystals formed more than 360 million years ago.  For more information visit www.atholbirdclub.org. Below is Mr. Shambroom’s “Geranium.”

    http://images.artnet.com/images_US/magazine/features/finch/finch12-17-10-1.jpg

  • Sunday, September 9 – Sunday, October 28, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Beginning Art of Bird Carving

    Award winning wildlife artist Laurie Truehart of Royalston will offer a workshop at the Petersham Art Center to teach the art of bird woodcarving. Participants will work with the artist to create a chickadee, studying the basics of carving techniques, as well as proper use and care of carving tools. This intensive course will start Sunday, September 9, and proceed each Sunday through October 28th.

    Laurie has been perfecting the art of carving for over a decade. Her intricate works are true to nature in every exacting detail, down to the feather count on a bird’s wing, yet capture the vibrant poses and flights of the smallest chickadee to the largest owl, swooping to its prey. She has competed in the prestigious Ward Museum World Championship competition in Maryland and the Canadian Wildfowl Carving Championship. Her work has been on display at numerous galleries, including locally at the Millers River Environmental Center and the Gardner Area League of Artists.

    “I have always had a great appreciation for nature’s beauty. My inspirations come from both wild animals and those that I have had the pleasure of knowing,” says Laurie. “Living in Royalston has given me the opportunity to observe wildlife in their natural habitat and those first hand experiences now motivate my artistic expression. My carving includes a variety of wildlife forms, birds of prey, songbirds, and mammals. I like to capture the wild feeling of living forms by rendering them in motion and at rest.”

    The sessions are each Sunday, from 1-4PM, on September 9, 16, 23, 30 and October 7, 14, 21, and 28.  The cost is $120 for PAC members and $135 for nonmembers. There is a materials fee for a wood bird blank and carving tools.

    Call the Petersham Art Center at 978-724-3415 for more information. The Art Center is located off Rt. 32 near the center of Petersham. The Center is open from Wednesday through Sunday, from 1-4PM, for artists’ exhibitions, goods by local crafters and artisans, handmade jewelry and leather goods, books by local authors, antiques, and other treasures.

  • Saturday, July 11, 2 – 5 pm – Foraging for Wild Edibles with Russ Cohen

    Set along the shores of a 200-acre lake, Tully Lake Campground in Royalston offers modern conveniences and superb recreational opportunities in a beautiful natural setting. Paddle around Tully Lake or take a day trip to nearby waterfalls and scenic overlooks. Or explore miles of hiking and mountain bike trails, including the 22-mile Tully Trail. For any outdoor adventure Tully Lake is your close to home wilderness getaway! The Tully region is home to more than 100 species of edible wild plants, many of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. Join author and expert forager Russ Cohen on Saturday, July 11, from 2 – 5,  for a Trustees of Reservations  ramble in and around the Tully Campground to learn about at least two-dozen species of edible wild plants.  Free program, but pre-registration requested.  Telephone 978-249-4957, or email central@ttor.org.