Visit the historic maple stand and sugar shack at Appleton Farms and learn all about maple sugaring, its history at the farm and in New England, and how you can try your hand at it at home!
Experience a leisurely stroll along our country farm roads and past several historic landscapes to our Appleton maple grove. You’ll learn some of the history of maple sugaring as well as the science behind what makes maple sap run in our trees. The stroll concludes with a visit to our sugar shack where you will see firsthand how we turn the collected sap into our delicious Appleton maple syrup!
Be sure to wear weather appropriate clothing and boots or shoes that are appropriate for hiking in potentially wet and muddy spots or over uneven hilly terrain. All Maple Strolls are weather permitting and will last approximately 1 hour, walking much of that time. We welcome all ages; however, information is geared towards those 10 and up. Have smaller kids? Check out our family geared maple programming, Maple in the Barnyard!
Space is limited for this event and pre-registration is strongly recommended. Member price $12, nonmembers $20. Register at www.thetrustees.org
Stay for our Maple Madness Wood-fired Pizza Pop Up from 12-4pm, weather permitting on the farmhouse lawn!
Rose B. Simpson’s Counterculture is installed along the horizon line of a Field Farm meadow that is visible from Sloan Road in Williamstown. The sculptural artwork consists of twelve cast-concrete figures that stand approximately ten feet tall. The figures are adorned with ceramic and found objects and include steel-posts rooted into the ground with cement.
Simpson’s most ambitious work to date, Counterculture honors generations of marginalized people and cultures whose voices have been too often silenced by colonization. The figures look across a post-apocalyptic vista, the vast homelands from which native peoples were forcibly removed. The artist imagines the figures as watchful presences, reminders that history and the natural world perpetually observe humanity. With hollow eyes that catch the morning sunlight, the feminine-bodied forms also suggest that Mother Earth shows us the way—that respect for the land and its original inhabitants are the honorable way forward.
Rose B. Simpson’s life work is a seeking out of tools with the potential to heal the damages of being human in our postmodern and postcolonial era. These tools manifest as artworks that function in psychological, emotional, social, cultural, spiritual, intellectual, and physical realms. The artist intends for these tools-cum-artworks to help build cures. In this sense, Simpson strives to imbue her artworks with poetic yet hard-working utilitarian concepts.
Rose B. Simpson (b. 1983, Santa Clara Pueblo) is a mixed-media artist from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. Her life’s work is a seeking out of tools with the potential to heal the damages of being human in our postmodern and postcolonial era. These tools manifest as artworks that function in psychological, emotional, social, cultural, spiritual, intellectual, and physical realms. She explores a range of creative disciplines to make the artworks, including ceramics, sculpture, metals, fashion, performance, music, installation, writing, and custom-car work. She holds an MFA in Ceramics from Rhode Island School of Design, an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from the Institute of American Indian Arts, a BFA from the University of New Mexico, and a certificate in Automotive Science from Northern New Mexico College. Her work is collected by museums across the continent and exhibited internationally. She lives and works from her home at Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico.
Rose B. Simpson’s Counterculture is organized by Jamilee Lacy, guest curator of The Trustees of Reservations’ 2022 Art & Landscape program and is on view through Spring 2023 at Field Farm at 554 Sloan Road, Williamstown, MA 01267.
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
Join long time guide of Naumkeag, Mission House and the Ashley House, Kendra Knisley, on March 12 at 5:30 pm for an online lecture about the life and legacy of Elizabeth Freeman. This lecture will feature stories on her enslavement with Colonel Ashley in what is now known as the Ashley House in Sheffield and her fight for freedom which led to her settling down in her own home in Stockbridge where she lived her life as a free woman working closely with the Sedgewick family. In honor of her life and in celebration of Black History Month and Woman’s history month, join The Trustees for an hour long lecture hosted via Zoom.
Salt marshes are one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, and these beautiful landscapes also protect our shorelines, provide habitat, and help preserve water quality. But salt marshes depend on their ability to migrate with rising sea levels. Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands have nearly 1,800 acres of marsh that sea level rise threatens to outpace, the second annual State of the Coast report finds. Some marshes may have a chance to migrate landward and survive where the absence of built barriers and natural topography allow. In this webinar sponsored by The Trustees of Reservations on February 23 at noon, we discuss options for restoring salt marsh, and models for managed retreat to protect these natural systems, which, if healthy, can serve as natural buffers to storm surge and sea level rise. Free, but registration required at www.thetrustees.org
Speakers include Liz Durkee, Martha’s Vineyard Commission Climate Change Planner, Cynthia Dittbrenner, Director of Coast and Natural Resources at The Trustees, and Russell Hopping, Lead Coastal Ecologist.
The Trustees of Reservations (Trustees) is pleased to announce a multi-year rejuvenation at The Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens (formerly Stevens-Coolidge Place) in North Andover. The gardens and house are currently undergoing work to create new garden rooms which complement the core historic gardens and house while also providing new experiences for visitors. The project also reorients the site with a new entrance on Chickering Road removing the need for pedestrians to cross Andover Street in order to enter the site. The Trustees created a master plan with Mikyoung Kim Design landscape architects and Maryann Thompson Architects for the historic garden site. The major features of the new plan includes a Gateway to the Garden from Chickering Road, landscaping which makes the historic house more accessible, and garden designs.
The plan builds upon the work done on this 91-acre property in recent years first by volunteers and more recently by a dedicated staff. The previously restored gardens—including the rose garden, greenhouse, potager, perennial garden, and cutting garden—provide the estate’s primary link to the past. The plan preserves the overall architectural structure and American Country Place style, while adding new and expanded display garden spaces—featuring plantings of the latest ornamental species, varieties, and cultivars in contemporary designs—as well as creating native shrub and wildflower displays, and nature trails through the woodlands, fields, and meadows of the historic Ashdale Farm property.
As visitors approach the property twenty-two American lindens (Tilia americana ‘Redmond’) will flank the new entry lane, eventually lending shade to this now open expanse. In keeping with the flavor and feel of the historic gardens The Trustees is incorporating hedges as a space defining feature in new garden spaces. Between the wetland garden and the Cutting Garden a hedge of Winterberry (Ilex verticillata ‘Sparkleberry’). This small, but prolific, fruited cultivar will be maintained as a hedge of 4-5’ tall providing a backdrop for the wetland garden and a sense of enclosure for the Cutting Garden. Additionally, this hedge will provide both winter interest and repast for overwintering birds.
The new entrance and visitor orientation and the expanded garden displays will improve the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens as a gathering garden space for North Andover and surrounding communities. For history lovers, the spaces will also reveal more of the importance of the Stevens and Coolidge families in local and regional history.
A Spring Spectacular, running April 21 – May 16, 2021, launches the rejuvenation celebration. More than 165,000 bulbs will light nine display gardens with the exuberant colors of spring. In addition to the display gardens, visitors will enjoy a series of programs and events staged amidst the garden’s beauty.
The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) announces the 45th Annual Gardener’s Gathering will take place March 20-22 online, focusing on how community gardens are not only food sources, but can become hubs of social activism and community support.
Hosted by the Trustees Boston Community Gardens and the City of Boston, the Gathering is free and has something for both beginners and skilled gardeners, as well as those curious to learn more about urban gardening. This year’s event will be headlined by Michael W. Twitty, award-winning chef and author of The Cooking Gene, who will deliver a special guest presentation on culinary justice, sharing knowledge around crops, and practicing integrated learning across intergenerational linguistic and ethnic spaces.
Continuing a long tradition of partnership with the City of Boston, the Mayor will kick off the Gathering on Saturday with a keynote address and present the Community Garden Awards to the “Most Valuable Gardener,” “Rookie Garden of the Year” and “Hall of Fame Garden.”
Twitty will deliver his special presentation on Saturday at 11 am. A two-time James Beard award winning author, chef from Washington, D.C., and also a culinary historian, he draws on his African-American and Jewish cultural backgrounds to explore the ways that recipes, heirloom crops, and food shape and evolve with our identities and our history. He will speak about gardens as healing spaces and places to work through the issues of living in a multicultural democracy.
Skill-building workshops are the backbone of the Gardeners’ Gathering. This year’s lineup will feature some garden basics for the many new gardeners who started last spring and summer: seed starting; composting; and how to save your own seeds. More advanced workshops will include no-till gardening, building your own self watering containers, and how to grow and use medicinal herbs. Young people from The Food Project will show participants how to build and plant raised bed gardens. For those looking to start a community garden, Shani Fletcher from the City of Boston’s Grassroots program will walk them through that process and share what resources the City has available. Building on the theme of Twitty’s talk, veteran community gardeners will share their tips on growing crops that are important to their culture and family history, including okra, callaloo, and sweet potatoes.
Several sessions will focus on how gardens can be hubs for community organizing, activism, and mutual aid. Eastie Farm will highlight how they mobilize their site for meal distribution, community resources and advocacy efforts. Representatives from different community gardening organizations in New York will speak to how they’ve activated their gardens not just for growing food and building community among gardeners, but also channeling that into broader action on social and environmental justice. A discussion led by two experienced urban growers and educators from Boston will focus on how we can activate our city’s community gardens as hubs for social change.
Join The Trustees on Wednesday, March 20 at one of a number of properties under their care for a full moon hike to celebrate the first day of Spring.
At the Ward Reservation in Andover, join a Trustees staff member at 6:30 pm on the trails at Ward Reservation to discover what signs of spring have already sprung. Wear shoes that can get wet and muddy, just in case. Flashlights are welcome but not required as we will be using the light of the full moon to guide us. This hike will be approximately 2 miles long. Please wear appropriate footwear and dress for the weather.
If you are in Ipswich, join a group at Castle Hill at 6:30. March’s full moon coincides with the Vernal equinox and the first day of Spring. Known to Native Americans as the Worm Moon because of the earthworms that come out at the end of winter, it is also known as the Crow Moon or Sap Moon. Always a cause for celebration, we’ll honor the first day of Spring by taking a brisk walk on the beach at sunset and a hike among the dunes of the Crane Wildlife Refuge. Recommended for ages 13 & up. Pre-registration is required.
In Concord, at the Old Manse, from 7 pm – 8 pm, you’ll share readings from Emerson and Thoreau before taking time for quiet reflection under the full moon and perhaps even hear the sounds of spring. The fire will keep you warm if needed and also provide the hot coals for s’mores that will cheer you at the end of the meditation. Members $5, nonmembers $10.
At Fruitlands in Harvard at 6:30, a program ($9 members, $15 nonmembers) is entitled Night and Moonlight: A Transcendental Night Hike. We will take to the trails to discover nature by night and explore the elements, sites, and sounds that awaken when the sun sets, pausing along the way to hear and contemplate passages from Thoreau’s 1863 essay “Night and Moonlight.” Thoreau describes, “As for the moon, I had seen her only as it were through a crevice in a shutter, occasionally. Why not walk a little way in her light?” Please note that space is limited and pre-registration required.
For complete details on all the above excursions, visit http://thetrustees.org Image below from The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Women are often overlooked when we discuss individuals who had great impact on botany and landscape design of the 20th century. The Arnold Arboretum was one of the few institutions in America that encouraged women to study with and be mentored by established botanical and landscape design professionals.
Mary (Polly) Wakefield, Eleanor Cabot Bradley, Martha Brooks Hutcheson, Marian Roby Case (below), and Marjorie Russell Sedgwick developed exceptional personal garden spaces and designed outstanding professional landscapes, and were also very active in the conservation and preservation of appreciable New England open space. This March 9 seminar highlights these women’s personal legacies: significant plant collections and garden design within beloved public spaces. Presentations illuminate these women and their roles in creating and protecting New England landscapes, the discernible role that the Arnold Arboretum played in these endeavors, and how we can continue to raise the visibility of these special places. Program includes an associated exhibition in the Arnold Arboretum’s historic Library Reading Room and light refreshments. Fee $50
Co-sponsored by The Trustees of Reservations, the Mary M.B. Wakefield Charitable Trust, and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
