Special places | Winter 2017

WINTER 2017 VOLUME 25 NO. 4

FOR MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS OF THE TRUSTEES

Winter Wonderful

Time to see it all!

BE A TRUSTEES VOLUNTEER

Get involved!

By volunteering with us, you’ll be able to share your skills and develop new ones, surrounded by the beautiful land and culture of Massachusetts. Ongoing and short-term opportunities to volunteer with The Trustees this winter include:

Maple Sugaring February/March Appleton Farms, Ipswich mmahan@thetrustees.org

Ecology Steward Flexible schedules Ravenswood Park, Gloucester mmahan@thetrustees.org

Trail Stewards Flexible schedules Ravenswood Park, Gloucester mmahan@thetrustees.org

KITCHEN Assistants, Cheese Ambassadors Flexible schedules Boston Public Market, Boston awolf@thetrustees.org

Adopt a Stone Wall Flexible schedules Weir River Farm, Hingham esmall@thetrustees.org

NEWS FROM ACROSS THE STATE

Feeding Eager Minds The KITCHEN at the Boston Public Market launched a new Seasonal Cooking and Eating Program in September with fifth graders from the Eliot School, a Boston Public Innovation School in the North End. Sponsored by the Reebok Foundation, this pilot program includes four immersive halfday visits by the students to The KITCHEN throughout the school year, to learn about cooking, healthy eating, and where their food comes from. On one recent visit, the students learned about tomatoes and apples directly from the farmers who grew them, made cheese ravioli, tomato sauce, and caramel apples—all from scratch—and then enjoyed their meal together and shared their cooking adventures with their classroom friends. One of the Eliot School teachers said of the first session, “The kids had such a great time, and many of them came back to school saying how they were going to try making their own pasta at home.” Trustees’ KITCHEN staff members

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Eliot School 5th graders make pasta during the Seasonal Cooking and Eating Program at the KITCHEN at the Boston Public Market.

worked together with the Eliot teachers to build the curriculum, which includes tie-ins to ongoing school subjects such as science and expository writing. According to Lieza Dagher, Program Manager for The KITCHEN, “It is our hope that we can develop this same program with other neighborhood schools and use this as a platform for school field trip programs as well. It will be another wonderful way to ensure The KITCHEN becomes the vibrant community center we all imagine and an important step in spreading the important work of The Trustees to Boston’s families and the next generation.”

Community Outreach Volunteers Flexible schedules Rocky Woods, Medfield Powisset Farm, Dover esmall@thetrustees.org Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough awolf@thetrustees.org

Tour Guides & Visitor Center Hosts Flexible schedules William Cullen Bryant Homestead, Cummington acaluori@thetrustees.org

Winter Recreation Program Assistants Flexible Schedules, Indoor & Outdoor Roles Notchview, Windsor awolf@thetrustees.org

These listings are among dozens and dozens of options for you to help out at a Trustees reservation near you.

For more details and a full list of all our volunteer opportunities, visit thetrustees.org/volunteer.

Summer Camp Registration Opens Feb. 1 What’s better than bundling up the kids for skating, sledding, and jumping in the snow?

Summer! It’s time to start getting your summer plans booked for the kids: Trustees summer camp registration kicks off online on Thursday, February 1! Trustees offers five summer camps, at some of your favorite properties—Summer Quest at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, Appleton Farm Camp in Ipswich/Hamilton, Farm Camp at The FARM Institute on Martha’s Vineyard, and in Hingham, Weir River Farm and World’s End Adventure Camp. Under the supervision of enthusiastic and trained staff, your child will experience the wonders of the natural world—from farm animals to field games, sea creatures to sand dunes. And don’t forget: Trustees members always get a discount.

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Trustees holds 126th Annual Meeting More than 200 volunteer leaders and other special friends of The Trustees gathered at the State Room in Boston on November 2, 2017 for the 126th Annual Meeting of voting members. In addition to approving a motion to add new members to the governance boards and paying tribute to dedicated volunteers, exceptional employees, and this year’s Charles Eliot Award winner Peter Shelley (see page 22), the Board of Directors honored outgoing Chairman David Croll and Vice Chairman Brian Kinney for their years of dedicated service as officers. Incoming Board Chair Peter Coffin reflected on recent accomplishments and President & CEO Barbara Erickson provided a look at the organization’s upcoming new 5-year strategic plan. The entire evening was captured on video, which can be seen at thetrustees.org/ annual17.

President & CEO Barbara Erickson presented an outline of the upcoming 2023 Strategic Plan at The Trustees’ Annual Meeting in early November.

© KRISTA PHOTOGRAPHY

Cultivating the Next Generation of Conservationists For more than 20 years, The Trustees’ Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) has fostered the next generation of conservationists through hands-on service projects that teach valuable job-readiness skills for urban teens. The 2017 program consisted of a group of 50 teens from Fall River, New Bedford, Milton, and six Boston neighborhoods. For many participants, the YCC is their first job, as well as their first education about their local environment. YCC crews make a very tangible difference by caring for natural spaces around the city, and making them more accessible to residents of all ages. Projects like clearing invasive species, weeding and mulching flowerbeds, cleaning up trash and clearing brush on trails, and harvesting produce for local food pantries— more than 1,100 lbs. of it this year—immerse the teens in the natural and green spaces in and around their own cities, and are blended with enrichment workshops, field trips, and hiking excursions. All told, YCC crews completed an astounding 9,500 hours of work this season. While these young adults

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The New Bedford Crew of Trustees’ 2017 Youth Conservation Corps, gets energized at Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens.

experience the challenge and satisfaction of working hard and making a difference in their communities, they gain new skills, build confidence, and learn to lead by example. As

one YCC member said recently, “I just loved this summer—the experiences I had and the people I met. I would do it again and again, and each time I would grow more.”

Annual Report Published The Trustees Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2017 (which ended March 31, 2017) has been published digitally and is now available for viewing at thetrustees.org/annualreport.

WINTER 2017

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OUT AND ABOUT 1

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World’s End 50th Anniversary Celebration

1. Ryland Rogers, a familiar face welcoming visitors at the World’s End gatehouse for decades, with his wife Gunny; 2. Maurice McLoughlin with Linda & Samuel Wakeman, Jr., son and namesake of one of the leaders of the campaign to fund the purchase of World’s End in 1967; 3. Dining with magnificent views as the sun set made for a very special evening.

Photos by R. Mansfield, Jr./Anchor Imagery

Trustees Fall All-Staff Meeting

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4. More than 200 Trustees staffers gathered at Appleton Farms for the semi-annual All-Staff meeting in early October; 5. & 6. In addition to presentations and group discussions, staff had fun participating in activities like yoga with the Appleton Farms goats and a giant Jenga game.

Photos by Krista Photography

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Nature Play at The Old Manse

7. TigerLion Arts, led by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s great-great-great-grandson Tyson Forbes (center, as Emerson,) brought their walking play Nature to The Old Manse for eleven sold out performances in September.

Photo by Winslow Townson

CONTENTS

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Big news at Chestnut Hill.

Volunteering for our shores.

Time to see it all!

Winter programs and events, statewide.

Growing the Farm

Coastal Champions

ON THE COVER: LONG POINT WILDLIFE REFUGE, MARTHA’S VINEYARD ©TRUSTEES

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Winter Wonderful

Things to Do

Energized, Inspired, and Grateful Dear Members: As we enter the winter season, we are energized by all that the colder months offer. The light breaks through the bare trees giving us a new view of familiar places. The layers of snow on the quiet trails in the woods will offer peaceful beauty and wonder. And we can once again enjoy winter activities like snowshoeing, skiing, or just walking in the crisp air. These months also promise something else: the snow and ice covers the planted bulbs in the gardens, they nourish the life that has yet to be born. The growth, green, and bounty of spring all lie under the winter ground, like a promise waiting to unfold.

Even in these months, we at The Trustees are busy. We are welcoming visitors to Notchview, our Nordic Ski Center. We are making repairs and restorations all across the state. We are planning for the year ahead.

Governance and staff are making the final edits to the forthcoming 5-year Strategic Plan, which I will share more broadly soon.

We are also working on securing more land for protection. Thanks to the support of a group of generous donors, we have secured the funds needed to complete our protection of land that will expand and complete Chestnut Hill Farm in Southborough. Thanks to the Beals family, two generations who have committed to protecting open space for the public, this amazing place now exists for all to enjoy. This land would have been lost to development if this passionate family had not saved it. And today, community members and Trustees supporters are helping to expand the farm and preserve even more of the surrounding land.

Regardless of the season, I am always inspired by our work and those who help us to achieve it. And this time of year is a great opportunity for me to acknowledge our staff. I am fortunate to have so many talented colleagues to work alongside every day. During your next visit, please take a moment to meet the staff, get to know them, and thank them for their dedication.

Warm Regards,

Barbara J. Erickson President & CEO

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BC

Winter birding is calling.

Dates to re-Member.

Get cooking. Make tracks.

Crafting warm welcomes.

For the Birds

Member Calendar

Winter Fun Finder

Volunteer of the Year

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Growing

THE FARM Trustees secures funds to acquire new land, preserve farming traditions, and connect more people to local agriculture at Chestnut Hill Farm in Southborough

BY GENEVIEVE RAJEWSKI

nside the farm stand at The Trustees’ Chestnut Hill Farm in Southborough, a woman and her grown daughter exclaim happily over the shop’s rustic wooden bins and shelves—loaded with root vegetables and greens, tomato puree, and jars of farm-raised honey. Just outside, a couple smiles indulgently at their toddler, as the little girl wobbles up a winding path; they gladly take a staff member’s offer of a map to the property’s hiking trails. In the field behind them lies a homemade trebuchet—a kind of wooden catapult—that the very next day would delight visitors by launching retired jack-o-lanterns onto a compost pile, creating a carnival atmosphere for a 5K run through pastures and wooded trails.

The hubbub of activity at Chestnut Hill Farm is a sea change from even two years ago, when members of the public were welcome to walk the property, but not so actively involved with the bounty of its land or such engaging programs and events. The transformation has made the 131-acre historic farm property exactly the kind of place its visionary donors, the Beals family, imagined it could be when they first undertook

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Whitney Beals, with his mother Elaine in 2010 (above), and recently with wife Pamela Esty, on the farm his family donated to The Trustees.

the long process of working to preserve their family’s lands as public spaces.

Philip and Elaine Beals bought Chestnut Hill Farm in 1966 to save it from development. In the early 1990s, the family began formally protecting portions of the property by donating pieces of land as well as the development rights to local conservation groups.

At a special town meeting in 2006, more than 500 registered voters overwhelmingly voted to purchase a conservation restriction on most of the remaining unprotected area of the farm, which included public access through the fields along designated trails. In April 2010, the Beals family formally transferred the eastern two-thirds of Chestnut Hill Farm to The Trustees.

FERTILE SOIL Now, thanks to the generosity of a handful of donors and the Beals themselves, The Trustees are poised to purchase 39 additional acres—the remaining one-third of the Beals’ original property—at a reduced cost.

The new parcel is across the street from the current farm land and contains nearly six acres of USDA-defined prime agricultural soil, along with hay fields and woodland habitat. The Trustees recently completed fundraising for the purchase of the land and to build an outdoor structure to better serve farm visitors and participants in its educational programs. The closing is expected in December and improvements will begin in the new year.

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Chestnut Hill’s farmer Desiree Robertson-DuBois (right) and Powisset’s farmer Zannah Porter (left) discuss the layout of the farm with the dealer rep for their new tractor late last winter.

According to D.A. Hayden, General Manager for The Trustees’ Charles River Valley properties, which includes Chestnut Hill Farm, “There’s such a groundswell of excitement around the Farm, and the funding around this expansion is key to its future success and importance for both families and people working in businesses in the Route 495 loop.”

“Chestnut Hill Farm is a jewel in our farmland conservation portfolio,” echoes Joanna Ballantine, Vice President of The Trustees’ Western Region. “We strive to enhance this special place for the benefit of our local community and so future generations of families can enjoy its beauty and bounty.”

The acquisition will both reconnect the farm’s original parcels and enable The Trustees to significantly increase its food production capabilities—major factors in establishing a financially sustainable farm operation. “We have a rock star farmer at Chestnut Hill,” said Hayden, referring to Desiree (“Des”) Robertson-DuBois who was hired to run and farm the property in 2015. In just two years, Robertson-DuBois—who lives

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on the farm with her husband (a Trustees livestock manager) and their three children— has gone from farming two to eleven acres, in support of a bountiful CSA that has grown from 50 to nearly 200 shareholders. “People in Southborough and the surrounding communities have become both invested in and excited about what’s going on at the farm,” said Hayden.

Des can’t wait to farm the prime agricultural soil being purchased. “The land across the street is beautiful for growing,” she said, “whereas the lands we’ve been farming with already either have drainage issues or need a lot done to them to be productive.” She said the new parcel will allow Chestnut Hill to produce even more of the vegetables locals have come to love, as well as enough ingredients for new value-added products, such as pesto, pickled beets and other preserves, as well as the farm’s popular tomato puree. The purchase also will provide additional grassland for The Trustees’ livestock program.

Livestock Manager Jesse Robertson-DuBois oversees a herd of grass-fed beef cattle, which he rotates through the pastures at Chestnut

Hill Farm, Moose Hill Farm in Sharon, and Powisset Farm in Dover. The meat is sold through Trustees Meat CSAs and at Trustees farm stores.

BUILDING COMMUNITY A new public structure to be built on the property will include restrooms and an interpretative area introducing visitors to the history of the farm and its place in the community. Des says the structure will give people added incentive to visit the property, no matter the season. “One thing that prevents people from coming to the farm is that there’s no place to grab some shelter if it’s going to rain for even a little bit or if the sun gets to be too much. Now, even when people come to sled our great hills in the winter, there will somewhere to get out of the wind for a bit.”

Acquiring the parcel across the street from Chestnut Hill Farm also allows The Trustees to connect its existing 2.5-mile farm trail system to the greater Sudbury Reservoir Trail System, the Boroughs Loop Trail, and the Bay Circuit Trail. “Suddenly, we will be part of a much larger network of trails, which

should afford the opportunity for hikers to hike through and spend time on the farm,” said Desiree Robertson-DuBois.

It’s for all these reasons and more that The Trustees was motivated to acquire this significant addition to Chestnut Hill Farm.

“There’s the scenic element of preserving this beautiful working farm landscape, which is enjoyed from multiple local points,” said Rob Warren, The Trustees’ Managing Director of Land Conservation. “It enhances our ability to get people onto our existing property through expansion of a trail network. And then there’s the protection and utilization of great farmland and a family’s history in the Trustees tradition of protecting important places and making them available for public engagement.”

A HUB FOR SOUTHBOROUGH Whitney Beals grew up with four siblings in the house across the street from Chestnut Hill Farm. His family moved to Southborough in 1950 when he was four, and he spent his boyhood wandering the farm’s woodlands and visiting its herd of Ayrshire dairy cattle, until the milking operation closed in the 1960s. His parents, who both were involved with forest and farmland conservation in the Winchendon area before they moved to Southborough, purchased the land to stave off a subdivision. Philip, a marine fighter pilot in WWII and the only surviving member of his training group, would gather friends and family for outdoor activities there, and he rented the farmland out to farming tenants who used it for hay or to grow corn.

“My father would be really pleased if he could see the farm now,” said Whitney.

“My mom was 93 when she passed away last August, so she saw all the activity here. Even though she was in a wheelchair, she’d come over every day. She was so happy to see a wonderful young family living here and so many people enjoying the property. I don’t think that anyone ever anticipated that the farm would become such a center for civic activity.”

“It has become the place,” agreed his wife, Pamela Etsy. “This town is divided by two highways; there’s no real center here,” she said. “When we made the property open to the public before The Trustees took it over, we expected people to come and walk the

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property, but they really didn’t. Now, the farm has become that town center. Teenagers do their ‘prom-proposals’ here, and professional photographers have been up here almost every day this fall taking portraits of students, families, and girls having their quinceañeras.’’

Truly, in a remarkably short time, Chestnut Hill Farm has become a hub for social activity in Southborough and its surrounding communities. “Everyone loves the feeling of the place,” said Hayden. “Our Friday Farm Dinners are oversubscribed, and though they are supposed to end at 8pm, guests often linger around the campfire until 10pm. We cannot wait to build the shelter so we can have larger Friday Farm Dinners, more educational programs for kids, and let people rent it if they want to get married on the farm,” she said—the last an idea Whitney and Pamela enthused over given that they were married on a hill on the property they’ve nicknamed “Mount Matrimony.” “These are all offerings that area communities don’t have elsewhere,” said Hayden, “and just incredibly important to building that sense of community.”

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Chestnut Hill Farm is becoming more and more popular for the community of Southborough and neighboring towns. Family and educational programming will increase with the addition of a dedicated community space on the farm.

The Trustees would like to thank the individual donors and foundations that have made this possible. Because of their generosity, The Trustees has now raised more than $600,000 in order to purchase the Beals’ land, to build a community space, and to make other needed repairs and site improvements.

Genevieve Rajewski is a Boston-based freelance writer who covers nature, animals, food, and science.

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COASTAL FOCUS

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Volunteers provide invaluable service for The Trustees and the community as a whole, through clean-up events at Crane Beach, and much more.

Coastal Champions Volunteers — a critical resource for our shores

BY JEFF HARDER On April 22, 2017—Earth Day—unseasonably bone-chilling, windbreaker-soaking weather settled over the North Shore. But that was no deterrent for the 80 volunteers who arrived at Crane Beach to pace four windswept miles and haul away litter—50 bags worth—before the dawn of the high season. The day was a reminder that beach cleanups are simple ways to turn ecological enthusiasm into action, says Marc Mahan, Volunteer Resource Coordinator for The Trustees’ Northeast Region.

“You don’t need specialty training or a degree. You just need a passion for protecting the land.”

Crane Beach, one of The Trustees’ most iconic

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properties and most vulnerable coastal landscapes, has a rich history of volunteerism—archival photos show volunteers planting beach grass and installing fencing in the 1960s, measures that have encouraged dunes to thrive in the decades since. The two summers Peter Pinciaro spent volunteering at Crane Wildlife Refuge have informed his own appreciation for what volunteers bring to the table.

“We have a nice, family atmosphere at Crane,” says Pinciaro, now General Manager of the Crane Estate. “And we work really hard to bring our volunteers into that family, because they are essentially an extension of the staff.”

Crane’s volunteers have done it all: pull invasive phragmites and buckthorn from the rare dune habitats, monitor and tally shorebird populations,

maintain trails, and install and remove protective fencing. When a storm bears down, Pinciaro says, “we can muster our volunteers to quickly get fencing out of harm’s way.”

Last year, 100 volunteers contributed more than 550 hours of service to keep the beach in good repair. This year, those opportunities expanded with a new beach ambassador program: volunteers talk with visitors crossing Crane’s trio of boardwalks, chatting them up about the latest changes on its ever-fluctuating shores and collecting feedback about their experiences.

It’s all part of a broader aim to give volunteers experiences that enrich their lives and further their relationship with Crane Beach and with The Trustees. “It’s a continuum: you bring someone in, they fall in love with the place, then provide them opportunities to grow with the organization,” Mahan says.

If you’re a longtime volunteer interested in habitat restoration, The Trustees can pair you up with an ecologist. If you’re interested in salt marsh ecology and have some technical expertise, you can help on a citizen-scientist program. One high schooler interested in studying sustainability helped organize dune hikes and other active outings.

This year, the core goal has been building capacity, Mahan says, and so far, it’s a resounding success: in five months, Crane Beach saw nearly 50% more service hours than volunteers registered last year. “It was great to know so many people care about the environment,” says Andrea Lacroix, a volunteer who spearheaded the Earth Day cleanup. “I’m always looking for trash when I go to the beach, and I’m hoping those volunteers encouraged their friends to do the same.”

Grabbing a bag and wandering Crane Beach to remove junk is a simple, one-time way to make it a better place. It could also be the first step in a profound, lasting relationship. “Now that they’ve picked up a piece of trash,” Mahan says, “they have a stake in one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.”

Visit thetrustees.org/volunteer for more information and a frequently updated calendar of volunteer opportunities.

Jeff Harder is a freelance writer and editor who lives in New England.

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Crane Beach volunteer and member of the Ipswich Recycling Committee Andrea Lacroix (above, right) organized the Earth Day event. Eighty volunteers braved bitter winds and biting cold to haul away dozens of bags of litter, and help get the beach ready for the coming busy season.

YOU TOO CAN HELP! The Earth Day Cleanup at Crane Beach will be happening again this April, and it is just one of many volunteer opportunities at Crane this year.

And on Martha’s Vineyard, Trustees is looking for Beach Stewards at Long Point, Menemsha Hills, Cape Poge, Wasque, and Norton Point. Find out more and sign up at thetrustees.org/volunteer.

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WINTER PROGRAMMING

WINTER

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Wonderful Time to see it all!

There’s no business like snow business, and Trustees has plenty of things to do when the white stuff covers the ground. You can get lots of ideas for cold-season adventures using our Winter Fun Finder map (pages 26 & 27). We’ve also got some cool ways to spend vacation days off the couch and in the fresh, crisp air. There’s no shortage of fun on a Trustees reservation near you. Get out and be active. Beat back those winter blues.

There’s so much going on and so little time to see—and do—it all!

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WINTER 2018

January | February | March

THINGS TO DO January CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & TALKS

Mindfulness on the Farm

Fresh, Fast + Delicious for Less w/ Project Bread

Poetry at the Manse

Thursdays through Mar 29 11:45AM-12:30PM and 1-1:45PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member & Nonmember FREE

Farm-to-KITCHEN: Athens vs. Santorini, Greece Wednesday, Jan 3 & Tuesday, Jan 9 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Trivia in the Tavern

Wednesdays, Jan 3-24 | 7-9:30PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $12; Nonmember $20

Farm-to-KITCHEN: New England Comfort Food

Thursday, Jan 4, Wednesdays, Jan 31, Mar 14 & Mar 28 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Thursdays | 6:45-7:15AM Powisset Farm, Dover Member FREE; Nonmember $5 Fridays, Jan 5, Feb 2 & Mar 2 7-8PM The Old Manse, Concord FREE

Farm-to-KITCHEN: Persian & Middle Eastern Flavors Fridays, Jan 5 & 12 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Cultures to Rinds: Cheese Making Fundamentals

Saturdays, Jan 6 & Feb 3 9:30-11:30AM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $60; Nonmember $75

From the Farm Kettle: Soups

Saturday, Jan 6 | 10AM-12:30PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $60; Nonmember $75

Show-Stopping Veggies, Steak 3 Ways & Brunch

Saturdays, Jan 6 & 20, Feb 3 & 17, Mar 10 & 31 | 1-3PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Sunday Coffee Cafes & House Tours

Sundays, Jan 7-28 | 12Noon-4PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $5; Nonmember $10

Baking School with Chef Cleo Sundays, Jan 7 & 14 | 2-4PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Homemade Whole Grain Pizza from Scratch Tuesday, Jan 9 | 6-8PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member $40; Nonmember $50

Winter Ecology & Nature Journaling

Wednesdays, Jan 10-31 10:30AM-12Noon Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough Member Child $24; Nonmember Child $30

From the Farm Kettle: Chowders

Saturday, Jan 13 | 10AM-12:30PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $60; Nonmember $75

Ayurvedic Cooking Class & Meal

Saturday, Jan 13 | 10AM-12:30PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member $52; Nonmember $65

Pop-Up Exhibit: Hingham’s Conservation Land

Saturday, Jan 13 | 2-4PM Hingham Public Library, Hingham FREE

Truffle Rolling Workshop with Taza Chocolate (+Wine Tasting) Saturday, Jan 13 | 4-5:30PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Crafty American Whiskey Taylor & Taylor Whiskey Co. Saturday, Jan 13 | 6:30-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Look inside for location and registration details.

January Nella Pasta Making Workshop Sunday, Jan 14 | 5-7PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Winter Wonderland Photography

Monday, Jan 15 | 10-11:30 AM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member $24; Nonmember $30

Full Moon Transcendental Meditation Tuesday, Jan 16 | 7-8PM The Old Manse, Concord Member $5; Nonmember $10

Mixology Class with Bully Boy Distillers

Fridays, Jan 19, Feb 9 & Mar 9 6-7:30PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $32; Nonmember $40

Powisset Cooks: Pot Pies at Powisset

Saturday, Jan 20 | 10AM-12:30PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member $52; Nonmember $65

Nature Journaling

Sunday, Jan 21 | 2-4PM Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield Member $9; Nonmember $15

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Salon Conversations

Wednesdays, Jan 24, Feb 21 & Mar 21 | 6:30-8PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member $9; Nonmember $15

Curator Talk

Thursday, Jan 25 | 7-8PM The Old Manse, Concord FREE

Farm-to-KITCHEN: All Food Leads to Rome

Friday, Jan 26 | 6-8PM & Sunday, Jan 28 | 5-7PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

The Art of the Dumpling with Fresh Zen

Tuesday, Jan 30, Thursday, Feb 15 & Thursday, Mar 22 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

FAMILY FUN Appleton Farms Grass Rides Reindeer Quest

Knife Skills for the Home Cook

Winter Preschool Farm Explorers Series

Friday, Jan 26 | 6-9PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $72; Nonmember $90

Saturday, Jan 27 | 10AM-12Noon Powisset Farm, Dover Member $52; Nonmember $65

Medicinal Herbs of New England

Saturday, Jan 27 | 3-4:30PM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member $15; Nonmember $25

Mixology Class with Saxtons River Distillery

Ceviche & Poke Workshop with Red’s Best

Bend & Bind: Tree Bark Basketmaking

Wednesday, Jan 24 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Tuesday, Jan 30 | 6-8:30PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member $52; Nonmember $65

Farmhouse Pot Pies

MA Master Gardeners Hot Horticultural Topics!

Tuesdays, Jan 23 & Feb 20 6:30-8PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton $25

Hot Stuff: An Indian Cooking Class & Dinner

Saturdays, Jan 27, Feb 24 & Mar 10 | 5:30-7PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $32; Nonmember $40

Sunday, Jan 28 | 10AM-3PM Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield Member $40; Nonmember $50

Daily Dec 24-Jan 2 | All Day Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich FREE (Parking $5 per car for Nonmember)

Wednesdays, Jan 3-24 11AM-12Noon Weir River Farm, Hingham Member Child $60; Nonmember Child $75; Additional Member Child $24; Nonmember Child $30; Adults FREE

Kids in the Kitchen: Preschool Farm Explorers Thursday, Jan 4 | 9:30-10:30AM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member Adult/Child $60; Nonmember Adult/Child $75; Additional Member Sibling $24; Additional Nonmember Sibling $30

Light Up Sledding Lanes

Saturdays, Jan 6–March 31 5-7PM Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough $5 per sledder

Christmas Tree Burn

Sunday, Jan 7 | 2-4PM Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Weir River Farm Reindeer Quest

Daily, Jan 7-31 | All Day Weir River Farm, Hingham FREE

Winter Wildlife Fun – Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Saturdays & Sundays, Jan 7Mar 31 | 7AM-4PM World’s End, Hingham FREE

Winter Barnyard Story Hour

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Wednesday Wonderings Nature Playgroup

Wednesdays, Jan 10, Feb 14 & Mar 14 | 10:30-11:30AM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member FREE; Nonmember $5 per child; Adults FREE

Kids in the Kitchen: Mystery Box Madness: Chopped Junior Creations

Wednesday, Jan 10 | 1-3PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member Child $36; Nonmember Child $45

Come Home to Bradley Tours & Snow Play

Thursdays & Fridays, Jan 11-26 12Noon-3PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children FREE

Kids in the KITCHEN

Saturdays, Jan 13 & 27, Feb 3 & 17, Mar 10 & 24 | 10-11AM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $9; Nonmember $15

Kids Can Cook!

Saturdays, Jan 13 & Feb 10 1-2:30PM The FARM Institute, Martha’s Vineyard Member Child $9; Nonmember Child $15

Hoot Moon Owl Prowl

Saturdays, Jan 13 & 27, Feb 10 & 24 | 7-9PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Member $9; Nonmember $15; Children under 12 FREE

Owl Prowl

Sunday, Jan 14 | 7-9PM The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member $9; Nonmember $15; Children under 12 FREE

Winter Fun Sledding Party Monday, Jan 15 | 1-4PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Feed the Birds Storytime

Wednesday, Jan 17 | 9:30-10:30AM The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member Child FREE; Nonmember Child $5; Adults FREE

Après Ski

Saturdays, Jan 20 & Feb 10 4-7PM Notchview, Windsor Member $5; Nonmember $10

Wednesdays, Jan 10, Feb 14 & Mar 14 | 10-11AM Weir River Farm, Hingham Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10; Adults FREE REGISTER TODAY! thetrustees.org/things-to-do Use your member code (above your name on your member card) to qualify for member discounts.

EVENING ADVENTURES

Program details subject to change. For up-to-date event information, or to search for events in your area, at a specific property, by type or by date, click on Things To Do at thetrustees.org.

WINTER BREAK

GARDENING

THINGS TO DO Ward Winter Fun Day

Sunday, Jan 28 | 12Noon-3PM Ward Reservation, Andover & North Andover Member Cars $9; Nonmember Cars $15

Full Moon Owl Prowl

Brew Moon Hike

Saturdays, Jan 6, Feb 3 & Mar 3 5-6:30PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Member $12; Nonmember $20

Brew Moon: Moonlight Ski & Snowshoe

Saturdays, Jan 27 & Feb 24 | 7-9PM Notchview, Windsor Member $9; Nonmember $15

The Wonder of World’s End: Full Moon Hike Series Wednesday, Jan 31 | 6-7PM World’s End, Hingham MEMBER $5; NONMEMBER $10; Children FREE

Silent Meditation Hike: Intention

Winter Trails 2018!

Sunday, Jan 28 | 11AM-4PM Notchview, Windsor 50% off rentals; 50% off trail passes & FREE ski lessons

SPECIAL EVENT

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

Snowshoe Sundays

$5 Race Series: Biathlon 15K Skate Race

Sunday, Jan 21 | 2-4PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $15; Nonmember $25

Bird Park Reindeer Quest!

(Self-Guided)

Bill Koch Youth Ski League

Wednesday, Jan 31 | 7-9PM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member $9; Nonmember $15; Children under 12 FREE

Daily, Jan 1-7 | dawn-dusk Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member & Nonmember FREE

The Wonder of World’s End: Full Moon Hike Series Monday, Jan 1 | 6-7PM World’s End, Hingham Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children FREE

Saturday, Jan 6 | 6-8PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $12; Nonmember $20 Sundays, Jan 7-Feb 25 | 10AM-2PM Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield Member $5; Nonmember $10 Sundays, Jan 7-Mar 4 | 1:30-3:30PM Notchview, Windsor Please check www.berkshiretrailsbk.com

Winter Warm Ups at Chickering Cabin

Sundays & Saturdays, Jan 7Mar 31 | 10AM-3PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Fees for snowshoe rentals and skating

$5 Race Series: 10K Skate Race

Sunday Morning Winter Outdoor Exercise

Barnyard Brew Hike

Guided Hikes

Tuesday, Jan 2 | 3:30-4:30PM Notchview, Windsor Member & Nonmember $5 Thursdays, Jan 4, Feb 1 & Mar 1 7-8:30PM Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough Member $12; Nonmember $20

Winter Beach Safari

Saturdays, Jan 6 & 20, Feb 10 & 24, Mar 10 & 24 | 9-11:30AM Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, Norton Point Beach, Wasque, Martha’s Vineyard Member Adult $24; Member Child $12; Nonmember Adult $30; Nonmember Child $15

Snowy Owl Prowl

Saturday, Jan 6 | 10AM-12Noon Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $9; Nonmember $15

First Saturday Wax Clinic

Saturdays, Jan 6, Feb 3 & Mar 3 1-2PM Notchview, Windsor Member & Nonmember FREE

World’s End Big 50 Challenge Saturdays, Jan 6, Feb 3, Mar 3 10AM-4PM World’s End, Hingham Member & Nonmember FREE

Sundays, Jan 7-28 | 10-11:30AM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $5; Nonmember $10

Tuesday, Jan 30 | 3:30-4:30PM Notchview, Windsor Member & Nonmember $5

Winter Music Series: Jazz

NEW YEAR’S DAY ADVENTURES Celebrate the New Year with a First Day Hike, Ski, or Snowshoe.

New Beginnings at World’s End

Monday, Jan 1 | 6:30-8:30AM World’s End, Hingham Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children FREE

Newbie New Year Skiing

Monday, Jan 1 | 8AM-4:30PM Notchview, Windsor Nonmember Adult $65; Member Adult $60; Nonmember Child $55; Member Child $50

Sundays, Jan 7-Mar 31 | 11AM & 3PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children under 5 FREE

First Day Hike (Self-guided)

Wednesday Wanderings

First Day Hike (Self-guided)

Wednesdays, Jan 10-Mar 28 9:30-10:30AM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member FREE; Nonmember $5

$5 Race Series: Skiathlon 6K Laps Skate/Classic Race Tuesday, Jan 16 | 3:30-4:30PM Notchview, Windsor Member & Nonmember $5

Snowshoe Meetup

Fridays, Jan 19-Feb 23 9:30-10:30AM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Winter Walk Series: The Brickyard

Sunday, Jan 21 | 1-3PM Menemsha Hills, Martha’s Vineyard Member FREE; Nonmember $10

Tully Lake Winter Campout!

Saturday & Sunday, Jan 27-28 11AM-2PM Tully Lake Campground, Royalston Member $32; Nonmember $40

Monday, Jan 1 | 10AM-4PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Member & Nonmember FREE

Monday, Jan 1 | 10AM-2PM Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield Member FREE; Nonmember $5

In With the New Hike

Monday, Jan 1 | 10AM-12Noon Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $9; Nonmember $15

New Year’s Day Walk

Monday, Jan 1 | 11AM-12:30PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member & Nonmember FREE

Resolutions & New Beginnings Monday, Jan 1 | 1-3PM The Old Manse, Concord Member $5; Nonmember $10

First Day Hike

Monday, Jan 1 | 2-3PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member FREE; Nonmember $5

New Year’s Day Après Ski Monday, Jan 1 | 4-7PM Notchview, Windsor Member $5; Nonmember $10

February CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & TALKS Mindfulness on the Farm Thursdays | 6:45-7:15AM Powisset Farm, Dover Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Fresh, Fast & Delicious for Less w/ Project Bread

Thursdays | 11:45AM-12:30PM & 1-1:45PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member & Nonmember FREE

Poetry at the Manse

Fridays, Jan 5, Feb 2 & Mar 2 7-8PM The Old Manse, Concord Member & Nonmember FREE

Herbal Cold Remedies

Saturday, Feb 3 | 1:30-3:30PM The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member $9; Nonmember $15

Baking School with Chef Cleo Sundays, Feb 4 & 18 | 2-4PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Vegetable Garden Planning Monday, Feb 5 | 6-7:30PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $9; Nonmember $15

Farm-to-KITCHEN: Athens vs. Santorini, Greece Tuesdays, Feb 6 & Feb 13 &, Thursday, Feb 22 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Cultures to Rinds: Cheese Making Fundamentals

Landscape Ladder Tour

From the Farm Kettle: Stews

Mixology Class with Bully Boy Distillers

Saturday, Feb 3 | 9:30-11:30AM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $60; Nonmember $75 Saturday, Feb 3 | 10AM-12:30PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $60 Nonmember $75

Powisset Cooks Comfort Food Series: Hugs & Knishes Saturday, Feb 3 | 10AM-12Noon Powisset Farm, Dover Member $52; Nonmember $65

Wednesday, Feb 7 | 6:30-8PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member $12; Nonmember $20

Fridays, Feb 9 & Mar 9 | 6-7:30PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $32; Nonmember $40

Conversations in Craft: Curator Stories Saturday, Feb 10 | 2-3PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard FREE with Winter Admission

VALENTINE’S DAY Farm Dinner & Culinary Workshop

Saturday, Feb 10 & Wednesday, Feb 14 | 6-9PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $80; Nonmember $100

Valentine Craft Party

Sunday, Feb 11 | 1-3PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard FREE with Winter Admission

Creative Romance Paint Night

Wednesday, Feb 14 | 6-8PM The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member $40; Nonmember $50

Truffle Experience with Taza Chocolate Wednesday, Feb 14 | 6-7:30PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN, Boston Member $60; Nonmember $75

Aphrodisiac Alert: Cooking Class & Dinner Wednesday, Feb 14 | 6:30-9:30PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member $72; Nonmember $90

Creating a B.A.M.!

Herb Garden

Farm-to-KITCHEN: All Food Leads to Rome

Farm-to-KITCHEN: New England Comfort Food

Mixology Class with Saxtons River Distillery

Community Gardens in Boston: An Oral History

Your Own Herbal Apothecary

Saturday, Feb 10 | 3-4:30PM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member $15; Nonmember $25

Saturday, Feb 10 & Sunday, Feb 25 | 5-7PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Monday, Feb 12 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member & Nonmember FREE

Friday, Feb 23 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Saturdays, Feb 24 & Mar 10 5:30-7PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $32; Nonmember $40 Saturday, Feb 24 | 3-4:30PM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member $15; Nonmember $25

The Art of the Dumpling with Fresh Zen

A Taste of African Heritage Cooking Class: Demo & Tasting with Oldways

Farm-to-KITCHEN: Persian & Middle Eastern Flavors

“Aw Shucks” Hands-on Raw Bar w/ Red’s Best

Crafty American Whiskey Taylor & Taylor Whiskey Co.

FAMILY FUN

Thursdays, Feb 15 & Mar 22 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Fridays, Feb 16 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Saturday, Feb 17 | 6-7:30PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Nella Pasta Making Workshop Sunday, Feb 18 | 5-7PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Families in the Farm Kitchen: Cheese Making

Monday, Feb 19 | 2-3PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member Child $12; Nonmember Child $20

Farmer for a Day: Kids in the Kitchen

Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, Feb 20, 21 & 22 | 10AM-12:30PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member $40; Nonmember $50

MA Master Gardeners Hot Horticultural Topics!

Tuesday, Feb 20 | 6:30-8PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton $25

Salon Conversations

Wednesdays, Feb 21 & Mar 21 6:30-8PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member $9; Nonmember $15

Monday, Feb 26 | 6-7:30PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN $5 per person

Wednesday, Feb 28 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Light Up Sledding Lanes

Saturdays, Jan 6-March 31 | 5-7PM Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough $5 per sledder

Winter Wildlife Fun – Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Sundays & Saturdays, Jan 7-Mar 31 7AM-4PM World’s End, Hingham Member & Nonmember FREE

Saturday Snowshoe Rentals, Lessons & Family Fun

Saturdays, Feb 3-24 | 11AM-3PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member Adult $15; Nonmember Adult $25; Member Child $10; Nonmember Child $15 for two hours

Garden Dreams Winter Sculptures

Saturday, Feb 3 | 1-3PM The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10; Adults FREE

Kids in the Kitchen: Delve Into Dips

Wednesday, Feb 7 | 1-2:30PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member Child $36; Nonmember Child $45

REGISTER TODAY! thetrustees.org/things-to-do Use your member code (above your name on your member card) to qualify for member discounts.

EVENING ADVENTURES

Program details subject to change. For up-to-date event information, or to search for events in your area, at a specific property, by type or by date, click on Things To Do at thetrustees.org.

WINTER BREAK

GARDENING

THINGS TO DO Come Home to Bradley Tours & Snow Play

Thursdays & Fridays, Feb 8-23 12Noon-3PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children FREE

Kids Can Cook!

Saturday, Feb 10 | 1-2:30PM The FARM Institute, Martha’s Vineyard Member Child $9; Nonmember Child $15; Adults FREE

Live Action Clue for Families

Saturday, Feb 10 | 3-5PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $15; Nonmember $25

Après Ski

Saturday, Feb 10 | 4-7PM Notchview, Windsor Member $5; Nonmember $10

Winterlude Festival!

Sunday, Feb 11 | 11AM-3PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children under 5 FREE

Winter Barnyard Story Hour

Wednesdays, Feb 14 & Mar 14 10-11AM Weir River Farm, Hingham Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10; Adults FREE

Wednesday Wonderings Nature Playgroup

Wednesdays, Feb 14 & Mar 14 10:30-11:30AM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member Child FREE; Nonmember Child $5; Adults FREE

Families in the Farm Kitchen: Bread & Butter Making

Saturday, Feb 17 & Monday, Feb 19 | 10-11AM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member Child $12; Nonmember Child $20

Art from Nature

Sundays & Saturdays, Feb 18-25 10AM-2PM Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Farm Inspired Crafts for Kids

Sunday, Feb 18 | 10AM-12Noon Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member Family $5; Nonmember Family $10

February Farmer for a Day

Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays, Feb 19-Mar 2 | 9:30AM-12Noon The FARM Institute, Martha’s Vineyard Member Child $28; Nonmember Child $35

Winter Fun Day

Monday, Feb 19 | 1-4PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Farmer for a Week: February Vacation Farm Camp Tuesday-Friday, Feb 20-23 9AM-12Noon Weir River Farm, Hingham Member Child $140; Nonmember Child $175

Farmer for a Week: Kids in the Kitchen

Tuesday-Friday, Feb 20-23 9AM-1PM Appleton Farms, Appleton Farms Grass Rides, Hamilton & Ipswich Member Child $200; Nonmember Child $250

Farmer for a Day

Tuesday-Friday, Feb 20-23 9:30AM-12:30PM Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough Member Child $32; Nonmember Child $40

Old-School Yard Games

Tuesday, Feb 20 | 10AM-12Noon The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member Child FREE; Nonmember Child $5; Adults FREE

World’s End Explorers

Tuesday-Friday, Feb 20-23 10-11AM World’s End, Hingham Member Child $15; Nonmember Child $20; Adults FREE

February Vacation Tours

Tuesday, Feb 20 | 11AM-4PM The Old Manse, Concord Member FREE; Nonmember $10; Seniors/Students $9; Family $25

February Vacation Journal Making

Snow Sculpture Building Contest

Wednesday, Feb 21 | 10AM-12Noon The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10; Adults FREE

Snow Globe Making

Wednesday, Feb 21 | 1-3PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member $5 per snow globe; Nonmember $10 per snow globe

February Exploration at Long Point

Thursday & Friday, Feb 22-Feb 23 10AM-12Noon Long Point Wildlife Refuge, Martha’s Vineyard Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10; Adults FREE

Abominable Snowman Tracking

Thursday, Feb 22 | 10AM-12Noon The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10; Adults FREE

This Hike Is for the Birds

Thursday, Feb 22 | 1-3PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10; Adults FREE

Abominable Snowman Tracking

Friday, Feb 23 | 1-2PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10; Adults FREE

Snowman Contest on the Grand Allée

Vacation Week: Farm Felting

Rocky Ranger Vacation Adventures

Saturday, Feb 24 | 5:30-7PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member $5; Member Family $15; Nonmember $10; Nonmember Family $25

Winter Wander

Wednesday, Feb 21 | 10AM-12Noon Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10; Adults FREE

Barnyard Brew Hike

Thursdays, Feb 1 & Mar 1 7-8:30PM Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough Member $12; Nonmember $20

World’s End Big 50 Challenge Saturdays, Feb 3 & Mar 3 10AM-4PM World’s End, Hingham Members & Nonmembers FREE

First Saturday Wax Clinic

Saturdays, Feb 3 & Mar 3 | 1-2PM Notchview, Windsor Members & Nonmembers FREE

Brew Moon Hike

Saturdays, Feb 3 & Mar 3 5-6:30PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Member $12; Nonmember $20

Snowshoe Sundays

Sundays, Feb 4-25 | 10AM-2PM Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield Member $5; Nonmember $10

Bill Koch Youth Ski League

Sundays through Mar 4 | 1:30-3:30PM Notchview, Windsor Please check website www.berkshiretrailsbk.com

Winter Warm Ups at Chickering Cabin

Saturdays & Sundays through Mar 31 | 10AM-3PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Fees for snowshoe rentals and skating

Friday, Feb 23 | 1-2:30PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $5; Nonmember $10

Tuesday, Feb 20 & Friday, Feb 23 1-4PM The Old Manse, Concord Member Family $5; Nonmember Family $10

Tuesday-Friday, Feb 20-23 | 1-4PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Member Child $32; Nonmember Child $40

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

Friday, Feb 23 | 2-3PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member Child $12; Nonmember Child $20

Soup & Stars

February Vacation Exploration

Monday-Friday, Feb 26-Mar 2 10AM-12Noon Long Point Wildlife Refuge, Martha’s Vineyard Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10, Adults FREE ©monkman

Feb

continued

Guided Hikes

Sundays through Mar 31 11AM & 3PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children under 5 FREE

Winter Walk Series: North Shore

Sunday, Feb 18 | 1-3PM North Shore Conservation Restriction, Chilmark Member FREE; Nonmember $10

Wednesday Wanderings

Snowy Owl Prowl

Snowshoe Meetup

$5 Race Series: Loppet 20K Classic Race

Wednesdays, Feb 7-Mar 28 9:30-10:30AM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member FREE; Nonmember $5 Fridays, Feb 2-23 | 9:30-10:30AM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Full Moon Owl Prowl

Saturdays, Feb 3 & Mar 3 | 7-9PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member $9; Nonmember $15; Children 12 and under FREE

Sunday Morning Winter Outdoor Exercise

Sundays, Feb 4-25 | 10-11:30AM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children FREE

Snowy Sunset Hike

Saturday, Feb 10 | 4:30-6:30PM The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member $12; Nonmember $20

$5 Race Series: Get Torched Tiki 10K Relay

Sundays, Feb 18 & Mar 18 | 1-3PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $9; Nonmember $15

Saturday, Feb 24 | 3:30-4:30PM Notchview, Windsor Member & Nonmember $5

The “Energy Begets Energy” Hike

Sunday, Feb 25 & Saturday, Mar 24 | 1-3PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $9; Nonmember $15

Maple Tree Tap-a-Thon

Saturday, Feb 17 | 11AM-1PM Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough Member $9; Nonmember $15; Children under 7 FREE)

Sugar Shack Saturdays

Baking School with Chef Cleo

Fresh, Fast & Delicious for Less w/ Project Bread

Crafty American Whiskey Taylor & Taylor Whiskey Co.

Thursdays 11:45AM-12:30PM & 11:45PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member & Nonmember FREE

Mindfulness on the Farm Thursdays | 6:45-7:15AM Powisset Farm, Dover Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Cooking on a Budget: SNAPED Nutrition Workshops Friday, Mar 2 | 10:30-11:30AM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member & Nonmember FREE

Farm-to-KITCHEN: Persian & Middle Eastern Flavors

Sunday, Mar 4 & 25 | 2-4PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Sunday, Mar 4 | 5:30-7PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Start Your Own Seeds

Monday, Mar 5 | 6-7:30PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $9; Nonmember $15

Farm-to-KITCHEN: Athens vs. Santorini, Greece Tuesday, Mar 6 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

International Women’s Day: Meet & Make

SPECIAL EVENT

Thursday, Mar 8 | 6:30-8PM The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member $12; Nonmember $20

Carnival Costume Ball

Swing & Waltz Dance Lessons

Curator Talk

Saturday, Feb 10 | 7-10PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $44; Nonmember $55

Mardi Gras Masquerade!

Saturday, Feb 17 | 7-9PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $32; Nonmember $40

Fridays, Mar 2-23 | 7-8:30PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member Adult $15; Nonmember Adult $25

Garden Tips, Teas & Tours

Saturdays & Sundays, Mar 3Mar 18 | 12Noon-4PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children FREE

Conversations in Craft: Artisans Panel Happy Hour at the Sugar Shack

Saturday, Mar 3 | 5-7PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $24; Nonmember $30

Maple Days at the Bryant Homestead

Saturdays, Feb 24-Mar 10 10-11:30AM & 1:30-3PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member Family $24; Nonmember Family $30

Saturday & Sunday, Mar 3 & 4 8:30AM-2PM William Cullen Bryant Homestead, Cummington Member $5; Nonmember $10

From the Sugar Shack: Maple Culinary Class & Sugaring Tour

The Magic of Maple

Saturdays, Feb 24-Mar 3 10AM-12:30PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $60; Nonmember $75

CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & TALKS

Fridays, Mar 2 & 30 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

Tuesday, Feb 13 | 3:30-4:30PM Notchview, Windsor Member & Nonmember $5

ALL THINGS MAPLE

March

Sunday, Mar 25 | 11AM-2PM Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children under 5 FREE)

Saturday, Mar 3 | 2-3PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard FREE with Winter Admission

Women of the Manse: Sophia Hawthorne & Sarah Ripley Saturdays, Mar 3-31 | 3-4PM The Old Manse, Concord Regular tour rates apply; Member FREE; Nonmember Adult $10; Seniors/Students $9; Children $5

Deliciously Healing Cocktails & Mocktails Saturday, Mar 3 | 3-4:30PM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member $15; Nonmember $25

A Conversation about Agriculture & Social Justice Sunday, Mar 4 | 1-2:30 PM Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Thursday, Mar 8 | 7-8PM The Old Manse, Concord Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Culinary Skills Series

Saturdays, Mar 10 & 24 10AM-12:30PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $60; Nonmember $75

Powisset Cooks: Tongue, Tail & Tacos, Oh My!

Saturday, Mar 10 | 10AM-12:30PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member $60; Nonmember $75

From the Farm Kitchen: Brunch

Sunday, Mar 11 | 9:30AM-12:30PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $72; Nonmember $90

The Art of Natural Dyes

Sunday, Mar 11 | 1-4PM Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield Member $15; Nonmember $25

Nella Pasta Making Workshop Sunday, Mar 11 | 5-7PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Turning Wasted Food into Plenty

Tuesday, Mar 13 | 10AM-12Noon Powisset Farm, Dover Member $52; Nonmember $65

REGISTER TODAY! thetrustees.org/things-to-do Use your member code (above your name on your member card) to qualify for member discounts.

EVENING ADVENTURES

Program details subject to change. For up-to-date event information, or to search for events in your area, at a specific property, by type or by date, click on Things To Do at thetrustees.org.

WINTER BREAK

GARDENING

THINGS TO DO THINGS TO DO Truffle Rolling Workshop with Taza Chocolate (+Wine Tasting) Friday, Mar 16 | 6-7:30PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $48; Nonmember $60

Cultures to Rinds: Cheese Making Fundamentals

Saturday, Mar 17 | 9:30-11:30AM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $60; Nonmember $75

43rd Annual Gardeners’ Gathering

Saturday, Mar 17 | 11AM-5PM Shillman Hall & the Egan Center, Northeastern University, Boston Member & Nonmember FREE

Farm-to-KITCHEN: All Food Leads to Rome

Sunday, Mar 18 | 5-7PM Friday, Mar 23 | 6-8PM Boston Public Market KITCHEN Member $52; Nonmember $65

MA Master Gardeners Hot Horticultural Topics!

Tuesday, Mar 20 | 6:30-8PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton $25

World Poetry Day Meetup

Wednesday, Mar 21 | 6:30-8PM The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member $5; Nonmember $10

MA Master Gardeners Home Horticulture Class

Thursday, Mar 22 | 6:30-8PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton $250 for 10 weeks; payment to the MA Master Gardeners Assn.

Seed Starting

Saturday, Mar 24 | 10AM-12Noon The FARM Institute, Martha’s Vineyard Member $12; Nonmember $20

Christiane’s Pain Bâtard: French Bread the Easy Way

Saturday, Mar 24 | 10AM-12Noon Powisset Farm, Dover Member $40; Nonmember $50

Spring Cleaning at The Old Manse

Saturday, Mar 24 | 1-3PM The Old Manse, Concord Member & Nonmember FREE

Live Birds of Prey Presentation

Saturday, Mar 24 | 2-3PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member Adult $9, Nonmember Adult $15; Member Child $6; Nonmember Child $10

History of Sheep on Chappy Sunday, Mar 25 | 1-2:30PM Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, The FARM Institute, Martha’s Vineyard Member $20; Nonmember $30

Fairy Garden Workshop

Sunday, Mar 25 | 1:30-3:30PM The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member $24; Nonmember $30

FAMILY FUN Light Up Sledding Lanes

Saturdays through Mar 31 | 5-7PM Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough $5 per sledder

Winter Wildlife Fun – Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Saturdays & Sundays through Mar 31 | 7AM-4PM World’s End, Hingham Member & Nonmember FREE

February Vacation Exploration

Thursday & Friday, Mar 1-2 10AM-12Noon Long Point Wildlife Refuge, Martha’s Vineyard Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $10; Adults FREE

February Farmer for a Day

Friday, Mar 2 | 9:30AM-12Noon The FARM Institute, Martha’s Vineyard Member $28; Nonmember $35

Owl Prowl

Saturday, Mar 3 | 7-9PM The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover Member $9; Nonmember $15; Children under 12 FREE

Preschool Farm Explorers Monday Series

Farmer for a Week: Kids in the Kitchen

Tuesday-Friday, Mar 20-23 9AM-1PM Appleton Farms; Appleton Farms Grass Rides, Hamilton & Ipswich Member $200; Nonmember $250

Little Lamb Nursery Visit

Wednesdays & Saturdays, Mar 21-28 | 3:30-4:15PM The FARM Institute, Martha’s Vineyard Member & Nonmember FREE

Kids in the Kitchen: Easy Healthy Snacks

Friday, March 30 | 10-11:30AM Powisset Farm, Dover Member Child $36; Nonmember Child $45

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES Bill Koch Youth Ski League Sundays through Mar 4 1:30-3:30PM Notchview, Windsor Please check website www.berkshiretrailsbk.com

Winter Warm Ups at Chickering Cabin

Saturdays & Sundays through Mar 31 | 10AM-3PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Fees for snowshoe rentals and skating

Guided Hikes

Sundays through Mar 31 11AM & 3PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children under 5 FREE

Wednesday Wanderings

Wednesdays through Mar 28 9:30-10:30AM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Full Moon & Folklore Hike

Thursday, Mar 1 | 6-8PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $9; Nonmember $15

Full Moon Meander

Thursday, Mar 1 | 7-8PM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member FREE; Nonmember $5

$5 Race Series: Bread & Jam Classic

Saturday, Mar 3 | 3:30-4:30PM Notchview, Windsor Member & Nonmember $5

Full Moon Owl Prowl

Saturday, Mar 3 | 7-9PM Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Member $9; Nonmember $15; Children 12 and under FREE

Spring Woodland Walks

Thursdays & Fridays, Mar 8-23 10AM-12Noon Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children FREE

$5 Race Series: Notchview Medley 20K Race

Saturday, Mar 10 | 3:30-4:30PM Notchview, Windsor Member & Nonmember $5

Hike Menemsha Hills

Sundays, Mar 11 & 25 | 8-10AM Menemsha Hills, Martha’s Vineyard Member FREE; Nonmember $5

Snowy Owl Prowl

Sunday, Mar 18 | 1-3PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $9; Nonmember $15

Mondays, Mar 5-26 | 10-11AM Weir River Farm, Hingham Member Child $60; Nonmember Child $75; Additional Member Child $24; Nonmember Child $30; Adults FREE

Preschool Farm Explorers Tuesday Series

Tuesdays, Mar 6-27 | 10-11AM Weir River Farm, Hingham Member Child $60; Nonmember Child $75; Additional Member Child $24; Nonmember Child $30; Adults FREE

Fiddler on the Farm & The Whyte School of Irish Step Dance

Sunday, Mar 18 | 3-4:30PM Powisset Farm, Dover Member $9; Nonmember $15

©monkman

Mar

continued

Winter Walk Series: Squibnocket

Sunday, Mar 18 | 1-3PM Squibnocket Conservation Restriction, Chilmark Member FREE; Nonmember $10

“Energy Begets Energy” Hike Saturday, Mar 24 | 1-3PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $9; Nonmember $15

Blue Moon & Brew Party

Saturday, Mar 31 | 7-9:30PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $15; Nonmember $25

The Wonder of World’s End: Full Moon Hike Series Saturday, Mar 31 | 6-7PM World’s End, Hingham Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children FREE

Ongoing

SPECIAL EVENTS

NOTCHVIEW

FRUITLANDS MUSEUM

Celtic Spring Celebration with Harp & Fiddles!

If you’re a Nordic or snowshoe aficionado, head up to Windsor in the Berkshires to enjoy some winter fun!

WINTER HOURS Saturdays & Sundays through Mar 25 | 12 Noon-5PM Member Free; Nonmember $14 Children under 5 FREE

Saturday, Mar 17 | 7-9PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $9; Nonmember $15

Spring Soirée

Nordic Skiing & Snowshoeing

Spring Open House & Farm Stand Debut

Learn to Ski Program

Tuesday, Mar 20 | 7-10PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Member $28; Nonmember $35

Saturday & Sunday, Mar 24-25 11AM-3PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member $5; Nonmember $10; Children FREE

EASTER ACTIVITIES Rocky Woods Egg Challenge

Saturday, Mar 24 | 11AM-1PM Rocky Woods, Medfield Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $7; Adults FREE

Egg-Cellent Easter Adventure

Daily through Mar 31 8AM-4:30PM Visit thetrustees.org/notchview for pricing on day and season passes.

Saturdays & Sundays, Jan 6Mar 31 | Weekend Group Lessons - please call for ski school schedule Member Adult $75; Member Child (10 and up) $60; Nonmember Adult $80; Nonmember Child (10 and up) $65

Bill Koch Youth Ski League Sundays, Jan 7-Mar 4 | 1:303:30PM Visit www.berkshiretrailsbk.com for details

Notchview Junior Ski Patrol Sundays, Jan 8-Feb 26 | 12-1PM Call for more information.

Saturday, Mar 31 | 10AM-12Noon Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Member Family $24; Nonmember Family $30

Easter Nature Quest

Saturday, Mar 31 | 10AM-12Noon Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Member Family $5; Nonmember Family $10

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS: Through March 25 - Conversations in Craft - Portraits & Penmanship: The Appletons in their Own Words Through Nov 4 - A New View: Landscapes from the Permanent Collection

Frozen Fruitlands

Saturdays & Sundays, Jan 6-Mar 25 | 12 Noon-5PM Member Free; Nonmember $14 Children under 5 FREE

OLD MANSE WINTER HOURS Weekends, Monday Holidays & School Vacation Week | 12-5PM

Home to Two Revolutions

Saturdays & Sundays, Jan 7-Apr 15 | 12Noon-5PM (Last tour at 4PM) Member FREE; Nonmember Adults $10; Students and Seniors $9; Children (7-12) $5; Children 6 & under FREE

Egg-Citing Egg Hunt

Saturday, Mar 31 | 10AM-12Noon The FARM Institute, Martha’s Vineyard Member Child FREE; Nonmember Child $5

Egg-Ventures on the Farm

Saturday, Mar 31 | 11AM-1PM Chestnut Hill Farm Member Child $5; Nonmember Child $7; Adults FREE

Bunny Escapade & Egg Hunt

Saturday, Mar 31 | 1-3PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Member family $5; Nonmember family $10

PROGRAM REFUNDS/CANCELLATIONS: In the event that a program is cancelled due to severe weather, low enrollment, or other circumstances, we will notify you as soon as possible by email and issue you a full refund within 14 days of the cancellation.

If you cannot attend a program as planned, contact the Trustees property 7 days prior to the start of the program to receive a full refund. Refunds will not be granted for registration cancellations placed fewer than 7 days before the start of the program. There are no refunds for missed classes. The Trustees reserves the right to change program locations, schedules, or instructors when necessary. Note: Summer Camps and our inns and campgrounds each have separate cancellation policies.

REI Outdoor School REI Outdoor School classes and outings combine professional instruction with hands-on practice in the field. Now you can try a new outdoor skill or adventure and enjoy your favorite Trustees property.

Visit thetrustees.org/rei for a full class list.

REGISTER TODAY! thetrustees.org/things-to-do Use your member code (above your name on your member card) to qualify for member discounts.

EVENING ADVENTURES

Program details subject to change. For up-to-date event information, or to search for events in your area, at a specific property, by type or by date, click on Things To Do at thetrustees.org.

WINTER BREAK

GARDENING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

FIRST DAY HIKES Get your New Year’s Resolution to be more active off on the right foot! First Day hikes are a great way to get out of the house with family and friends. World’s End in Hingham opens its gates early for a ranger-led sunrise hike at 6:30am—don’t worry, hot coffee and cocoa will be available at the gatehouse before and after the hike! At Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, we’ll begin with a small fire on the beach at 10am (where you can burn your regrets from the past year on small slips of paper), followed by a brisk hike though Crane Wildlife Refuge and ending with hot cider.

Walk off your late breakfast at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, where staff will lead a short hike to the Willard Farmhouse archeological site while sharing some history of the property. If Mother Nature has left the gift of snow, grab your snowshoes or cross-country skis to explore the wintery landscapes. Notchview will be offering après ski from 4-7pm, complete with fondue and hot toddies. Also enjoy self-guided hikes (FREE for members) at Rocky Woods in Medfield (where snowshoes are also available for rentals), and Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield.

©TRUSTEES

©TRUSTEES

Visit thetrustees.org/things-to-do, or the calendar section and Winter Fun Finder in this magazine for these and hundreds of great ideas to make the most of your winter at a Trustees special place near you.

Go for it!

VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIALS Avoid the over-crowded restaurants this Valentine’s Day and wow your honey with a unique Trustees date. The Stevens-Coolidge Place has a Creative Romance Paint Night— think Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore à la Ghost, but with a brush, canvas, and festive sustenance. Or spend a cozy evening with your sweetheart on the farm cooking up a delicious meal: Appleton Farms has a Farm Dinner & Culinary Workshop, and Powisset Farm in Dover gives six couples the chance to cook with chef and award-winning cookbook author Didi Emmons, complete with aphrodisiac ingredients and champagne.

Rather skip right to chocolate? Grab some friends and sign up for the Truffle Experience with Taza Chocolate at The KITCHEN at Boston Public Market, where you learn how to make chocolate truffles while enjoy a tasting provided by the Massachusetts Wine Shop.

SCHOOL VACATION PROGRAMS Get your kids out of the house! Give them a new experience away from school work and electronics! School vacation week is a great time to plan activities with your kids without having to travel. Trustees has lots of programs, from one-time drop-in sessions with a caregiver present, to a full week of half-day drop-off camps. There is something for everyone—just look for the snowflake icon in the Things-To-Do calendar section of this magazine. Powisset Farm in Dover, Weir River Farm in Hingham, Chestnut Hill Farm in Southborough, Appleton Farms in Ipswich & Hamilton, and The FARM Institute on Martha’s Vineyard are all offering Vacation Farm Camps that provide the chance for kids to help with animal chores, take cooking classes, head out on outdoor explorations, and more. Rocky Woods in Medfield has Rocky Ranger Vacation Adventures from 1-4pm, so you can let the kids relax in the morning and get them out of the house in afternoon. And for budding authors or even those who just prefer to be indoors in February, come to The Old Manse in Concord for Journal Making. Learn about the writers who lived there—like Emerson and Hawthorne— then craft your own journal to record your thoughts and experiences.

WINTER 2017

19

A sanderling darts across the beach in its winter plumage.

©C.BOSAK

For the Birds When the leaves come down, bird sightings go up

BY CHRIS BOSAK

Fun in the snow is not just the exclusive domain of children and skiers.

Try birdwatching this winter!

Even as New England heads into a deep freeze and the landscape gets covered in a glittering blanket of white, the rewards—and surprises—of winter birdwatching abound.

Whether your favorite place is a meadow, coastal area, or in the woods, “Winter is a great time to bird watch,” says Russ Hopping, The Trustee’s Director of Ecology. “The coast is especially productive as many northern birds are visiting and spending their winter with us.”

Birdwatching in the winter requires little in the way of equipment, expense, or experience. All you need is warm clothing, good

20

THE TRUSTEES

boots, binoculars, a field guide—whether in a pocket or on a smart phone—and an enthusiasm for nature. Places to look for birds are just about everywhere. In wooded areas, such as Bartholomew’s Cobble in the Berkshires, leafless trees make it easier to spot birds flitting among the branches. The empty canopy opens a broad view to the sky to spot hawks, vultures, and other birds flying overhead. The woods are quiet as birds are less vocal than in other seasons and human visitors are far less numerous. Chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, blue jays, and woodpeckers are good bets to be seen. Venture to the brushy edge of the

woods and mockingbirds, Carolina wrens, cardinals, and sparrows pop up from the bramble to see what is walking by. Brown thrashers, cedar waxwings, and eastern towhees are other winter possibilities in this type of habitat.

Owls stand guard over the frozen woods and Laurie Nehring, a naturalist for The Trustees, holds evening “owl prowls” at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard. Great horned owls and barred owls are the regular quarry for these excursions. Nehring is adept at imitating the “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” call of the barred owl, which

©C.BOSAK

©R.PENNESI

Wildlife photographer Ryan Pennesi spotted this snowy owl at Crane Beach recently. Other species seen in winter include (top to bottom) eastern towhee, great blue heron, dark-eyed junco, and brown creeper.

often brings the impressive birds closer to the prowler groups. “There’s nothing more exciting to me than being with a group of night explorers, hiking slowly along a trail with nothing but the moon and stars lighting the way,” Nehring says. “Sometimes owls silently land right over our heads, on a bare branch, and look down at us with their big brown eyes, hooting directly at our group!”

Coastal areas are otherworldly in the winter. Gone are the beach crowds and noise, leaving expansive views of sand, snow, and ocean water. A wide variety of birds utilize the coast during winter, even though the scene may appear desolate at first glance. Many shorebirds are hardy enough to remain in New England throughout the cold months: Sizable flocks of sanderlings chase the waves just like they do in the summer and purple sandpipers, rarely seen in other seasons, congregate on rocky islands off the coast. Sandy beaches and other low-cut open areas are also good places to look for more elusive snow buntings and horned larks.

The ocean is a foreboding force in the winter, but for a great number of waterfowl, the ocean off the New England coast offers all the comforts of home. A spotting scope is helpful for picking out these fowl, but a good pair of binoculars will bring them closer as well.

Eiders, mergansers, goldeneye, bufflehead, scaup, long-tailed ducks, and scoters bob among the waves. Common and red-throated

loons, in their dull winter plumage, can also be seen off the coast amid the ducks.

Coastal areas are also the most reliable places to look for the snowy owl, a remarkable bird from the Arctic that shows up in New England in varying numbers each winter. One recent winter—2013— brought an unforgettable number of these birds to the region. Check out Castle Hill and Crane Beach—both part of the Crane Estate in Ipswich—for snowy owls. Trustees holds Snowy Owl Prowls throughout the winter in search of these rodent-eating Arctic visitors.

Lakes, ponds, and rivers also offer rewarding birding opportunities in the winter.

Common and hooded mergansers, ringnecked ducks, bufflehead, American wigeon, and green-winged teal frequent these haunts and will remain as long as the water doesn’t freeze. Try Shovelshop Pond at Governor Oliver Ames Estate in Easton, or Gordon Pond at Norris Reservation to look for these freshwater gems.

Winter birdwatching is affordable, accessible, flexible, healthy, and rewarding. Snow covering the ground and branches only adds to the magical feel of being out there among the birds. Bundle up, grab your binoculars, head to your favorite Trustees property, and start counting!

Chris Bosak lives in Danbury, CT, and writes for the News-Times in Danbury, and the Keene Sentinel in Keene, NH. His website is birdsofnewengland.com.

©C.BOSAK

©C.BOSAK

©C.BOSAK

WINTER 2017

21

THE CHARLES ELIOT AWARD | Conservationist of the Year

PETER SHELLEY Passionate protector of the enviroment “We must strive to ensure that our waterfront remains the People’s Harbor—a harbor for all, and for all time.

Charles Eliot would have expected no less from us.”

22

THE TRUSTEES

Each year, The Trustees recognizes an individual or organization that has made a significant impact to conservation in Massachusetts with the prestigious Charles Eliot Award.

This year’s Conservationist of the Year, Peter Shelley, is Senior Counsel at Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) Massachusetts. He is a role model and passionate protector of the environment—specifically the Boston waterfront and waterways—and has been for decades. Peter has fought to clean up Boston Harbor since the days when it was America’s dirtiest.

He has been a tenacious, thorough, and tireless advocate for the public, working within the judicial system to bring humanity and intelligence to a topic that many consider too immense to tackle. The Commonwealth has benefitted from Peter’s ability to see the long game—to fight on behalf of the taxpayer, the average citizen, and the planet with unwavering passion.

His work represents a model that can inform and guide us all; and by telling his story and his experiences we amplify the need for a collective, forceful effort to create open space, to protect natural resources, to provide access to the public, and to safeguard quality of life for our families and neighbors for generations to come.

Habitat Update At The Trustees, we prioritize and direct our ecology work toward the most significant natural landscapes.

We have identified more than 80 specific priority landscapes on which to focus, totaling more than 6,000 acres throughout the Commonwealth. Most require active management to maintain their habitat value. The scope of our ecology program and highlights of this past year's work are as follows:

Grassland Management, Prescribed Fire & Habitat Restoration Strategic management of landscapes helps improve critical habitats for tomorrow’s generation of flora and fauna.

1,695 Acres of priority grassland habitat on 43 properties 66 Grassland acres burned at Long Point and Wasque; drought conditions prevented scheduled burns at several other properties 27 Acres of grassland habitat restored at Bartholomew’s Cobble 2 Properties (Bartholomew’s Cobble and Naumkeag) where new

erosion control measures have begun to mitigate huge channels and increased sedimentation—due to increasing/changing levels of precipitation— impacting wetlands and habitats

©J.BELLER

76 Trustees properties with federal- and state-listed rare species 175 Rare species protected on Trustees properties, including peregrine falcons, seabeach knotweed, and northern harrier hawks

1 Property with a nest of bald eagles (Old Town Hill); first such nest on

Trustees reservations since the population’s decline as a result of DDT

Rare Species While rare coastal nesting shorebirds remain a focus for The Trustees, many other rare species need protection and management. ©L.QUINN; CREATIVE COMMONS

Invasive Species & Deer Control Invasive species and growing deer populations have proven a direct threat to forest regeneration, rare species survival, and wildlife populations.

40 Properties where invasive plants were treated or monitored, including Japanese barberry, garlic mustard, and glossy buckthorn

62 Properties open to deer hunting as a means of mitigating negative impacts on forest regeneration, rare plant species survival, and other wildlife populations posed by uncontrolled deer herd growth 30 Trustees properties open to controlled deer hunting (by permission only) 71 Deer harvested from 20 properties

©E.FITZGERALD; CREATIVE COMMONS

729 Total breeding pairs counted on Trustees properties, including

piping plovers, least terns, common terns, roseate terns, American oystercatchers, and black skimmers

26 Miles of beach in shorebird management program, covering seven properties

Shorebirds Breeding shorebirds are one of the best indicators of beach integrity. Our feathered friends fared well this year. ©R.ROYSE

WINTER 2017

23

©D.DUNHAM

Cathy Dunham

©D.DUNHAM

Dave Dunham

©M.GARDNER

Maria Andrews

Been There.

Hiked That!

BY WAYNE WILKINS

Visiting all 116 Trustees reservations is no easy feat. Very few Trustees staff members have done it—with a notable exception being President & CEO Barbara Erickson (see photo on page 3)—as it takes a substantial amount of time and effort, and as it turns out, a bit of money too. But three participants in the 2017 Hike125 Challenge have gone where few others have, to visit every single reservation and, incredibly, all in the span of about six months. And several more hikers may even join them before the Hike125 Challenge is over this year.

Maria Andrews of Quincy was the first to accomplish the feat, followed soon afterwards by Dave and Cathy Dunham of Bradford. Maria told us recently that “the more I hiked, the more I wanted to hike… and it kind of snowballed. I really wanted to immerse myself in the reservations and I was able to spend a couple of days in several areas of the state in order to see them all. It was a blast!” She enjoyed discovering new places like Tyringham Cobble and Notchview.

Avid runner and analyst Dave Dunham is a collector, of sorts. “I’ve run in every town in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and I’m working on visiting the highest point in every state. When I saw that there would be a Hike125 category for visiting all of the reservations I knew I’d be working on that!” And wife Cathy echoed, “Having a purpose to it really got me going. I liked having a destination. I love to be out in 24

THE TRUSTEES

nature and there are lots of places that one can go, but having a plan to visit all the reservations was a great challenge for me.” Cathy found Farandnear to be a pleasant surprise, and for Dave, the fun of getting to more out-of-the-way places like Crowninshield and Misery Islands was a standout.

As for the “bit of money” mentioned earlier, Dave worked up an accounting of how much it cost he and Cathy to visit all 116 properties. “We didn’t try to do this in the fewest number of trips, so we accumulated over 3,300 miles in the car.” They also stayed at Dunes’ Edge Campground for one night, and with ferry tickets in addition to mileage, the total expense came out to a little more than $2,000! But more importantly for Dave and Cathy, the amount of fun during the whole experience was “uncountable.”

FOR S E T DA

S E E T S U TR MBERS ME

NT A T R IMPO

February 1 January 22 OverSand Vehicle Permits – Early Bird pricing begins Martha’s Vineyard & Nantucket

Summer Camps – Registration begins Camps: Appleton Farms (Hamilton & Ipswich), SummerQuest at the Crane Estate (Ipswich), World’s End Adventure Camp and Weir River Farm (Hingham), Farm Camp at The FARM Institute (Martha’s Vineyard)

April 30 Martha’s Vineyard OverSand Vehicle Permits – Early Bird pricing deadline

Meat CSA – Sign-up deadline for 2017/2018 season Appleton Farms (Hamilton & Ipswich), Chestnut Hill Farm (Southborough), Moose Hill Farm (Sharon), Powisset Farm (Dover), Weir River Farm (Hingham).

Members receive 10% off multiple-night stays.

May 15

Nantucket OverSand Vehicle Permits – Early Bird pricing deadline

Members receive 10% off multiple-night stays.

Dunes’ Edge Campground (Provincetown) – Opens for the season

(Friday before Memorial Day) Crane Beach (Ipswich) – Summer Season begins Snack Shack, Beach Store & Full Bathhouse open.

Crane Beach (Ipswich) – Dogs and horses allowed

Inn at Castle Hill (Ipswich) and the Guest House at Field Farm (Williamstown) – Open for the season

Tully Lake Campground (Royalston) – Opens for the season

May 25

October 1 – March 31 (2019)

April 15

April 1

May 4

May 18

Members receive 10% off multiple-night stays.

2018 Dates to reMember

November 1 – December 14 Notchview (Windsor) Ski Pass – Early Bird pricing available

June 11

(2nd week of June) Vegetable CSAs pickups begin at Powisset Farm (Dover) and Chestnut Hill Farm (Southborough) Rolling sign-ups through the spring.

September 1 (through March 31, 2019) Crane Beach (Ipswich) – Horse Trailer Permits available

November 1

December 14

Meat CSA – Sign-up deadline for 2018/2019 season Appleton Farms (Hamilton & Ipswich), Chestnut Hill Farm (Southborough), Moose Hill Farm (Sharon), Powisset Farm (Dover), Weir River Farm (Hingham).

Gift Memberships – deadline to purchase in time for Christmas delivery Note: Gift Memberships are available year-round.

Visit our new Member Calendar on the web at thetrustees.org/remember for details. All information is subject to change.

Thank you for your support!

WINTER 2017

25

.

E R O L P EX MAKE TRACKS!

WINTER FUN FINDER

.

G N I K O O C GET

The Farmer’s Almanac says we’re in for a snowy season, and we say, “Bring it on!”

Trustees has plenty of ideas for things to keep you busy this winter—and warm, inside or out. Check the Things To Do calendar in the center of the magazine, or visit thetrustees.org/things-to-do for all the details and up-to-date listings.

SKI

Don’t miss your chance to ski Notchview this winter, or get some great “aer-nordic” exercise at reservations across the state, from Copicut Woods, Noon Hill, Ravenswood Park, and Appleton Farms in the East, to Brooks Woodland Preserve, Bullitt Reservation, and Field Farm in the West.

SNOWSHOE

©MONKMAN

If you can walk, you can snowshoe! Try it out with Saturday Snowshoe Rentals at Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Snowshoe Meetups at Francis William Bird Park, or Snowshoe Sundays at Bartholomew’s Cobble. Rocky Woods rents snowshoes every weekend, weather permitting. And of course, Notchview offers unparalleled snowshoeing alongside miles and miles of cross-country ski trails.

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SLED

Fruitlands Museum’s famous sledding hill is not to be missed for all you gravity grabbers, or try the sliding slopes at Holt Hill at Ward Reservation (and don’t miss Ward Winter Fun Day on Sunday, Jan. 28,) or try night sledding on Chestnut Hill Farm’s light-up lanes!

er

r

Old Town Hill Greenwood Farm Hamlin Reservation Stavros Reservation THE CRANE ESTATE Castle Hill Crane Beach Crane Wildlife Refuge Halibut Point

ack R i ver im

M

Royalston Falls

Springfield Peaked Mountain

I-95

I-19

0

Dexter Drumlin

e2 Rt

Chestnut Hill Farm

90

I-9 0

Charl e s Riv e r

ke sP i Ma s

Quinebaug Woods

Pierce Reservation World’s End Weir River Farm

Gov. Hutchinson’s Field RESERVATIONS IN THE CHARLES RIVER VALLEY

Cormier Woods

BOSTON REGION

Boston

I-90

Rte 9

Worcester I-90

e9

Misery Islands Crowninshield Island

Whitney and Thayer Woods

Bradley Estate

Francis William Bird Park

Tantiusques

Norris Reservation

Signal Hill Archives & Research Center Moose Hill Farm

Two Mile Farm Dunes’ Edge Campground Rt e

24 Rte

Gov. Oliver Ames Estate

Holmes Reservation

3

I-295 I-4 95

Rte

SUGAR

Cape Cod Bay

14 0

Lyman Reserve

East Over Reservation

East Over: Hales Brook and Sippican River Tract

Rte 6

Lowell Holly

Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens y

I-195

Ba

There’s nothing more tasty, or more New England, than what happens when the sap starts to run.

Come visit the Appleton Farms Sugar Shack, experience the magic of maple at Chestnut Hill Farm, or check out Maple Days at the William Cullen Bryant Homestead.

Copicut Woods

Cornell Farm

Mashpee River Reservation

ds

Bartholomew’s Cobble

Land of Providence

Rt

Old Manse

Long Hill

I- 9 5

ar

Dry Hill Questing

I-90

Dinosaur Footprints

Malcolm Preserve

Fruitlands Museum

Mount Ann Park Ravenswood Park Coolidge Reservation Agassiz Rock

Moraine Farm

zz

McLennan Reservation

Swift River Reservation

Rock House Reservation

Little Tom Mountain

Tyringham Cobble Ashintully Gardens

Quabbin Reservoir

Brooks Woodland Preserve

Rte 128

Pine and Hemlock Knoll

Bu

Ashley House

Petticoat Hill

Mount Warner

Redemption Rock

95 I -4

I-95

Monument Mountain

Elliott Laurel North Common Meadow

I-84

Mission House

I-91

Chesterfield Gorge

Goose Pond

Bear’s Den

16

Chapel Brook

Glendale Falls

R i ve r

Rte 112

7 Rte

e1

Rte 2

I- 93

e9

Rt

Tully Lake Campground

C o n n e c t i cu t

Rte 8

Bullitt Reservation

Ward Reservation Doyle Community Farandnear Park

3

Bryant Homestead

Rt

Stevens-Coolidge Place

Doane’s Falls

Rte

Bear Swamp

Notchview

Naumkeag

Jacobs Hill

Rte 2

I-3 95

Field Farm

I-95

Mountain Meadow Preserve

Appleton Farms Grass Rides Appleton Farms Weir Hill

Westport Town Farm

Nantucket Sound

Slocum’s River Reserve

Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge

Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge

Mytoi

Menemsha Hills Long Point Wildlife Refuge

Wasque

Norton Point Beach The FARM Institute

COOK

The KITCHEN at Boston Public Market has it all, from Comfort Food to Chocolate to Mixology, or learn to make cheese at Appleton Farms, or Pot Pies at Powisset Farm. And kids can cook too, at all these kitchens, and The FARM Institute as well. ©TRUSTEES

HIKE

Join our guided hikes at Rocky Woods, The Stevens-Coolidge Place, or Menemsha Hills, take a full moon hike at World’s End and Castle Hill, or start the year off right with one of our many First Day hikes on New Year’s Day.

GARDEN

Get tips for the coming growing season from MA Master Gardeners each month at the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton, or join Mayor Walsh and Boston area community gardeners at the 43rd Annual Gardener’s Gathering in March. ©TRUSTEES

©TRUSTEES

WINTER 2017

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#thetrustees We love your Instagram posts!

Add #thetrustees when you post a photo of a magical moment at one of our properties this winter. If your shot is really top notch, you might even get a request from us to use it in an upcoming issue of Special Places, like these pics posted by your fellow Trustees fans. So keep the posts coming!

find magic in the moment

Hashtag us, and keep those photos coming!

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©MONKMAN

X-Country Ski & Snowshoe on more than 3,000 acres of rolling terrain • 25 miles of trails • Private & Group Lessons for adults & kids • Learn-to-Ski Packages • Equipment Rentals • State-of-the-Art Grooming • Café & Warming Hut

The Trustees is Massachusetts’ largest conservation and preservation, and the nation’s first land trust. We are a nonprofit supported by members, friends, and donors.

Explore 116 amazing places across Massachusetts, from beaches, farms and woodlands, to historic homes, urban gardens and more.

Barbara J. Erickson President & CEO Joanna Ballantine Vice President, Western Region Jocelyn Forbush Chief, Operations & Programs Alicia Leuba Vice President, Eastern Region Matthew Montgomery Chief Marketing Officer Noah Schneiderman Chief Financial & Administrative Officer Edward Wilson Chief, Development & Enterprise editorial Wayne Wilkins Director of Marketing and Communications design Liz Agbey Lisa Rowe Foulger Senior Designer Matthew Mullin Graphic Designer

We invite your input, letters, and suggestions.

Please send them to: Special Places | The Trustees 200 High Street, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02110 tel 978.921.1944 email marketing@thetrustees.org

inspiring places, statewide. for everyone, forever.

©R.CHEEK

Open Daily | Route 9, Windsor | 413.684.0148 thetrustees.org/notchview

For information about becoming a member please contact us at 978.921.1944, email us at membership@thetrustees.org, or visit our website at www.thetrustees.org.

Special Places, Winter 2017.

Volume 25, Issue Number 4. Special Places (ISSN 1087-5026) is published quarterly and distributed to members and donors of The Trustees of Reservations.

Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved.

Printed by Universal Wilde, an environmentally responsible printer in Massachusetts that strives to minimize waste, maximize recycling, and exceed environmental standards.

Help us protect the places you love: thetrustees.org/donate YOUR INQUIRY IS CONFIDENTIAL AND DOES NOT OBLIGATE YOU IN ANY WAY.

#thetrustees | A big Thank You to our Instagram followers who allowed us to print their winter photos, including: @taylorwriting, @jeffer47, @dobbyphoto, @_juliesch, @maria_andrews, @travelnpants, @matheumin, @southshorelimey, @fernfindley, @gotsarah, @farmerdes, @amydube3, @kira_mae, @sanityontherun, @bobrama

Randolph, MA Permit 20

THE TRUSTEES

200 High Street, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02110-3044

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Crafting Warm Welcomes

©TRUSTEES

BC4

THE TRUSTEES

When Alan Pasnik answered a Trustees ad seeking a carpentry volunteer, he figured he’d wind up building and repairing birdhouses.

But when the Newton resident and hobbyist woodworker shared pictures of projects he’d completed at home, he couldn’t hide his talent. “They told me, ‘You’re not building birdhouses,’” Pasnik recalls with a laugh.

Since retiring from his data analytics job and joining The Trustees in April 2016, Pasnik has spent more than 1,200 hours crafting projects for the organization: a child-sized wooden tractor for the Powisset Sprouts play area and a dozen cedar Adirondack chairs for Powisset Farm, retail displays at Chestnut Hill Farm, an overhaul of the visitor center bathroom at Rocky Woods, and many more. It’s an uncomplicated arrangement: The Trustees supplies the ideas and the materials, and Pasnik executes the design within Powisset’s pond-side workshop.

“The whole idea behind everything I’m doing is to create amenities so people feel welcome, so they’re more inclined to stay longer, tell their friends, and bring their families,” he says. Now Pasnik is The Trustees’ 2017 Volunteer of the Year—“an honor,” he says—and his devotion goes beyond the things he builds. He’s quietly recruited friends and acquaintances into the fold; his wife, Cindy, a Trustees volunteer, frequently puts finishing touches on his woodworking projects. Says Pasnik, who is as good-humored as he is handy, “You may think you’re getting a good deal, but I’m getting a better one.” - By Jeff Harder

thetrustees.org