Daffodils on Bay Road: Photo by Jim Gambaro

Saturday, May 17, 2008: Piper Farm Tour

Meet at 10 a.m. at the Piper Farm parking area on Maple Street (Rt. 202, across from the Stone House Museum). The tour is geared toward all ages, with a scavenger hunt and nature craft for the kids. We´ll talk about the history of Piper Farm and explore the different natural communities within. Come discover this hidden treasure, right in the center of town! Additional parking is a short walk away at the Town Common. For more information about the tour, call Cindy Bright at 323-6035.

January 30, 2008: Land Trust Annual Meeting

Our guest speaker at the Chestnut Hill School was Bob O’Connor, Director of Land and Forest Conservation for the state environmental agencies of Massachusetts. He coordinates land conservation efforts among five state divisions and works with the state's 140 land trusts. He was Director of Natural Resources for the agency that supplies drinking water to the Boston Metro area and Superintendent of Quabbin Reservoir

He told us about ambitious plans for state funding. Specifically, he told us, "It is an exciting time for land conservation in Massachusetts." He talked about a new bond issue that would include $200-$300 million for land acquisition. The self-help program is being renamed, to include LAND (Land Acquisition for Natural Diversity) and PARC (Park Acquisition Renovations for Communities). Governor Deval Patrick "is very interested in land conservation." The Administration hopes to increase capital spending by 60% over four years.

O'Connor also talked about a One-Stop Shopping Land Owner Initiative, for which they are looking for vendors to create a program to make it easier for land owners to make money from land without developing it. Especially interesting to many of us are their efforts to allow forest-owners to sell carbon credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange.