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News & Events Presentation/Public Forum on Harvard's Environment, 5/31 Do you love Harvard’s waterways, conservation lands, orchards, trails, parks, and open spaces? Do you support sustainability in town/school policies and practice? Come to the Bromfield School library Wednesday, May 31, at 7 p.m. to hear from local committees, groups, residents, and students working to protect and sustain Harvard, and join in discussion on what we can achieve together!
Saturday at the Transfer Station
Save the Date: Saturday, May 6th/Sunday, May 7th Tree-For-All 2017—Cercis canadensis—Eastern Redbud The Harvard Conservation Trust’s 37th Annual Tree-For-All: In early spring, their pink-purple flowers line the bark of their twigs, branches, and trunks, announcing the end of winter. Redbud has uniquely heart-shaped leaves. Many birds eat the seeds, and honeybees visit the blossoms. The shrubs are free to Harvard Conservation Trust members and are available to non-members for a $5.00 contribution. Saturday, May 6: Tree-For-All at the Transfer Station, 8:00 AM-12:00 PM February 17, at 7:30 PMHCT Co-sponsored Warner Free Lecture:These, too, are the sounds of nature . . . Did you know that the “sounds of nature” are not necessarily pleasant, nor is the music that imitates them? Join local musician Stephen Peisch and David Pihl as they present a program of piano music that was inspired by nature, including compositions by Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Bela Bartok, Amy Beach, Edward MacDowell, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Allen Hovhaness, Claude Debussy, Stephen Peisch, and William Thomas McKinley. David Pihl, pianist, of Worcester, Massachusetts, studied at Boston University School of Music and received his Master of Music in Piano Performance at the University of Lowell School of Music. His principal teachers have been Michael Kramer and Anthony di Bonaventura. He also studied vocal accompaniment in Europe under Ellly Ameling and Rudolf Jansen. He has performed widely in the Northeast, and, together with Michael Finegold, co-founded the Essex Chamber Music Players. David Pihl has taught music at Worcester State College, Northern Essex Community College and Becker Junior College. He is the staff accompanist for the Theatre Dept at Holy Cross College and has been the accompanist for the University of Massachusetts – Lowell Chorus and Westford Chorus. Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library. Free! No reservations or tickets required.
Annual New Year’s Day Walk
For more information about the walk contact Rona Balco at: 978-779-2259; for location and directions visit: http://www.friendsoftheoxbownwr.org/location-directions.html. Happy New Year!
Thursday, November 10, Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library, 7:00PM
HORSE MEADOWS KNOLL VOTE - CORRECTION! Thanks again to those who came out for the Horse Meadows Knoll walk yesterday. Please note the correct time and location below for tonight’s Special Town Meeting, which will include a vote to acquire Horse Meadows Knoll as conservation land. Super Town Meeting starts at 7:00, which will then go right into Special Town Meeting. BOTH take place in Cronin Auditorium at the Bromfield School, 14 Massachusetts Ave. The Super Town Meeting could conclude early, and with Horse Meadows Knoll being Article 1 on the Special Town Meeting Warrant, this vote might happen before 7:30. Please consider arriving by 7:00. Hope to see you tonight. David Outman, Executive Director Save the Date: Mushroom WalkOctober 1 at 11:00 AM. 56 Stow Road.
HCT will host a mushroom walk Saturday, October 1, beginning at 11 AM at 56 Stow Road. Join mushroom enthusiast Al Ferry for a walk in the woods to learn about Harvard's fabulous fungi. The walk will take place rain or shine, except for a major downpour. Parking is available. For more information call Abbe at 978-456-6892.
September 11, 2016 at 10 AM. Run for the Hills 5k race.Start and finish on the McCurdy Track with the primary sections of the course on scenic wooded trails and field paths. The trail footing is a combination of crushed pack, dirt, coarse grass with leaves, roots and rocks. There will be a water stop along the route. Thanks to the Town of Harvard and private landowners for use of the lands and open space on race day. For a course map, go to www.runforthehills.org. The hills of Harvard, whether it is the views from Prospect Hill, Bare Hill and Dean’s Hill or the landscapes of Holy Hill, Oak Hill and Pin Hill, are deeply appreciated by all who experience their scenery and terrain . . . even on the uphill! The Harvard Conservation Commission has begun the process of updating the Town of Harvard’s 2008 Open Space & Recreation Plan, and is requesting public participation in the process with a short survey. The updated plan will set the Town’s open space and recreation goals for the coming five years, and the public survey is critical for ensuring these goals accurately reflect community interests. This survey will be open from May 6 through May 26. Please take a moment to complete the survey, which you can directly link to at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Harvard_MA_2016_OSRP_Survey Or, you can visit the Town website at: http://www.harvard.ma.us If you prefer a paper copy of the survey please contact the Land Use Administrator, Liz Allard, at 978-456-4100 ext. 321 or lallard@harvard.ma.us. Thank you!
The Harvard Conservation Trust will distribute nannyberry viburnum seedlings at the Transfer Station on Saturday, April 30th from 8 a.m. to noon, and on the Harvard Common on Sunday, May 1st from 10 a.m. to noon. These nannyberry seedlings were grown from seed at the New Hampshire State Nursery. Their flat-topped clusters of white flowers bloom in the spring and develop into fruits that turn bluish-black in the fall. Its fruits can persist into winter and provide a sweet and edible food source for many species of birds, wildlife and people. The shrubs are free to Harvard Conservation Trust members and are available to non-members for a $5.00 contribution. Photo credits: top - USDA, NRCS. 2016. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov); bottom - Keith Kanoti, Maine Forest Service, Bugwood.org
In the late 1800s, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) designed the park system that we now know as Boston's Emerald Necklace. Alan Banks, a park ranger from the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site will discuss this historic park system. Stretching from Back Bay to Dorchester, this inviting green space connects people and nature, just as Olmstead intended more than 100 years ago. Volunteers Hall at Harvard Public Library, 4 Pond Road Free!
TRACKING WALK POSTPONED DUE TO LACK OF SNOW!!! Due to the lack of snow we are moving the tracking program to Saturday February 13th. Mark your Calendars and see information below for details. Saturday, February 13, 2016. 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM. Location: Prospect Hill Conservation Complex, Harvard, MA. Park at DPW parking lot, next to soccer field parking lot, on Depot Road.
Registration for the Tom Denney Nature Camp Summer 2016 program opens February 1 at tdnc.boltonconservationtrust.org. See website for details. Thank you to all who joined us for our Annual New Year’s Day walk! And a special thanks to the Community Harvest Project for co-sponsoring this year’s walk, and providing indoor space for cookies and hot cocoa. (Click here for photos . . .)
November 17, 2015 The Harvard Conservation Trust Annual Meeting took place at the Harvard Public Library, Volunteers Hall, and featured the presentation – A New England Food Vision: Conversations For Healthy and Thriving Communities (Click here to see photos...)
Mushroom Walk -- October 3, 2015 10:30 AM
Help Pick Apples for Community Harvest Project! Due to logistics, we are limited to 35 volunteers, and volunteers must be at least a high school freshman. No prior apple picking experience is required. If you are interested in helping, please reply to
6th Annual Run-For-The-Hills 5K Trail Run Registration information: http://www.lightboxreg.com/2015-run-for-the-hills-5k
"Greenway Heroes: Profiles in Land Conservation” will have a free showing Wednesday night, August 19th, 7 – 8 PM at Fruitlands Museum in the Wayside Room This 10 minute film produced by Pepperell resident Susan Edwards and co-directed by Westford resident Joy Reo tells the inspiring stories of three landowners who donated, sold or set up conservation easements to protect their family land for the common good. The film features interviews with Harley Holden of Shirley, Tom Jarvela of Townsend and Leigh Hudson of Princeton. For additional information about the film please view the web page - http://www.greenwayheroes.org/. ![]() Ongoing Events:
Take our Trail Challenge and win a prize! The weather is finally warm, the trails have been surveyed, and there are control punches and/or instruction cards in the appropriate places. All is ready for people to take on the Challenge! Recent Events: Winterfest! Saturday, February 7 The Trust’s Annual New Year’s Day Walk was held on the trails at Fruitlands Museum. Click here for more Annual Meeting - November 19. Mary Holland returned as featured speaker. See photos
Introducing David Outman, HCT's New Executive Director
Nature Sightings -
Black Bear in Harvard
HCT Has a New Executive Director!
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Our MissionThe Harvard Conservation Trust, HCT, is a private, charitable, non-profit land trust. Our mission is “to preserve the unique character and natural resources of Harvard.” We actively seek to preserve:
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