WINTER NEWSLETTER THEWREN

January 2005 Thoreau on the Concord, Sudbury, and Assabet Rivers By Tom Blanding

I think of no natural feature which is a greater ornament and treasure to Meadows, Ball’s Hill, and the Carlisle Reach, tomorrow up the photo of Egg Rock of Concord courtesy Free Public Library this town than the river. It is one of the things which determine whether Sudbury to Cardinal Shore, Fair Haven Bay, and Clematis Brook, a man will live here or in another place, and it is one of the first objects the next day up the Assabet to the Leaning Hemlocks, Tarbell’s which we show to a stranger. . . . I think that not only the channel but Spring, and the Ministerial Swamp. one or both banks of Ellery Channing, every river should be a Thoreau’s most fre- public highway—for a quent boating com- river is not useful mere- panion, says best: ly to float on. Perhaps the river was —Thoreau, his great blessing in the “Huckleberries” landscape. No better o one speaks stream for boating in a better New England,–“the Nword for sluggish artery of the nature than Henry Concord,” as he names Thoreau. His writings it. By this, he could go have become the to other points; as a trip watchwords of conser- up the river rarely vation groups like ended with the water, Sudbury Valley but the shore was sought Tr ustees. This is partly for some special purpose, because Thoreau to examine an animal writes in universal or a plant, or get a symbols: The pond is wider view, or collect Egg Rock, where the Sudbury and Assabet meet to form the spring of springs, the some novelty or crop. the Concord River, photographed by Herbert W. Gleason, 1899. mountain the place The study of the river- where the Great Spirit dwells, the sea the great mystery into which plants never ended, and, like themselves, floated for ever with the sweet everything subsides–and the river the passage of all things in time, waves; the birds and insects peculiarly attracted to the shores, the fish from individual lives to whole civilizations. and musquash, the sun and wind, were interesting. The first spring days smile softest on the river, and the fleet of withered leaves sailing down the Thoreau considered himself blessed to live by the Concord, stream in autumn give a stately finish to the commerce of the seasons. Sudbury, and Assabet Rivers, and he thanked the river gods for his good fortune. The rivers carried him conveniently to where he want- Thoreau fathomed in his own being an internal harmony with the ed to go, and, as he voyaged, he could watch in timely sweeps the river. The lapse of the water’s current became “an emblem of all progress of the seasons. Today it was down the Concord to the Great progress, following the same law with (continued on page 6) Board of Directors Marylynn Gentry, Wayland, President Thoreau’s Stephen Winthrop, Wayland, Vice President Bruce Osterling, Sudbury, Treasurer Rivers and Ours Susan Crane, Sudbury, Clerk mits federal, state, and local governments Colin Anderson, Sudbury n this issue of The Wren Thoreau Robert Anderson, Wayland scholar Thomas Blanding salutes our to protecting the unique ecological, recre- Brian Clew, Framingham local rivers: the Sudbury, the Assabet, ational, scenic, historic, and literary Richard Dinjian, Southborough I resources of our rivers. and the Concord. In its history, function, Lucille Hicks, Wayland Richard Johnson, Concord and professional capacities, Sudbury Valley SVT does most of its river conserva- Ruth Kennedy, Stow Tr ustees serves as a regional land trust. tion work through participation in the Bernard McHugh, Lincoln Our goal is the protection of land defined SuAsCo Watershed Community Council, Eric Menoyo, Sudbury by the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord and through supporting citizens’ groups David Moore, Framingham river valleys. We put most of our efforts Sigrid Pickering, Sudbury primarily concerned with water resources. into keeping natural places available to all Iryna Priester, Wayland Sudbury Valley Trustees’ mission is to the forms of life that need them. Our protect wildlife habitat and ecological STAFF area’s water resource groups such as the integrity. Because healthy rivers and Ron McAdow Hop Brook Protection Association and the streams are essential to the well-being of Executive Director Organization for the Assabet River focus the landscape they help to define, they will Christa Hawryluk Collins on the quality and quantity of water in always be important to us. While we focus Land Protection Specialist their streams. Although SVT is defined as our efforts on land protection, we will Brandon Kibbe a land trust rather than a watershed organ- never lose sight of the three rivers—the Land Protection Specialist ization, we’ve always had an interest in Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord—flowing Sandy Lower river conservation, which began in the through our valleys on this fascinating Office Manager days when Allen Morgan and our found- patch of the planet that Thoreau—and Laura Mattei ing fathers’ initial conservation priority Director of Stewardship each of us—calls home. was the rich wildlife habitat that fringes Rachel Sagan the Sudbury River. Director of Membership and Development Michael Sanders My personal history with the organiza- Assistant Director of Development tion also has a river-related slant. Back in Dan Stimson 1989 I authored a paddlers’ guide to the Land Steward Concord, Sudbury, and Assabet. Later I As this issue of The Wren goes to press, I Ellen Sturgis represented SVT on the Wild and Scenic am saddened by the recent death of Millie Director of Operations River Study Committee, which was initi- Tu renne. Millie was a great friend of Chris Wilson ated by Allen Morgan. After segments of Sudbury Valley Trustees for a long time Caretaker all three of our rivers achieved this status, and a lovely person. I will miss her. The Wren I was appointed to the National Park Sandy Lower and Ron McAdow, Editors Service’s River Stewardship Council, Gordon Morrison & Joyce Dwyer, which administers the river conservation Line Illustrations Rachel Wolff Lander, Designer plan. Wild and Scenic designation com- Ron McAdow is Executive Director of Sudbury Valley Trustees

Sudbury Valley Trustees Sudbury Valley Trustees is a voluntary association of indi- 18 Wolbach Road viduals, families, and businesses committed to protecting wildlife habitat and the Sudbury, MA 01776 ecological integrity of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord River watershed for the Tel: 978/443-5588 benefit of present and future generations. SVT carries out its mission through land Fax: 978/443-2333 conservation and stewardship, advocacy, and education, working in partnership E-mail: [email protected] with the towns, watershed associations, and other environmental organizations Website: www.sudburyvalleytrustees.org within the greater Concord Basin. Founded in 1953, SVT is supported by a mem- bership that today stands at over 3,100 individuals, families, and corporations. The organization cur- rently owns, through gift and purchase, more than 2,100 acres in 15 communities. In addition it holds conservation restrictions on nearly 900 acres and has been instrumental in preserving several thousand acres now protected by public agencies.

2 / SUDBURY VALLEY TRUSTEES / WINTER 2005 Notes from the field

Youth in Action at SVT Reservations By Laura Mattei, Director of Stewardship

udbury Valley Trustees has had an incredible influx of stewardship assistance from the younger generation of our communities. The projects that these young people work on provide them with valuable skills as well as the rewarding experience of volunteer- Sing for their community. Youth groups and individuals may be participating as part of Scout, religious, or school programs. SVT will be involving an even greater number of young people in the stewardship of our reservations with a new program– Youth Conservation Stewards. If you know of a youth group that is interested in working on conservation with us, please contact Laura Mattei, Director of Stewardship at 978-443-5588, ext. 34 or [email protected]. Below are just a few examples of the conservation projects that these groups have been working on. See more photos on our website www.sudburyvalleytrustees.org. SVT Staff

As part of the Loring School’s Social Action Project (Sudbury), students were invited to go wildlife watching in their backyards or at an SVT reservation near their home. The students recorded all of the wildlife that they observed. As part of the same program, a group of fifth graders, their families, and teachers volunteered to clear brush and invasive plants along the front of agricultural fields at SVT’s Baiting Brook/Welch Reservation in Framingham. SVT Staff

At the Lyons-Cutler Reservation in Sudbury, SVT was able to complete major trail improvements over the course of the last two years thanks to a series of local Eagle Scouts and their youth volunteers. This past October, the last remaining phase of the project was completed by Jeff Wurm, Eagle Scout. Jeff organized a workday to install a boardwalk and some stepping stones over wet sections of trail. Other portions of the project included additional boardwalks, three new bridges, and one trail reroute. SVT could not have done this without the assistance of these enthusiastic young people. SVT Staff

Mike Koshko, of Northboro, designed and built a bridge crossing a channel as part of his Eagle Scout project. Mike also worked through all of the wetlands permitting with the town in order to complete the project for SVT on our Cedar Hill Reservation. Mike is one of many Eagle Scout candidates that conduct leader- ship projects for SVT. These Scouts have done a multitude of good service projects including habitat restoration, rerouting and blazing trails, installing educational signage, and removing invasive plants.

WINTER 2005 / SUDBURY VALLEY TRUSTEES / 3 L and Pro

Simply Devine! Solomon Pond Mall open space mitigation funds. Besides protecting important natural

By Brandon Kibbe, Land Protection Specialist SVT Staff resources, the project will provide the first Sudbury Valley Trustees is proud to permanent pedestrian access to hundreds of announce that we have come to agreement acres of conservation land and trails on with the landowners, the Town of Berlin, Mount Pisgah from Berlin. and a private buyer to conserve over 80 We need your help! The re-sale of the acres of working farmland and woodland property will cover the purchase price, but in Berlin. The parcel’s sweeping scenic vis- as you can imagine the cost of putting such tas, two streams and wetlands, prime agri- a complex project together can be expen- cultural soils, and connection with other sive. We’ve had to conduct a survey, envi- conserved lands have made it a high priori- Devine property in Berlin. ronmental site assessment, title examina- ty for protection in the Mount Pisgah ously re-selling the house, barn, and agri- tion, and other legal review and assistance region of the watershed–and it’s now cultural acreage to a private buyer subject to put this four-party transaction together. within reach. to a permanent conservation restriction. That means we need to raise $20,000 Benefiting from a generous price reduc- The Town will be purchasing wooded to offset those costs. To contribute to the tion from the Devine family, owners of the acreage, trail easement, and a parking area Devine property, please send your gift property, SVT will be purchasing the prop- for addition to their Mount Pisgah and mark the envelope “for Devine,” and erty for $1.95 million and then simultane- Conservation Area using their dedicated THANKS!

Land Trust Alliance SVT Staff Rally 2004

Most of SVT’s staff was able to attend the Land Trust Alliance’s (LTA) annual Rally this October, in Providence, RI. Rally takes place every year, at a different location around the country, and provides an opportunity for land trust staff, boards, and members to come together for a Sudbury Brownie Troop 7159 poses in front of the rain garden they helped cre- weekend of workshops, networking, and socializing. ate at Wolbach Farm. This year’s Rally was the largest ever, with several thousand Brownies Help Plant Rain attendees. SVT staff led two workshops at Rally: Director of Operations Ellen Sturgis conducted “Strategies for New and Garden at Wolbach Farm Growing Land Trusts: A Roundtable Discussion with Alan By Christa Collins, Land Protection Specialist Morgan Award Winners,” and Land Protection Specialists n October, a troop of Sudbury Brownies came to Wolbach Brandon Kibbe and Christa Collins led a workshop on Farm to help install a rain garden on the west side of the “Effective Budgeting for Land Protection Projects.” Imain house. The idea behind a rain garden is that stormwater SVT Staff is captured from a portion of the roof and channeled via gutters and downspouts right into a small garden (the size of the garden is determined by the roof area that will drain to it). The garden itself is a few inches deeper than grade, so in a big storm event, water will pool for up to twenty-four hours. The plants chosen for the garden are able to tolerate having “wet feet” for a while. At the Brownies’ visit, they talked a bit with SVT staff and volunteers about the types of plants that would be in the garden and what benefits they have to various insects, and also why it is illustration by Joyce Dwyer useful to have the rainwater collected on site to recharge ground- water, as opposed to being sent off in a storm drain. Then the Pictured presenting the Morgan Conservation award are David Morgan and Ron McAdow (3rd and 4th from left) presenting the award to the group headed outside and started planting. SVT plans to invite Central Savannah River Land Trust, represented by Deke Copenhaver, the troop back in the late spring/early summer to see how the Executive Director, and Chris Hitchcock, Board member. garden has grown (and maybe to pull a few weeds!).

4 / SUDBURY VALLEY TRUSTEES / WINTER 2005 tection

Landowner Outreach to share maps and technical information. At a follow up meeting, a case study put SVT staff in Great Meadows together by Open Space Committee mem- Priority Area ber Hank Norwood was shared, which described a neighborhood conservation By Christa Collins, Land Protection Specialist effort in Westport, MA. A group of Hazel n an effort to be more proactive in Brook neighbors has continued to meet, protecting land, SVT has been focusing and to further educate themselves about efforts in several priority areas through- environmental and land use issues in the I area. The Open Space Committee hopes to out the watershed. These areas have been identified for their relatively high biodiver- encourage similar groups to form in other sity, or because they contain and/or link parts of Wayland. existing areas of protected open space. The In Sudbury, a Conservation Coffee was goal of such an approach is to conserve held at Wolbach Farm in November to Millie Turenne in 2003.

SVT staff Unlocking Memories Remembering Millie Turenne

This is the title Mildred (Stone) Turenne gave to her autobiography, published on the occasion of her 85th birthday, in 1997. Millie passed away on Friday, December 3rd. As we unlock our memories of Millie we Land Protection Specialist Christa Collins addresses a group of Wayland neighbors on local conservation issues. remember the gift of 18 acres of Southborough woodland and meadow large, relatively un-fragmented and ecologi- provide information on conservation that she and her husband Fred con- cally-viable swaths of open space through- options to landowners. Sudbury Town served in 1990. The Turennes had out the watershed. Planner Jody Kablack and SVT Land purchased the property to protect it Earlier this year, SVT received a grant Protection Specialist Christa Collins shared from development and gave it to from the River Stewardship Council to information on various techniques and Sudbury Valley Trustees just seven conduct outreach to landowners within the funding sources available to landowners weeks later. Fred passed away soon Great Meadows Priority Area, which covers who wish to see their land protected. thereafter, and Millie named the reser- parts of Concord, Lincoln, Sudbury, and Handouts provided at the meeting are vation the Wilfred J. Turenne Wildlife Wayland. available on the SVT website: Habitat in his memory. http://www.sudburyvalleytrustees.org/page. In 1992, another gift from Millie In Wayland, land protection staff has php?id=10 collaborated with the Town Open Space established the Turenne Stewardship Advisory Committee to work with Endowment, which helps us maintain landowners around SVT’s Hazel Brook Wish List the 17 major reservations and the Reservation, between Glezen Lane and many smaller properties entrusted to Lincoln Road. A May kick-off meeting was Digital camera our care. held at the home of John and Molly Beard, Folding chairs In saying goodbye to Millie, Lectern where neighbors asked questions and Sudbury Valley Trustees and everyone Walkie-talkies expressed concerns about land use issues. who shares her feelings about nature Microphone stand Members of the Planning Board, Town Small, mobile dishwasher must acknowledge the loss of a true Conservation and SVT staff were on hand and committed friend of conservation. illustration by Joyce Dwyer Joyce illustration by WINTER 2005 / SUDBURY VALLEY TRUSTEES / 5 Thoreau on the in the current of nature’s laws. Thoreau Thoreau has enriched and empowered the believed that each person’s life should be as Concord, Sudbury, and Assabet Rivers with Concord, Sudbury, constantly fresh as a river, “the same chan- the compensations, resources, and reserved and Assabet Rivers nel, but a new water every instant.” funds of his own symbolic life. Correspondingly, his friend Ralph Waldo “The life in us,” Thoreau writes in (continued from page 1) Emerson said that a person’s life Walden, “is like the water in a river.” Even the system, with time, and all that ought to compare advanta- earlier he had written in his Journal: geously with a river–“shall is made.” The river was the We are favored I was born upon thy bank river not have less the flow.” channel in which Thoreau’s My blood flows in thy stream in having two rivers Thoreau’s life always had life flowed, and voyaging on And thou meanderest forever the flow. He was a sea- it became his rite of passage flowing into one, whose At the bottom of my dream every spring. soned sailor. Thoreau had a lifelong affinity for the banks afford different kinds Thoreau followed Sailing was one of the rivers. Today his memory runs deep in the the river’s flow all the great joys of Thoreau’s exis- lifeblood of the landscape. The Concord, of scenery, the streams being way to the eternal sea. tence. Nothing more readi- Sudbury, and Assabet have now his flow. ly conducted him, body and of different characters. . . . Emerson recorded in his spirit, into the one-flow of Journal near the end of nature. He felt his wings spread Journal, 5 July 1852 his friend’s life: Tom Blanding is an independent Thoreau when he sailed, though his boat Henry praised to me lately the scholar and historian who lives in Acton. He never lifted its heel from the watery manners of an old, established, calm, has published more than 70 articles in his field, trench: “It was very near flying, as when the well-behaved river, as perfectly distin- and is the author of Historic Walden Woods duck rushes through the water with an guished from those of a new river. A and co-author of A Thoreau Iconography. impulse of her wings, throwing the spray new river is a torrent; an old one slow In 1986, while serving on Concord’s Historical about her, before she can rise.” & steadily supplied. What happens in Commission, Tom originated the campaign to save Walden Woods. He is founder and past- The river, Thoreau’s highway and wild any part of the old river relates to what befal[l]s in every other part of it. president of the Thoreau Country Conservation way, was always a resourceful metaphor for Alliance and past-president of the Thoreau the passage of life, and along its course he ‘Tis full of compensations, resources, & reserved funds. Society. Tom is a well-known lecturer and contemplated life and death and all change teacher of Thoreau’s writings. YOU ARE INVITED “Take Me to the” Ri ““TaTakeke MeMe toto thethe”” RiversRiversSVT Annual Benefit Reservation form Sudbury Valley Trustees Name: Annual Benefit Address: Phone: DATE: Saturday, March 5, 2005 Email: 7:00 p.m. Number of tickets: THEME: “Take Me to the” RiversTotal Enclosed: PLACE: Stow Acres, Stow, MA Please make checks payable to: Sudbury Valley Trustees TICKETS: $125 per person, $250 per couple Mail to: Michael Sanders Sudbury Valley Trustees AUCTION: There will be a silent auction with 18 Wolbach Road a few spectacular items. Sudbury, MA 01776

ATTIRE: Whatever gets you “in the swim” Credit Card (circle one): MC Visa Card Number: Expiration Date: Dance the night away Signature:

6 / SUDBURY VALLEY TRUSTEES / WINTER 2005 Three Cheers! To the Following Individuals

Shirley Stahl for donation of plants for Mrs. Cutting, Mr Roussel, David Lisa Mattei for assistance with design of the Founders’ Garden Roussel, Merrit Hall, Ethan Arruda- educational signage Leuppert, Nathaniel Arruda- Dan Foster for helping to build Leupart, Mr. Leupart Melody Anderson, Betty Bishop, a digital wildlife trail camera Sherri Cline, Martha Cooper, (See “Wildlife Sightings” at Chris Conte and his volunteer team www.sudburyvalleytrustees.org) for building an educational kiosk and Susan Crane, Rebecca Cutting, removing invasive Japanese barberry Lisa Eggleston, Will Mack, Brad Conant and Alan Louie for from the woods at Cedar Hill Susan McKain, Deirdre Menoyo, caretaker assistance at Wolbach Farm Northborough Carol White, Carol Wolfe for Sudbury membership drive calls Donna Appel, Elaine Beckett, SCA Mass Park Americorps – for Phyllis Elmore, Trude Hirsch assisting with invasive plant control at Roz Kingsbury, Marie Mangus, and Mara Tufts for providing us with Wolbach Farm, Turenne Wildlife Dorothy Dunlay, Mary Trageser, weekly office assistance Habitat and Cedar Hill Reservation. Ivan Lubash, and Hank Bennett The supervising staff members for this for assisting with several different office Susan Thel for Founders’ Garden mailings maintenance project are Will Kirkpatrick, Jill Baum, and Jonah Keane Barbara Dyer from AMC for co-lead- Tom Arnold for outreach work in ing a walk at Turenne Wildlife Habitat Sudbury and all around! Amy Blonn – Des Plaines, IL Craig Dicht – Vorhees, NJ and Breakneck Farm in Southborough Brian Monahan for helping to lead a Jenn Faller – Queensbury, NY Janice Abbott, Jill Kern, Sharon workshop for AMC trail leaders Sarah Geddis – Charlottesville, VA Poller, and a mystery donor Jill Kern, now our official GIS intern, Meghan Kennedy – Cedar Rapids, IA (we weren’t here to receive your for up-dating maps and records for all of Molly Knoll – Kensington, MD donation in person!) for donation of our properties Matt Maslow – Massapequa, NY a variety of beverage glasses. Tanya Milano – Sandwich, MA Trude Hirsch for weekly membership Chelsea Miller – Kansas City, MO Don Somers for donation of support Sarah Olson – Neenah, WI kayak/canoe Andy Stout – Jamestown, NY Janie Dretler for foundation research Cortni Frecha for donation of Ryan Williams – Milford, IA armchairs Charles Kaufmann for continued Dan Zinder – Ithaca, NY webmaster support Maggie Debbie for the generous Marc Albert for mapping plant com- donation of books Michael Sangermano and his crew of munities at Hazel Brook Reservation volunteers for building our new map Alex Belote for trail maintenance Westborough Troop 100 for conduct- boxes: Don Tyler, Cam Kerr, Tim ing trail maintenance at Walkup and Don Bishop for Wolbach grounds Bolton, Shane Makary, Liam Robinson Reservation assistance Aylward, Joe Tornatore, Rob Tornatore, John Sangermano, The Loring School Social Action Judy Mack for her editorial assistance Lisa Sangermano Program of Sudbury – for clearing with SVT’s annual report brush and invasive plants at the Welch Jeff Wurm and his volunteer team Bruce Osterling and family for the Reservation in Framingham. Mimi, for building a boardwalk and placing donation hand-made holiday sprays, and Matt and Meg Cahill, Hanna stepping stones at Lyons-Cutler in for the donation of a bicycle tire pump Feinberg, Laura and Robert Hacker, Sudbury: Rick Wurm, Kathy Wurm, Brad Jones, Mike and Whitney Tom Wurm, Matt Wurm, Alex Daly, Karen Sirkin, Bob Mainer, Susan LaRow, Lewis and Robert Pringle, Mr. Daly, Jacob Baldassini, Zac Culver, Joy Viola, Sonja Strong, Charlotte Eliza and Coby Gesten Baldassini, Mr. LeBlanc, Stephanos Jerry Heller, Marana Kern, Cile Hicks, Marylynn Gentry, Iryna Calligas, Justin Hall, Jon Kreutz, Rich Mattione for the hostas, astilbe, Priester, Stephen Winthrop for Ryan Kreutz, Matthew Johnson, foam flower and mulch Max Glick, Ollie Kline, Rob Wayland membership drive calls Coughlin, Ben Cutting, Mr. Cutting, Carol Case for proofreading assistance

WINTER 2005 / SUDBURY VALLEY TRUSTEES / 7 Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE P AID Permit No. 1 Maynard, MA 01754

Wolbach Farm 18 Wolbach Road Sudbury, MA 01776

Printed with soy inks on recycled paper

using 100% post-consumer waste.

– Ellen Sturgis Ellen –

delay. And spread the word! the spread And delay.

accepting reservations for the spring, so don’t so spring, the for reservations accepting

call us at 978-443-5588. We’ve already started already We’ve 978-443-5588. at us call

buryvalleytrustees.org for more information or information more for buryvalleytrustees.org

ing and wandering! Visit our website www.sud- website our Visit wandering! and ing

and of course, our grounds are beautiful for view- for beautiful are grounds our course, of and

for photo opportunities as well as for ceremonies, ceremonies, for as well as opportunities photo for

just out front, the Founders’ Garden is lovely lovely is Garden Founders’ the front, out just

sitdown dinners either in the barn or in a tent a in or barn the in either dinners sitdown

the possibilities are many: there is space for for space is there many: are possibilities the

and private parties! Capacity is 100 people but people 100 is Capacity parties! private and

it is. SVT is now offering the barn for weddings for barn the offering now is SVT is. it

what a special place special a what

barn, you know you barn,

the Wolbach the

who have seen have who

or those of you of those or F

is Open! is T om Arnold The Barn Barn The