Wildlands Shows Its Love for Wareham at Community Event

Read Time: 2 min

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

The coastal town of Wareham, home to Wildlands’ Great Neck Conservation Area, offers an array of outdoor recreational opportunities for both residents and visitors. So, when Wildlands Trust was invited to partner with the Wareham Land Trust, Mass Audubon, and Buzzards Bay Coalition’s Onset Bay Center to host a full day of free outdoor activities highlighting the area’s various opportunities to enjoy nature and support the environment, we were thrilled to accept! 

Funded in part by grants from the Wareham Cultural Council and Plymouth Cultural Council (two local agencies supported by the State's Mass Cultural Council), “Wild for Wareham” took place on May 7, at Buzzard’s Bay Coalition’s Onset Bay Center.  

Wildlands’ Programming and Outreach Manager, Claire Johnston, collaborated with staff from the event’s partner organizations, planning a day packed with activities. Among the offerings were: an intertidal beach exploration; programs about navigation, whales, insects, osprey, and coastal waterbirds; a salt marsh exploration; and a kayaking adventure.  Wildlands hosted two programs at Great Neck Conservation Area—an invasive plant identification and removal workshop, and a nature weaving exploration activity. Participants brought home potted native plants, a children’s book, and assorted fun swag from the various organizations tabling at the event. 

The depth and variety of knowledge within the Wareham community--in the fields of land protection, wildlife conservation, and environmental protection--was on full display at the Wild for Wareham event, and the opportunities for interesting outdoor explorations were plentiful! Wildlands Trust was thrilled to be a partner in this event, and hope that it was the first of many to come! 

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Wildlands' Community Welcomed Back at Opening Day 2022

Read Time: 2 min

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

On May 1, the Wildlands community came together at our Davis-Douglas Farm headquarters, in Plymouth, to kick off the 2022 programming season. Near-perfect spring weather was a bonus for all who attended our Opening Day celebration, making for a fun and relaxing Sunday afternoon that surely left many visitors daydreaming of the summer days ahead! 

Friends of all ages, people and pets, families, returning members, staff, volunteers, and first-time visitors enjoyed local beer and live music on the lawn, explored craft activities and games, and learned all about the Wildlands Trust community, the work we're doing, and the various opportunities to join us--at our programs and events, as volunteers, and through membership.  

The Conservation Barn was open for visitors to peruse information tables about current offerings and initiatives at Wildlands, or to purchase soft pretzels, fresh out of the oven. Many visitors enjoyed lengthy conversations with our staff and volunteers inside the Barn, while some of our youngest visitors dropped in just long enough to find the lollipops that adorned the display areas.

Wildlands’ Programming and Outreach Manager Claire Johnston said, “We are thrilled to have people interested in learning about us, what we’ve been doing, and what’s to come!” And our entire staff loved seeing all of the smiling faces and the steady buzz of activity around our headquarters that day. We can't wait to keep the momentum going as our 2022 programming season gets underway, so be on the lookout for more fabulous events to come!

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Join Us for Opening Day 2022 at Wildlands Trust!

Read Time: 1 min

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

Spring is in the air! Temperatures are warming, flowers are blooming, and the annual greening of the landscape is underway. At Wildlands, we are celebrating the promise of an exciting season of programming with our “Opening Day” at the Conservation Barn at Davis-Douglas Farm.

Join us for this free event on Sunday, May 1 (12pm-4pm) to enjoy the beauty of our Plymouth headquarters, learn about Wildlands Trust and some of the exciting projects we have planned, and find out about upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Gather your friends and family, and plan to spend the afternoon with us! You’re welcome to bring a picnic of your own or purchase snacks at the barn, and IndieFerm beer will be available for purchase. In addition to live music and lawn games throughout the event, there will be a guided nature walk/craft activity for children at 12pm, and an Adopt-a-Preserve training program at 1pm, for adults interested in making a monthly commitment to help monitor Wildlands’ preserves. 

(*Pre-registration is only required for the two scheduled events. Visit: https://wildlandstrust.org/events/2022/5/1/opening-day for the link to the Eventbrite registration.)

Oh, What Fun It Is to Ride!

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

On Sunday, December 5, Wildlands teamed up with the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) for a festive, holiday-themed bike ride in Plymouth. Jingle Bell Ride participants chose either a 10-mile intermediate route through Halfway Pond Preserve or a shorter beginners’ course through Emery Preserve East. The event was well attended, with 20 revelrous riders decked out in their holiday best. The two groups completed their rides in approximately 90 minutes, then returned to Wildlands' headquarters at Davis-Douglas Farm, where they gathered by an outdoor fire and enjoyed post-ride refreshments in front of the Conservation Barn. 

Organized mountain bike rides are new to Wildlands’ events calendar, but with our new Programs & Outreach Coordinator Claire Johnston’s thumb on the pulse of the local biking scene, we can expect to see more to come! This winter, our growing collaboration with NEMBA has led to the installation of hundreds of feet of new bog boards at Wildlands’ preserves, and has attracted enthusiastic new participants to the Wildlands community. NEMBA is known throughout Massachusetts for their exemplary trail stewardship and multi-use trail knowledge. The Wildlands team enjoyed introducing such a responsible group of mountain bikers to our trail system!

Programming is Back!

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

Say hello (again) to the Conservation Barn at Davis-Douglas Farm and our new Programs & Outreach Manager, Claire Johnston 

As we say goodbye to summer on the South Shore, we look forward to an exciting fall filled with programs. Along with the rest of the world, Wildlands’ programming team took a step back from in-person events in 2020 due to COVID-19. But now, with safety precautions in place, we are excited to resume—and expand—our programs!

In late September, the board of directors at Wildlands Trust approved the re-opening of our Conservation Barn for events. There will be a cap on the number of attendees allowed at each event, determined by the nature of the activity. All participants will be required to follow Wildlands’ COVID-19 guidelines and fill out corresponding safety agreements. With these protocols in place, we are optimistic that programming will be able to continue, despite the dropping temperatures looming just around the corner. We can’t wait to welcome members back into our community gathering space! Keep an eye on our website for lots of upcoming classes and events! 

And, with so many activities filling the calendar this fall, Wildlands is also thrilled to welcome our new Programs & Outreach Manager, Claire Johnston. Claire joins Wildlands Trust from Seattle Washington, where she has spent the last 4 years working in the Outdoor Industry. She is passionate about community engagement and loves exploring. She is an avid mountain biker, hiker, climber, skier, and more! If you have any programming questions, concerns, or ideas, she is available at cjohnston@wildlandstrust.org, or (774)343-5124, ext.108, and she’d love to hear from you!