Canvassing Increases Awareness, Participation for GGCP

Wildlands Trust hits the streets of Brockton to promote Greening the Gateway Cities

Tommy Blanchard and Conor Michaud with a recently planted tree at Brockton City Hall

Spring has launched the new planting season for the Massachusetts Greening the Gateway Cities Program (GGCP) and in Brockton, it’s off to a great start. As of April 27, 611 trees have been planted throughout the city, 179 on public land and 432 on private, putting the program on track to reach its overall goal of planting 2,400 trees within three years. Success will increase canopy cover by 5-10 percent and reduce heating and cooling use and costs for households throughout the planting zone.

Responsible for supporting the program's outreach initiatives, Wildlands’ Community Stewardship Program Coordinator, Conor Michaud, and AmeriCorps member, Tommy Blanchard, have met with community members throughout the planting zone and have received overall positive responses from residents. Many who utilize the program report they first heard of GGCP from a canvasser.

Conor and Tommy will be kicking off their first tabling event of the season at the Plant and Seed Swap at the Frederick Douglass Community Garden on Sunday, May 6, from 12:30–3 p.m. To learn more about the Greening the Gateway Cities Program, stop by their table or visit our website at wildlandstrust.org/greening-the-gateway-cities.

It's Tree Planting Season!

By Tommy Blanchard, TerraCorps Land Stewardship Coordinator

The City of Brockton has been selected to receive 2,400 free trees to be planted for environmental health and energy efficiency as a part of the Greening the Gateway Cities Program (GGCP), and we here at Wildlands are gearing up for the spring planting season! Planting trees in urban areas has many beneficial effects, from lowering energy usage and costs, to decreasing noise pollution, to improving air and water quality and reducing pollution, and much more – thanks, Science! So far, around 500 trees have been planted through this program, and the GGCP aims to plant all 2,400 trees in the identified area (below) before the end of 2019. In order to meet this goal, we must plant about 1,000 more this year and another 1,000 in 2019. We need your help to make this happen! Please share this with anyone you know who lives in the area of Brockton shown below. We have lots of trees that need loving homes!

Tree Planting Area

Greening the Gateway Cities, Brockton, MA

“We have over 40 different species of trees that the homeowner gets to choose from,” says DCR's Community and Urban Forester Matt Dyer. “The trees are free. The labor is free. This is truly a free program. We just ask that the residents water the trees after we plant them so the trees will survive.”

To request your free trees, call 617-626-1503 and leave your name, address, and phone number. For more information, visit wildlandstrust.org/greening-the-gateway-cities.

In addition, we are looking for GGCP volunteers! If you are looking to help a great cause and engage with members of a diverse and vibrant community, please email Tommy Blanchard at tblanchard@wildlandstrust.org to inquire about open volunteer positions, and learn more at wildlandstrust.org/volunteer-with-ggc.

And don’t forget to like/follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to keep up with the latest GGCP news!

Facebook: facebook.com/GGCBrockton/

Instagram: instagram.com/ggcbrockton/

Trees are planted on public and private lands at absolutely no cost. Volunteers help plant this tree in a Brockton park!

The Greening the Gateway Cities Program is a state funded initiative to plant trees in urban neighborhoods throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Greening the Gateway Cities in Brockton is executed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Memorial Gifts to Give Great River Preserve a Face Lift

A long fought battle with cancer did not stop Mark Kaetzer from visiting the Great River Preserve nearly every week for two years with his wife, Judy. “It was what we looked forward to,” said Judy. “We would walk out to the same bench and just enjoy the peace and quiet.” When Mark passed away in August, Judy contacted Wildlands Trust and said that she wanted Mark’s memorial gifts - donated by their friends, family, and co-workers - to fund a face lift at the entrance to the preserve. Judy’s vision was for a new gate and fencing, a handicapped parking spot, plantings, and signage. As Mark’s illness progressed and his mobility declined, Judy became aware of the need for better handicap accommodations at the entrance to the preserve and this gift will go a long way toward helping mobility challenged people access the Taunton River.  Wildlands will be hosting a volunteer workday next spring to complete this project. Thank you, Judy, for this really thoughtful gift!

Deer Ticks: One Bite Can Change Your Life

On Tuesday, May 23 Entomologist Larry Dapsis came to the Wildlands Trust Community Conservation Barn for a special presentation about ticks and tick-borne illnesses. Dapsis is the Entomologist for Barnstable County and Deer Tick Project Coordinator for Cape Cod Cooperative Extension. He works both to study tick populations and diseases and to educate the public. An engaged crowd of nearly 30 volunteers, members, and nonmembers made for an interactive program and lively discussion. If you missed it, or just want to review the information, you can download the PDF below.

Here at Wildlands Trust, we want to help inform and educate everyone who loves to get outside to enjoy nature in order to best protect themselves. Every time we're out on the trails with a group, without fail someone has a personal story about how tick-borne illnesses have effected their lives. Living in an area  where the rate of tick-borne illness is among the highest in the country, this information from Larry Dapsis is invaluable. We look forward to having him at Wildlands again next year! 

Summer Intern Position's Available at Wildlands Trust

The Wildlands Trust has 2 summer internship opportunities available for the summer of 2016.  Preference will be given to qualified candidates who are college students majoring in an environmental concentration. 

Position #1-  Natural Resource Monitor
Location:  Plymouth, MA

Hours:     10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  12 weekend days between June 25th and August 21st    
                   (some flexibility for you to pick days)

Duties:    Intern will monitor the public usage of the Halfway Pond Conservation Area in
                   Plymouth collecting data that will become the foundation of a management plan.
                   Training provided.

Skills:      Great attitude! Data collection and observation skills, strong interpersonal skills,
                   good judgement, ability to ride a mountain bike, interest in being outside.

Stipend:  $500 upon completion of project.

Position #2 - Trail Intern
Location: Plymouth, MA

Hours:      16 hours per week, through August

Duties:     Work to ground truth the accuracy of maps of existing trails so we can prepare a
                   new publication on hikes in Plymouth. Training provided.

Skills:       Great attitude! Comfortable hiking in the woods alone, valid driver’s license,
                   self-starter, experience with hand tools, strong computer skills. Ability to use GPS
                   unit desirable.

Stipend:   $500 upon completion of project.

If interested in either of these positions, please send a cover letter along with your resume to admin@wildlandstrust.org. No phone calls please.