Calendar of Events

Also check out the Westborough Walks Meetup group for hikes and activities guided by volunteers from WCLT.

Saturday
April 8, 2023
– Saturday
April 15
Earth Day Event

Earth Day Town-Wide Cleanup and Cleanup Volunteers’ Picnic
(Online Signup Only—No Walk-In Registration)

Group/Club/Business Sign-up: February 1-March 15, 2023
Family/Individual Sign-up: Week of April 1-6, 2023
Cleanup: Week of April 8-15, 2023
Drop-In Volunteers’ Picnic Lunch: Saturday, April 15, 11:30-12:30

Join the annual town-wide litter clean-up sponsored by WCLT, and enjoy a drop-in Earth Day Volunteers’ pizza picnic lunch afterwards!

Come on your own, or rally your family, co-workers, or neighbors and form a team to beautify our town!

Larger groups please email earthday@westboroughlandtrust.org by March 15 to sign up.

Families and individuals go to westboroughlandtrust.org/earth-day-signup between April 1-6 to sign up and choose an area to clean.

Trash bags will be dropped off at participants’ homes by the 7th, or if necessary, you can arrange to pick up.

Clean your chosen area any day or time before noon on April 15. Leave closed
bags by the road in the area you cleaned, and they will be removed on April 15. Then head over to Bay State Commons for an appreciation picnic of pizza with all the sides!

For the cleanup, wear gloves, long pants, long sleeves, and sturdy shoes.

Contact: earthday@westboroughlandtrust.org

Monday
April 10, 2023

Essay & scholarship application DEADLINE

WCLT Earth Day Essay Contest & Scholarships

Earth Day essays and scholarship applications due on paper to the Westborough High School Guidance Office, OR on paper by mail (in time to be received by the deadline) to WCLT, P.O. Box 838, Westborough, MA 01581, OR electronically by email to scholarship@westboroughlandtrust.org.

Contact: scholarship@westboroughlandtrust.org

Friday
April 14, 2023
6:30 - 8:00 PM
MassWildlife

Evening Woodcock Walk

As the sun sets in spring, the American Woodcock performs a spectacular mating ritual.

Join WCLT to walk gentle trails with Laura Lane of the Forbush Bird Club to listen for the Woodcock’s unique call and watch its amazing sky dance.

Families with school-age children are welcome.

Meet at the Mass Wildlife Field Headquarters, 1 Rabbit Hill Road (off North Drive) in Westborough at 6:30 p.m.

Note: Walk will be canceled in case of heavy rain.

For questions, contact Laura Lane at 508-480-8259 or email: pete.lane@comcast.net

Trail Map:
https://westboroughcharm.org/guide/maps/map_FishWildlife.pdf

Thursday
April 27, 2023
6:00 - 8:00 AM
MassWildlife

Early Morning Bird Walk #1

Join WCLT to walk the trails at Lake Chauncy in search of migrant warblers with Nick Paulson of the Forbush Bird Club.

This is the first of three Thursday morning walks in this very productive area.

Binoculars recommended.

Directions: Take Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Way [formerly Hospital Road] off Lyman Street in Westborough. Go straight up the hill, past the soccer fields on your left. Then take the very last left turn before the parking lot for the condo building. Go down the hill, and where that road meets the lakeshore, park in the lot near the yellow gate.

For questions, contact Nick Paulson at grendelpgill@yahoo.com or 508-330-4401

Trail Map:
https://westboroughcharm.org/guide/maps/map_FishWildlife.pdf

Sunday
April 30, 2023
1:30 - 3:30 PM
Gilmore Pond

Plug into the Outdoors!

Turn off the devices and turn on the wonder!

Join WCLT on a family-friendly afternoon in nature, looking for and learning about the plants, trees, insects, birds, and animals right in our own back yard.

The event will take place on the Gilmore Pond All-Persons Trail, so strollers and individuals of all ages and abilities are welcome!

Presented as part of Westborough Unplugs week. Free, no reservation needed. Short, level crushed stone trail with integrated boardwalks.

Meet at the Gilmore Pond Trail Entrance, GPS address approximately 19 Quick Farm Rd., Westborough. Park along one side of Quick Farm Road.

Trail Map:
https://westboroughcharm.org/guide/maps/upperjackstraw_trail_map.pdf

Contact: events@westboroughlandtrust.org

Thursday
May 4, 2023
6:00 - 8:00 AM
Mass Wildlife

Early Morning Bird Walk #2

Join WCLT early on a Thursday morning to search for migrant warblers and other songbirds along the north shore of Lake Chauncy with Nick Paulson of the Forbush Bird Club.

This is the second of three Thursday morning walks in this very productive area.

Binoculars recommended.

Directions: Take Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Way [formerly Hospital Road] off Lyman Street in Westborough. Go straight up the hill, past the soccer fields on your left. Then take the very last left turn before the parking lot for the condo building. Go down the hill, and where that road meets the lakeshore, park in the lot near the yellow gate.

For questions, contact Nick Paulson at grendelpgill@yahoo.com or 508-330-4401

Trail Map:
https://westboroughcharm.org/guide/maps/map_FishWildlife.pdf

Sunday
May 7, 2023
1:30 - 3:30 PM

The Ice Age in Westborough: How Glaciers Shaped our Landscape

Learn about how Westborough was shaped by glaciers with the Westborough Community Land Trust! Glaciers covered the land in a mile-thick ice sheet eight different times over the last million years.

During this 2.5-mile round-trip hike, leader Andy Koenigsberg will take the group along the west side of Lake Chauncy, and north to visit a glacially deposited former sand and gravel quarry.

Come away with an understanding of how New England’s rocky, hilly, pond-filled landscape came to exist as we see it today.

Directions: Take Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Way [formerly Hospital Road] off Lyman Street in Westborough. Go straight up the hill, past the soccer fields on your left. Then take the very last left turn before the parking lot for the condo building. Where that road meets the lakeshore, park and meet near the yellow gate.

No reservation needed.

Check for weather cancellations before setting out.

Trail Map:
https://westboroughcharm.org/guide/maps/map_FishWildlife.pdf

Contact: events@westboroughlandtrust.org

Thursday
May 11, 2023
6:00 - 8:00 AM
MassWildlife

Early Morning Bird Walk #3

Spring migration is at its peak! Don’t miss WCLT’s last early-morning hike on the north side of Lake Chauncy with Nick Paulson of the Forbush Bird Club!

This is the third of three Thursday morning walks in this very productive area.

Binoculars recommended.

Directions: Take Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Way [formerly Hospital Road] off Lyman Street in Westborough. Go straight up the hill, past the soccer fields on your left. Then take the very last left turn before the parking lot for the condo building. Go down the hill, and where that road meets the lakeshore, park in the lot near the yellow gate.

For questions, contact Nick Paulson at grendelpgill@yahoo.com or (508) 330-4401

Trail Map:
https://westboroughcharm.org/guide/maps/map_FishWildlife.pdf

Monday
May 15, 2023
7:00 - 11:00 AM
Crane Swamp / Cedar Hill

Bird Walk at Crane Swamp and Cedar Hill

Spend a full morning birding with WCLT and Laura Lane of the Forbush Bird Club!

We will walk about 2.5 miles on the loop trail. Please note: There is occasional rough footing, and Cedar Hill is moderately steep. Participants may want to bring a walking stick.

Binoculars recommended.

Meet at Crane Swamp Trailhead, 360 Cedar Hill St., Marlborough
Directions: From Route 9, take Lyman St. north; drive 2.8 miles and turn right onto Bartlett St. In 0.8 miles, bear right onto Cedar Hill Road, and turn right onto Forest St. to the trailhead parking area.

For questions, contact Laura Lane at (508)-480-8259 or email pete.lane@comcast.net

Trail Map:
https://svtweb.org/sites/default/files/2022-06/Northborough_CedarHill.pdf

Monday
June 12, 2023
7:00 - 9:00 PM
St. Luke's Parish Hall

The American Chestnut Story And Westborough Community Land Trust Annual Meeting

Did you know there is an American Chestnut tree breeding orchard in Westborough?

Learn the fascinating story behind the work that is being done there:
  • What happened to the American Chestnut, a former keystone species in the eastern woodlands?

  • What is Chestnut blight, and how did the scientific community react when it was first discovered in 1901?

  • How did a single pathogen cause an entire species to become functionally extinct?

  • What progress has been made in trying to restore this "Sequoia of the East” and is there any hope of success?

The sweeping Chestnut saga will be shared in this presentation, from the separation of the continents and the last glaciation to the current understanding of the Chestnut genome and advances in biotechnology.

Presenter Brad Smith joined the American Chestnut Foundation in the early 1990's, upon spotting his first Chestnut in the wild after reading a National Geographic article about this new organization. He became a board member of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Chapter soon after its founding in 2000; he is a past president and remains a director. He has been involved in surveying, pollinating, planting, harvesting and crossbreeding Chestnuts for the last two decades. Brad has recently retired from teaching Latin for 35 years, and has lived in Westborough since 1988.

Free and open to the public. Presentation will start at 7 pm; WCLT Annual Business Meeting will follow the presentation at about 8 pm. Non-members are welcome to leave after the presentation.

Location: St. Luke’s Parish Hall, 1 Ruggles St. Westborough MA

Contact: events@westboroughlandtrust.org

Westborough Community Land Trust, PO Box 838, Westborough , MA 01581
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