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.

Green Team 2018 - Recruitment Begins!

We're looking for local teens ages 12 - 18 who are interested in environmental learning and volunteerism to apply for Wildlands Trust's Green Team this summer! 

Green Team crewmembers get a summer experience like no other! Crewmembers work primarily outdoors while acquiring new skills and knowledge about conservation, agriculture, wildlife, and water resources.

With two different age groups, there's an opportunity for any middle or high school aged student in Southeastern Massachusetts to join Green Team. For ages 12 - 14, Green Team I is a one-week, four-day introductory volunteer program. For ages 15 - 18, Green Team II is a two-week, six-day internship program with an overnight campout. 

Not sure if Green Team is right for you? Learn more about it from Wildlands staff and last summer's Green Team members themselves in this video:

Learn More and Apply:

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!

Meet Tommy Blanchard

Wildlands Trust would like to welcome our newest AmeriCorps member, Tommy Blanchard! Tommy will serve as the Land Stewardship Coordinator at Wildlands Trust for the next 11 months through the TerraCorps program, which supports 36 full-time AmeriCorps members serving at non-profit conservation organizations across Massachusetts.

During his year of service as the Wildlands Trust TerraCorps LSC, Tommy will focus on enhancing community involvement with open space in North Plymouth and Brockton and engaging youth groups in meaningful service learning projects. 

Tommy grew up exploring and camping in and around his hometown of Duxbury, and has a deep affection for New England and a desire to give back to local communities, especially those in areas that lack adequate access to green space. During his years at Hamilton College and as an alumni, he has led backpacking trips in the Adirondacks for incoming freshmen. This past summer he traveled to Northern California to WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) and work at a summer camp for kids.

In addition to his interest in the great outdoors, Tommy enjoys acting, singing, and performing stand-up comedy. He recently graduated from Hamilton College with a Bachelor of Arts in biology and is currently considering a career in education. Tommy is excited to spend a year engaging with the communities of Southeastern MA and we are excited to have him on the team!

The 2017-18 TerraCorps members at their orientation in August, 2017 after a tour of the Harvard Forest led by Brian Hall

Green Team Gives Gift to Local Environment

In Wildlands Trust’s third summer hosting Green Team, the program nearly triples in size and capacity, cultivating the next generation of environmental leaders.

With the summer of 2017 came the third consecutive Green Team program at Wildlands Trust. Each summer, we select teens from across Southeastern Massachusetts for this labor-intensive, career exploration internship that exposes them to conservation related work happening in the region. With a four part focus on land stewardship, agriculture, wildlife conservation, and water quality, staff at Wildlands Trust take the team to cut new trails, track wildlife, test water quality, help with farm work, and more at Wildlands properties and in partnership with other local organizations. 

This year marked the first year of expanding the Green Team to include middle school aged students as well as high school aged with the addition of “Green Team 1”, a one-week volunteer program for ages 12 – 14. The two-week “Green Team 2” internship was reserved for ages 15 – 18, involving more intensive field work, longer days, and an overnight campout.

The 2017 Green Team program involve a total of 17 students from our local communities! In previous summers Green Team had six and then seven students involved. The addition of a middle school age group, offering a shuttle from Brockton High School, promotion with Healthy Plymouth, and word of mouth all seemed to contribute to the growth and success of this program in 2017.

This year’s crews were led by Rachel Calderara, Program Coordinator, and Maura Coughlin, Education and Stewardship Assistant. Rachel helped to start the Green Team program in 2015 as a MassLIFT AmeriCorps member at Wildlands Trust, and now takes the lead on planning and executing the program as a full time staff member. Maura, a student at Simmons College, was a Green Team crewmember in 2016 and now helps to plan and execute the Green Team and other educational programs, as well as help steward properties as a seasonal employee.

We would like to congratulate the students on a job very well done this summer! Our hope is that exposure to environmental learning and volunteerism will promote responsible land use and inspire the next generation of leaders to protect our natural resources. Thank you to our sponsors at Rockland Trust and The Dorr Foundation for making these programs possible year after year, to Union Point for their generous sponsorship, and to all of the individuals and organizations that hosted the crew this July! We're already looking forward to next year!

Green Team 1:

Day One: Trail cutting at Pickerel Pond Preserve and Emery Preserve, Plymouth

Day Two: Trail work and tour of New England Wildlife Center, Weymouth

Day Three: Organic farming at Bay End Farm, Bourne

Green Team 2:

Day One: Bench building in the Wildlands workshop and Geocaching at Emery Preserve, Plymouth

Day Two: Water quality testing and birding with Herring Ponds Watershed Association, Plymouth

Day Three: Trail building at Union Point, Weymouth

Day Four: Blanding’s turtle tracking using radio telemetry with Mass Wildlife, West Bridgewater

Day Five: Garlic harvesting at Bay End Farm, Bourne

Day Five, pm: Team campout at Old Field Preserve, Bourne. 

Day Six: Campout cleanup and organic farming at Bay End Farm/Old Field Preserve, Bourne