Westford Wildlife 2017
Westford flora & flauna images from 2017.
News
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October 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Can there be any doubt now that climate change is affecting the United States dramatically? Its effects are felt strongly in the number and intensity of hurricanes forming in the Atlantic and hitting Texas, Florida, the Caribbean, and Puerto Rico. The number and severity of these hurricanes come about as a result of the warming…
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Fall 2017 Newsletter
In This Issue President’s Message Controlling Invasives in Westford The Stone Arch Bridge Trail Do Turtles Lay Eggs at the Same Time and Place Each Year? Pageant Field Stone Wall Restoration Update Devils Walking Stick Fall/Winter 2017 Hike Schedule Fall 2017 Newsletter
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September 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Now that fall is here, have you got your bird feeders up and running again? Or maybe you feed birds all summer long. In either case, its both personally gratifying and valuable to science to keep records of the birds you see at your feeders and in your yard. We hope you will send your…
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August 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Do you have a large glass window or slider at your house? If so, chances are you have seen a bird strike that glass at some time. If the bird is lucky, it will just stun itself, perhaps need a few minutes to “come to” and then fly off. Sometimes, though, the bird is killed…
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July 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Most of us enjoy seeing cottontail rabbit families in our yards (unless they are nibbling on our lettuce, of course). They’re definitely cute. The bunnies we see in our yard are almost certainly the hybrid Eastern Cottontail. The “real” New England Cottontail has become threatened here due to loss of habitat. It is very difficult…
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June 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
While working in your yard this summer, you might want to identify the plants and determine if they are native or non-native species. Many non-native invasive plants are outcompeting our native plants with disastrous consequences for our native birds. Non-native honeysuckles are particularly problematic. National Wildlife Federation encourages us to remove them. Fruit eating birds…
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May 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
If you are trying to tread lightly on the earth, and reduce your carbon footprint, one of the most effective steps you can take is to eliminate palm oil from your life. Palm oil is cheap to produce and is shelf-stable, so is the oil of choice for many companies. But, palm oil production has…
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March 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
To eat a healthy diet, you need to eat organic. That is the message from the Cornucopia Institute (www://cornucopia.org). But the consumer needs to be careful, because not everything labeled “organic” is truly healthy or humane. The Cornucopia Institute is a non-profit, based in Wisconsin, which does research and investigation into agricultural and food issues….
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February 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Farmland is disappearing in Massachusetts. We are losing agricultural lands and farming opportunities at an alarming rate. To try to stem the tide of farmland loss, the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) established the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program in 1979. It was a first-in-the-nation model for many other states. The MDAR website states,…
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Westford Conservation Trust Chosen for Charitable Donation Program
WORCESTER, Mass., Jan. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The Westford Conservation Trust has been selected as the first beneficiary of the new Coghlin Companies Caring Corporate Citizen (“5C”) program. The program was formally launched in 2016 to further demonstrate Coghlin Companies’ commitment toward encouraging volunteerism and providing financial support to community service and philanthropic organizations that are important to its loyal team…
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December 2016 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Happy New Year! At this time of year I like to review the reports to Westford Wildlife Watch from the past year. In 2016, fifty-three residents and one elementary school from all over town sent in flora and fauna reports, some monthly, and others only once or twice. Altogether, there were 2123 different reports. That’s…
