Community Conservation with Cassandra
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Say hello to Cassandra Milnes! She joined our team this fall as a communications intern from UMass Lowell. A third-year English major with a concentration in journalism & professional writing (and two minors in disability studies & gender studies), Cassandra is working on Community Conservation Stories for LP&CT. Stay tuned for her first series of stories starting tomorrow!
Cassandra is also helping us care for our new Blanding’s turtle hatchlings, plus attending events so she can become more familiar with our work & community. She has prior experience with natural resource management from Essex Technical High School. This included learning about wildlife, forestry, hydrology, and more. In her free time, Cassandra enjoys reading, writing, spending time in nature, and volunteering with her sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau.
Story #1: It Glows Like the Sun
Ramon, a first-time birder, explored the Concord River Greenway for fall migrants
Mike Baird has been actively birding for twenty-six years. Each spring and fall, he volunteers to lead walks for the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust. On a recent Saturday, I caught up with him as he led a group of eager birders along the Concord River Greenway and at the Lowell Cemetery.
Mike Baird began his journey in birding when a friend showed him the feathers of a dead northern flicker and he said that it must be a tropical bird. When he learned it wasn’t, he needed to see a live one which “glows like the sun when they took off.” He has been birding ever since. He believes birding is important for the community because it “drives efforts to preserve open space” and provides recreational areas for people who may or may not birdwatch. Since birders are passionate and vocal about their opinions, birding raises awareness and causes people to start noticing what’s around them.
The group I joined had a wide range of experience from never having been birding before to birding for the past forty years. Some came for the social activity and to connect with nature, others got the birding “bug” with the sight of a blue heron and enjoy going out with an expert like Mike Baird to build their skill.
Ramon joined us as a first-time birder, however he was eager and prepared with his own binoculars. Mark began his birding journey recently because he believes birding protects special places as birds need habitats for reproduction, food, and protection.
As a first time birder, I was amazed by what I learned without even having a pair of binoculars. When Mike Baird described the special coloring on a northern flicker or the sound of a mockingbird, I could see or hear it for myself. Birding gave me and others in attendance a great sense of community.
A few of the unique birds seen by this group include the red-bellied woodpecker, eastern pewee, yellow-rumped warbler, northern flicker, and mockingbird.
Binocular tip: Keep your eyes on the bird and bring binoculars up instead of looking down.
You too can post your sightings on E-bird. Here’s the list from our morning with Mike.
Story #2: There’s a Lot to Learn
Dave Dishaw, LP&CT environmental education, explored macroinvertebrates with local youth
Families from the Merrimack Valley area attended Family Outdoors Day on a beautiful Saturday morning as the the last of a three part series. The Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust partnered with the MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, MassAudubon, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Assabet National Wildlife Refuge to make this event happen.
This was my first time attending a Family Outdoors Day event and I would love to attend another one in the future. Attendees had the opportunity to learn to fish, practice archery, look at animal tracks and pelts, and learn about the local community’s wildlife and waterways.
For Sokhom Chun, getting her family out of the house and into the fresh air was the main goal of attendance. Sokhom hopes her family’s enjoyment of the event will encourage them to spend more time outside rather than on a screen. She thinks this event is great for the mental wellbeing of the people in attendance.
Amy Harris, a teacher-naturalist from Mass Audubon, attended the event with hopes of teaching people about the importance of the organisms living in the local waterways. She said, “there’s a lot to learn for adults and children alike” when it comes to seeing water and understanding what is going on under the surface.
As someone who only knew of Family Outdoors Day from the website and word of mouth, seeing it in person was completely different. It was a great experience that I would recommend to any family looking to get outside.
If you missed this event, Mass Fisheries offers additional fishing opportunities.
too can post your sightings on E-bird. Here’s the list from our morning with Mike.
Story #3: I Want to Make Lowell More Beautiful
Phi Sigma Rho sorority sisters clean-up the Concord River Greenway
Over 80 people from the Lowell community came out to participate in a clean-up along the Concord River Greenway as a part of National Public Lands Day. Several organizations joined the Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust, including Lowell National Historical Park, a variety of UMass Lowell students, the Lowell Canalwater Cleaners, and the Lowell Litter Krewe.
Everyone pitched in to clean up the trail by weeding, removing invasives and picking up trash. I asked volunteers about the impact they hoped to have on the community through this cleanup, the answers always came down to one thing: making Lowell look more beautiful.
Sheila Kirschbaum, President of the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust was happy to add a little beauty to the Greenway. She has been with the Trust for years and wants to see the greenery of Lowell go back to the look it was meant to have. She hopes beautifying the area will inspire others to visit and appreciate the area.
One volunteer was Lowell Mayor John Leahy and his adorable dog. He was glad to see so many members of the community attending an event to clean up the city. He has come out for clean up days a few times before and always finds them to be a great start to the day.
This wasn’t the first time that many of these volunteers participated in a clean-up, including Anna Nackley and her Phi Sigma Rho sorority sisters. They chose to participate again after making some great connections with the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust. By the end of the day they were able to see the visible impact they had on the trail.
Other members from the Greek community also attended such as Zach Giroux and his brothers from UMass Lowell fraternity, Delta Kappa Phi. Zach says he is proud to be part of an event that will keep the trail from being overgrown and neglected.
If you missed this event, but want to help clean up the beautiful city of Lowell, look for more clean-ups on the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust event page and the Lowell Litter Krewe Facebook page.
Story #4: Keeping the City Attractive
Helen Littlefield, Donahue Park land steward
For the first time, I visited Donahue Park on Fairmont Street in the Belvidere area of Lowell. This beautiful park on a hill shows an amazing view of Lowell and surrounding towns. Donahue Park is one of the properties protected as conservation land by the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust.
I had the opportunity to meet longtime land steward, Helen Littlefield, who filled me in on the property’s history. Originally, there were two houses on the property. This land was donated in two parts, originally by Joseph E. Donahue, Jr. and then by Richard and Nancy Donahue. Since the land became a park, there has been an increase in plants, making some of them harder to identify. Helen helps manage the perennial beds and keeps an eye on invasive plant s, such as the Tree of Heaven and poison ivy. Luckily, these new plants have not stopped the beautiful view from being maintained.
Helen has volunteered with the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust for 11 years and has worked as a park steward in Lowell for 20 years. She sees being a land steward as a “way of contributing to keeping the city attractive.”
While at the park, many people passed by and stopped to walk around or look at the view. One couple stopped and spoke with Helen and I about how much they love walking by the park whenever they go for a walk around the neighborhood. A woman stopped with her dog to say hello and thank Helen for taking care of the park. The experiences I had meeting these people shows the sense of community this park creates.
Story #5: The Nature Fix
Jackie Lavoie, West Meadow land steward
