ATHOL — Raised beds will be ready for planting on or before Memorial Day at the Rosie Community Garden on Canal Street. Gardeners are asked to contribute $20 on a sliding scale basis; the fee for low-or no-income applicants is waived. Checks/payments can be sent to the town of Athol – please include community garden in the memo line. If you have any questions, need assistance filling out your application, or would like to inquire about availability, please email the Athol Agricultural Committee @ agriculture@townofathol.org. Application form available at Community Garden Application – Ag Comm_current.pdf
ATHOL — The club is still in lockdown mode but it is keeping active. For those who missed the butterfly watching webinar, It was recorded and will be posted on the ABNC website shortly.
The New England Entomological Society, having canceled its usual slate of meetings and field trips for this spring, is organizing a series of remote events.
On Wednesday at 7 p.m., there will be a webinar “An introduction to observing and Identifying Dragonflies and Damselflies.” Join Athol Bird and Nature Club president Dave Small for a one-hour presentation, which is geared for the beginner but will be a good refresher for more experienced observers.
The presentation will begin with a discussion on the origins and life history of the dragons and damsels followed by a look at the families encountered in Massachusetts with some hints on where to find them. The timing of this presentation is designed to get people ready for the beginning of dragonfly emergence in mid-May. It is sponsored by the Athol Bird and Nature Club and hosted by the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust.
Here is the link to the Zoom webinar https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6Rd5ZCKhTjCOPA90HC1jcw
On Thursday, May 14, Wayne Petersen will be giving a virtual presentation on the “Birds of Spring for Wildlands Trust.”
For more information and to sign up, here is the link: https://wildlandstrust.org/events/birds-of-spring-2020. People can sign up to watch it live via Zoom or the club will also have a recording available later.
MORE BIRD NEWS: American kestrels, barn swallows and cliff swallows are all declining in Massachusetts, like many other open-country birds. The Bird Conservation team is initiating two studies on these species during this spring and summer, and data from the community will be integral to both studies’ success!
The purpose of the swallow project is straightforward: to identify sites where barn and cliff swallows are nesting that may not yet be known to biologists. Mass Audubon’s work on the kestrel project on the other hand, will be a little more involved. After compiling a list of remaining nest sites, the Bird Conservation Department will team up with state biologists in 2021 to fit kestrels with radio tags. These tags will track their movements around the region after nesting, and eventually to their wintering grounds. As always, all nest data is kept strictly within the community of biologists working to conserve these species. For more information, contact Jon Atwood, director of bird conservation jatwood@massaudubon.org
Here is the Athol Bird and Nature Club’s site;http://www.atholbirdclub.org.
ORANGE — Dianne Salcedo is having her annual plant sale at Maple Valley Farm Greenhouse at 190 Main St. in N. Orange ( follow North Main Street to the end) Friday May 8 to Sunday May 10, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Ten percent of all sales proceeds will go towards the library building fund in the Town of Orange. Customers should mention the library when making their purchase.