Weston, if you had taken my advice years ago, we would have annexed Lincoln, the fantastic town to our north with which I share a backyard. And lucky me, because the backyard share means that someone other than just me is battling the garlic mustard and wall lettuce. I also have access to one of the best non-Weston conservation properties which is the Twin Pond/Harrington/Beaver Pond area, always a fun cross-country ski in the winter.

The main reason I want Lincoln is to grab Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT) though I wouldn’t much mind having Twisted Tree Cafe which is my closest caffeination (it’s a word) as the crow flies. This morning’s email from the Trust includes an Invasive Plants of Lincoln guide which as a trustee of Weston Forest & Trail Association, I would like to just completely plagiarize and thumbtack over “Weston” in the place of Lincoln. Their issues are our issues, Westonians. Check it out and recognize the bad guys in your own backyard–just when I was winning against garlic mustard, the non-yet-identified-as-invasive-but-will-be wall lettuce has made a full assault on the western front of the backyard. You can download the guide or get a hard copy by stopping by LLCT’s office.

If I were you, I’d head over to the LLCT website and sign up for their newsletter after donating some amount of money. If you get the newsletter, you will also be on the list for Gwyn Loud’s monthly wildlife column of joy, and learn about upcoming events such as Doug Tallamy’s upcoming Nature’s Best Hope presentation (December 8) and my super favorite Silent Earth: Saving the Insects talk coming up on January 21. So much to learn, so much to care about.

Get outside, Weston, and though we can’t have LLCT, we can all benefit from living right next door.

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Lincoln Land Conservation Trust is a 501(c)3 with the mission of protecting the rural character of Lincoln, Massachusetts by holding conservation land in trust for the benefit of the residents of Lincoln and the general public, and encouraging the preservation, enjoyment, education, and scientific study of Lincoln’s natural areas.