Everyone’s favorite local land trust, Weston Forest & Trail Association, has released its schedule of monthly walks on Weston conservation land for 2023-24. For over sixty years, WFTA has been hosting first Sunday walks from October to May. First up on Sunday, October 1 at 2 pm is a Daily Double at the College Pond land off of Concord Road–a
Read moreIt feels like MONTHS since I have posted about my obsession with the Merriam Barn but I think you’ll find I rolled it in as recently as a couple of weeks ago. The ruins of this 1876 barn just make me so happy. The original Owl story about the Cherry Brook Farm (official name) is here. The story of the
Read moreWall by wall, the Merriam Barn (technically the Cherry Brook Farm barn) is appearing out of the mess of bittersweet and other weeds at the College Pond conservation area. More than a dozen volunteers at Stewardship Saturday this weekend chopped, hacked, and trimmed away the covering mess from four walls of the paddocks and ramp, as well as cleared a
Read moreOn May 12, the Weston Owl challenged its readers to donate $4,000 to Weston Forest & Trail Association (WFTA) by June 4, in celebration of National Land Trust Day. While I don’t have updated numbers, I do know we blew through $4,000 and were headed towards $10,000, which makes this Owl as happy as an Owl can be, and frankly
Read moreOn Sunday, April 3rd at 2 PM, join the town’s best nonprofit trails organization (also only, but who needs to know that?) on an exploration of the College Pond conservation area. The trail walk starts at Burchard Park, wanders some of the outskirts of the Campion Center, through fields, and across the famous Troll Bridge where you can see the
Read moreBy the time you read this, College Pond will look different from these photos–it’s warming up today and the perfect glacé of snow covering will have melted or flopped onto the forest floor or meadow or pine needle trail. What will not change is the sounds of red-winged blackbirds (they’re back!!!), chickadees, goldfinches, robins, tufted titmice, and downy woodpeckers. Yes,
Read moreLooking to avoid more shopping, wrapping, cooking, etc, and instead want to spend a couple of hours making Weston a better place? Well, Weston Forest & Trail Association and Weston Conservation have an opportunity for you! In this month’s edition of Stewardship Saturday, held every third Saturday from 10 am – 12 pm, volunteers will be clearing the old Merriam
Read moreYesterday, a prospective Eagle Scout recruited other Boy Scouts and parents to help out clearing a trail and old foundation walls at the old Cherry Brook Farm– aka the Merriam Barn near the Brush Dump on Merriam Street. During four hours, the invasives –bittersweet vines choking young trees, buckthorn, and a thicket of who-knows-what–were dealt death blows by loppers, chainsaws,
Read moreOkay, Weston, consider this a permission slip from your medical professional to drop everything you are doing, and use this gorgeous fall day to soak up autumn and its unique beauty. Blue skies, warmish temperatures (it’s all relative) and the oaks, birches, larches, and maples all agree with me, and no, none of us is actually a medical professional. I
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