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Home My WebLink Aboutconservationofficee-newsletterapril2021Lexington Conservation Caring for our public land April 2021 Pollinator Planting Kits for Sale!!! The Lexington Conservation Office and Lexington Living Landscapes are offering pollinator plant kits available to the Lexington Community. Turn your lawn into pollinator friendly habitat with Zizia aurea (golden Alexanders), Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot), Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (narrow- leaved mountain-mint), and Solidago caesia (blue- stemmed goldenrod). Become a Pollinator Ambassador with the purchase of 12 plants (3 plants of each species) for $60 or a Pollinator Supporter with the purchase of 4 plants (1 plant of each species) for $22. Kits available for sale at 9:00a.m. on April 2nd, 2021, so don't forget to set up your MyRec account to be eligible to order J. Contact Lexington's Conservation Coordinator with any questions. Register here! NEW Gardner Registration at Idylwilde Community Garden Located at Idylwilde Conservation Area between Middle and Lincoln Streets, Idylwilde offers full plots (20' x 20') and half plots (20' x 10') with perennial strips, pre-season plowing, perimeter fencing, full sun, and water service. Current plot fees: $50/full plot $25/half plot These plots sell out FAST so complete your registration quickly to join our gardening community! Plots available for sale at 9:00a.m. on April 2nd, 2021, so don't forget to set up your MyRec account to be eligible to order J. Contact Lexington's Conservation Coordinator with any questions. ***To pay by check please chose the "pay by check" option during check-out in MyRec. Checks should be made payable to "Town of Lexington" with " Idylwilde Community Garden" in the memo. Mail checks to: Lexington Conservation Office Town of Lexington 1625 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington, MA 02420 Register Here! Lexington BEEcame a Bee City Thanks to the efforts of local Master Beekeeper Alix Bartsch, Citizens for Lexington Conservation, the Lexington Field and Garden Club, the Tree Commission, the Conservation Division, and many more local individuals and organizations, Lexington has become a certified Bee City as of November 2020! As an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a Bee City Affiliate commits to a Resolution to fund events, awareness, and pesticide policy reform to conserve a pollinator- friendly environment. While we work to fulfill these tenets over the coming year, Lexington will generate an annual report to showcase our conservation efforts to maintain our Bee City status. With joint dedication and efforts across Lexington residents who care for pollinator conservation, Lexington will surely remain a Bee City for many years to come! Learn more about Bee City USA and Lexington becoming a Bee City Spring Scavenger Hunt How are you experiencing nature this spring? We'd love to see photos of you exploring in your backyard or one of Lexington's Conservation Trails. How many of these springtime items can you find with your Quarantine Team? Find this Spring Scavenger Hunt and other nature activities! New Staff Onboard!!! Meet Meghan Meghan McNamara started her position as Department Assistant for the Conservation Office in September 2020. Working remote from the start, she has been busy learning all about wetlands protection and the dedicated work of our Land Stewards. Meghan holds a Bachelor's degree in both Environmental Science and Urban Planning from Westfield State University, where she was captain of the Women's Track and Field team. Meghan spent a number of summers as an intern for the EPA, coordinating the Youth and the Environment Program, which provides inner-city youth with experience in the environmental field. When she's not busy assisting consultants and homeowners, Meghan can be found snowboarding in the winter months, bike riding and swimming in the summer, and perfecting her baking recipes on the rainy days in between. She is proud to be working in Lexington, where two generations of her family grew up, and looks forward to meeting the community safely in person soon! Introducing Amber Amber joined Lexington's Conservation Office in November 2020 as the Conservation Coordinator. She is a trained ecologist specializing in land management for targeted wildlife species and the restoration of degraded habitats. She has over 14 years of experience working for federal, state, municipal, and non- profit agencies throughout New England. Her background in wildlife biology encompasses observation and management for a wide variety of coastal and inland species including birds, herps, and mammals. She also has a strong background in establishing and maintaining cross organizational partnerships to work on collaborative goals across jurisdictional boundaries. She has lead many outdoor programs for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mass Audubon, the Appalachian Mountain Club, among other community conservation organizations. She enjoys spending as much time as possible outside and can be found birding, hiking, paddling, rock climbing, and practicing yoga. She enjoys exploring with new and seasoned adventurers alike and looks forward to meeting you soon. Join our team! We are hiring for two positions on our summer conservation field crew and one crew supervisor. Basic job duties include mowing, brush-cutting, pruning, small construction, invasive plant removal, and native species planting. Ability to operate a Town vehicle is required; familiarity with small landscaping equipment is preferred. Applicants must be willing to perform physical labor in the outdoors in all weather conditions and in areas with poison ivy, mosquitoes, ticks, dense brush, etc. Please click HERE to learn more about the positions and for application instructions. Share widely with the high school students and/or recent graduates in your life! Applications will be accepted until positions are filled. Nature Speaker Series We've been busy putting together a series of FREE nature talks that will be offered this spring - from birds, to bees, to your backyard! See the topics below and be sure to mark your calendar! Questions? Contact Conservation Coordinator Amber Carr at acarr@lexingtonma.gov We hope to (virtually) see you there! Bee City with Hannah Mullally Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 7:00 PM Come celebrate Lexington becoming the first Bee City in Massachusetts! Ever wonder how to create habitat for pollinators in your backyard? Learn from Xerces Society's, Hannah Mullally, as she describes how to plan, design, install, and manage habitat for pollinators in urban settings. Find out more including link to join Nibbling on Natives in Your Back Yard and Beyond with Russ Cohen Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 7:00 PM Join Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten, for a 60-minute slide show featuring at least two dozen species of native edible wild plants suitable for adding to your own landscape, or nibbling on as you encounter them in other locales. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation method(s), along with guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. Find out more including link to join All About Backyard Birds with Michele Grzenda Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 7:00 PM Are you fascinated by all the visitors coming to your family's bird feeder? Join Michele Grzenda to learn skills to identify all those colorful feathered friends you admire. She will teach you common songs and calls of our backyard birds as well as some helpful mnemonic memorization. Find out more including link to join Wright Farm in Autumn; Photo by Dick Wolk Calling All Volunteers! Join us on Stewardship Saturdays for volunteer work and camaraderie Next Event: Help set up a Native PlantNext Event: Help set up a Native Plant Nursery at Lower Vine BrookNursery at Lower Vine Brook April 10th April 10th 9 A.M.-12 P.M.9 A.M.-12 P.M. We will provide all tools and know-how, just bring work gloves, work appropriate clothing (no open-toed shoes), face mask, and a willingness to work! Find out more details and register for upcoming events! What can you see? Spring Celebration 2021 Wright Farm Saturday, May 1st, 12pm-4 pm What can you see? Birds, mammals, insects, plants - if it's alive, you can record it in iNaturalist! Join the Conservation Office and Citizens for Lexington Conservation for a celebration of spring at Wright Farm . This year, we are participating in the iNaturalist Boston Area City Nature Challenge Bio Blitz, so come prepared with your smartphone and help us log as many species as possible at Wright Farm! The City Nature Challenge uses iNaturalist, a smartphone app, to collect important data on what (besides humans) lives in our environment. iNaturalist has been sponsoring this project for 6 years, to coincide with Earth Day and celebrate biodiversity all over the world. Parking is limited; please consider (safe) carpooling, walking or biking. Parking on Carriage Drive is allowed. Find out more here! Have Something to Share? This is the place for all things stewardship in Lexington, including upcoming volunteer work events, newly completed projects, local trainings and educational events, as well as news from the Lexington Conservation Office. Please e-mail landstewards@lexingtonma.gov, with submissions for our next edition. Stay up to date on COVID-19 See the Town's COVID-19 Information webpage Lexington Conservation | 781-698-4532 | landstewards@lexingtonma.gov | www.lexingtonma.gov/conservation/conservation-stewardship STAY CONNECTED: