Have you ever taken a hike at The Bog behind Bass Pro Shops at Patriot Place in Foxboro?

If you haven’t, you are missing out on a beautiful location! Recently Moose Hill has partnered with Patriot Place to bring you a series of Friday walks at The Bog. This 32-acre cranberry wetland system and wooded area features a half-mile scenic walking trail.

Join Moose Hill Teacher Naturalists as we explore this last remaining active cranberry bog in the Town of Foxboro every Friday. As you slow down and look, our Teacher Naturalists will share with you skills that you can use on your own future nature adventures.

Check out all the dates and mark your calendars. We can’t wait to explore with you!

The beginning of March has certainly come in like a lion! In just under two weeks we have seen three major storms – Quinn, Riley, and Skylar – that each packed their own wallop to New England. After a storm of heavy rain and high winds, we dealt with heavy, wet snow, and finally a blizzard. Here at Moose Hill, we are truly ready for Spring to arrive – how about you?

It’s hard to believe that the Spring Equinox arrives on March 20. What we do know is that people will be ready to shake off this end of winter blitz and dive into warmer days and longer sunlight! Need a little inspiration as to what to do? We have you covered – come and take a hike at Moose Hill, breathe in the fresh air, bask in the sunshine and warmth, and enjoy time in the outdoors. Want a little more than just a hike? We have you covered there too – check out our programs and register for something today. What a great way to welcome in the new season!

Maple Sugaring Weekends – March 17, 18 and 25. This popular special event sells out each year so be sure to register an ensure your spot!

Family Programs – night hikes, star gazing, egg hunts and more!

Kids Programs – drop off programs that will get your child out and exploring a number of different themes.

Adult Programs – a number of ways to get out on the sanctuary and explore, plus a Mead making class; who could ask for anything more?

Summer Day Camp – are you already looking ahead to the summer? Want some great options for time spent in the outdoors, making friends, connecting with nature, building experiences? We just bet we have a camp session that your kid(s) would love! Never done camp with us? Join us at an Open House, meet our Camp Director Shawn, and have all your questions answered.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) – The Farm at Moose Hill offers 18 weeks of fresh, organic vegetables. Shares are selling fast so don’t delay on your registration. Curious about our CSA? Join us for an Open House to learn more – you can even register that night.

We look forward to seeing you here soon!

Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary has received a Wildlife Habitat Management Grant through the MA Department of Fish and Game (Mass Wildlife) to increase upland habitat diversity and improve early successional habitat for plants and wildlife.

Work has begun – how will this affect your visit?
The fields and forest edges along Billings Loop will begin to change over the next few months. You may notice a number of marked trees and other plants. We will be removing invasive trees and shrubs and thinning some forest edges to increase open field, shrubland, and young forest habitats, facilitate shrub and forest understory regeneration, and to support a healthy and diverse natural landscape within our sanctuary.

We may have to temporary re-route trails as contractors and staff work in these areas. Please always check in at the front desk for updates before you head out, or Like us on Facebook to receive updates.

Want to know more?
Join us for a presentation by Mass Audubon regional scientist Gene Albanese on either Thursday, March 1 or Thursday, March 15.

Join sanctuary director Karen Stein for a walk to the fields to learn more about the work that has been done on Sunday, March 11 or Friday, March 16.

Thank you to Craig Austin for this Star Gazing post. Craig is often present during Moose Hill’s Star Gazing Nights, along with a few members of the Astronomical Society of Southern New England, and other local amateur astronomers. Moose Hill is grateful to everyone who volunteers their time to share their scopes and knowledge with anyone who is interested in learning more and seeing the night sky from our open field.

It was a busy Friday night at the end of September at Moose Hill.  A dozen or so observers were setup and about fifty people came out to the field to see through the telescopes and ask questions on what they were seeing.

As a warm up to the event, those who arrived early enough were able to glimpse Saturn before it went behind the trees. However, the prime feature of the night was the moon, since…well…it was the biggest and brightest object out there!

First Quarter Moon

The moon was a few days past the half-moon phase (also called 1^st Quarter Moon).  When the  moon is this bright it’s harder to see faint objects like galaxies and nebula. Some of the observers with larger scopes managed to show double stars like Gamma Cygni (a blue and gold pair) and globular clusters (one is in Hercules).  I briefly had the fuzzy oval of the Andromeda Galaxy before I lost it again.

Andromeda Galaxy, ultraviolet image by NASA

But, I did get to see the Pleiades, a tight group of stars that looks like a really small dipper.

I fielded several questions about the moon.  One that came up several times was about why different regions of the moon were ‘light’ colored and ‘dark’ colored.

Generally, the light colored regions typically have the mountains and craters, and the dark colored regions are plains that are often referred to as ‘mares’ or seas – there is no water on the moon so these aren’t actually seas. So what are these regions made out of?

If you answered:  Cheese/Green Cheese – Sorry – there aren’t enough space cows that could make enough milk to make enough cheese to create the moon.

The better answer is that each region is made of a different kind of rock.

moon map

The light areas are mostly made of a silicon (sand-like) material called regolith. It is a loose material similar to a dry riverbed with different sized bits from particles of dust to small boulders.

The darker regions are made of cooled lava flows called basalt. At one time, the moon was a lot warmer in its interior and was bombarded constantly by meteorites. Some impacts caused the liquid mantle inside to come out, much like when you bleed when you are cut.

Thanks for reading!  Now if you could pass the cheese… please!

The next Star Gazing Night is Saturday, November 18 from 7-9pm. Check before you come – if there are clouds or rain, we will cancel – by calling 781-784-5691, x8103 after 6pm to see if the program is running!

Thank you to Craig Austin for this Star Gazing post. Craig is often present during Moose Hill’s Star Gazing Nights, along with a few members of the Astronomical Society of Southern New England, and other local amateur astronomers. Moose Hill is grateful to everyone who volunteers their time to share their scopes and knowledge with anyone who is interested in learning more and seeing the night sky from our open field.

August was a particularly busy month for astronomy enthusiasts at Moose Hill Sanctuary

Solar Eclipse Day Viewing Event, August 21

Over 200 (!!) people attended the solar eclipse viewing event at Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.  Astronomers from the Astronomical Society of Southern New England and other local astronomers set up in the meadow where the star nights are held, to provide a safe viewing environment to see the solar eclipse. A small number of solar filter glasses were available (participants were fantastic at sharing these with each other), as well as telescopes that projected or filtered the sun-moon image in a way safe for viewing. At the peak, about 66% of the sun was covered by the moon.

Check out some of the local press that Moose Hill saw because of the eclipse event:

Wicked Local Sharon

Wicked Local Walpole

I wasn’t able to attend the event at Moose Hill, because I was near St. Louis, Missouri in the path where the moon completely covered the sun in a total solar eclipse.  Here are a few pictures that I took during totality:

totality, photo by Craig Austin

the “engagement ring” picture, photo by Craig Austin

Words are difficult to describe the event. It was wonderful, yet eerie, as the light changed from a bright sunny day to something that was like twilight, yet wasn’t. It was great to witness such an event even the total eclipse was for just a little over a minute where we were. During the event, the cicadas ramped up the volume all around, and the crowd cheered the eclipse.  And it was great to be among family and friends while witnessing it.

Star Gazing Night, August 26

It was going to be hard for the star gazing night following the eclipse to have as much drama, but the night turned out to be a challenge for astronomers. About a dozen astronomers set up telescopes and binoculars and thirty people arrived to see what the astronomers were finding in their scopes.

The moon was just over the trees in the west as it was getting dark. Saturn was the main feature of the night. The rings were tilted toward us, providing a nice collar to the planet. Other objects, however, were hard to see, even in the larger telescopes. Only the strongest constellations were visible, I guess after the eclipse we can only say better luck next time. That’s the fun of astronomy – while there is always great stuff in the skies, we cannot always see it through the clouds.

We hope you will join us for the next Star Gazing Night on Friday, September 29.

Learn more about Moose Hill and check out the line-up of Fall Programs – register early to be sure these great programs run!