Monthly Archives: August 2013

From a “Mom Whose Son is Flying High”

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Hillary T.

North River Accessible TrailOne of our goals here at Mass Audubon is to make nature accessible for everyone. The public facilities at most of our staffed wildlife sanctuaries are already universally accessible and we have many accessible trails.

So you can imagine our delight when our president, Henry Tepper, received the following email from Kerri Nagle in regards to an experience she recently had with her son. She graciously agreed to let us share her thoughts.

—– 

I am writing this email to say thank you. Thanks to you and your organization, my 10 year old son who has CP [Cerebral palsy], is in a wheelchair, but is extremely intelligent, can enjoy life like never before!!! This may sound dramatic but it’s not, he has just started bird watching and we took him to North River and Daniel Webster in Marshfield and because of your amazing kindness, he was able in his special stroller to hit all the trails!!!!!!!

The paths , the wooden bridges, are amazing!!! To think these where right under our noses is incredible, we have had an amazing week discovering all they have to offer, and we joined as a family today once we determined that Declan could benefit, which he can!!!

To say the trails are magical is so so true!!!

You have made a difference in the life of a young boy who wants nothing more than to enjoy life like you and I do. Please let me know what other sites are as accessible, because we have a whole summer coming up where we can explore them all, we live on the south shore of Boston so we can start down here.

So again , thank you!!!

I wanted to make sure you knew how truly amazing they are!!!

Kind regards,
A mom whose son is flying high
Kerri Nagle

—

Learn more about our efforts to make nature (and Mass Audubon) more accessible for all to enjoy, including a list of accessible and multi-sensory interpretive trails.

Have You Seen This Beetle?

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Rosemary

Asian long-horned beetleThere’s a dangerous insect on the loose. Shiny black with bright white spots, the non-native Asian longhorned beetle (or ALB for short) feeds on a wide range of trees to the point of destruction. Once infected, a tree can’t be saved; tens of thousands of trees have already been lost in the northern and central US.

Now is the time to stop the ALB in its tracks. The insect is most active in August, which has prompted the USDA to launch Tree Check Month. Early detection is critical as the beetles can do immense damage in a short period of time.

Ready to pitch in? Here’s what you need to know.

About ALBs
Native to China, Japan, and Korea, the Asian long-horned beetle was first detected in North America in 1996. Most likely it hitchhiked aboard wooden packing material. Since then, it has destroyed over 80,000 trees in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Illinois. Back in 2008, 27,000 infested trees had to be removed in Worcester alone.

The ALB infests hardwood trees, such as maple, birch, horse chestnut, poplar, willow, elm, and ash. The beetle’s larvae burrow so deeply into the tree that insecticide won’t reach them, and it’s impossible to extract them. In the past, they have been reported in Greater Worcester and there was a small infestation in Boston.

Check your Trees
Fortunately, we can fight back. Eradication efforts have already banished the beetle from Illinois and New Jersey, and parts of New York are expected to follow soon.

The most important thing you can do is to check your trees for infestations. Here’s what to look for:

  • Small, perfectly round dime-sized holes (3/8″ up to 1/2″ in diameter) with smooth edges, left by adult beetles exiting a tree.
  • Shallow oval scars in the bark (1/2″-3/4″ wide) where the eggs are deposited.
  • Sawdust-like material on the ground and in branches, pushed out by the larvae as they burrow.
  • The beetle itself. Mature ALBs measure 1 to 1.5 inches, with two antennae (the “horns”) that can grow up to 4 inches long.

The USDA’s Asian longhorned beetle site features a slideshow of images (including ALB look-a-likes) and includes a tool to report sightings.