Category Archives: Get Involved

Take the City Nature Challenge!

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Kelly R.

Ready for a competitive weekend of exploration in nature? You’re invited to compete worldwide for the Boston area team in the upcoming City Nature Challenge! The City Nature Challenge (CNC) encourages everyone within the I-495 corridor to get outside and record as many nature observations as possible. Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries across the eastern side of the state are gearing up and excited to support the annual bio-blitz with our visitors.

This international citizen science project takes place Friday April 27 to Monday April 30, where cities worldwide compete to explore and record all kinds of plants, animals, fungi, and even microorganisms in their area using the free iNaturalist app. All you need to do is take pictures of your observations and post them to the app!

Photo Credit: Amy Letourneau

The City Nature Challenge is a great opportunity to collaborate with your community, Mass Audubon, and scientists to properly map and analyze biodiversity data in the Boston area. Several Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries will be actively exploring and recording with visitors.

Participating Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries include:

  1. Blue Hills Trailside Museum, Milton
  2. Boston Nature Center, Mattapan
  3. Habitat Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary, Belmont
  4. Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Lincoln
  5. Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick
  6. Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield
  7. Joppa Flats Education Center, Newburyport
  8. Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Sharon
  9. Museum of American Bird Art, Canton
  10. Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Norfolk
  11. North River Wildlife Sanctuary, Marshfield
  12. Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary, Marshfield

More Ways to Get Involved

You don’t have to observe on your own. Join the BNC BioBlitz program at the Boston Nature Center on Saturday, April 28, to participate in the CNC and learn how scientists sample and use field guides.

Drumlin Farm in Lincoln will have various visitor education opportunities as well, connecting visitors to the app and working together to log observations on guided walks.

And, if you’ll be taking part in Mass Audubon’s Statewide Volunteer Day on Saturday, April 28, you’ll have even more opportunities to improve the environment by adding plant, animal, fungi, and insect sightings.

Participating is easy! Just upload photos of your observations to the iNaturalist App.

 

Volunteers planting a tree

This Earth Day, Be a Tree Hero

Posted on April 22, 2018 by Daniel Brown

Tress are one of the best resources we have for fighting climate change. They help us manage the unavoidable effects of a warming world and help us avoid the unmanageable.

Trees

As we continue to see more dangerous heat waves, trees provide shade and cool relief. As storms grow stronger and more frequent, trees break the wind, soak up tremendous amounts of stormwater, and reduce erosion. Trees also slow climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.

The value of trees goes far beyond fighting climate change. They provide habitat and food for wildlife. They improve air quality by filtering pollutants. Neighborhoods with more trees experience less crime. They make communities more pleasant, and they increase the value of nearby homes. People go to great lengths to keep living and working near beautiful trees and forests, helping build neighborhood connections as people continue to live near each other for longer.

Whether you live in your own home or rent an apartment, you can be a steward of trees. Here’s how:

Volunteers Planting a Tree

Plant Trees

Whenever you can, plant native trees that grow to be large and store carbon faster. Sweetgum, tulip poplar, oaks, and maples are good examples. If you own your own home and yard, plant trees especially on the west and southwest sides of your home where they can provide shade during the hottest time of day. If you live in an urban area, see what neighborhood groups plant trees and give them a hand.

Adopt Trees

Trees provide greater benefits as they mature and grow, so it’s important to help young trees survive through the first 3-5 years.

Especially during prolonged dry periods, help keep trees healthy by giving them a bucket of water in the evening. Living trees store carbon for a long time, but dead rotting wood releases carbon back into the atmosphere. Therefore, start with longer-lived trees, which hold their carbon longer, and native species, which are well adapted to local conditions.

Reduce Fossil Fuel Use in Tree Maintenance

If you’re already the proud owner or steward of trees, care for them with old-fashioned elbow grease. Gas-powered leaf blowers, mowers, and wood chippers, release carbon dioxide and pollutants, that offset some of the benefits provided by trees.

A Gift to Future Generations

Much of New England has been blessed with the foresight of our grandparents and their grandparents before them to re-establish trees and protect the landscape in perpetuity. We too can continue that New England tradition, and ensure that our grandchildren know the joy of playing beneath sprawling branches on a healthy planet.