Category Archives: Wildlife Sanctuaries

If You Give a School a CSA

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Mass Audubon

Guest post by Emma Scudder, Drumlin Farm’s Food and Farm Educator

At Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, the mornings are bustling with activity. Starting at 6 am, the crops team is hard at work, harvesting produce to share with our customers. For years, this harvest has been distributed to individuals through farmer’s markets, a farmstand, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and wholesale deliveries to more than 30 Boston-area restaurants. But this spring marked an exciting new addition to our distribution list: school cafeterias.

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A Fresher Salad Bar

In May, Drumlin Farm and Somerville Public Schools began a pilot farm-to-school CSA. Each week, the farmers deliver a mystery box of fresh produce to Somerville schools, meeting the students and staff in the process (after the first delivery, the farmers came back to the farm feeling like celebrities due to the warm welcome they received!).

This seasonal variety is incorporated into the salad bars in 10 schools across the city, serving students from Kindergarten through 12th grade. So far, the schools have received spinach, arugula, radishes, spring turnips, and lettuce.

Getting to Know Your Food

This pilot is an excellent extension of Drumlin Farm’s Know Your Food programs, year-round experiences for people of all ages to learn about, prepare, and appreciate seasonal, local produce on the farm.

With locally-sourced fresh vegetables in Somerville’s cafeterias, Know Your Food lives up to its name. Students will know where their food came from (a farm 15 miles away), when it was harvested (that morning!), and the farmer who grew it.

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See You in Somerville

This latest collaboration with the Somerville Public Schools furthers our connection to the city. Drumlin Farm is in Somerville every Saturday selling produce at the Union Square Farmers Market, and twice a week we deliver to restaurants around the city. So even when the kids are not in school, they can still enjoy what’s growing at Drumlin Farm.

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Teamwork in Action

Special thanks to Karyn Novakowsi at Somerville Farm to School Project, Simca Horowitz at the Massachusetts Farm to School Project, Drumlin Farm’s Matt Celona (Crops Manager), Jessica Wiley (Restaurant Coordinator), Sarah Lang (Assistant Farmer), and the whole crops team for making this partnership happen!

5 Fun Facts About Habitat Education Center

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Hillary T.

Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont has a long and interesting history. At the heart of the sanctuary is a 1914 Georgian-style mansion that was once a private residence. In 1971, it became the home for the Habitat Inc. and a few years later Habitat Institute for the Environment, an innovative school for environmental education for adults and children.

It wasn’t until 1994 that it became Mass Audubon’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. While the name has evolved, the mission hasn’t: the sanctuary continues to welcome visitors and students of all ages to its forests, meadows, and ponds for walks, talks, and more. Check out five fun facts and come visit!

All A-Bloom

Jacobs Ladder

Jacob’s Ladder

Take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the beautifully maintained formal garden designed by the famed Olmsted Bros. landscape firm. Over the years, these gardens have become a favorite of everyone from those seeking a moment of solitude to guests attending intimate weddings. In bloom now: rhododendron, peony, iris, Amsonia (blue star), false indigo, bleeding heart, geranium, Jacob’s ladder, beauty bush.

The Path Less Traveled

Bullfrog © Erika Whitworth

Bullfrog © Erika Whitworth

For a more secluded brush with nature, follow the Weeks Pond & Meadow Trail located off Somerset Street. Woodland birds frequent the forest. At the pond, covered in duckweed in summer, see a mother duckling leading her young, bullfrogs peeking through the tiny floating leaves, or damselflies skimming the surface.

G is for Goat

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For several years, Habitat has kept a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats. These goats help manage our meadow by eating invasive plants. Watch them in action in the Weeks Meadow or better yet, take part in the Work with Goats program on July 7.

Hit the Greenway

Western Greenway Blaze

Habitat’s trail system is part of the Western Greenway, more than 1,200 acres of linked, undeveloped land in Belmont, Lexington, and Waltham. Walk its seven miles of emblazoned trails, which start at Habitat and end at the Robert Treat Paine Estate in Waltham.

Making Habitat More Accessible

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The All Persons Trail is this half-mile trail loop follows a wide, gently sloping path with a smooth, packed surface. The trail construction complies with ADA guidelines for accessibility and is suitable for wheelchairs, strollers, and those who find walking on uneven trails difficult.

The trail goes to Turtle Pond, a favorite destination at Habitat, which lives up to its name. You can often find many turtles sunning themselves on logs and rocks. Coming in December: an Audio tour of the All Persons Trail.