Fall 2007 Program

"Who Lives in Your Backyard?"

Presented by Audubon Ark

Outreach Program by Drumlin Farm

The Wellesley Conservation Council invites you and your children to attend a live animal demonstration entitled "Who Lives in Your Backyard?" This program is presented by the Audubon Ark, an outreach program of Drumlin Farm in Lincoln. The Audubon Ark's naturalist will introduce a mannal, a bird, and turtle. Have you ever had a close-up view of a hawk, an opossum, and a painted or box turtle? This is your opportunity to meet native animals and discover the relationship between where they live and what they look like.

All the wildlife presented is native to your backyard. The program will cultivate an appreciation for and an understanding of native animals and their habitat. Also, young children will develop an awareness and understanding of our interrelationship with the land that sustains and surrounds us. All these native animals are cared for in Drumlin Farm Sanctuary. They live in captivity because of injuries whcih make it impossible for them to survive on their own.

This program is free and open to the public and is suited for both children and adults. Please join us for this lively and unique program. For more information call 781-237-6125.

Photograph of the red-tailed hawk is by Alice Cestari

April 25, 2007

Sustainable Design: Why and How?

Presented by HKT Architects Inc. and The Green Roundtable

Sustainable design in your home saves energy and protects health. For these same reasons, municipalities, states and the federal government have adopted policies around sustainable design and construction. Colleges and universities, non-profit organizations and corporations also have sustainable policies that govern how they build and operate buildings. Why is sustainable design important, even imperative? This program will feature Barbra Batshalom (The Green Roundtable) on the ways green residential design can make a difference in reducing energy costs and increasing quality of life in our communities. Bill Hammer and Eric Kluz (HKT Architects) will present case studies of green municipal buildings for Boston, Cambridge and Lexington, as well as the green Doyle Conservation Center for The Trustees of Reservations.

HKT Architects is a planning and architecture firm specializing in sustainable design for municipalities and state agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit conservation and cultural organizations.

The Green Roundtable is a non-profit organization whose mission is to mainstream sustainable development through strategic programs in education, policy and technical assistance.

This slide presentation is co-sponsored with the Natural Resources Commission, SMART Wellesley (Sustainable Management of Appropriate Resources and Technology) and Green Waves. The program is free and will be held on Wednesday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Wellesley Community Center, 219 Washington St.

The Annual Meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. and will include a vote on the new Board of Directors.

October 25, 2006

Wild in Wellesley

The Wellesley Conservation Council invites you to attend “ Wild in Wellesley ” an interactive presentation by Tabitha Hobbs, a teacher and naturalist from the Blue Hills Trailside Museum. This program will be held on Wednesday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m . at the Wellesley Community Center, 219 Washington St .

Meet live animals native to the Wellesley area, investigate their habitats, explore their amazing adaptations, and discover how these animals relate to conservation. Tabitha will bring at least two live animals with her; one will be an endangered species. There will be “touch” items such as fur and other exhibits that the children can look at after the program.

Tabitha Hobbs works as a Teacher Naturalist for the Blue Hills Trailside Museum . She graduated from UMass Amherst in 2004 with a degree in Natural Resource Studies as well as a minor in Education and Wildlife Conservation. She enjoys hobbies such as kayaking, photography, and identifying dragonflies where she can continue to learn and be outside.

The Blue Hills Trailside Museum is a small natural history museum with native non-releasable wildlife situated at the base of the Great Blue Hill in Milton, MA . It is owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and managed by Mass Audubon. The Blue Hills Reservation is the largest open space within 35 miles of Boston, encompassing over 7000 acres. Hiking, biking, horseback riding, and boating are just some of the activities available to the public at the reservation.

The lively and fun interactive presentation of the wild animals in Wellesley is geared for elementary school children, but of interest to young and old alike.

April 26, 2006

The Birds and the Bees, the Flowers and the Trees:
Protecting Biodiversity in the Western Suburbs

The Wellesley Conservation Council invites you to attend a dynamic discussion of the many factors affecting the wildlife of Wellesley and the surrounding towns, presented by Peter Alden, a renowned naturalist and author. Mr. Alden is an entertaining and informative speaker and has led over 250 ecotours to over a hundred countries. He lectures all over the world for travel and museum organizations. This program will be held on Wednesday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Wellesley Community Center, 291 Washington St., Wellesley.

With spring just around the corner, what better time to investigate the many issues impacting the biodiversity of Wellesley? Maintaining a balance with wildlife in our densely-populated suburban towns is a juggling act, as the deer population, odoriferous skunks, over-wintering geese, and many other critters all press for space in the face of habitat loss. The arrival of new species is also changing the character of our surroundings. Will exotic invasive plants from far away places overwhelm our gardens and woodlands? Mr. Alden will explain which exotic plants are taking over and how birds and insects play a role in both their proliferation, and at the same time, suffer from the consequences.

Mr. Alden is the founder of the Biodiversity Days movement. In 1998, at the first Biodiversity Day held in Concord and Lincoln, in one day almost 2,000 species were identified by a team of 100 expert scientists. He also spearheaded the first statewide Biodiversity Days where citizen naturalists in over 80 Massachusetts towns went into the field to do a species census. This information was a valuable and interesting snapshot of both the common and the unusual species found across Massachusetts.

Mr. Alden is the author of over a dozen nature field guides including the groundbreaking National Audubon Society Field Guide to New England. This book is a guide for identifying 1,000 of our region's wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, mosses, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and much more. He also provides an extensive overview of the area's geology, weather patterns and natural sites.

Mr. Alden will be available for a book signing after the lecture. He will be bringing an array of the more than twelve books he has published. Feel free to bring your own copy of one of his books to be signed. This program is free and open to the general public. The lively discussion of the natural world of Wellesley will be of interest to young and old alike, although it is probably not suitable for very young children. Call 781-235-1864 for more information.

October 26, 2005

Meet Wellesley 's Own Batman!

Dr. Thomas Kunz, Professor of Biology and Director of the Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology at Boston University, and noted bat expert, will share with young and old the importance of bats in the world's ecosystem in his presentation “Why Should You Care about Bats?” This event will be held at the Wellesley Community Center , 219 Washington St. on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Kunz will present a brief overview of bat characteristics such as what distinguishes bats from other mammals, what different species look like, how many kinds of bats are known in the World, where they live, what they eat and their importance to both the natural and human-altered ecosystems. He will speak about the feeding and roosting habits of selected bat species such as those in temperate regions such as New England including tent-making bats, cave-roosting bats and hibernating bats. Myths about bats are found in many cultures, in movies, comic books and on television. Dr. Kunz will talk about some of the common myths and folklore about bats, how bats are being threatened by human activities and why it is important to protect and preserve bats and the habitats on which they depend. He will try to bring a live bat with him (don't worry, it will not fly around) but will definitely bring and demonstrate some of the special equipment he uses to study bats in hollow trees and caves.

Dr. Kunz has been on the faculty of Boston University for the past 34 years. His research focuses on the ecology, behavior, evolution and conservation biology of bats. He is the author or co-author of over 200 publications and is the editor of Ecology of Bats (Plenum Press, 1982) and co-editor of Bat Biology and Conservation (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998) and Functional and Evolutionary Ecology of Bats (Oxford University Press, in press). He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, past president of the American Society of Mammologists and a recipient of the Gerrit S. Miller Jr. Award and the C. Hart Merriam Award. He is currently funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Park Service, where his research focuses on assessing the ecological and economic impact of Brazilian free-tailed bats on agro-ecosystems and the influence of environmental factors on the prevalence of rabies infections in two species of North American insectivorous bats. He has pioneered the applications of infrared thermal imaging in ecology and behavior.

“Why Should You Care about Bats?” is bound to be an exciting program for all ages. Dr. Kunz has spoken at the Young Scientists' programs at the library and has been a Wellesley resident for 30 years. Admission is free and this program is open to the public.