Guernsey Brothers Help Conservation Council Open 21stC Nature Trail

PRESS RELEASE
May 20th, 2019. Wellesley Conservation Council
Judy Barr, j.barr@northeastern.edu, 781.234.8224
Thomas Wolfe said “You can’t go home”, but Richard Guernsey (81, South Wellfleet), David Guernsey (79, Kingfield ME), and Robert Guernsey (75, Dunstable MA) weren’t listening.  The three Guernsey brothers returned to their homestead to help the Wellesley Conservation Council (WCC), Wellesley’s non-profit land trust, help celebrate the opening of its 21st Century Nature Trail on its Guernsey Sanctuary Friday May 17.

Left to Right:  Bill Giezentanner (WCC naturalist), Jonathan Gillim (Wellesley Turkey Trot Foundation Treasurer), David Guernsey, Richard Guernsey, Robert Guernsey, Fred Fortmiller (WCC President), Judy Barr (WCC Board Member and Project Manager)  (Photo courtesy of Jim Barr)

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The brothers joined WCC board members, Wellesley Natural Resources Commission staff and commissioners, and Wellesley College and Wellesley Turkey Trot Foundation representatives in a ribbon cutting celebration at the trailhead to the sanctuary.  The land for the 25-acre nature sanctuary was the gift of their parents, Janet and William Guernsey, through four gifts in the early 1960s.

The 21st century nature trail uses QR-code (like a bar code, but 2-dimensional) technology to enrich the learning experience along the 1-mile circular Guernsey trail.  With support from the Wellesley Turkey Trot Foundation, two naturalists (Bill Geizentanner of Wellesley and Ted Elliman of Sherborn) conducted a botanical inventory of the area and identified 72 specimens or special places along the trail to be featured.
Now each has a QR-code metal marker that identifies common and scientific names of the selected specimens and places.  These codes can be read by smart phones and be connected to descriptive narratives and photos of the specific plant that are maintained in “the cloud”.  

The 21st Century Guernsey Nature trail updates the 1972 booklet, Guernsey Sanctuary: Self-Guiding Nature Trail, which has been out of print for many years. The new trail guide provides an interactive experience for the user.  As guests follow the trail, they read the markers to identify the name of each specimen. If they wish for more information, they can use their smart phones to “read” the plant-specific QR-code and connect via internet to narrative and photographic information.
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After the ribbon cutting, guests walked the nature trail.  A reception followed at St. Andrew’s Church, the home church of the Guernseys when they lived in Wellesley.  Yes, Richard, David, and Robert...you can go home again.
The Council’s Guernsey Sanctuary is a 25-acre pine forest and wetlands located on the western shores of Lake Sabrina in the southwest corner of Wellesley and bordering in Needham.  A series of Guernsey-based events is scheduled to re-introduce the people of Wellesley and Needham to this wonderful 25-acre jewel.
The Wellesley Conservation Council is Wellesley’s private, non-profit, land trust since 1958.  Guernsey as well as its other nine sanctuaries is open to the public. Additional information about the QR-code project and a map of the QR-code nature trail can be found at http://www.wellesleyconservationcouncil.org/guernsey-sanctuary.html   WCC Board member Judy Barr (mailto:j.barr@northeastern.edu) is the Project Manager and lead author/photographer.


The Wellesley Conservation Council, Wellesley's non-profit land trust since 1958, protects 14 sanctuaries across more than 45 acres of natural land in Wellesley and bordering lands in Needham and Weston. More information about our mission, the sanctuaries and membership can be found at www.wellesleyconservationcouncil.org or email to info@wellesleyconservationcouncil.org.
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(L to R) Brothers Richard, David, and Robert Guernsey. Photo courtesy Dan Gee.

A screenshot of a smart phone example of Station #2 after scanning the QR code.
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Judy Barr demonstrates scanning a QR code on the new Guernsey Trail. (Photo courtesy Dan Gee)