The Sugar Shack: Find out what the Sap-to-Syrup ratio was this year!- Go

(Available only to Land's Sake Members. Green Dollars must be purchased by June 2nd.)

You can order these directly online by visiting http://www.landssake.org/membership/ and filling in the Green Dollars section. You can also purchase using a credit card by visiting http://www.landssake.org/membership/membership.html

Whole Foods Wayland is holding its 5% day on June 7, 2005 to help support the educational and sustainable land use efforts of Land's Sake. On June 7, 5% of all sales at the Wayland Whole Foods location will be given to Land's Sake!

This donation will help support the building of our 3-bay covered storage barn for housing our tractors and keeping them out of the weather, as well as aide in the writing of educational curriculum for our Green Power Summer Youth Program for Middle School kids, and K-2 curriculum design around our Maple Syrup and Farm Tour Programs.

So hold off on your grocery shopping until June 7th and make a trip to Wayland Whole Foods to do some major shopping! And remember, 5% of your dollars go towards fulfilling our mission of "Connecting people to the land through farming, forestry, sustainable land use and education."

2005 Maple Syrup Season & Middle School Maple Sugar Project

This program, subsidized in part by the Town of Weston, is designed to actively involve middle school students in all phases of maple syrup production. In addition, this year we gave numerous tours to Weston Public School children and kids from neighboring towns.

Starting in mid-February with a "tapping-out", students help identify and tap maple trees, gather sap, boil and bottle syrup, and conduct typical sugaring tasks. The season ends with a "Sugaring Off" event where students, volunteers and staff give guided public tours and sell maple syrup.

This year the Sugaring Off Festival was a huge success. One lonely, small bottle of syrup remained on the shelf by the end of the festival, which was snapped up by a late-comer to the event. We did one more "boil" after the event and made a few additional gallons for the Farm Stand and standing orders. A Maple Syrup Report is in the works and will be submitted to the Conservation Commission and the Town of Weston, as well as made available on the web for our members.

The 2005 ratio of Sugar Maple Sap:Syrup was an astonishing 54:1 - that is it took 54 gallons of sap to boil down to 1 gallon of syrup. We also made fewer gallons of syrup this year despite having about 50 or so more taps.

We are almost sold out too! We only have a couple of gallons left which we will make available at the farm stand alongside our delicious honey.

Town-Wide Conservation Forum A Success

For the first time in over 15 years, Weston residents and the town's conservation organizations came together for a town-wide Conservation Forum on April 9, 2005. 

More than 100 individuals attended the day-long event to learn about and discuss issues such as conserving small and large plots, balancing development with land protection, managing Weston's trail system, reaching and educating youth about land use, and other issues related to suburban development. The event was attended by keynote speaker Sharon Wason, Southeast Regional Advocacy Coordinator for Mass Audubon, as well as historians Brian Donahue and Pam Fox.

The outcome of the meeting was a renewed commitment by the participating organizations to work together and improve communication on issues affecting all the groups, such as how to best protect Weston's remaining open space parcels, like the Campion Center, Highland Meadows, and the Case Estates. A summary of the day-long event is in the editing stages and will be made available to people upon request and through the participating organizations.

Strawberry Festival - June 25th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

In June we hold our annual Strawberry Festival to welcome summer and our first major crop of the year. Children from all over the greater Boston area come to enjoy the fresh strawberries, hayrides, folk music, face painting, barbecue, old fashioned strawberry shortcake, demonstrations and much more.

Stay tuned to the newsletter and the calendar for updates and more information.

• Volunteer Days: 3rd Saturday of every month! Schedule project... Splitting Wood - June 18, 2005 & July 16
  Come help split and stack wood at the Melone House Land's Sake Office (27 Crescent Street, Weston (click here for directions). We have a lot of wood this year to fill our firewood orders this fall. There is still a lot of wood that needs to be split and stacked. We are bringing out the last few loads from the Highland Street Forest harvest now. Splitting is mostly done with a hydraulic splitter, but occasionally we need to use a mattocks and wedges. It's a great way to build those biceps!
  • If Saturday is not convenient for you, call the office to arrange a time and place to come help on any day between now and the end of July.
  • We also need volunteer educators to help run our tours and demonstration.

You Dig? Green Power Summer Program: Get Down - Get Dirty - Get Paid!

Land's Sake produce donations is an integral part of the Green Power Summer Program and a unique teaching opportunity. Much of our produce is donated to local food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. While connecting the middle school kids to the land and teaching them about agriculture, we also teach them about community service and outreach.

Green Power is an agriculturally- and environmentally-based summer program for middle schoolers. Now in its 25th year, the Green Power program connects kids to the land and the food they eat in a uniquely hands-on way. The program focuses on:

• Our environment
• Where our food comes from
• Natural resources
• Community service
• Natural sciences
• Fostering relationships with nature and their community
• Providing opportunities for each child’s natural curiosity and thirst for learning to be expressed
• Getting kids out into the fascinating natural world

On the farm, Green Power kids help raise over 20,000 pounds of fresh produce for Boston area food pantries, shelters and soup kitchens. Program participants receive a modest stipend of $20/week. The Green Power experience also includes field trips, games and natural history.

Green Power kids help plant, weed, tend and harvest the produce on the farm

Participation is limited to 25 students per week. Register early! We also ask that a consent and participation form be submitted.

A note from this year's Green Power Coordinator, Mary Spaulding

"I am excited to join the Land’s Sake staff this summer as Green Power Coordinator. As an educator who has spent the last two years in graduate school, I look forward to stepping away from my computer and getting out on the farm to work with local youth to grow and harvest food and learn about the local environment. I hope to share my passion for growing food, alternative energy sources and community service with the Green Power youth this summer. A few of the activities Green Power is planning for this summer include building compost bins, building a solar cooker, and exploring the benefits of eating locally-grown foods. We are also planning to spend time each week visiting the Council on Aging and selling produce on the Town Green. Together we will learn more about working together while exploring the wonders of the farm."

First Land's Sake Expeditions - Inaugural Adventure to the Merck Forest and Farm Center

By Grey Lee - On literally the best early spring weekend you could imagine (April 16-17, 2005), a troop of hardy hikers and bioregional agriculture enthusiasts took a quick trip to the Taconic Mountains of Vermont to the Merck Forest and Farm Center in Rupert, Vermont. We had warm days with plenty of sun, and a clear cold night for serious stargazing

The first day started with a great drive into ever more rural lands. Upon checking in at the visitor center, we gained a trail map and began our hike to Beebe Pond. We passed through the cultivated section of the Merck property, where they graze cattle and draft horses, raise fowl, sheep and pigs, and cultivate the largest crop of organic garlic in Vermont. We passed under their 10Kw Bergey wind turbine and up into their surgarbush. They dual certified maple products: both FSC Smart Wood and USDA organic certified. Following one of the logging roads and then a long track through a classic maple and beech forest, we arrived at our designated shelter at Beebe Pond.

We spent many hours hiking and identifying natural features. At the summit of Mt. Anton we could see peaks in the Adirondacks and Green Mountain ranges. Notable finds along the trails: a freshly devoured deer carcass, spotted salamanders, three wood nymphs and a giant barred owl that swooped down over us as we were washing up after dinner. We had cooked up a great meal of veggie burgers, dirty rice, and a kind of fondue. Two of us actually slept out rough, as it was such a clear night.

The Merck Forest was established by John Merck (of the eponymous pharmaceutical firm) to protect the land and maintain the farming tradition in southwest Vermont. Now over 3000 acres, the Merck Forest produces certified wood and the Farm Center raises rare breeds of animals including the Lineback dairy cow, developed in nearby Arlington, Vermont. The garlic crop is attended to with horse-drawn implements using their mating pair of Suffolk Punch horses. It is open to visitors every day and there is camping available throughout the year. Check out: www.merckforest.org

Land’s Sake Inc. was founded in Weston, Mass in 1980, with a mission to connect people to the land through forestry, farming and education. In the silver anniversary year, naturalist Grey Lee is leading monthly Expeditions to natural areas and special events to foster new perspectives on sustainability, locality, and bioregionality. And of course, to support that “Land’s Sake Spirit” of positive energy and to celebrate nature.

Stay tuned for a summary of the trip on May 14-15 - Journey to the Coast: Horseneck Beach State Park (Westport, Mass.) .

Sign up now for the next LS Expedition: June 18-19 - The White Mountains of New Hampshire. Trip to Franconia Notch: Mt. Lafayette and Mt. Lincoln

Land's Sake Classifieds (a member to member area)

News To and From Land's Sake Members....

• Neil Tischler, Photographer - http://www.neiltischler.com - Fine art prints and blank photo notecards capturing the intricacies of nature!
  I met Neil at the Russell's Garden Center Festival a month ago and was struck by the quality of his nature and wildlife shots. I encourage you all to take a look at his online gallery and consider purchasing some of his prints and cards. I wish we could offer them at the Farm Stand, but we do not have a real weather-proof building to do so.
  
  Neil invites you to stop by the Continental Cafe and browse his photo exhibit featuring large flower and seashore images. His prints will be on display through June 14th.
  
  
• Thank you John Marchiony for the donation of a washer and dryer!
  
  
• Thank you Jo Thompson and her team of volunteers for all your hard work and dedication to the education programs at Land's Sake! The Sugar Shack Tours and Spring Farm Tours would be lost without you!

Wanted:

• Long dining table or conference table for Melone House (Land's Sake farmers residence and Land's Sake Office). Please call 781-893-1162 if you have any of the above items to donate.
  
  
• Kubota Tractor attachments for older model.

For Trade: Have something you want to trade? Let us know.

• A member has a very nice electric stove to sell or trade. Like new. They remodeled their kitchen and the old stove did not fit. Please contact the office at 781-893-1162 or email if interested.

For sale: Have something to sell? Let us know.

• Lots of maternity and toddler clothes! Email if interested in sizes and types available.

Opportunities: See the Land's Sake joblistings page at http://www.landssake.org/joblistings/

• Home Owner Services Manager - visit the job listings section for a description of responsibilities and benefits for this dynamic position.

If you have something you want to get rid of but wish it could be re-used, or something you want to trade or just want to share information with other Land's Sake e-newsletter subscribers, then send your notice to newsletter@landssake.org

These little books are rated for ages three and older. Pop-up books don’t last long with this crowd, but Richard Hawke, the paper engineer, makes the adventure of peeking under a rock or a leaf, great fun to do with your toddler. The stories could hardly be more simple. Carolyn Reeves and Jonathan Lambert have done a great job with the design.

Olivia is a little dark eyed owl who is looking for a friend. She looks in many types of habitat; each one providing a friend that is adapted to it. One thing I like best is that mushrooms and insects are not just the product of the illustrator’s imagination. If one is mycophile enough to know them, russullas, chanterelles, and inky caps (maybe even a shaggy mane), hide other denizens of the woods. Clouded yellows, sphynx moths and underwings are cryptically dispersed throughout. There are all kinds of creatures to see in the search for friends, and they are not only in hiding. On pages 12 and 13 Olivia and her friends finds many other owls… no horned owls among them, but some have yellow eyes.

Oscar Otter, one of Olivia’s friends, is searching for more exotic loot in his riparian environment. He gathers a newt, a water vole, kingfisher, beaver and turtle to help in his search until they all plunge into a pond inhabited by a shoal of goldfish. Water lilies and more beautiful birds and butterflies are scattered throughout these pages.

Even more beautiful birds and insects accompany Bobby bear and his upland friends in their search for gold. They find it in the hollow post of a fence. The flowers and plants of Bobby’s woodland include trillium and blackberry, but also English ivy, budlea and poppies. Do budlea and poppies grow in the wild in N. America? A bird on the last page looks suspiciously like a blue tit. Oh well, maybe I’m too critical; maybe it’s poetic license. Every work of art should have a little flaw so that the pictures don’t fly right off the page… or run off the page on the little footprints that surround the margin of the cover.

Simultaneously submitted to Journal of Wildlife Rehabilitation (http://www.iwrc-online.org/journal/journal.html) and Land's Sake

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This content is brought to you by Land's Sake, Inc., a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization. Tax ID# 04-2702759. Financial records and Independent Audit reports are available upon request. Our address is 27 Crescent Street, Weston, MA 02493 781-893-1162. Please consider becoming a member or making a tax deductible donation