For immediate release

Contact:          Dr. Kent Curtis                             Bart DeWolf
                        The Walden Woods Project          Walden Keeping Track
                        (781) 259-4721                              (781) 861-9768
                        education@walden.org                  bdewolf@alum.mit.edu

LINCOLN, MA; January 12, 2004- To many Massachusetts residents, this winter season may seem little more than a blast of cold winds and icy roads.  Not so for two local nonprofit organizations who are hoping to use the snow cover to assist them in teaching the public a little bit about wildlife habitat and wildlife corridors in Walden Woods.  The Walden Woods Project and Walden Keeping Track are partnering in an afternoon program that will include a presentation about wildlife and biodiversity issues and take participants on a wildlife-tracking walk through Walden Woods.  The event will take place at the Walden Woods Project’s education center at 44 Baker Farm in Lincoln, Massachusetts on Saturday, January 31, 2004, at noon.

“Walden Woods is home to dozens of species of animals,” says Kathi Anderson, Executive Director of the Walden Woods Project. “But you have to get out into the woods to see the evidence of wildlife.  Thousands of people drive along Route 2 every day without realizing how close they come to prime habitat.  There are active wildlife corridors through much of Walden Woods.”

The Walden Woods Project and Walden Keeping Track hope to connect participants in this program to the hidden patterns and practices of wildlife in Walden Woods.  The program will begin with a brown bag lunch and discussion about some of the ways in which wildlife habitat and wildlife corridors are keys components of biodiversity.  Following the talk, participants will organize into small groups led by Bob Metcalfe and members of Walden Keeping Track.  Walden Keeping Track is a local volunteer tracking team that has found and recorded wildlife activities in the Concord and Lincoln areas.

“We were amazed to find evidence of fisher, red fox, gray fox, coyote, deer, mink, and other wildlife habitat close to the edge of Route 2,” says Lydia Rogers, a member of the Walden Keeping Track wildlife tracking team.

“Tracking opens your eyes to the fact that these animals are living amongst us, even using the roadways, without us realizing it,” says Bart DeWolf, of Walden Keeping Track.

The lecture and outing is the first in a new lifelong learner series entitled Discovering Walden Woods, being launched by the Walden Woods Project this year.  The Discovering Walden Woods series is designed to inspire an awareness of species diversity and to facilitate environmental stewardship in the communities surrounding Walden Woods.  Walden Woods was home to well-known author Henry David Thoreau, where he engaged in years of nature observation, scientific study, and philosophical exploration.  By retracing the footsteps of Thoreau, participants in the program not only gain a sense of the breadth of biodiversity in Walden Woods, but also of its historical significance as a literary and environmental wellspring.

“One of the keys to good environmental stewardship is learning about your environment, so we are very excited to be launching the Discovering Walden Woods program with this wildlife tracking event,” says Kent Curtis, Education Director of the Walden Woods Project.  “Participants will learn about wildlife and biodiversity issues and learn how to track some of the common wildlife found in Walden Woods.”

Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) will also provide a brief winter outdoor safety talk and checklist prior to the outdoor workshop, and will have snowshoes available for rent if necessary.

Upcoming events in the series will cover topics such as birding, land restoration, and river walking.  All events will include a lecture, brown bag lunch, and an outdoor activity to bring to life the information discussed in the lecture.

About the Walden Woods Project

The Walden Woods Project is a national conservation, education, and research organization committed to preserving the land, literature and legacy of Henry David Thoreau. Founded in 1990 by recording artist Don Henley, the organization uses the land it has protected in Walden Woods to foster an ethic of environmental stewardship and social responsibility, both cornerstones of Thoreau's philosophy. In 14 years, the Project has protected nearly 140 acres in and around Walden Woods and provided educational programming for hundreds of teachers, students, and life long learners. The Walden Woods Project also administers The Thoreau Institute, a research center near Walden Pond that houses the world’s foremost collection of Thoreau-related materials.
 

About Walden Keeping Track

Walden Keeping Track (WKT) is part of Keeping Track, Inc. based in Huntington, VT, a national nonprofit organization that teaches volunteer groups to observe, interpret, record, and monitor evidence of wildlife in their local communities.  Established in 1999, the goal of Walden Keeping Track is to create a long-term, on-going Community Wildlife Monitoring Program in the Concord/Lincoln area.  The WKT team is a diverse group of people who share a love of the natural world and a commitment to preserve habitat for wildlife.  Team members are from Concord, Lincoln, and six other neighboring towns.  Since its founding in 1994, Keeping Track, Inc. has trained over 1,000 volunteers in more than 90 communities in 8 states and one Canadian province.  Walden Keeping Track is the first of three groups now established in Massachusetts.