2015 Summer Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE…

Summer 2015

Greetings!

The recent opening of The Farm at Walden Woods for its 8th season means summer has officially arrived, as has the long awaited organic certification for our farm.

Summer also heralds the beginning of our robust program season. Numerous school groups have visited The Walden Woods Project/Thoreau Institute headquarters in recent weeks. Some have participated in days of service at the farm or in helping eradicate invasive plants on the land we
preserve.

In early July, we will host two dozen teachers from around the United States for our week-long Approaching Walden professional development program empowering educators to nurture their students’ sense of place and environmental ethic.

We are at the mid-point of our 25th anniversary year and ask you to consider making a special contribution to The Walden Woods Project to mark this important milestone. Your
donation will have tangible outcomes:

$25 covers the cost of buying a half row of seeds for the Farm at Walden Woods;

$50 covers the cost of an hour-long Thoreau/Walden education experience for a school group;

$100 cares for an acre of conservation land in Thoreau’s Walden Woods for one year;

$250 pays for a teacher to attend our Approaching Walden program.

Your financial support will also help us protect the historic integrity of one of our country’s most significant landmarks for future generations, and helps us foster the next generation of environmental stewards.

Thank you and enjoy the Fourth of July holiday,

Kathi Anderson
Executive Director

 

DON’T MISS OUT!

The Walden Woods Project preserves the land, literature and legacy of Henry David Thoreau to foster an
ethic of environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Join our mailing list and get all the latest information, as well as invitations to our important events!

Join our Mailing List!

 

LAST CHANCE TO DONATE FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENTER THE DON HENLEY ‘HISTORY OF THE EAGLES’ CONCERT EXPERIENCE!

In celebration of our 25th Anniversary, The Walden Woods Project has partnered with Chideo, the charity network, to present the Don Henley ‘History of the Eagles’ Concert Experience Sweepstakes. On July 10th one winner will be randomly selected to win tickets to see the Eagles live in Atlantic City on July 17th. The winner will receive (2) VIP tickets, airfare and hotel accommodations, $500 in spending cash, along with a personal meet and greet with Don Henley. Make sure you don’t miss your chance to enter! Donate today at chideo.com/don.

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LINCOLN-SUDBURY REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL 2015 SENIOR SERVICE DAY

High school students often have community service requirements for graduation, but Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School seniors take their commitment to community seriously. For each of the past five years, seniors at Lincoln-Sudbury have participated in an optional annual Senior Service Day, giving back to area charities. Dedicating this year’s Senior Service Day to Jane Young, a beloved math teacher, who died too soon, over 340 seniors from the Class of 2015 volunteered at 33 project sites in the area. The Walden Woods Project benefited from the hard work of nearly 30 students who chose to work with us. Two teams of students worked with Walden Woods Project staff on projects at the Farm at Walden Woods and on our self guided interpretive trail, Thoreau’s Path on Brister’s Hill.

At Brister’s Hill, we have been working to control a thick stand of Glossy Buckthorn, an invasive shrub
that displaces native forest vegetation and negatively affects wildlife. Control for a stand that hasn’t been cut in the past is a matter of physically pulling the shrub from the ground using tools that clamp the stem and employ leverage. Our crew of six young men and two of their teachers removed two truck-loads of buckthorn, making a great dent in the stand.

A large crew of students got their hands and knees dirty at the Farm at Walden Woods, spending their service day weeding and transplanting seedlings. The farm has recently been certified organic, which means that controlling weeds can take up a large part of our staff’s time. So many energetic hands working through the planting beds made a huge impact at a critical time, as we were busy getting greenhouse starts moved into the fields.

The Walden Woods Project has been proud to partner with the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School to provide Senior Service Day opportunities. The students we met and worked with provided terrific assistance, and showed themselves to be true assets to their community. We offer our thanks and best wishes to the seniors of LSRHS!

 

 

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CELEBRATE OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY BY DONATING $25 FOR 25 YEARS!

This year, The Walden Woods Project celebrates a major milestone – our 25th anniversary of keeping Thoreau’s legacy alive through education, conservation, research and advocacy! We take pride in our accomplishments made possible through the generosity of our friends and supporters. In 25 years we have protected 12 key sites in Walden Woods, created the finest Thoreau research library in the world, and established numerous quality educational programs that reach a global audience. We continue to effectively advocate for further measures to preserve Walden Woods – an important symbol of the American conservation movement. In reflecting on the achievements of the past, we look forward to meeting the challenges and opportunities of the future, while recalling the words of Thoreau, who wrote:

“The possibility of the future far exceeds the accomplishment of the past.” – Thoreau, Journal, 7 June 1851

In celebration of our 25th anniversary, we respectfully ask each of our supporters to consider making a special gift of $25, $50, $100, or $250 to help us continue our important work.

A $25 contribution will:

  • Buy a half row of seeds for the Farm at Walden Woods;

A $50 contribution will:

  • Cover the cost of an hour-long Thoreau/Walden education experience for a school
    group;

A $100 contribution will:

  • Care for an acre of conservation land in Thoreau’s Walden Woods for one year;

A $250 contribution will:

  • Pay for a teacher to attend our Approaching Walden program.

With your help, we will continue to keep Thoreau’s legacy alive!

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UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE WALDEN WOODS PROJECT!

July 25th: Meditation Walk in Walden Woods

An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. – Henry David Thoreau

7:30-8:30 am at Walden Pond. Meet at the replica of Thoreau’s cabin at the Walden Pond State Reservation for a walk at the Pond. Please note parking is $8 for cars with Massachusetts license plates and $10 for out-of-staters. Limited parking spaces are being reserved at the WPSR for our group. Carpooling is encouraged and please let the staff member at the booth know that you are with our group upon arrival.

9-10:30 am at Thoreau’s Path on Brister’s Hill. Meet at the parking lot for the Hapgood Wright Forest across from the Concord-Carlisle High School for a walk at The Walden Woods Project’s interpretive trail.

If you wish to participate in both walks, you can take the short walk between Walden Pond and Brister’s Hill, or you can move your car. The free parking at the Hapgood Wright Town Forest is limited, however.

Please call 781-259-4703 with any questions.

Rain or shine!

Free – donations welcome!

For more information on Jhamtse International: www.jhamtseinternational.org.

For more information on The Thoreau Society: www.thoreausociety.org

August 13th: Talk with Author David Gessner

Join us on August 13th at 7:30 pm for a talk with awardwinning author, David Gessner. Gessner, author of Return of the Osprey, My Green Manifesto, and other books, will be reading from his new book, All The Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West. Archetypal wild man Edward Abbey and proper, dedicated Wallace Stegner left their footprints all over the western landscape. Gessner follows the ghosts of these two remarkable writer-environmentalists from Stegner’s birthplace in Saskatchewan to the site of Abbey’s pilgrimages to Arches National Park in Utah, braiding their stories and asking how they speak to the lives of all those who care about the West.

Gessner takes us on an inspiring, entertaining journey as he renews his own commitment to cultivating a meaningful relationship with the wild, confronting American overconsumption, and fighting environmental injustice, all while reawakening the thrill of the words of his two great heroes.

The event will be held at the Thoreau Institute at 44 Baker Farm Rd, in Lincoln, MA. Doors will open at 7:00 pm for a wine and cheese reception sponsored by The Concord Cheese Shop. The event is free, although donations are greatly appreciated. The book will be for sale at the event.

Space is limited-to RSVP please e-mail wwproject@walden.org, or call 781-259-4707.

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FARM AT WALDEN WOODS RECEIVES ORGANIC CERTIFICATION!

Our Farm at Walden Woods recently received organic certification from Baystate Organic Certifiers, an accredited agent of the USDA. Securing organic certification for the farm has been a long term goal of The Walden Woods Project. The process required a multi-year conversion to organic production, an extensive application and an on-site inspection by the certifying agent. Organic produce will be sold at our farm stand on Route 2 eastbound, after the Sudbury Road lights, in Concord, MA.

Kathi Anderson, Executive Director of The Walden Woods Project, said, “The rigorous organic certification process was well worth the effort to offer residents of Concord and the surrounding communities another locally-sourced option for healthy produce. There are only a few nonprofit organic farms in the region. Our organization is proud to play a role in furthering sustainable agriculture and land stewardship, both cornerstones of our mission.”

In addition to the produce available at the farm stand, The Farm at Walden Woods will be among the purveyors of produce served at the Woods Hill Table restaurant (www.woodshilltable.com) in West Concord. Woods Hill Table proprietor, Kristin Canty, stated, “We love supporting local farms at Woods Hill Table, and in this case we are also helping The Walden Woods Project, which my family and I have supported for years.”

Our farm stand is currently open for its 8th season, which will extend through October 31st. The hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. We will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, with the exception of Monday holidays. This year we are excited to add many products to our inventory-new heirloom tomato varieties, fresh herbs, jams, beef jerky, and much more! Stop by and check it out!

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LINCOLN-SUDBURY REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE WALDEN WOODS PROJECT TO STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE!

On the evening of Tuesday, June 2, The Walden Woods Project presented our annual Walden Woods Project Scholarship to a graduating senior from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. The scholarship is offered to a student who plans to pursue studies in environmental sciences or a related field. This year’s recipient was Victoria Coronado, who will be attending the University of Maryland: College Park in the fall. Once there, Victoria plans to either major or minor in environmental sciences, while possibly also pursuing a pre-med track, as she is interested in a health-related career that incorporates the environment and its impact on our health. When asked in college interviews what she thought was the most pressing issue of our time, Victoria spoke about the environment.

Scholarship Winner Victoria Coronado with
WWP Director of Education Whitney Retallic

Though Victoria reports that she has always liked being outside and enjoying nature-especially hiking, biking and skiing-she first became interested in environmental science as a potential career field when she took a class on the topic in the first semester of her senior year at LSRHS. She says that the class just made her more conscious of Scholarship Winner Victoria Coronado with WWP Director of Education Whitney Retallic and knowledgeable about the issue and that it was the class that she always looked forward to the most.

The scholarship is given through the Lincoln-Sudbury Scholarship Fund Dollars for Scholars and is presented at their annual Awards Ceremony. We wish Victoria the very best as she heads to school in the fall and we look forward to hearing more about her joint studies in environmental science and health!

Visit our website for more information about the scholarship!

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ABOUT US…

The Walden Woods Project is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving the land, literature, and legacy of Henry David Thoreau through conservation, education, research and advocacy. Founded by recording artist Don Henley, the Project 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.

The Walden Woods Project is headquartered in Lincoln, MA, in the heart of Walden Woods:

The Walden Woods Project
44 Baker Farm
Lincoln, MA 01773

We invite you to contact The Walden Woods Project at (781) 259-4700 or send us an e-mail
using our Contact form.

Please consider donating or becoming a member!

Sincerely,
The Walden Woods Project

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