Friends of the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge

Explore the different habitats on the refuge with Refuge Staff. We will search for evidence of amphibian activity as well as the emergent plants in the forest. We will seek out returning birds, insects, etc. that become active at this time of year. All ages are welcome; walks will be an hour long, weather permitting. Please wear appropriate clothing and shoes to be on hiking trails.

Meet at the Visitor Center at 680 Hudson Road, Sudbury, MA.

Saturday, April 6, 7:00 - 8:30 PM

Bird Walks for Beginners at Assabet River NWR

Join us each month for Bird Walks for Beginners led by John Milhaven. This month is a Woodcock Watch. The earliest signs of spring are here! We'll take a dusk walk to see the male woodcock's aerial courtship display at Weir Hill, Great Meadows NWR in Sudbury. Listen for the woodcock "peents" and see the male in full flight in display.

To register, contact kizette_ortizvanger@fws.gov or call (978) 562-3527 x117. Maximum 20 people. Meet at the Refuge Complex Headquarters at 73 Weir Hill Road, Sudbury.

For information on the series of bird walks planned for 2013, see Bird Walks for Beginners at ARNWR.

Tuesday, April 16 - Friday, April 19, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

PUDDLESTOMPERS Nature Exploration Drop-Off Vacation Program

Participants will learn how plants grow, search for rainbows and signs of animals and their food sources. We will cover a different topic each day through hands-on exploration, active movement and play, crafts, stories and songs. A snack is provided each day; please bring a nut-free lunch. Program includes a take-home craft and handout for further at-home learning.

Minimum of 4/maximum of 20 children each day. Sign up for 1, 2, 3 or all 4 days! $60/day per child. Friends members receive a 10% discount.

Thursday, April 18, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Bird Movie & Game for Kids

Refuge Staff will show Paulie a movie about life from a parrot’s point of view (running time: 91 mins). After the movie we’ll play a game that will teach you about bird migration.

Friday, April 19, 2:00 - 3:30 PM

Leave No Trace Youth Training

Join the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Team and learn more about protecting your outdoor recreational areas. Participants will explore the principles of Leave No Trace through hands-on, engaging activities. By practicing Leave No Trace, we can preserve and protect our public lands for future generations.

Registration required, please contact Kizette at kizette_ortizvanger@fws.gov or 978-562-3527 x 117.

Saturday, April 20, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Training for Naturalist Educators with Stephen DeFlorio

Program runs four seasons on four Saturdays with four themes. Suitable for teachers and adults working with children, this course will give you:

Skills and methods to teach out-door natural history to children 4-12 years of age.
Cover four seasonal topics with a different theme loaded with materials and ideas.
Opportunities to design and conduct programs at the Assabet River NWR to add to your current experience.

This Spring Session will concentrate on vernal pools. Learn about these ephemeral and magical habitats. Through indoor instruction and hands-on stations, learn about the obligate species of frogs, salamanders and invertebrates that inhabit and define a vernal pool, the physical, chemical, biological aspects. Outdoors, engage in activities such as mapping ponds, measuring, chemical water quality tests, collecting and observing, drawing, frog calls, all through games, stories, experiments, songs and other hands-on activities. Learn the basics of hydrology tests of soils and the certification process to help protect vernal pools.

Stephen DeFlorio is a veteran educator and naturalist with over 20 years of experience with Mass Audubon and now a Teacher/Naturalist at Apple Valley Montessori School.

Registration is required. Fee: $35/class, $120 for all four classes; FARNWR Member Fee: $25/class, $90 for all four. To register or for more information, email: Kizette_Ortizvanger@fws.gov or call 978-562-3527 x 117. See here for details on the program and registration.

Sunday, April 21, 7:00 AM

Birding Walk with the Brookline Bird Club

Join the Brookline Bird Club and the Friends of Assabet River NWR for a birding and interpretive walk on the refuge. Be prepared to walk.

Meeting place: Visitor Center parking lot at Assabet River NWR.

For more information see www.brooklinebirdclub.org or contact David Lange, Concord at (978) 287-0781 or delange005@earthlink.net.

Sunday, April 21, 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Family Nature Club

Bring your kids and come jump into nature with us as a family! We are starting a family nature club for kids in 1st and 2nd grades (siblings are welcome). Every 3rd Sunday of every month we will get together and explore the outdoors for an hour of fun discovery (this month will be a bit longer)! This month we will put on our rain boots and explore the amphibian activity in and around a vernal pool. Appropriate clothes and footwear required – ie things you are okay with getting dirty!

Registration is required; please contact Kizette at kizette_ortizvanger@fws.gov or 978-562-3527 x 117 to RSVP by Monday, April 15.

Sunday, April 21, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Nature Walk: A Sense of Place at Great Meadows NWR

Join local naturalist and photographer Cherrie Corey for her continuing exploration of the Great Meadows Wildlife Refuge landscape. April brings swelling rivers, first buds opening, and returning birds. Greet the refuge’s glorious awakening to greener seasons.

For each walk, a $5/person voluntary donation will be gratefully accepted. No pre-registration required. Meet in the parking lot, Great Meadows NWR in Concord (Monsen Rd, off Rte. 62, driveway on left where road curves right).

For more natural history about Great Meadows NWR, updated plant and bird lists, photos of the refuge plants, animals, and landscapes, and other Sense of Place Concord programs, go to sense-of-place-concord.blogspot, email cherrie.corey@verizon.net or call 978-760-1933. Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Assabet River NWR, Musketaquid Arts and Environment Program, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Wednesday, April 24, 7:00 PM

April Monthly Meeting with William Lynn talking about Outdoor Cats and Biodiversity: What Are the Ethical and Policy Implications?

The controversy over outdoor cats and native wildlife illustrates the public policy and it's inherent ethical dilemma. For well over a decade a bitter argument has raged between conservation biologists and animal welfare communities; the first argues that outdoor cats are a mortal threat to biodiversity and the latter claim that cats are the scapegoats for a problem of human making. Bill Lynn will explain the scientific facts and discuss the ethics and moral responsibilities of cat owners, but with local communities, wildlife agencies, and society at large and the way to develop environmental and social policies to meet obligations on both sides. While this complicates the policy and management environment, it also creates common ground where those who care about cats and wildlife can work to protect both. By taking an ethically informed approach to managing outdoor cats and biodiversity, we can develop environmental and social policies that meet all our obligations.

William Lynn is a research scientist in the George Perkins Marsh Institute at Clark University, where he focuses on ethics and environmental policy. You can read about his work on outdoor cats, wolves and other subjects at his blog, www.practicalethics.net.

The Friends' monthly meetings are usually held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm at the Assabet River NWR Visitor Center at 680 Hudson Road, Sudbury (Google Map). A short business meeting and refuge update is followed by our featured speaker. Talks are free and open to the general public.

Friday, April 26, 10:30 - 11:30 AM

Refuge Fledgling Hour — Nature-themed Program Series for Kids

Join Refuge staff for Refuge Fledgling Hour, a nature-themed program series that includes crafts, stories, and games or songs that relate to a different topic each month. This month’s program will be about vernal pools!

Programs are held the 4th Friday of every month from 10:30am – 11:30 AM. For 2 to 5 year olds; siblings welcome. Held at the Visitor Center.

Saturday, April 27, 10:00 AM - Noon

Annual Spring Cleanup for Earth Week

It’s Sudbury’s Annual Spring Cleanup Day! Help clean up the boundary of the refuge. Meet at Hudson Road entrance to the Refuge. Dress for the weather; bring gloves, water and an orange vest! Contact Sally Wadman at 978-443-9320 or Kizette at kizette_ortizvanger@fws.gov or 978-562-3527 x. 117 for further details.

Sunday, April 28, 10:00 AM - Noon

Leave No Trace Adult Training

Registration required, please contact Kizette at kizette_ortizvanger@fws.gov or 978-562-3527 x 117.

Saturday, May 4, 7:00 AM

Bird Walks for Beginners at Assabet River NWR

Join us each month for Bird Walks for Beginners led by John Milhaven. This month focuses on Spring Migration. Spring is the most exciting time for bird watching in our area. Colorful spring migrants, including warblers, are moving back and the bare trees allow for easy viewing. We will search the Refuge to determine which of these seasonal visitors have returned. There are always some surprises at this time of year.

To register, contact kizette_ortizvanger@fws.gov or call (978) 562-3527 x117. Maximum 20 people. Meet at the Visitor Center at the Assabet River NWR, Sudbury.

For information on the series of bird walks planned for 2013, see Bird Walks for Beginners at ARNWR.

Saturday, May 4, 2:00 PM

Healthy Living: Coach Cate Dill at the Refuge

Meet nationally renowned Healthy Living Guide, Coach Cate Dill, as she leads four hiking and biking programs at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge.

During Coach Cate’s Let’s Get Moving America journey she biked from Santa Barbara, CA to Boston Harbor and spoke to over 12,000 people about the importance of healthy living. You can do it too!! Learn about the places she visited, where she camped and stories of “Trail Angels’” she met along the way. Afterwards, she will lead you on a hike through the Refuge. Dress appropriately for the weather, bring water and wear appropriate shoes for a vigorous walk in the woods.

For a taste of what to expect, check out this video of Coach Cate's previous program at the refuge.

For full details on the four programs including how to register, see: Coach Cate at the Refuge.

Outdoors This Week

The Friends posts our events to Outdoors This Week, a weekly listing of outdoor activities located west of Boston sponsored by local environmental organizations. Click here to subscribe.

Contact: info@farnwr.org