Naturalist Peter Alden, author of the Audubon Guide to New England, will lead a 2.5-hour walk focusing on birds and plants on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail from West Concord toward White Pond. Meet at the beginning of the Rail Trail in West Concord on Rt. 62 (across the street from the Junction Park and the 7-Eleven. 

Enjoy the wonderful vistas of the meandering Sudbury River at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge with Neela de Zoysa, botanist and instructor at the Native Plant Trust. Be introduced to the glacial sculpting of Weir Hill and the Native American history of the location. Learn about the floodplain trees, swamps of buttonbush and red maple, ferns, graminoids, and other herbaceous species. The location has great observation platforms, and boardwalks for examining plants. Bring a pack lunch to enjoy after the 2-hour walk. Meet in the refuge at 73 Weir Hill Rd.

Above Photo: Courtesy L.Phu/US FWS Weir Hill, GMNWR

Join Mass Audubon Senior Director of Conservation Science, Jeff Collins, on a 2-hour birding stroll around the Refuge in Stow and Maynard. We’ll search for birds of forest, wetlands, and fields, and learn to identify various bird species by sight and sound. Bring binoculars if you have them, bug spray, and water; wear long sleeve shirt and pants (for mosquitoes).

Join Rachel Wheeler and John Myers for a guided loop walk in the Concord Land Conservation Trust’s Wright Woods beginning at the Fairhaven Bay Overlook and exploring the trails along Well Meadow and the Sudbury River. This 300 acre woodland is located between Fairhaven Bay and Walden Pond. In addition to appreciating local flora and beaver activity, you will learn about the history of the property, the stone terraces and boathouse, and the family that loved and preserved these woods. The 2-hour walk will cover approximately 2 miles of moderate terrain.

Rachel Wheeler is the great-niece of Helen Robinson Wright, who began donating parcels of land within Wright Woods in 1959 and was instrumental in the creation of the Concord Land Conservation Trust. Rachel and her husband John Myers continue to live on the property at Staples Camp. They intimately know the woods and shores of Wright Woods. To walk and experience this remarkable place with them will be a unique treat.

Join Lincoln Conservation Director, Michele Grzenda, on a 2-hour birding stroll around Codman Estates, Farm Meadow, and North Codman Conservation Area. Meet 25 bird species commonly found in our neighborhoods, wetlands, and forests, and learn various field identification techniques by sight and sound. Bring binoculars if you have them, bug spray, and water. Wear long sleeve shirt and pants (for mosquitoes). 

Join experienced guide Marlies Henderson for a 3-hour exploration of extant portions of the Middlesex Canal, from the Billerica Falls to River Neck Road, Chelmsford, and back, reading passages from Henry David Thoreau’s Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. High boots recommended. 

Enjoy a 3.5 mile walk (~3 hours) through meadows and forests on trails paralleling the Concord River, starting at the Foss Farm conservation land and passing through Great Meadows Wildlife Refuge and the O’Rourke farm on the way to scenic Greenough Pond in the Greenough conservation land. Be prepared for wet conditions underfoot, bring drinking water and insect repellent. Light refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the walk. Dogs are not permitted in the Refuge. Meet at the Foss Farm parking lot, 0.3 mi west of the Concord River bridge on Rte. 225. For information, email leader Alan Ankers at .