2022 Program Offerings
Join wilderness educator, enthusiast and New Marlborough Land Trust board member Tes Reed as she wanders the conserved properties exploring the natural world and its wonders.
Saturday, February 19, 2022
10am-12pm (2 hours)
Animal Tracking and Sign at the Joffe Preserve
Bundle up and enjoy walking the Joffe Preserve trails and forests in search of animal tracks and sign. Together we will explore, question, and decipher the prints, scat and sign markings left behind by the true inhabitants of this land. For ages 12 and up.
Saturday, March 19, 2022
10am-12pm (2 hours)
Fire Making at the New Marlborough Preserve
Learn how to make a one-match fire in all weather conditions using only the natural ingredients of the land. We will learn what makes good tinder (fire starting material) and how the different trees and their wood burn. Experience the ancient technique of a bow drill (friction) fire and experiment with different fire starter kits. For ages 12 and up.
Saturday, April 23, 2022
10am-3pm (5 hours)
Roadside Cleanup
It’s finally happening after two years of being virtual, the roadside cleanup will be an in person event on April 23. We are planning a day full of activities for all to enjoy while doing our part to help out the environment and celebrate Earth Day 2022.
10:00 - 11:30 Roadside clean up (meet at the Town Hall)
12:00 - 1:00 hotdogs at Goodnow Preserve for roadside participants.
1:00 - 3:00 Activities at Goodnow Preserve
John Field will do a walk and talk about trees focusing on identification and tree health. John owns John Field Tree Service and is a local who once served on the board.
Devon Arnold owns Sassafras Lawn Care specializing in working with New England native plant species and other durable perennials. Sassafras Land Care works to enhance the ecological function of landscapes while also enhancing the experience of the people within them. Devon was recommended by Greg Ward and is an expert in the field of native pollinators.
Tes Reed will lead Ephemeral Art Projects. Ephemeral art is a work of art that only lasts for a short amount of time, perhaps occurs only once and cannot be embodied in any lasting object. It can be sculpture, performance art or a temporary design such as a mandala. The beauty of ephemeral art is that it can teach children and adults alike that not everything we value has to be material.
Walk and Talk with a Board Member
Smores by the fire
We would like you to please email nmlandtrust@gmail.com if you are interested in helping with the clean up and the events that follow so we can be prepared with enough materials and food.
Saturday, May 7 and Saturday May 21, 2022
7am – 9am (2 hours)
Bird Watching with Chip Blake at 1000 Acre
Birds are delightful to look at in any season, but never more so than mid-May when many species from the subtropics are moving through the Berkshires, on their way to their breeding grounds farther north. Please join local birder Chip Blake for a two-hour bird walk through the Thousand Acre Swamp.
Sunday, June 12, 2022
10am – 2pm (4 hours)
Family Wilderness Survival and Primitive Skills at Thousand Acre Swamp
What should you know to not only survive, but thrive in the wild? Pack a snack and a lunch and spend some time in the sprawling forest landscape of the Thousand Acre Swamp with your family learning about fire, water, shelter, and food and how if you get lost what to do and what not to do. For families with children ages 8 and up.
Friday, June 24, 2022
9am – 11:00am (2 hours)
Friday, September 30, 2022
3pm – 5:00pm (2 hours)
New Marlborough Land Trust Partners with Berkshire Camino
The New Marlborough Land Trust is partnering with Berkshire Camino LLC https://www.berkshirecamino.com to offer two special walks on our properties.
Berkshire Camino’s founder and CEO, Mindy Miraglia says;
“When we follow a ritual to walk with intention, curiosity and a willingness to let something weighing on us go, it elevates an ordinary walk to a sacred walk.”
Join us on Friday, June 24, 2022 for a walk at 1000 Acre 9:00 - 10:30 and Friday, September 30, 2022 at Goodnow Preserve for 3:00 - 4:30. Space is limited registration can be found on the Berkshire Camino website https://www.berkshirecamino.com.
Graciously Guided
Berkshire Camino guides are there for your safety, ease and to encourage deep and meaningful engagement with the natural surroundings and others in the group. Deepen your knowledge of the magical Berkshires.
Building Community
Come solo, bring a friend, or come as a group. Either way you will make new friends. There is an element of serendipity that brings just the right group of people together.
Unplug to Connect
Turn off your phone and unplug from daily life on a Berkshire Camino walk allowing you to reconnect with yourself, others, nature and spirit. Trust in the process and know that life is waiting for you at the end of the walk.
What you should bring and or need;
Water
Insect repellent
Sunscreen
Sturdy closed toe footwear
Saturday, October 22
10:00 - 12:00 (2 hours)
Mindful Outdoor Experience
Come saunter with Stephanie Landau as she guides you through a Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Experience (MOE) to awaken your awareness and cultivate your connection to the land at New Marlboro Nature Preserve. This immersive nature journey will incorporate a variety of nature connection practices that you can ‘take home’ with you including mindful movement, sensory activities, nature meditation/sit spot and nature journaling. (All journaling materials will be provided.) For ages 12 and up.
Stephanie is a Kripalu-trained mindful outdoor guide and yoga instructor, lifelong nature adventurer and well-being professional.
Please bring water, a small pad to sit on and come dressed for the weather, including sturdy shoes, insect repellent and sunscreen.
To register for these events please email nmlandtrust@gmail.com
A suggested donation of $15.00 is requested to continue to support events like this.
Saturday, August 20, 2022
10am-12pm (2 hours)
Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants at Steepletop
Wander the land and learn about the many wild edible and medicinal plants that grow all around us. It’s a veritable smorgasbord out there just waiting to nourish and heal us.
***Trail Work Parties scheduled as needed throughout the season.