NRWA Auction 2010

Online Auction: Friday, February 26 to Friday, March 26
at www.biddingforgood/NashuaRiverWatershed

Live Auction: Saturday, March 27, from 5:30 to 10:00 PM
at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua, NH

The excitement of the auction is upon us! For details on the Live and Online events, and see some sneak preview of great auction items, click Auction 2010.

Volunteer Opportunities: NRWA Fitchburg Water Monitoring Team

Monday, March 15, between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Fitchburg City Hall, 718 Main Street, Fitchburg, MA

Interested in learning about water quality in the Nashua River and volunteer opportunities to join NRWA’s Fitchburg Water Monitoring Team? Drop by Fitchburg City Hall, 718 Main Street, on Monday, March 15, between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m., to learn more about the NRWA’s work to protect water quality in Fitchburg. Our monitoring season begins the morning of Saturday, April 17th and continues on the third Saturday morning of each month through October. Time commitment varies from 2-3 hours per month. We also need volunteers to fill in for team members on vacation. The Orientation Session will be held in the City Council Room on the First Floor. This orientation is funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET). If you’d like more information, or if you’re interested but can’t attend, contact Kathryn Nelson, NRWA Water Monitoring Coordinator, at (978) 448-0299, or email Kathryn Nelson.

Teaming with Beetles to Control Purple Loosestrife:
Come to NRWA Beetle Raising Workshop

Tuesday, March 16, 2010, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM (snowdate: March 23)
at the NRWA River Resource Center, 592 Main Street (Rt. 119), in Groton, MA

The NRWA and the Stewardship Committee of the Squannassit and Petapawag Areas of Critical Environmental Concern invite the public to attend an orientation and training workshop to learn about raising "Galerucella" beetles. These beneficial beetles are used to control the invasive plant purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in local wetlands. Our volunteer introductory speaker will be Georgeann Keer, project manager with the MA Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration.

Raising beetles to control purple loosestrife is an exciting opportunity for community involvement in restoring local habitat. If you would like to learn how to become a "beetle farmer" and rear Galerucella beetles for release in a local wetland, please attend this workshop. The workshop will be offered only once this year. Step-by-step instructions to rear and release the beneficial beetles will be provided. No experience is necessary to become a beetle farmer!

Meet farmers from last year, whose beetles are now helping to control loosestrife in five towns. Learn about changes planned for this year which will allow us to double our 2009 production. If you know of areas of heavy loosestrife infestation, NRWA is interested in learning about them.

This workshop is free and open to the public; registration is requested, but not required. It is made possible in part by the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program, and a grant from the Groton Garden Club. To sign up for the workshop, please contact Rick Muehlke, NRWA Land Programs and Outreach Assistant, at (978) 448-0299, or email Rick Muehlke.

Eco-Adventure Programs for Groton-Dunstable Curriculum Days

See dates and times below
at the NRWA River Resource Center, 592 Main Street (Rt. 119), in Groton

The NRWA will keep children busy with fun, active adventures on Groton-Dunstable curriculum half-days and full days. Come for one or all of our exciting, hands-on Eco-Adventure programs open to students in first through fourth grades. Pre-registration is required.

HALF-DAY PROGRAMS run from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The fee for the half-day program is $19/day for NRWA members or $24/day for non-members. Please bring a lunch! Here is the list of dates and programs:

Wednesday, March 17: Signs of Spring: It may not look like it, but the first day of spring is right around the corner! Hike in beautiful J. Harry Rich State Forest and learn to detect nature’s little hints that winter is over. Play exciting games to welcome the new season!

Thursday, April 29: Salad Days: So many seeds, so little time… Check out all the creative seed shapes and forms of the plants around us, from helicopters to Velcro! Then plant the more familiar seeds of common salad ingredients in a container garden to take home.

FULL DAY-ADVENTURE DAY run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 2. Spend a whole day exploring, experimenting, and discovering. Adventure Day will include hikes, games, crafts, science experiments, and more. What could be more fun? The fee for this program is $38/day for NRWA members or $48/day for non-members. Morning snack will be provided. Please bring a lunch!

Pre-registration is required. To pre-register, or for more information, please contact Lauren Parente, NRWA Eco-Adventures Coordinator, at (978) 448-0299, or email Lauren Parente.

Tap the Sap: Maple Sugaring with the NRWA

Saturday, March 13, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m, in Groton, MA

Learn how maple syrup is made! Join NRWA educators/naturalists for our free “Tap the Sap” maple sugaring program in Groton, MA. Families will try tapping century-old sugar maples, observe backyard syrup production, play sugaring games, and enjoy a delicious sample. The program is free to the public and open to all ages.

This workshop is one in a five-part family workshop series that is supported in part by a grant from the Groton Trust Funds Lecture Fund. The goal of these programs is to infuse families with a continuing desire to spend time outdoors in our watershed.

Pre-registration for this program is required as space is limited. Registrants will be given directions to the maple sugaring site in Groton, MA. To register, or for more information, please contact Lauren Parente, NRWA Eco-Adventures Coordinator, at (978) 448-0299, or email Lauren Parente.

Moose in Massachusetts

Wednesday, April 7th at 6:30 PM
at the NRWA's River Resource Center, 592 Main Street (Rt. 119), in Groton

For anyone who has ever seen a moose in their neighborhood or crossing the road ahead of them, it’s a memorable experience. A moose’s enormous size and unique shape is both startling and fascinating. There is no doubt that there are moose in our region, and if you’d like to learn more, we hope you'll join us on the 24th. Come learn about moose biology, habitat use, management, and the wildlife conflicts that arise when moose are in living in suburban landscapes. Sonja Christensen, the current Deer and Moose project leader for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, will be our speaker.

Originally from northern Minnesota, Sonja graduated with a biology degree from Minnesota State University. While completing her undergraduate degree, she worked for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a wildlife biology research intern, focusing on the white-tailed deer. In 2006, Sonja began her Masters research through the Pennsylvania State University Wildlife and Fisheries Science program and the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Sonja led a research project investigating habitat use, movement, and survival rates of white-tailed deer and exotic sika deer at Assateague Island National Seashore, on Maryland’s eastern shore. In April of 2008, while finishing her Masters degree, Sonja accepted the Deer/Moose Project Leader position with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, where she is currently employed.

This program is free and open to the public, and is appropriate for adults and older children. Pre-registration is appreciated. To register or for more information, contact Al Futterman, NRWA Land Programs and Outreach Director, at (978) 448-0299, or email Al Futterman.