Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust - Conserve. Preserve. Protect. Enjoy.

Summer Fun on Rauscher Farm

Bird 'n Butterfly-a-Thon
Download the brochure (PDF, 1.4 Mb)
Many animals, birds, and butterflies — permanent and migratory residents — call Rauscher Farm home. To discover more about these residents, the Rauscher Farm Management Subcommittee (RFMSC), together with the Friends of Rauscher Farm (FoRF) and the Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust (CGCT), are seeking volunteers to help with a Bird 'n Butterfly-a-Thon, starting in July 2010 and continuing throughout the seasons. Information gathered from the "Thon" will be integrated into the Rauscher Farm Land Management Plan that is currently being researched and written.

"Thoners" are invited to visit Rauscher Farm on their own schedules to complete sighting checklists and drop them off in the box on the side of the barn (near the silo). Since the fields will be mowed in late August, until then we ask that you kindly keep to the edge of the fields. Be sure to bring your binoculars and field guidebooks, dress appropriately, and take the usual tick precautions!

Bird and butterfly checklists are available in the box at the farm and at the following locations: Bigelow Free Public Library, 54 Walnut Street, Clinton, MA 01510; Clinton Conservation Commission, Clinton Town Hall, 242 Church Street, Clinton, MA 01510.

Download the checklist here (PDF, 688k) or from the Rauscher Farm website. For more information, email: info@rauscherfarm.org or call CGCT at 978.365.9377.

Invasive Species Site Visit, Monday, July 19, at 6 PM. Public Welcome
Dan Clark, director of the Natural Resources Section of the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Water Supply Protection, will be on Rauscher Farm on Monday, July 19, at 6 PM to advise the Rauscher Farm Management Subcommittee on invasive species management of Rauscher Farm. The public is invited to accompany the site visit. Since most invasive species start life in our home yards, as well as learning about invasive species on Rauscher Farm, you may pick up tips about dealing with your home-grown invasive plants.

About the Rauscher Farm Land Management Plan
The Rauscher Farm Management Subcommittee is currently consulting with a number of professional organizations and individuals including the Massachusetts Audubon Society, The Trustees of Reservations, Cornell University Cooperative Extension Program, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, and other recognized authorities on grassland, wetland, woodland, pond life, and invasive species management. Drawing on these reservoirs of knowledge, the RFMSC is designing a draft plan for the long-term management of the various ecological environments that make up Rauscher Farm — grasslands, wetlands, woodlands, and Clamshell Pond. A key component of the plan is to ensure that these diverse environments become accessible to as many people as possible throughout the seasons while also safeguarding the beauty of Rauscher Farm for those who come after us.