Nature (Human & Otherwise)

My South River

2012-01-08T09:38:00.002-05:00

On December 1, 2011, thanks to major improvements in water quality, 313 acres of shellfish beds on the South River were opened for the first time in twenty years. Twenty years! This is definitely a cause for celebration . . . even for vegetarians like me, and for others with not a glimmer of interest in clams, whether steamed, chowdered, or fried. Barring a red tide, the beds will remain open until June.

I have to admit; I never thought I’d see the day . . .

I first began working with the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, (NSRWA) in 1990, while I was in college. During summers and school breaks, I would hang out in the Norwell office doing menial tasks – mostly data entry (on a Macintosh SE!) and stuffing envelopes. I enjoyed the work because the company was good and I was doing my small part to support the rivers that by then had become part of my sense of “home.”

Even though they embrace the town of Marshfield, where I grew up and presently reside, the North and South Rivers were largely unfamiliar to me until mid-adolescence. Kindergarten through second grade I went to South River Elementary, where a chain link fence divided the school playground from its namesake. To me, the river – overgrown and dark -- was an intrigue, but due to its inaccessibility, it remained simply that. The giant willow tree that stood on its banks at the far end of the playground was a magnet for us second graders. We played under it every day.

My fascination with our locals rivers began when I was 15, thanks to a guy named Ted. Many readers have heard this story before: how on our first date, he led me on a protracted slog through marsh grass that was taller than me. We dragged a small inflatable boat over muddy creeks (some of which I not-so-gracefully fell into), and eventually arrived at the North River, down which we floated in said boat, dipping a paddle into the water ever so often to steer our course. I hated him that day – him and his treacherous path to the river. And before long, I loved him, and I loved that river too. We and our friends spent a lot of time there those next few years – swimming, rope-swinging, canoeing, and “floating,” Ted’s term for our trips in the inflatable boat.

Like most teenage romances, the fire soon burned out, but the love for the rivers that Ted imparted to me only grew stronger. After college I returned to Marshfield and found jobs working on the rivers’ behalf -- first at the North River Commission, and then at the NSRWA. Part of my job was to oversee the annual River Watch Sampling program, for which I dashed around, at high tide, to ten sites, for eight weeks each summer, acquiring water samples, which I then rushed to the lab for testing. The goal: to ascertain whether the water was safe for swimming and shellfishing.

When this began, more than half of the test sites of the North River proved safe, except within three days of a rainstorm, when counts of fecal coliform spiked. The South River, on the other hand, was rarely clean. For years, because of those bacteria, the shellfish beds on both rivers had been closed.

To make a long story short, the NSRWA began an effort in the 1990s to restore water quality in the rivers. This involved finding the sources of pollution and – with the help of volunteers, citizens, town departments and government officials -- abating them. By 1996 the North River shellfish beds were reopened: a triumph!

The South River took a lot more time. The NSRWA’s South River Initiative, launched in 1996, identified the problems and laid out plans to resolve them. It seemed impossible at the time, but 11 years later, thanks in large part to Marshfield’s five-year sewer extension project, a rigorous sampling program, and the dedicated work of Harbormaster Mike DiMeo . . . success!

This past fall my son, Abel, enrolled in kindergarten at South River Elementary. A chain link fence still marks the playground boundary. Aside from some brush-clearing and the construction-in-progress of the South River Park on the other side, it’s still the same old river -- a little murky; definitely mysterious. But it’s not the same old river at all. Downstream, we can swim in it; we can harvest shellfish.

My first day volunteering with the NSRWA I noticed a quotation, posted on the office bulletin board. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

It took 20 years to reopen the South River shellfish beds, one small step at a time. This indeed is how we change the world. You can bet I’ll be pointing out the South River to my son next time I’m at school with him. This is a story he – along with his classmates – needs to hear.

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
December 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com

Trail Running on the South Shore

2011-12-07T09:09:00.000-05:00

I started jogging earlier this year. Approaching forty, I felt pathetic because I couldn’t run a mile. So I set off around the block, determined to make it all the way, and I was surprised to discover that I was in better shape than I expected. Since then, I’ve slowly been extending my route.

They say it runs in the family (Yes, it’s a pun). My father started jogging when he was in his late twenties, to combat the stress of supporting our family of four. For me, the sneakers went on when I realized my marriage was falling apart. All that time pounding the pavement afforded me some much-needed time to think, especially when the divorce negotiations got tense.

My dad, who progressed from running 10Ks, to marathons, to 50 and 100-mile ultra marathons and endurance events, knows a little bit about jogging. When I told him about my route around the neighborhood (I like the challenge of the hills), he said, “Take it from me. Your knees will last a lot longer if you stay off the road. Why don’t you run down the trail instead?”

We are fortunate to have a large conservation parcel right here in our neighborhood, one with a long flat trail (it used to be a railroad bed) plus a loop off to one side that traverses some challenging hills. Conveniently, Dad even knew the mileage. “It’s 0.9 miles from our driveway to the end of the trail, the same as running around the block.”

So on my next running day, I tried it. And – no surprise here – Dad was right. It WAS easier on my knees, and a lot more peaceful, ambiance-wise, than our busy subdivision. Plus it was fun: skirting puddles and fallen trees gave my run an adventuresome quality.

Jogging on trails is nothing new, and lately it is seeing an increase in popularity here on the South Shore. Like many fitness trends in the United States, trail running has migrated here from the west. It’s been big in California and the mountain states for years, and now East Coasters are catching on. The Western States 100, which my father attempted twice in the 1990s is a trail run through challenging mountain terrain.

Here on the South Shore, our options are a lot less diverse, although a jaunt to the Blue Hills will satisfy the needs of those seeking a rugged experience. Otherwise, there are plenty of conservation areas with trails well-suited for a run, as opposed to a walk. Before you go, just make sure that the property doesn’t prohibit joggers (if it’s a dedicated wildlife sanctuary, running may be discouraged because of its potential to disturb the fauna).

The Norris Reservation in Norwell has been popular with joggers for years, as has Bay Farm on the Kingston-Duxbury line. Both include sections of trail that are wide and mostly flat, as well as narrower, trickier areas. Burrage Pond in Hanson, a huge expanse of former cranberry bogs now managed by the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, offers a number of flat, clear trails well-suited for the sneaker set. On a recent Sunday morning visit I encountered a number of runners there.

If you’d like to try trail running, I recommend starting on a property with wide flat trails (think decommissioned railroad beds, or old fire roads and cart paths). Once your feet get used to moving quickly on uneven terrain, you might progress to a more challenging route.

Earlier this fall, the Duxbury-based Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts initiated a low-impact trail running program. Every week they host an event at one of the lands they manage, where walkers and runners of all ages and abilities can gather to exercise together. The next few are as follows:

Thursday, December 1, 9:30 AM – Willow Brook Preserve, Pembroke

Wednesday, December 7, 9:30 AM – Tucker Preserve, Pembroke

Sunday, December 18, 10 AM – Emery Preserve, Plymouth.

You can find more information on their website, www.wildlandstrust.org.

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
November, 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com

Favorite Fall Walking Places

2011-11-02T16:29:00.002-04:00

Every fall, it seems that someone asks me about the best places to take a walk on the South Shore. We have so many! Each town has numerous conservation parcels, large and small.

Even after writing this column for more than 15 years, I have yet to visit them all. Why? Because I have my favorites -- the places I return to time and again, the ones that offer a lengthy circuit trail and a view of the water.

Give me the choice of catching up with a friend over coffee or on the trail, and I’ll choose the latter every time. Walks in the woods invite good conversation. Plus you get a healthy dose of Vitamin D and the satisfaction of having ambled for an hour or two through a place of beauty.

Six weeks into autumn, the leaves have begun to turn. I find myself relishing this last burst of color, and bracing for the inevitable drab of winter. Already the sun seems weaker. It’s time to get out and enjoy our local conservation parcels before the ice and snow begin.

Here’s a list of my favorites, in no particular order. Perhaps I’ll see you out there!

Nelson Memorial Forest / Phillips Farm Preserve / Union Street Woodland: One of my favorite autumn walking places, this expansive set of properties offers views of both the North River and Cove Creek, access to the salt marsh and plenty of wide walking trails. Combined acreage: 211. You’ll find parking and a trailhead on Union Street in Marshfield, between Short Street and Hunter Drive.

The Norris Reservation: A perennial favorite, this 129-acre parcel features an old mill pond, a restored boat house overlooking the North River, boardwalks, trails both narrow and wide, and close-up views of Second Herring Brook. Managed by the Trustees of Reservation, the Norris offers a large parking area on Dover Street in Norwell, across from the post office.

Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary: This Mass Audubon property includes a total of 507 acres, made up of both meadow and woods. Also known as Dwyer Farm, this sanctuary, located at the end of Winslow Cemetery Road in Marshfield, includes wildlife observation blinds, boardwalks and bridges, trails through both woods and grasslands, and views of the Green Harbor River.

World’s End: If you’ve never been to this jewel in the crown of South Shore open spaces, do yourself a favor and visit this 251-acre property on Martin’s Lane in Hingham, managed by the Trustees of Reservations. Featuring rolling hills, rocky shores, and spectacular views of Boston Harbor, the Weir River, Hingham, and Hull, the narrow trails and tree-lined carriage paths of World’s End are a treat at any time of year.

Indian Head River Conservation Area / Luddams Ford Park / Tucker Preserve: Beginning at Luddams Ford Park in Hanover, you’ll find a former railroad bed that has been converted to a walking trail, portions of which run along the banks of the Indian Head River. On the other side is the 78-acre Tucker Preserve. If you’re in the mood for a long walk, you can go up one side and down the other, but check the map because the twists and turns aren’t always easy to navigate. Park on either side of the river: Elm Street in Hanover, or West Elm Street in Pembroke.

Willow Brook Farm Preserve: My favorite feature of this 73-acre property in Pembroke is the observation tower. Climb to the top and peer out over the Herring Brook Valley, and the wetlands at the confluence of Pudding and Herring Brooks. How to find it? Follow the woodland trails and old farm roads to the rear of the property. Parking is available via a small lot on Barker Street (Route 14) in Pembroke.

Do you have your own favorites? Please shoot me an email at aroundmfld@verizon.net and tell me which conservation parcels I should explore next!

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
October 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com

What Is Sustainability?

2011-10-05T21:35:00.000-04:00

There’s been a lot of talk about sustainability lately – but what exactly is it? The word has become part of the lexicon, but I know I’m not the only one scratching my head wondering what it means.

Sustainability is a concept that addresses the overall well-being of the planet and the creatures that inhabit it. It’s about adopting or maintaining ways of life that lead to long-term benefit – for everyone, and everything. Basically it comes down to this: How do we make people happy and comfortable without destroying the planet?

The solution is multifaceted, with social, economic, and environmental aspects that intertwine and reinforce one another. It involves making sure that basic human rights are met worldwide, that resources are managed responsibly, and that economic growth is not tied to environmental degradation.

Yes, we can be stewards of the earth while still making money and enjoying the quality of life to which we have become accustomed. Sustainability asks us to look toward the future and determine not just how we can increase productivity in the short term, but how we can remain productive over time. For example, if our economy runs on fossil fuels, and fossil fuels are becoming both scarcer and more costly, it’s time to turn to more renewable sources of energy.

The term “sustainability” refers primarily to the actions of human beings. How can we meet the demands of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs? The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy says it well: “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”

How we live today impacts how our children and grandchildren -- and their grandchildren -- will live tomorrow. If we do not make the right choices now, our descendants will have far fewer – and bleaker -- options in the future.

But it’s not just about people. Our actions affect the rest of the planet – the animals and plants with whom we share the earth, as well as the rivers, the oceans, and the atmosphere. And vice-versa. Our lives are inextricably bound to what happens around us – be it a hurricane, a drought, or a surge in mosquito population.

Sustainability asks us to think about things like this. If we dam all the rivers in the American West to irrigate desert cities like Las Vegas, then the farmers downstream won’t be able to water their crops. Over time, this will lead to regional, and perhaps national food shortages, which in turn will increase the price of food, and pose further economic challenges for the average family. Reduced flow in those same rivers alters the habitat of plants and animals. So for example, if – due to lack of water -- there are no longer enough clams in those rivers to satisfy the population of crabs and birds, then those populations will migrate elsewhere, in turn reducing sources of food for human and other animal inhabitants. It’s an endless cycle.

The wise words of Chief Seattle of the Duwamish (1854) serve as an apt reminder. “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”

Proponents of sustainability seek ways to balance environmental management with our consumption of resources such as water, oil, and natural gas. They consider topics such as urban planning, transportation, technology – and the ways we do, grow, and use things – and look for innovations that might serve the common good. No one wants to reinvent the wheel. This is not about completely overhauling the way things are done, but instead reconfiguring these systems in smaller ways, so that we use less energy and rely not-so-much on non-renewable resources.

A common fear when associated sustainability is Does This Mean I Have To Make Do With Less? No one wants to be forced to give anything up. Bearing that in mind, proponents of sustainability posit that while reducing consumption is important, so is making the full cycle of production, use and disposal more sustainable. How can we tweak these processes to make them more streamlined, less wasteful, less harmful to the planet? Can we introduce more solar energy, which has no by-products and pull back on nuclear energy, which creates waste for which we still have no foolproof method of disposal?

Major change will only come when our leaders choose sustainable methods. Can the government shift to more sustainable practices? How about corporations? Can investors take the long view and put their money behind enterprises that promote sustainable production, use, and disposal of food, energy, materials and water?

Meanwhile, there is a lot we can do at home. Our individual lifestyle choices and spending patterns do make a difference. Sustainable South Shore, the GoGreen Web Directory, and edible South Shore magazine will host the first-ever South Shore Celebration this weekend (Saturday, October 8) at the Marshfield Fairgrounds from 10 am to 4:30 pm. The event will showcase alternative energy services, green products, garden and landscaping services, and transportation innovations as well as local foods, plus a variety of workshops on sustainability-related topics. It’s a great opportunity to learn a little bit more and have some fun in the process. Visit www.southshorecelebration.org for details.

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
September 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Biking and Other Changes

2011-08-10T23:34:00.000-04:00

Dedicated readers of this column will remember that, when last mentioned, my bicycle had been languishing in a dark corner of the barn for more than a decade. Last fall I wrote about the cycling paths along Scituate’s Driftway, and how maybe someday I’d resurrect my decaying mountain bike and check them out. But to be honest, that just didn’t seem likely.

Life can have all sorts of unexpected twists and turns, can’t it? I am happy to report that my bike has indeed been rescued from an early grave. This spring, I asked a friend to fix it for me, and this summer I’ve been back on the road again, after a ten-year absence. Boy, does it feel good.

You know when you have a pebble in your shoe? Let’s say you’ve just set out on a run, or a walk, or a bike ride, and you can feel that tiny little stone in there. You think, “I’m moving at a good clip here. I don’t want to stop and ruin my momentum. The pebble’s a little bit uncomfortable, but I can live with it.” And then you let that tiny stone grind into your foot and distract you from an otherwise pleasant experience . . .

The alternative? You can just stop. Take off your shoe. Remove the pebble. Sure, you’ll wreck your momentum. But you’ll get it back. And you’ll be much happier.

Those unexpected twists and turns I mentioned? My own life has been full of them this year. To help myself cope, in the spring, I started jogging. Yeah, I’m a yoga teacher, and my daily practice of stretching and breathing really does help to keep my stress level down, but these particular twists and turns needed stronger medicine. And for me it was running. Even though my father is one of those crazy people who competes in 100-mile endurance races, I’ve never had the strength – or will – to run even a mile. Until now. This spring, I found the energy to do that – and more.

But when it’s ninety degrees and humid outside, does it really make sense to go for a jog? Not so much. (Not for me at least – I’m not training for a triathlon . . . yet). So on the hotter days, when I need a change of pace or when I can’t make it to the air-conditioned gym, I’ve been riding my bike instead.

We are so lucky to live where we live. It’s beautiful here, especially in summer. So far my cycling routes have included only parts of Marshfield and Duxbury – I haven’t ventured any farther, but I am slowly building up the distance from home that I am willing to travel on two wheels (Norwell is looking good, as are Pembroke and Scituate). But even in my currently-limited geography, I have been seeing some gorgeous scenery. One day I made my way down 3A and over to Powder Point, crossing the bridge and heading back through Green Harbor on my way home. It was high tide, and the late afternoon sun reflected on the waters of Duxbury Bay, casting a golden light over everything.

Another route took me along the back roads that connect Temple Street in Duxbury and Old Ocean Street in Marshfield, crossing the unassuming upper portion of the South River at least twice. At seven on a Sunday morning, there were only a handful of cars on the road. In fact, I encountered more bikes than cars. The world seems so serene in the hours just after sunrise – the only sounds are the chattering birds, the wind in the trees, the clicking chain and the hum of narrow rubber tires against pavement.

One of the many treasures of the South Shore is the network of back roads and scenic vistas that make for an ideal morning bike route. At this time of year, everything is green – the trees, the shrubs, the marsh grass -- so lush and full of life! It feels good to be out in it, taking in great lungfuls of fresh air, powering myself forward. There is a very useful website, MapMyRide.com, which not only suggests routes, but also calculates your speed and distance on them.

When I began writing this column 15+ years ago, friends jokingly called me The Nature Girl. This was funny because I knew so little about nature itself. Sure, I loved to experience the outdoors – walking in the woods, kayaking the rivers, getting to know as many of our local conservation lands as possible -- but I had no great knowledge of flowers or trees, no ability to identify a bird or a bug without first consulting a field guide, and even then I had difficulty.

This hasn’t changed much. My enthusiasm for the outdoors does not include taxonomy. In nature, for me, it’s more about experiencing The Big Picture, rather than developing expert knowledge of minutia. I’m inspired by How It Feels, not so much by What It Is.

This past decade – so busy with work and family obligations – has pulled me away from my Nature Girl persona. It seems that I became separated, in some ways, from my true self. Separated, but not completely disconnected. Always, in the back on my mind, there was that voice, reminding me, not always gently, “Your kayak is filling with cobwebs; your bike is getting rusty; your hiking boots are starting to rot.”

I finally took the pebble out of my shoe. I’m getting to know The Nature Girl all over again. She’s older now, and wiser too.

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
July 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Celebrating the Summer Solstice

2011-07-06T07:39:00.000-04:00

photo courtesy Alex Pevzner

For more than a year now, my mother has participated in a twice-monthly drum circle, led by Alex Pevzner, at the Porcello Gallery in Marshfield. The size of the group varies. It generally includes men and women ages 30-ish to 70-ish, with drumming experience ranging from novice to professional. Alex and some of the others bring extra instruments so that those without can still play along.

These are hand drums, for the most part – not the snare/tom tom/bass set-up you see in rock bands. Think of tribal drums and native cultures.

June 21 was the solstice, the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer here in the northern hemisphere. My mother wanted to celebrate this important day in the season cycle, so she asked Alex to co-host a special drum circle, this time in a different location. In honor of the solstice, the gathering would take place in the Rexhame Dunes, right on the banks of the South River. Since the circle would begin at 7pm, the group would be able to watch the sun set over the water.

It was a perfect summer evening -- comfortable but not too warm; with a light breeze and only a touch of humidity. And miraculously, there were no bugs (‘til the very end, after sunset, when the no-see-ums arrived). The participants brought beach chairs of blankets. They gathered first in a circle, and then in two concentric circles, with Alex at the head. Alex introduced a drumbeat, and the others joined in, on their own drums and on other percussion instruments.

Drumming, especially with a group, evokes a primal energy. It helps you feel connected with the others in the circle, with the landscape around you, with the cycles of time and of the seasons. I went into the circle expecting just to relax, sit back and enjoy the rhythms. Instead, I found the experience to be both meditative and inspiring, evoking all sorts of insights.

And my son! At my mother’s request I brought Abel along, expecting that he would last about 20 minutes. At age five, so close to bedtime, I didn’t expect him to have much interest in the drumming. But I was so wrong! Abel has spent a lot of time experimenting with my mother’s collection of drums, rattles, and chimes. He loves to perform for the family, and recently announced the formation of his own, band, “The Marshfield Rocks.” Well, Abel sat down in the circle, selected a drum, and joined right in on the rhythm. There were moments where he wasn’t in sync with the rest of the group, but for the most part, he found the beat, and played along well. I was amazed at how easily he could follow the rhythm (a skill many adults lack). There were other children in the circle – Alex’s son and daughter, plus a couple of other families with girls ranging from ages three to ten. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves, just as much as the adults.

Over the course of two hours, the group grew from an initial circle of 15, to close to 40 participants. A couple who had been strolling through the dunes between Rexhame and Humarock stood at a distance, just listening, but eventually, were coaxed closer and handed instruments of their own. A few individuals who had been walking on the beach wandered over and joined in. There was a strong sense of unity, of community, even though each person was there for his or her own personal reasons. A visible ripple of gratitude passed through the group when it was announced that a soldier just back from serving in Iraq had joined us.

And the setting! The tide was going out, and so the river, flowing slowly by, provided a sense of serenity. The salt marsh, still the vibrant green of late June, danced in the gentle breeze. And the sun -- first gold, then orange-red, then pink – set in a gradual yet majestic way in the western sky. Beautiful.

In his new book, The Nature Principle, Richard Louv (who wrote The Last Child in the Woods and coined the phrase Nature Deficit Disorder), discusses the connections between creativity, mental acuity, and spending time in nature. Studies indicate that time spent in the natural world can restore attention, help us recover from mental fatigue, and reduce such anti-productive qualities as irritability, impatience, impulsivity and distractibility. Plus, being outdoors in a natural setting can restore and stimulate the brain, actually creating new neurons.

You don’t have to know the science to understand why being outdoors is good for you. After all, for most people, it just makes us feel better.

To honor the solstice, this group of drummers brought their circle outdoors, to the banks of the South River. The new setting created a sense of global connection: the drumbeats resonated off the water and the stones and sand at our feet; the rhythms pulsed out in all directions, upstream and down, and across the dunes to the ocean. In that remote corner of Marshfield, we felt as if we were part of an earth-wide ritual, gathering to celebrate this stillpoint in the solar year, acknowledging our place in the natural world.

photo courtesy of Tricia Ward

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
June 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

The Great American Backyard Campout

2011-06-08T09:31:00.000-04:00

On June 25, 2011, the National Wildlife Federation will sponsor The Great American Backyard Campout, encouraging families all over the country to spend the night outdoors. You don’t even need a backyard to do it – NWF suggests options such as parks, campgrounds, and even balconies.

Why camp? The best reason is that it gives you the opportunity to spend more time outdoors. Plus, it’s fun, and it’s an adventure. Do it on your own, or gather a group of friends, family or neighbors to join you. All generations can benefit from taking some time to connect with nature.

Does this sound good to you? If so, go find your tent and camping gear -- or borrow some, or rent it from REI or your local outfitter -- and start planning your night. Think about what you’ll need to bring – gear, food, activities, and so on. Even in your own backyard, pitching a tent, gazing at the stars, perhaps building a campfire, and otherwise being outdoors after dark can be a wonderful opportunity to do something different with your friends and family. The NWF’s website offers a number of tips on what to bring and what to do (including safety tips, recipes, songs, stories and games) while you’re camping. Visit http://online.nwf.org/site/PageNavigator/gabc_GetReady_landing

The website also offers a number of reasons why spending time outdoors is beneficial for your family. It says that children with regular experiences in the natural world have the following qualities.

More Creative: Kids who spend lots of time outdoors are more likely to be inventive, imaginative and creative while playing.

Better Grades: The healthy bodies and minds that come with outdoor play increase cognitive focus in school and yield measurably better grades.

Improved Eyesight: Recent studies find that children who spend time outdoors have less nearsightedness and less of a need for eyeglasses.

Better at Making Friends: Children playing together outdoors relate directly with one another, create games together, choose sides, and improve their people skills by learning the tools needed for compromise and negotiation.

Better Health: An hour of play a day is what doctors say is a basic tool in the effort to ward off childhood obesity and diabetes.

A Longer Lifespan: Doctors estimate that sedentary and obese children lose three to five years from their life expectancy.

If you wish, the National Wildlife Federation offers a fundraising aspect to this Great American Backyard Campout event. By collecting sponsors, you can raise money for NWF, a nonprofit organization that, among other things, helps children connect better with the outdoors through programs such as Wildlife Watch and Trees for the 21t Century. For details, visit http://online.nwf.org/site/PageNavigator/gabc_details_landing

Don’t know where to camp?
Check out the Massachusetts Camping Guide, available online for free at http://www.campmass.com/

Campsites listed for our area include:

Boston/Cape Cod KOA Kampground, 438 Plymouth Street, Middleboro (508-947-6435)
http://koa.com/campgrounds/boston/

Indianhead Resort, 1929 State Road (Route 3A), Plymouth (508-888-3688)
http://www.indianhead-resort.com/

Jellystone at Maple Park, 290 Glen Charlie Road, E. Wareham (508-295-4945)
http://www.mapleparkfamilycampground.com/

Pinewood Lodge Campground, 190 Pinewood Road, Plymouth (508-746-3548)
http://pinewoodlodge.com/

Sandy Pond Campground, 834 Bourne Road, S. Plymouth (508-759-9336)
http://www.sandypond.com/

Shady Acres, 20 Shoestring Road, S. Carver (508-866-4040)
http://www.shadyacresinc.com/

Myles Standish State Forest, Cranberry Road, S. Carver (508-866-2526)
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/mssf.htm

Wompatuck State Park, Union Street, Hingham (781-749-7160)
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/womp.htm

Can’t Camp Out on June 25?
Consider NSRWA’s Overnight at Couch Beach on the North River, Saturday/Sunday, August 13/14. You bring your tent; we provide the food and kayaks! The event includes an on-land kayaking skills lesson, then on-the-water expeditions, plus a BBQ on the beach. Breakfast will be served in the morning, with an early morning paddle. Presented by Coastal Kayak Educators. The cost is: $65 per person or $55 per person in a group of 4 - non-members. Add $25 for NSRWA non-members. To sign up or for more details contact paula@nsrwa.org.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
May 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Earth-Friendly Tips for Families

2011-04-27T09:23:00.000-04:00

This month, in honor of Earth Day (April 22), I spent some time explaining to my son Abel, who is almost five, why it’s important to take care of the earth. The issues are hard for a preschooler to grasp, but the practical applications make a least a little bit of sense to him. What follows is a list of some of the things our family does to be eco-conscious. Abel is involved in all of these in one way or another.

Hand-Me-Downs
Before Abel was born, a few of my friends, who were finished having children, very generously offered us some of their castoffs. Baby clothes, strollers, exersaucers, all sorts of gear . . . It was wonderful not to have to go out and purchase these things new, especially since they would only be in use for a few months. To return the favor, in a sense, I decided that I would distribute our own hand-me-downs the same way. So I made note of the people I knew with children younger than mine, and began asking who needed what. To this day, there are a number of families to whom I occasionally bring bags of clothing, toys, books – anything we no longer need. And my own benefactors continue to keep us in their “network” as well. So we are delighted when we receive a big bag of Size 5 Boys clothing, for example, or some well-loved Transformers. Sharing clothes, toys and gear is good for the earth in a number of ways – it keeps usable items out of the landfill, cuts down on the demand for the production of new things, and provides countless opportunities for reuse. Plus who doesn’t love free stuff?

Freecycle
Speaking of free stuff, do you know about freecycle.org? If not, you should check it out. Freecycle hosts local message boards where you can post notices about things you would like to give away, for free. So maybe you bought a new couch and would like to pass along your old one to someone who doesn’t mind the faded upholstery or outdated color. Or maybe you have a closet full of odds and ends that you know you’ll never use . . . but someone might. Post a notice on Freecycle, and very likely someone will contact you to see if he or she can come pick it up. You can make requests there too. Need a size 6 Batman costume in January? Someone out there is probably itching to get rid of his. On the South Shore, there are Freecycle networks based in Kingston, Hingham, Holbrook and Quincy. Go to the website to sign up for daily emails.

Composting
Want to cut down on the amount of trash your household produces? Start composting! If you set aside all of your vegetable waste -- think fruit pits and peels, stale bread, half-eaten meals, things like that (no meat or dairy products) – you can put it in your backyard composter and turn it into soil. We bought an odor-resistant stainless steel compost crock, which we store under the kitchen sink. All of our appropriate food waste goes in, and when it’s full, we add water and bring it out back to the black plastic Earth Machine we purchased at a discount from our town hall. Over time, this waste breaks down into beautiful, nutrient-rich, dark brown soil, which we add to our raspberry patch and our tomato pots. One of the best things about this process: our kitchen trash doesn’t smell like rotting food!

The Rain Barrel
Every year the North and South Rivers Watershed Association makes large plastic rain barrels available at a discounted price. Some town halls offer them as well, and of course you can buy them from garden/yard supply companies too. What do you do with a rain barrel Place it under a gutter downspout, and collect the runoff. There’s a tap on the side of the barrel, so you can fill a watering can anytime the barrel is sufficiently filled. This is a great way to cut down on the amount of municipal water your household uses, which in turn drives down your annual water bill. Plus little kids love to play with the tap. To order yours ($82.95) through NSRWA, call N.E. Rain Barrel at (877)- 977-3135 or purchase online at www.nerainbarrel.com. Pickup will be at the NSRWA office in Norwell between 4 and 7 PM on June 9th or after.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
April 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Welcoming Spring with the Family

2011-03-30T10:53:00.000-04:00

On the first warm Saturday in March, my husband, son and I arranged to meet several other families at the town playground. After enjoying quiet afternoons there for much of the winter (when it wasn’t covered with snow), I was shocked to find the place nearly full to capacity. It seemed like everyone had the same idea that day: get some fresh air.

I was happy to see Marshfield’s new, state-of-the-art community playground getting so much use, but to be honest, it’s exhausting trying to keep track of one’s child among a sea of other children and parents. The kids had fun that day, but the grown-ups all seemed to feel a bit dizzy when it was time to leave.

Warm, sunny days will become more and more frequent as we move into spring. If you, like me, are looking for alternatives to crowded playgrounds, consider some of these outdoor “adventure places” to visit with your family. In the woods, shrubs can become forts, and sticks are easily transformed into jousting swords. Nature preserves are an ideal environment for the imagination to come alive.

Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary – Winslow Cemetery Road, Marshfield. This historic former farm is comprised of 506 acres of meadow and forest, with boardwalks through several types of wetlands, plus two walking bridges over the Green Harbor River. Children love the varied habitat, as well as the two wildlife observation huts and the pavilion atop Fox Hill, which is an ideal place for a mid-visit picnic. Admission is free for Mass Audubon members; $3 for adults and $2 for children and seniors. Open daily, dawn till dusk.

Willow Brook Farm – Barker Street, Route 14, Pembroke.
Follow woodland trails and ancient farm roads through this 73-acre property at the confluence of Pudding and Herring Brooks, where you’ll see some very large trees, and maybe a river otter or beaver. One of the property’s most interesting features is the observation tower, which affords unique views of the surrounding woods and adjacent freshwater tidal marsh. Our favorite adjunct to a trip to Willow Brook is a stop at Dairy Twist, open April through October), not far away, on Route 53. Open daily, dawn till dusk, Willow Brook Farm is managed by the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts. Admission is free.

The Norris Reservation – Dover Street, Norwell
One of the most popular nature preserves on the South Shore, this 129-acre property, managed by The Trustees of Reservations, has diverse offerings for curious youngsters. You can observe the seasonal flow of Second Herring Brook on the site of an old mill pond, where many families like to fish for trout. You can follow a boardwalk trail around Gordon’s Pond, and see what’s growing in the wetlands that surround it. You can trek through forests of pine and oak following two miles of loop trails and old carriage roads, pausing at benches that overlook the salt marsh, or at the boathouse on the banks of the North River.
The Norris is open daily, sunrise to sunset, with free admission.

North River Wildlife Sanctuary – Mass Audubon Regional Headquarters 2000 Main Street, Route 3A, Marshfield
This 184-acre parcel on the banks of the North River offers one of the most scenic vistas on the South Shore, looking out over the majestic river mouth and estuary. One side of the property includes an open meadow that slopes down to the water’s edge, with a boardwalk through the woods and down to a platform overlooking the salt marsh. The other side features trails through a forest comprised of oak, pine, beech and holly, with views of Hannah Eames Brook. Admission is free for Mass Audubon members; $3 for adults and $2 for children and seniors. Open dawn till dusk.

Weir River Farm and Turkey Hill – Turkey Hill Lane, Hingham
Originally part of a country estate, this 10-acre working farm – home to horses, cows, pigs, sheep and chickens – is surrounded by woodlands of oak and red cedar. Children will enjoy strolling the wide pasture paths and viewing the resident animals. Seasonal Open Barnyard days invite families into the barnyard itself, to see up-close how the livestock are managed. Diverse trails border the property; one leads to the top of Turkey Hill, where you’ll find expansive views of Hingham Harbor, with Boston in the distance. Managed by The Trustees of Reservations, the 1.5 miles of trails are open year-round, dawn to dusk, with free admission. For the barnyard, open seasonally, there is a small fee for non-members.

The Rexhame Dunes – Standish Street, Marshfield
The “hidden” part of one of Marshfield’s public beaches, the Rexhame Dunes are rich with history and ecology. Just over 100 years ago, this sandy stretch of land, tucked between the South River and the beach, was the North River’s outlet to the sea. But after the river breached the sand between Third and Fourth Cliffs during the Portland Gale of 1898, this section began to fill in. Now it’s a mostly-flat, scrubby expanse that feels somewhat haunted, even on the sunniest days. Trails weave around small stands of cedar and beach grass, connecting the town parking area to the southern tip of Humarock. Parking is free in the off-season, and by permit or admission ($10 resident/$15 no-resident) in the late spring and summer. Open dawn till dusk.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
March 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Where Does Maple Syrup Come From?

2011-03-03T13:30:00.000-05:00

“Mom, where does maple syrup come from?” my son, who is four, asks me.

“Maple trees,” I answer.

“Nuh-uhhh . . . “

“Really, it does.”

We have these discussions all the time. Milk comes from cows?

“You mean like pee?”

“Not quite.” And luckily there is a demonstration cow in the 4-H barn at the Marshfield Fair that helps to explain the milking process.

Eggs come from chickens? Carrots grow from seeds? Where does chocolate come from?

I really enjoy answering these questions (most of the time) and teaching Abel about food sources. It’s especially fun if we can actually go somewhere and see food production in action. So we have visited farms throughout the growing season, greenhouses, chicken coops and dairy barns. Next on our list: Matfield Maple Farm in West Bridgewater.

It’s maple season here in Massachusetts. As the weather warms, the frozen sap inside maple trees begins to melt. Pressure builds up inside the trees, and before long it’s ready to burst out . . . through any fresh wound in the tree.

Maple producers know that freezing nights and warm sunny days create optimal conditions for harvesting sap. In February, they tap their sugar maples by drilling a small hole in each trunk and inserting a spout. Then they attach something under the tap to catch the sap – generally a bucket or a tube. The sap, which is clear, drips from the tree.

Later, maple growers bring the sap to the sugarhouse, where they boil it in an evaporator. Much of the water content is removed and what’s left is the concentrated, sweet, brown syrup that we like to pour on our pancakes. It takes about forty gallons of sap to make a single gallon of syrup.

You can see all of this first-hand at Matfield Maple Farm in West Bridgewater. On weekends in season, the farm offers walking tours – a quarter-mile hike through their woods, where the trees are tapped and plumbed and sap is collected in tanks. On the tour, you’ll learn about old and new maple sugaring traditions, as well as the history and science of maple production. You can also visit their resident llamas, and purchase tree taps, syrup, and maple candy at their gift shop. Be sure to wear your boots, as it can be muddy.

Tours, which begin promptly at 12 and 2 PM, are offered on Saturdays and Sundays in February and March for $5 per person. Reservations are not required. Matfield also welcomes groups of any age. Visit www.matfieldmaplefarm.com for details.

You can also learn about maple sugaring at the South Shore Natural Science Center’s annual Maple Day, held this year on Sunday, March 13 from 11 AM to 4 PM in Norwell. Drop in anytime to learn about maple history and culture, and to taste different varieties. You will be invited to walk through the woodland, help tap the Science Center’s maple trees, and watch as the sap is boiled into syrup. The event also includes crafts and activities for children. Admission to the EcoZone is included in the price ($5 for members, $8 for non-members, with a maximum of $32 for non-member families). For more information, visit www.ssnsc.org.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
February 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

In Praise of Sledding

2011-01-26T09:59:00.000-05:00

Although my natural inclination in winter is to hibernate, I’m also determined that my son, who is four, gets some fresh air every day. So we bundle up, and we try to find things to do outdoors, despite the cold. This year it seems we’ve had snow on the ground every single day, which somewhat limits the options. Except for sledding: we can go sledding pretty much anytime we want to!

I don’t remember there being quite so much snow in winter when I was a kid. Or perhaps my mother, who hates the cold, just managed to get my sister and me to avoid noticing it. I would have gone sledding every day, if given the option. There’s really nothing like it.

Here on the South Shore, everybody has access to a hill -- perhaps not in his or her own yard, but somewhere in town. Many school playgrounds have suitable sledding hills, which are accessible to the public after classes have ended for the day. Plus, some towns have other open space parcels that welcome sledders: think Coast Guard Hill in Marshfield or the Pembroke Community Center. Then there are the unofficial sledding spots – country clubs and other large spaces that don’t actively solicit sledders, but also seem to turn a blind eye to their presence. We all have our favorites. Of all things, the fenced-in section between the on- and off-ramps of the rest area at Exit 5 in Plymouth is now a popular sledding spot.

Now that I’m a mother, I’m thinking a lot more about the safety aspects of riding a molded sheet of plastic down a hill dotted with adrenaline-fueled children. Sometimes it’s just plain scary. Few people can steer a sled effectively. Even those who can have to watch out for those walking back up the hill – people who may be tired and thus taking a meandering route. The experts now recommend that sledders wear a helmet. I try to be a conscientious parent, but I’m still wrestling with that one.

Some of the other sledding guidelines are easier to follow. Those below are provided by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Have fun out there! Winter will be over before we know it . . .

Simple Rules For Sledding
1. Sit face-forward (never head-first or standing).
2. Go down the hill one at a time (one person per sled).
3. Keep arms and legs within the sled.
4. If you fall off the sled, move out of the way.
5. Walk up the side of the hill, leaving a sled path for others.
6. Roll off a sled that won’t stop.
7. Never ride a sled being pulled by a moving vehicle.

Location For Sledding
1. Choose a hill with a manageable slope and a long path.
2. Avoid slopes that end in a street, parking lot, pond or other hazards.
3. Make sure the hill is free of jumps, bumps and obstacles, such as trees or fences.
4. Never ride into a snow bank – it may have a hidden object (rock or tree stump) within it.
5. Choose snowy hills and avoid icy surfaces.
6. Sled in the daylight when visibility is good.
7. Know the outside temperature – it can be too cold to sled.

Clothing For Sledding
1. Wear a helmet.
2. Wear sensible clothing for the winter (hats, mittens, waterproof clothes and footwear).
3. Clothes should be dry (if wet, change them).
4. Choose appropriate clothing to prevent strangulation (no scarves or drawstrings).
5. Avoid inflatable inner tubes or sled substitutes such as trays, cardboard boxes, or automobile hoods – they are difficult to steer, stop and secure (wooden sleds are preferred).

Adult Supervision
1. A responsible adult should be present.
2. Children under 12 years of age should be actively watched.
3. Children under 5 years of age should have an adult sled with them.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
January 2011

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

The Christmas Tree Debate: Real vs. Fake

2010-12-27T11:52:00.000-05:00

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
O how I hate cleaning up after you . . .

Every year in mid-December I have a little debate with myself. Do I buy a real Christmas tree, knowing all the documented risks of installing one in the home? Do I want the hassle of cleaning pine needles off my floors for the next several months (because they never seem to go away completely)? Do I want to spend scores of tense minutes with my husband, re-evaluating our mutual understanding of “straight?” Or do I buck up for a nice fake one, saving trees for years to come, and eliminating the clean-up question altogether?

And then I go out and buy a real one. Because there’s nothing quite like the scent of fresh fir in the living room on Christmas Eve, and no room spray – artificial or natural – really can replace that.

What do the environmental expert think? Is it worse to sacrifice a live tree in order to decorate my house for a few weeks at most? Or to welcome another plastic wonder into the world?

While there are pros and cons on both sides of the argument, environmental experts tend to agree that a real tree is the best option. While fake trees are reused year after year, and thus don’t generate anywhere near as much waste, they are made with PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is high on the list of the most environmentally-offensive, non-renewable plastics. All sorts of cancer-causing toxins are generated in the production of PVC. Since most of the trees sold in North America are manufactured in China where labor standards are lax, there’s a really good chance that any fake tree has essentially polluted a neighborhood near a factory and jeopardized the health of whoever assembled it.

Furthermore, due to the inclusion of lead (for malleability), that same fake tree may shed toxin-laced dust in your home. And since the average family only keeps a fake tree for 6-9 years, it eventually ends up in the landfill, where it will not biodegrade, further contaminating soils and water supplies. Suddenly I’m not feeling so jolly . . .

But what about a real tree? Isn’t it wasteful – not to mention bad for the earth -- to harvest a perfectly-good tree, only to stand it in the living room for a month and then toss it in the landfill? And don’t they use pesticides at most Christmas tree farms? Aren’t those pollutants/health hazards as well?

Well yes. But a real Christmas tree is still a better choice. While they grow – seven years is the average life span before harvest -- these trees support life on earth by absorbing carbon dioxide and other gases and emitting fresh oxygen. As they are often established on land that won’t support other types of agriculture, Christmas tree farms help to maintain open space while stabilizing the soil, protecting water supplies, and provide habitat for wildlife. To ensure constant supply, farmers plant 1-3 seedlings for every tree they harvest, so the crop is consistently being renewed. And more and more farmers are choosing more sustainable methods, where pesticides are used only sparingly. These tree farms – there are 15,000 in the United States alone – also provide jobs (100,00 per year).

Plus, real Christmas trees can be reused -- stabilizing beaches is one application; recycled – where they are chipped and converted to mulch; or composted.

To eliminate the waste factor entirely, you can purchase a live tree from a local grower – one with its roots intact -- that can be replanted in your yard after the holidays. But this too presents challenges. You can only keep it indoors for a week, or else it might come out of dormancy and thus not survive once you return it to the outdoors. And even if you follow all the guidelines to the letter, you might find (as I have) that the tree still doesn’t survive. Which somehow feels even worse . . . No one wants to ring in the New Year lamenting, “I killed our Christmas tree.”

So here’s what I think.

If you don’t mind not having a Christmas tree indoors, consider decorating one in your yard with weatherproof lights and ornaments – no risk, no waste. If you’re up to the challenge of caring for a live tree, go that route. If your only options are real vs. fake, choose real, buy locally grown, and be sure to dispose of it responsibly when the holidays have passed.

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein
December 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Green Reading for the Holidays and Beyond

2010-12-08T16:12:00.001-05:00

The cold weather has set in. The shortest day approaches. As winter arrives, many of us look forward to spending more time indoors – perhaps in a cozy chair with a blanket and a good book. But what to read?

Do you enjoy stories about the natural world and our (human) place in it, past and present? Do you want to learn more about treading softly on the earth? Would you like to have a better sense of the state of our planet – and what you might do to improve it? Perhaps you’d like some gift ideas – or some suggestions for your own Wish List.

I polled the leaders of some of the South Shore’s environmental groups, asking for recommendations for great books, from classic to contemporary. Their thoughtful responses present a varied list that will keep environmentally conscious readers busy for quite some time! If you want to be especially earth-friendly, where available, consider the Kindle (or other electronic) version.

Samantha Woods, Executive Director of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, recommends John Galluzzo's The North River: Scenic Waterway of the South Shore. Woods says the book “traces this local gem's multifaceted history from multiple vantage points - a shipbuilding center, a highway into the interior and facilitator of trade, and a protected wildlife sanctuary.”

Emily Simmer, Secretary of Sustainable Scituate, suggests Ishmael, a novel by Daniel Quinn. She says, “It’s a great overview of the evolution of society and humans' place in the environmental world.”

Also from Sustainable Scituate, Lisa Bertola recommends the classic Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. She says, “Carson was a renegade woman scientist who saw the future and wrote about it. This book should be required reading for all high school students. It would help protect our environment for the future.”

Rosie Woodard, a member of REACH (Responsible Energy Alternatives Coalition of Hingham), suggests Barbara Kingsolver's latest book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. She says, “This is a story about a family learning to eat locally grown food, how to plan foods by season, growing and cooking. Very interesting history, science and practical ideas behind the changes we'll have to make in order to leave our planet's resources for our children.”

Judith (Jude) Sonder of REACH recommends: The Seasons on Henry's Farm: A Year of Food and Life on a Sustainable Farm, by Terra Brockman. She says, “Henry is Terra's brother and a well-known sustainable farming advocate. Terra fled the simple farm life to live and write in NYC and pursue exotic travel, but returned home to farm again. As she ate healthier in "third worlds" than in the states, she came to realize that it was because the foods were fresh, local and unprocessed. Not only are these foods healthier, but also are a key to food security and sustainability going into the future.”

Sue McCallum, Director of Mass Audubon’s South Shore Sanctuaries, suggests
Sippiwissett or, Life on a Salt Marsh by Tim Traver. She says, “Traver combines history, prose, scientific research information, and casual observations, but what I really like is the sense of place that develops throughout the book. There is some very interesting information about salt marshes, their importance as nurseries and filters, but my ‘take away’ is the influence that a special place has on our lives. It made me start to think about those special places in my life and wonder if my children have places that they hold in their hearts.”

Mary Mitchell, President of Sustainable Braintree, suggests Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds, by David Gershon. Mitchell says, “The term ‘diet’ refers to the carbon that you add to the atmosphere, not the calories that you eat. This easy-to-follow handbook leads the way as you make simple, energy-saving changes to your lifestyle.”

She also recommends Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It, by Anna Lappé. She says, “When considering how to fight global warming, it’s easy to focus on the importance of changing light bulbs, turning down thermostats, and insulating homes. This book demonstrates how our industrial food system delivers a big negative impact on our environment, and has some big ideas about how we can improve the way we get our food.”

Mike Cavanaugh of Sustainable Braintree suggests James Hansen's Storms of My Grandchildren. He says, “Hansen, one of NASA's top climate researchers, explains not only the science behind climate change, but also his own motivations for going into environmental advocacy. As the title suggests, Hansen's motivation comes from a grave concern for the future world that will be left to his grandchildren. The conclusion of the book leaves the reader with a well-informed sense of purpose.”

Ben Cowie-Haskell of Sustainable Marshfield suggests Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath. He says, “If you are interested in what motivates people and the psychology of change, you will find this book fascinating. The authors use many excellent real-world examples to make their case and since change is so omnipresent in our lives this book is relevant to people in all walks of life.”

Cowie-Haskell also recommends The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems by Van Jones. He says, “This book proposes a solution to the unsustainable trajectory that society is following, that is an economy that is entirely reliant on fossil fuels which will one day run out. Jones proposes that we transition to an economy based on renewable energy generating much needed green collar jobs.”

Jim Savicki of Sustainable Duxbury cited the Jones, Kingsolver and Hansen works mentioned above, as well as When the Rivers Run Dry by Fred Pearce, “a comprehensive and alarming survey of the ongoing and pending worldwide water shortages that are effecting, and will effect us all, in some way.” He also recommends The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan: “A book for the more serious reader detailing the way corn has become the main ingredient in over 70% of what Americans eat today and the implications of that for the economy, health of the country, and the environment.”

JoAnn Mirise and Kathryn Earle of Sustainable Cohasset recommend Eaarth: Making a Life on a Touch New Planet, an unflinching set of recommendations by the iconic Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy and The End of Nature. As McKibben says on his website, "We've built a new earth. It's not as nice as the old one; it's the greatest mistake humans have ever made, one that we will pay for literally forever. We live on a new planet. What happens next is up to us."

On the lighter side, they also suggest Michael Pollan's, Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, “a quick, poignant read for those who are trying to eat more healthily as well as more environmentally responsibly.”

And finally, at the top of my own reading list for the year to come, Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Louv posits that exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development, and offers 100 actions we can take to create change in our communities, families and schools. I’ll report back when I’ve finished it.

Happy reading, and Happy Holidays!

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
November 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Riding Scituate’s Bike Trails

2010-11-04T09:56:00.000-04:00

For years, my bicycle has stood in a dark corner of our barn, languishing. Every so often I see it and wish it were easier just to hop on and go for a ride. But the street where I live is far too busy for that. And the thought of strapping the bike onto my car’s roof, so I can drive someplace to unload and then finally get on it, pretty much negates the notion of the carefree ride I have in mind. Alas . . . I know I’m not the only one in this predicament.

The South Shore has plenty of beautiful roads, many of which might seem even more lovely when regarded from the seat of a bicycle, rather than from behind a car’s windshield. But we take our lives in our hands attempting to ride the hills and curves of Route 3A in Duxbury for example, or the tight corners of Jerusalem Road in Cohasset, or the narrow lanes of Union Street in Marshfield. Not to mention the ubiquitous potholes.

But things are looking up. Sustainable South Shore, a multi-town advocacy group committed to helping area residents conserve energy, protect the environment and live sustainable lives, has been working with the Conway School of Landscape Design to craft a South Shore Greenway. This network of walking and biking paths in Hull, Hingham, Cohasset, Norwell and Scituate would connect destinations such as train stations, parks, schools, libraries and shops. Scituate has already made significant strides in this direction.

Thanks to Community Preservation funds, Scituate now has two distinct bike trails. One, in North Scituate, runs for close to a mile along Gannett Road, from Gannett Pasture Lane (near the MBTA station) to the corner of Hollett Street. There are plans to expand it farther on Gannett, to the intersection with Hatherly Road.

The other trail, on the south side of town, runs along the entire length of the Driftway, beginning near the rotary on Route 3A, passing the Greenbush MBTA station, and continuing to New Kent and Kent Streets. From there, the bike trail ends, but a sidewalk leads all the way to Scituate Harbor.

The bike trails run adjacent to the street and provide a wide, paved surface for pedestrians, cyclists and those who use wheelchairs. This benefits not only walkers and riders, but also automobile drivers. The addition of bike trails makes it easier to share the road, and thus safer for everyone.

In North Scituate, the bike trail offers picturesque views, including glimpses of the salt marshes and The Gulf. When completed, it will provide access to the village of Minot and its beach.

On the Driftway, the bike trail connects with scenic and recreational areas such as the A.J. McEachern Memorial Trail, the Driftway Conservation Area, and a walking path that extends along the old railroad bed into the North and Herring River marshes.

Here is one suggestion for a fun way to explore the Driftway Bike Trail and its environs. If arriving by bicycle is not an option, bring it along and leave your car in the large public parking area on Cole Parkway in Scituate Harbor. Head south along the harbor’s edge, crossing First Parish Road. You can access the sidewalk at Kent Street, and farther down you’ll be able to get on the bike trail.

Stop at the Driftway Conservation Area, lock up your bike, and spend some time exploring. There’s an old dock overlooking the Herring River, and you can climb a tall hill to get a great view of the marshes, looking out toward The Spit. Check out the A.J. McEachern Memorial Trail as well.

When you’re ready to leave the conservation area, continue south on the bike trail (on foot). Look for a walking path that leads behind the James Landing Condominiums. Follow this path along the marsh, and eventually you will arrive at the old railroad bed, behind Dunkin Donuts. If you miss it (or as an alternative) you can remain on the bike trail – on wheels or on foot. The railroad bed is now a walking trail that leads way out into the marsh. It’s elevated, so the view is quite nice, and you won’t have to worry about getting your feet wet.

When you’ve had your fill of the terrific scenery, you can retrace your route back to Scituate Harbor, where there are plenty of options for drinks and snacks.

The Scituate Bike Trails are but one of the numerous examples of Community Preservation Funds at work on the South Shore. A small tax surcharge, matched in part by the state, is slowing development by protecting open space lands in almost every town in the region. In addition, Community Preservation Committees have used CP funds for preserving historic sites, creating affordable housing and building new recreational facilities -- like the bike trails, or Marshfield’s new, eco-friendly town playground. Please help keep Community Preservation active in your town!

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein
October 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Nature Stories for Children

2010-09-29T10:10:00.000-04:00

My son and I spend a lot of time outdoors. I enjoying sharing with him the special places I’ve found in the fields and forests, at the ocean, and along our rivers and streams. I’m not a scientist of any sort, but still I want to teach Abel about nature – the life cycles of plants and creatures, and the importance of caring for the earth. While our explorations may include looking closely at a tree, a bubbling brook or an old stone wall, I rely on story books to teach him nature-related facts and concepts.

There are lots of nature-themed books for young children, however many of them are bogged down with diagrams and technical information. While interesting, they aren’t exactly what you’d define as “a good read.” Still plenty of captivating nature stories for children do exist. What follows is a list of some of our family’s favorites.

Herman and Marguerite: An Earth Story by Jay O’Callahan
Herman the earthworm and Marguerite the caterpillar team up to save a sad and lonely orchard, and discover the importance of believing in themselves and in each other. This wonderful story of friendship and teamwork includes collage drawings by Marshfield native (and author’s daughter) Laura O’Callahan. Field Trip: go apple picking!

Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Learn about the habits of waterfowl while enjoying this enchanting, classic story of a duck family that makes its home first on the Charles River and later in the Boston Public Garden. You’ll never forget the image of Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings strutting down the city street, stopping traffic. Field trip: visit the Make Way For Ducklings statue in the Boston Public Garden!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
A caterpillar with a seemingly insatiable appetite eats his way (literally – there are holes in the book!) through some surprising foods, then forms a chrysalis and transforms into a butterfly.

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
A tiny seed flies through the air and eventually blooms into a majestic flower. Learn about the seasons and how plants grow and propagate, while enjoying the gorgeous collage paintings for which Carle is known. Field Trip: Visit the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum in Amherst, MA!

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Learn the concepts of extinction and exploitation of natural resources while hearing about the plight of the Truffula Trees and the Brown Bar-ba-loots. The Lorax teaches us the importance of saving endangered species as well as the forests, fields and streams they inhabit. Field trip: learn first-hand about ecosystems at the South Shore Natural Science Center’s EcoZone in Norwell!

Blueberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey
“Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk.” Sal and her mother go blueberry picking and encounter a mother bear and her cub. The story notes the similarities of the two families gathering food and preparing for winter. Field trip: visit a pick-your-own blueberry farm!

Christmas Farm by Mary Lyn Ray
Parker, age 5, and his gray-haired neighbor, Wilma, work together over the span of several years to grow 600+ Christmas trees. As the trees mature, we learn all about how they are grown and the creatures with whom they share the terrain. Field trip: buy your Christmas tree at a family farm this year!

On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole
Caroline and her family move onto Meadowview Street . . . but where is the meadow? Caroline finds a wildflower growing on her lawn and stakes off the area as a wildflower preserve. With her parents support, eventually she turns the whole yard into a sanctuary for birds, bugs and wild plants. Field trip: look for wildflowers on your own lawn . . . and let them grow!

Come Again, Pelican by Don Freeman
On vacation at the beach with his parents, a boy befriends a pelican and learns first-hand about the tides and the habits of seabirds. Field trip: go to the shore and observe the habits of whatever birds you find there!

A Day at the Beach by Mircea Vasiliu
This unassuming, slim paperback is packed with useful information about the creatures and features of the seaside. Families play in the surf and explore the intertidal region, learning about erosion, shellfish, seaweed and much more. Field trip: see what you can find within the wrack line (the trail of seaweed at the high water mark)!

We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
A family sets off on a bear hunt. They make their way through long wavy grass (swishy, swashy; swishy swashy), a deep cold river (splash, splosh; splash, splosh) thick oozy mud (squelch, squerch; squelch, squerch) and more, as they seek the bear in his cave. Then havoc ensues! Field trip not recommended.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
September 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Fall Festivals on the South Shore

2010-09-08T19:04:00.000-04:00

It was a warm, sunny summer, but autumn is just around the corner. The days are growing shorter, the nights are getting longer, and soon we will feel a chill in the air. The first day of fall is September 22. September 23rd brings the full moon know as the Corn Moon, followed by October 23rd’s Harvest Moon.

The onset of fall is a traditional time to celebrate the harvest and acknowledge the change of seasons. Between now and Halloween there are a number of local fests and feasts, offering all sorts of activities for young and old. Think: hay rides, corn mazes, visits to the pumpkin patch, plus lots of locally grown food and freshly pressed apple cider. Read on, and mark your calendar!

34th Annual Corn Festival: Saturday, September 11, from 10-4 (rain date 9/12) at the South Shore Natural Science Center, located on Jacobs Lane in Norwell. This family-friendly event features children’s games, a crafters’ village, hayrides, farm animals, live music, animal demonstrations and plenty of refreshments for sale, including the Kernel’s Kitchen famous corn chowder. Call 781-659-2559 or visit www.ssnsc.org for details.

Harvest Moon Feast: Monday, September 20 at 6 pm at Mill Wharf Restaurant, Scituate Harbor. Celebrate the 40th year of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association while sampling dishes prepared by favorite local restaurants, caterers and purveyors of fresh food. This benefit event includes live jazz by the Lance Van Lenten Trio, beer and wine tastings, and a cash bar. Call 781-659-8168 or visit www.nrswa.org for details.

Historic O’Neil Farm Day - Saturday, September 18, from 11-3 (rain date: 9/19). Visit the historic property at 146 Winter Street in Duxbury and meet farm animals, take a tour of the barn, ride around on a hay wagon, and enjoy live music by the Wildcat Bog Stompers. Have a hamburger or hot dog fresh off the grill and a scoop of ice cream. Plus, 4-H and cheesemaking demonstrations, face painting, and children’s games. Free admission! Visit www.historiconeilfarm.org for details.

Farm Day – Saturday, September 25, 10-4 at Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary, Winslow Cemetery Road, Marshfield. Mass Audubon’s annual event for families features hayrides, owl demonstrations, live music, a fine arts and crafts show, children’s games and crafts, face painting, a giant hay maze, home-baked treats and other delicious food. Call 781-837-9400 or email southshore@massaudubon.org for details.

Weir River Farm Fall Festival – Saturday, October 2, from 10-2 at Weir River Farm, Turkey Hill Lane, Hingham. Sponsored by the Trustees of Reservations, this annual fall festival celebrates the bounty of another successful farm season with livestock, live music, pumpkins, pony rides, local vendors and more. Call 781-740-7233 or visit www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/greater-boston/weir-river-farm.html for details.

Plimoth Plantation's 7th Annual Harvest Festival – Saturday, October 9 from 9-5. Enjoy family-fun crafts and activities at each of the museum sites. In the English Village get hands-on, helping the colonists prepare for winter, saving seeds, plaiting or braiding corn, and making sure there's enough firewood for all. Experience themed dining events and get a feel for the importance of the harvest season at Plimoth Plantation, located at 137 Warren Ave. Plymouth. Call 508-746-1622 or visit www.plimoth.org for details.

Bog Hollow Farm’s Annual Pumpkin Patch Weekend - October 9-11 (rain date: 9/16-17) from 10-4. Located at 80 Wapping Road, Kingston, this farm has a lot to offer during harvest season. Take a ride in the hay wagon to the pumpkin patch where you can search for your perfect pumpkin. Or get lost in the maze, have fun in the hay jump, visit the animals, or just relax and enjoy the beauty. Purchase fresh cranberries, check out the farm equipment on display, dress up as a fireman and take your picture on an antique fire truck -- plus Ellie & Vinny’s famous hot dogs. Call 781-585-8414 or visit www.boghollowfarm.com for details.

7th Annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration - October 9 & 10 from 10-4. Hosted by the A.D. Makepeace Company and the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association, this fun family event features juried crafters, activities for children, animal shows, cooking demonstrations, food vendors, pony and wagon rides, and much more. The highlight of the day is an opportunity to witness a working cranberry bog. Location: 158 Tihonet Road, Wareham. Call 508-322-4000 or visit www.cranberries.org/festival for details.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
August 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Hayride!

2010-08-04T13:08:00.000-04:00

A Mass Audubon guide points out the features of a red maple swamp to hayride participants.

If you’ve ever been to Mass Audubon’s Farm Day, held every fall at the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, you’ve probably taken a hayride. Touring the historic farm in a hay cart pulled by an old-fashioned tractor is one of the highlights of this annual event. My son, Abel, enjoys the hayride so much that one year we did it four times in a row.

I was delighted to notice in the Audubon newsletter that hayrides aren’t just for Farm Day. In fact, they can be reserved pretty much anytime throughout the year, for private events like field trips, scout expeditions, and birthday parties. For a flat rate of $125, you can bring 30 guests along for a one-hour naturalist-guided ride.

So with fingers crossed for good weather, my husband and I decided to book a hayride for Abel’s fourth birthday.

And boy, did we luck out! Our date, a Sunday afternoon in mid-May, was sunny and warm. Our guests, about twelve of Abel’s friends plus at least one parent per child, numbered close to thirty. A guide, an assistant and a tractor driver greeted us when we arrived at the sanctuary. And once everyone was ready, we piled into the hay cart and set off across the fields.

At Farm Day, the hayrides are relatively short. You get a quick tour without much input from the guide. But for a private event, the ride takes a full hour, stopping along the way for discussions, interpretation and quick stops to view some of the property’s best features.

Riding the hay cart across fields that otherwise are off limits to guests, we stopped near the apple orchard to learn about what the land was like when Daniel Webster owned it. The property first belonged to the Thomas family, who were among the first European settlers of Marshfield. Webster owned it next, and later Edward Dwyer, who turned it into a thriving enterprise – a dairy farm that produced 4,000 quarts of milk per day and 30,000 bales of hay per year! Dwyer also kept 25 horses and more than 600 pigs.

From there we rode deeper into the sanctuary, learning about some of the birds that nest in the fields and trees. We paused again near the Green Harbor River. The guides led us onto a wooden bridge, from which we spied a turtle sunning itself at the water’s edge. We continued along a boardwalk into the red maple swamp, to learn more about the flora and fauna that surrounded us.

Next we reboarded the hay cart and proceeded to Fox Hill, which overlooks much of the sanctuary. There, we learned about some of the geographic features of the property, as well as the deer often seen in the fields, and the osprey, whose nesting area we could see off in the distance. Some of the children – and their parents too – found this unusual perspective on the town of Marshfield quite fascinating. Looking down the river valley toward Green Harbor, they could see how close Rexhame and the town airport are to the neighborhoods off Careswell Street. By car, it’s a long drive around, but as the crow flies, it’s just across the river!

From there, we rode back toward the parking area, stopping at an observation hut that overlooks a small pond. We piled into the small dark building and peered out the windows to see what we could see. “Can we come back here again?” was a popular refrain.

When our hayride was over, we took advantage of the beautiful day and enjoyed cake and ice cream in the shaded, grassy area near the entrance. There was already one picnic table on site, and we’d brought along a few more child-size ones of our own. The children were delighted to run and play on the open field before and after their treats. The adults were content to relax and chat, enjoying the view and the fresh air.

Abel is fortunate that his friends enjoying spending time outdoors as much as he does. As a parent, it made me feel good to provide an opportunity for my son and his guests to do something educational and nature-related. Birthday parties are supposed to be fun, and if the big smiles on the faces of adults and children alike were any indication, I think everyone had a good time.

Consider a nature-themed birthday party for your own child. For information about Mass Audubon’s hayrides and other birthday packages, call 781-837-9400 or email southshore@massaudubon.org. The South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell (www.ssnsc.org) also offers birthday packages. Or create one of your own! Select a nature preserve, and put together some fun, age-appropriate activities for your guests that will encourage them to explore and learn about the plants, animals and geographic features to be found there. Scavenger hunt, anyone? If you’re stumped for details, consider hiring a naturalist from either organization to lead your event.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
July 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Visiting Local Farms

2010-06-30T15:56:00.001-04:00

Cheryl Bowen-DiTommaso of Dalby Farm introduces students from Marshfield's Pudding Hill Preschool to Stella the chicken. Photo by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein.

This past spring, I accompanied my son’s preschool class on a field trip to Dalby Farm in Scituate. We enjoyed a tour of the premises, meeting all of the animals that reside there – goats, sheep, rabbits and swine, plus chickens, roosters, geese and ducks, and even a pair of peacocks! We learned about the eggs, wool, and other products of the farm, and got to touch and smell various kinds of animal feed. The kids each had an opportunity to pet Stella the chicken, whose feathers were surprisingly soft. We also learned about the importance of recycling and composting.

There are a number of farms on the South Shore that welcome visitors. Many also offer classes and workshops for adults and children, as well as other opportunities for hands-on learning about agriculture, science, ecology, history, and plenty more. Recent columns have highlighted Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset and Weir River Farm in Hingham; you can read them in my nature column blog at http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com. In the meantime, let’s learn about a few more.

Located at 59 Grove Street in Scituate, Dalby Farm was founded in the mid-1800s. Originally a chicken farm that sold eggs to local merchants, it now focuses on rare and heirloom breeds of poultry and livestock. A satellite of the Plimoth Plantation Rare Breeds Department, and a member of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Dalby is actively involved in teaching awareness of animals and nature. It is open to the public from May through October, ideal for field trips, birthday parties, and small group visits. The material is tailored to fit the age of the group. The farm also runs seasonal events such as Spring Hatch Eggs-travaganza, Rare Breeds Discovery Program, The Dalby Farm Experience Summer Program, and the Country Christmas Fair. For more information, visit www.dalbyfarm.com or call 781-545-4952.

Another education-based farm is the Soule Homestead at 46 Soule Street in Middleboro, where the primary focus is “teaching children about the web of life.” Part of Soule Homestead’s mission is to show people where their food comes from and to promote sustainable agricultural practices. The farm has large fields for crops and grazing, which makes it scenic as well as educational. Many visitors go there just to enjoy the open space. George Soule, a Pilgrim, began farming this parcel in 1662, when he purchased it from the Wampanoag tribe. In 1988, the Town Of Middleboro bought the 120-acre property, intent on saving it from development and maintaining it for agricultural use. In 1993 a group of citizens began leasing it from the town to use as an organic farm and education center.

Now the Soule Homestead is open to the public, Tuesday through Sunday from 9-5, with free admission. It offers a variety of programs for hands-on learning, including school field trips and vacation programs, children's birthday parties and adult workshops. While there, you might meet the animals, spin wool or make butter, learn to identify different parts of a plant, experiment with centuries-old farm tools, or study how farming and the landscape have changed over the years. Plus there are several annual events such as Sheep Day, a summer concert series, The Harvest Fair, and the Unscary Halloween Party. For more information, visit www.soulehomestead.org or call (508) 947-6744.

I was surprised to learn that the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department runs its own farm, in Plymouth. Located on Obery Street, near the new courthouse, the farm’s summer hours are 9 am to 5 pm, seven days a week (After Labor Day, it closes at 3 pm). The Sheriff’s Farm features a free petting zoo, with cows, chickens, goats, sheep, pigs and even a tortoise! The farm staff is made up of six correction officers who are also trained horticulturalists; these officers supervise an inmate crew who raise plants and care for the animals on the 90-acre farm. The hard daily work that the farm requires serves as rehabilitation for the inmates. The farm also hosts a Harvest Festival in the fall, and sells Christmas trees and other holiday décor in December. For more information, visit http://www.pcsdma.org/Farm_And_Petting_Zoo.asp.

One of the most important things you can learn while visiting these farms is the concept of sustainability. Especially since the end of World War II, agriculture in the United States has changed dramatically. While productivity has soared, so have the use of chemicals and practices that ultimately harm not just the soil, but the people and animals that live nearby. This affects not only the farm itself, but the surrounding lands, as well as the rivers, streams and other bodies of water downstream.

However, farms that employ sustainable practices strive to protect and enhance the land. While growing crops or raising livestock, these farms make use of on-site resources wherever possible, and limit the use of non-renewable resources. Some common methods include rotating crops, recycling crop waste, treating and composting manure, replenishing the soil without chemicals, and avoiding excess tillage and poorly managed irrigation. These practices not only sustain the economic viability of the farm, they improve the quality of life for the farm’s workers, as well as the flora and fauna both on and downstream of the farm.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein
June 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Visiting Holly Hill Farm

2010-06-04T07:02:00.001-04:00

photos by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein

Looking for a fun outdoor excursion to enjoy with your family? Head over to Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset, where you can visit for free, any time during the day.

The setting, with rustic barns and assorted antique farm equipment, will interest young and old. While you’re there, see what’s for sale at the farm stand, and meet the animals that live on the premises – hens and roosters, rabbits, goats, a horse and a pony. Wander through the education garden, and find out what students and workshop attendees have planted. If you’re lucky, you‘ll see the farm consultants, Ben and Hannah Wolbach, in action. On a recent visit, my son and I watched Ben plow a field with a large tractor (Major excitement for a 4-year old)! There are several different walking trails too, up to a mile in length.

Located at 236 Jerusalem Road, Holly Hill Farm has been in the White family for five generations. In 2000, its most recent residents, Jean and the late Frank White, launched a commercial organic farming venture there. The property itself comprises 140 acres. Ten acres of that is open fields, and right now there are five acres in production. That’s a lot of land for an operation that employs only a handful of people!

The land, which is surrounded by an additional 120 acres of salt marsh and conservation woodland, has been farmed since the early 17th century. Incarnations over the years have included homestead, summer residence, saw mill, and truck farm, among others. Two post and beam barns on the property date back to 1785. There is also a classic pole beam barn, built in the Civil War era. Today there are also a few small, more modern greenhouses – one of which was donated by Annie’s, the famous purveyor of mac & cheese.

Holly Hill now grows over 75 varieties of organic vegetables, herbs and flowers, and sells eggs produced by its resident chickens. There are annual plant sales in the spring -- there were 15,000 plants for sale this year -- and from June through the end of the harvest, the farm stand, located in a 19th century barn near the entrance of the property, is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11-6.

Frank White, who grew up at Holly Hill, spent his life as an educator. When he returned to his family’s land in 2000, his goal was to develop the farm so that it could promote sustainable agricultural practices, serve as an environmental resource, and provide educational programs for local schools and the larger community. Frank passed away in 2009, but his legacy lives on.

The Friends of Holly Hill Farm, Inc., established in 2002, is a non-profit educational organization that is dedicated to making the farm’s resources available to the South Shore Community. The Friends offer programs for adults and children, including lectures, movies, workshops, field trips, and summer programs. Part of the group’s mission is to teach how organically grown food is important for our own health, as well as the health of the environment.

Holly Hill has quickly become one of the South Shore’s leading sources of farm-based programs for school children. Education Director Jon Belber, a former classroom teacher and last year’s winner of the Farm-Based Education Association’s Teacher Farmer of the Year award, has been developing and expanding the farm’s education programs for several years now. He co-authored, “A Growing Relationship,” a curriculum guide, with Frank White, which integrates hands-on farm projects with a classroom-based science curriculum.

Belber wants people to know that a local farm can be a great learning spot. “The fields are our classroom,” he says. Many area schools have sponsored 2-hour field trips to Holly Hill, during which the children enjoy a number of hands-on experiences -- tasting foods, digging compost, and learning and seeing how things grow in the farm garden. The programs are an excellent way to help children develop a real-world understanding of basic science.

Belber now works closely with several area schools. For example, under his tutelage, fourth graders from Marshfield’s South River Elementary, along with their teachers Bruce Frost and Jeff Dunn, constructed six raised beds at their school, in which they established a garden, planting garlic in the fall and spinach and peas in the spring. Students from the South Shore Charter School in Norwell have made weekly visits to Holly Hill Farm throughout much of the academic year. Over the course of the 20-week program (fall and spring), they have turned the earth, planted and harvested crops, saved seeds, and made compost – plus learned about crop rotation and natural fertilization methods. All of the Cohasset public schools and most of those in Scituate have participated in farm-based programs too.

This summer, Holly Hill Farm will offer programs for children ages 3-16. Participants will learn about growing healthy organic food and have fun outdoors, doing farm chores like planting seeds, caring for plants, making compost, caring for animals. Plus, they will use food grown on the farm to prepare a meal.

For adults, there will be a film series and the ever-popular workshops; past topics have included: Growing Great Tomatoes Organically, Organic Landscaping and Lawn Care, Cooking a Harvest Meal, Cutting and Arranging Flowers, and Making Compost. Private farm tours – for groups such as garden clubs and scout troops – easily can be arranged.

For more information about Holly Hill Farm, call 781-383-6565, or visit www.hollyhillfarm.org.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
May 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

How Do Children View Spring?

2010-05-07T07:12:00.000-04:00

Abel Bernstein, coming up from the back yard. Photo copyright Chris Bernstein.

Flowers are blooming, trees are budding, skunks are prowling -- spring is here! With longer and warmer days now upon us, I am enjoying explorations of the outdoors with my almost-four year old son. We don’t need to travel far to see daffodils emerging from the earth, or leaves beginning to form on trees, or worms squiggling around in the mud. While commonplace to me, these are little wonders for a boy who is just beginning to understand the world around him.

In preschool, Abel is learning a lot about springtime, which means I am learning too. So far, my son has taught me how to sing like a titmouse “Peter! Peter! Peter!” and has reminded me how fun it is to imitate a “chicka-dee-dee-dee.” In his classroom, he’s getting to know the lifecycles of caterpillars and butterflies, and closely watching insect larvae to see what happens next. I’m delighted that the natural world plays a significant role in his early education.

I am curious about how young children perceive the seasons. To find out, I sent a request to other parents in my circle: to ask their own kids what spring means to them. I expected some wacky answers, but instead the responses were quite literal and accurate. Here’s a sampling.

The question “What happens in spring?” elicited the following answers.

The robins come out. The leaves come back on the trees.
Audrey Leith, age 3, Marshfield

Birds fly back from the south.
Isabella Leith, age 4, Marshfield

"Flowers pop right up! And everyone goes outside and plays.
Thalia Shanahan, age 4, Whitman

It gets sunny out. There are lots of bugs.
Nora Kelly, 5, Marshfield

The air feels warmer. Snow melts. Flowers come up and they bloom. Trees get green leaves. All kinds of plants grow; even vegetables!
Charlie Simpson, age 6, Marshfield

It gets warmer. There is leaves on the trees. We get to play outside more.
More grass. Sun. More trees. More nice flowers. It doesn't rain that much.
Corinne Johnson, age 6, Pembroke

Spring turns into flowers. You can plant flowers in the spring. Some stuff grows. Dig a hole for treasure. You can plant a log. The birds eat some food from the bird feeder. The birds fly.
Sam Horton, age 5, Marshfield

Flowers grow, it rains a lot and the sun comes up.
Samantha Looney, age 5, Marshfield

Mamma's Birthday!
Sasha Christensen, age 4, Hanover

Rex tracks mud in from the yard and it makes you mad.
Sydney Christensen, age 6, Hanover

Lawn mower.
Savannah Brangan, age 2, Middleboro

Nathan Looney, age 3, of Marshfield, just tried to spell it: “s . . . b . . . r . . .g.”

I also posed the question “What do you like about spring?” Here are some of the replies.

April vacation! And it's much warmer and the Red Sox start playing again. The days are longer so I can play outside later!
Ben Baker, age 8, Duxbury

We can wear short sleeve shirts and flip-flops
Isabella (4) & Audrey (3) Leith, Marshfield

That you get to swim and I love to swim but I can't swim . . . but I can swim with swimmies.
Nora Kelly, 5, Marshfield

It gets warm and it's nice out. And I like leaves. I like big trees. I like to play on the swings because it's so warm out.
Corinne Johnson, age 6, Pembroke

I like that flowers grow. Some of my friends picked dandelions yesterday and me & my friend discovered them. They had stems.
Samantha Looney, age 5, Marshfield

Want to learn about the natural world with your own children -- or grandchildren? You don’t need a glamorous destination or any elaborate equipment. Start by stepping outdoors and simply see what there is to see. Notice the trees, the birds, the bugs, the flowers. So much of our surroundings go unnoticed, especially by adults, because we’re accustomed to them. But to children, the world is still new. For a refreshing perspective, try regarding the world around you through a child’s eyes.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein
April 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Celebrate 10 Years of Community Preservation!

2010-03-29T16:22:00.000-04:00

A view of the South River in the proposed park. Photo courtesy of NSRWA.

Ten years ago, Marshfield was one of the first towns on the South Shore to pass the Community Preservation Act (CPA). CPA enables cities and towns to set aside money for specific projects: namely, the purchase of open space lands, the creation of affordable housing and recreation opportunities, and the preservation of historic sites. The funds come from a surcharge of up to 3% on property taxes, and are matched by the state of Massachusetts. CPA is an excellent way to enrich a town’s quality of life, curb overdevelopment, and bring financial support to important community projects.

Now that Marshfield has been collecting CPA funds for a full decade, there is much to celebrate. Historic sites where preservation or restoration projects have taken place include the Daniel Webster Estate, Clift Rogers Library, the 1835 Marcia Thomas House, Hatch Mill, the GAR Hall, the Winslow House, and the Seth Ventress Building – plus Veteran’s Park, the Korean War Veterans Honor Roll, and Fire Station #2. Recreation accomplishments include improvements at the Uncle Bud Skate Park and Coast Guard Hill, as well as a Trails & Ways Committee mapping project. In the realm of affordable housing, improvements include an affordable housing plan and coordinator, and conversions of several existing residences.

Perhaps Marshfield’s greatest CPA accomplishment, however, is setting aside more than 100 acres of open space. In a town that continues to undergo commercial, industrial and residential development, it is essential that some land be saved. In the past decade, Marshfield has developed an Open Space Plan, and has acquired sizable land parcels on Union Street (the Little and Messer Conservation Areas) and Plain Street (the Ellis Preserve), among others. Now in progress is the creation of the South River Park, on Ocean Street, right in the heart of the downtown.

Our local environmental organizations are gathering together this spring to celebrate the Town of Marshfield’s many CPA-related accomplishments. The North and South Rivers Watershed Association (NSRWA), the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, Mass Audubon South Shore, and The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR) will co-sponsor a series of walks on some of Marshfield newly-acquired public lands. The public is invited! Go, and see for yourself what the Community Preservation Act has done.

• Easter Egg Hunt at the Ellis Preserve - Saturday, April 3rd, 11 am. Bring the family and kids to find Easter eggs, some painted by North River Arts Society artists. The parcel is approximately 28 acres, protected in 2006 using CPA funds. It has a cranberry bog, a pond and a forest of oak and white pine and protects drinking water wells and the South River. Wildlands Trust holds the conservation restriction and its staff will lead this walk. Park on Sandy Hill Road (off Route 139) next to the preserve in Marshfield.

• Maryland Street Conservation Area on the North River - Sunday, April 11th, 1 pm. This 17-acre parcel abutting the North River marshes and The Trustees’ 68-acre Two Mile Farm is a real gem! Protected at town meeting just last fall, this the first time that it will be open to the public for walking. Join NSRWA and TTOR staff to walk original cart paths and explore this new addition to Marshfield’s conservation lands. Meet at the Two Mile Farm parking lot on Union Street, Marshfield.

• Little’s Conservation Area, 915 Union Street - Sunday, April 18th, 1 pm. This lovely 25-acre parcel was protected in 2008 and abuts other areas conserved privately. The parcel is mostly upland with vibrant green ferns and a nice walking path. There is a small parking lot at 915 Union Street, Marshfield. Mass Audubon South Shore Sanctuary staff will lead this walk; a reception will be held at a neighbor’s afterwards with light refreshments.

• Site of Proposed South River Park (formerly Buckles and Boards), 2148 Ocean Street (Rte 139) - Sunday, April 25th, 1 pm. Come look at the site of the future (we hope) South River Park! The South River Park Working Group members, including the NSRWA, will be on hand to show the existing site and the proposed park drawings as well as to discuss opportunities for extending the greenway and a future walking trail along the South River.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
March 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Join a CSA

2010-03-03T15:17:00.000-05:00

The author with her son, Abel, at Rise and Shine Farm in Marshfield.

It’s late winter. Probably the last thing you’re thinking about is where you’re going to buy your produce this summer. But if you like to eat locally grown vegetables, now is the time to start figuring this out.

There are hundreds of farms in southeastern Massachusetts. Some of them have farm stands, some sell to restaurants and wholesalers, some set up booths at weekly farmers’ markets. Still others offer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.

Are you familiar with the concept of Community Supported Agriculture? A CSA is a program in which a farm offers shares of its harvest to consumers. Before the start of the growing season, shareholders make a financial commitment, enabling the farmer to purchase and start seeds, and to prepare the fields for planting. The farm may also ask its shareholders to volunteer a certain number of hours of physical labor – perhaps spreading compost or removing stones from the fields, planting seedlings or pulling up weeds, harvesting ripe produce or getting it ready for distribution.

Once the fruits, vegetables and herbs grown on the farm start to ripen, the hard work and up-front payments begin to pay off. Every week, shareholders arrive at an appointed time and place and go home with a bag or two of fresh produce -- at no additional cost. What they get depends on what’s ready to be picked. In June, it might be a selection of greens, peas, strawberries, and quick-growing root veggies like turnips and radishes. Come July it might be green beans, zucchini, cucumbers and raspberries. August brings tomatoes and peppers, and in September it’s potatoes, onions, carrots, winter squash . . . and who knows what else! So many factors go into farming – it’s hard to predict what will do well and what won’t in any given growing season. Many farms stagger their plantings so that shareholders will receive certain staples -- like lettuce – every week.

So what’s the advantage of joining a CSA – if you can buy the same produce at the grocery store at the same price, without having to do any work on the farm or pay for your food months in advance? Well for one, you’re not buying the same produce as that at the grocery store. You’re buying fruits and vegetables grown within a few miles of your home – not flown or trucked in from points south and west. So it’s fresher – and tastier – higher in nutritive value and often grown with fewer/no chemicals.

This is good for you – better nutrition, better quality -- plus you get some exercise. But it’s good for the planet too. Locally grown produce makes a far smaller impact on the environment than foods grown elsewhere in the country or the world. The use of fossil fuels, packing and shipping materials, not to mention advertising – all of these are greatly reduced or even eliminated when the food doesn’t have to be transported out of the region where it is grown.
By joining a CSA, you are also supporting the local economy. Shareholder contributions go directly to the farmer. You essentially are paying the salary of the people who grow your food – and paying for start-up costs for which the farmer might otherwise have to take out a loan. The farmer gets the security of having his or her harvest purchased in advance, while you get the peace of mind of knowing -- and even seeing -- where your food comes from.

Plus, it’s fun! Last summer, my son and I would visit our CSA’s transitional organic farm on Friday afternoons, to pick up our family’s weekly share of produce. We’d chat with the farmers and other shareholders, learn how different plants grow and thrive, and sometimes even pick our own produce. One day, while Abel checked out the farm’s vintage tractor, I gathered enough fresh basil to make a year’s supply of pesto. Another time, he and I harvested almost an entire row of carrots. What a wonderful experience for a child – to learn about how food is grown, to see agriculture in action -- and to be a part of it through the entire process, from untilled field, to seedling, to plate.

Most CSAs run from June to October, depending on what the farm yields. While harvest begins in June, work on the farm starts much earlier, as soon as the soil is ready to be worked. That’s why now – late winter and early spring – is the time to join a CSA. These programs are immensely popular, and often have waiting lists.

Listed below is a selection of local CSA programs. Contact them directly for shareholder information – some may already be fully enrolled for 2010.

Marshfield: Rise and Shine Farm – contact Marta MacFarland, 781-837-6702 or email riseandshinefarm@verizon.net

Middleborough:
• Plato’s Harvest – contact Dave Purpura, (508) 315-9429 or davepurpura@yahoo.com
• Golden Rule Farm at Soule Homestead – contact Frank Albani at (508) 224-3088 or plymouthrockmusic@msn.com
• The Dahlia Farm – call 508.947.8802 or visit www.thedahliafarm.com

Norwell: Norwell Community Farm – contact Jennifer Friedrich at contact@norwellfarms.org or visit www.norwellfarms.org

Plympton:
• Colchester Neighborhood Farm – contact Ron & Connie Maribett at 781-588-4255 or visit www.colchesterneighborhoodfarm.com
• Sauchuk Farm – call 781-585-1522 or visit www.sauchukfarm.net

Scituate: R & C Farms – call 781-545-6502 or visit http://www.randcfarms-simons.com

For further information on CSAs and other venues for locally grown foods, visit either of these online directories. Local Harvest: www.localharvest.org and SEMAP’s Farm Fresh Food www.farmfresh.org.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
February 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

The Cranberry Bog

2010-01-22T22:54:00.000-05:00

The neighborhood in Marshfield where I grew up is bordered on one side by a large system of cranberry bogs. As a teenager, I would often take long walks around the bogs – sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. I got to know the habits of the swans and Canada geese I encountered there, and explored the woods surrounding the property. It didn’t occur to me that it was private land, and that I shouldn’t be walking there without permission. The vast expanse of open space was so inviting . . .

In the winter, when it was cold enough and the bogs were flooded, all the neighborhood kids would go ice skating. Our mothers preferred that we skate on the bogs, and not the adjacent pond, because the bogs were shallow and thus safer. I never fell through the ice but plenty of other kids did. Skating season never seemed to last long enough. Inevitably in March, someone would risk the thinning ice and end up sinking into frigid, thigh-deep water.

Cranberry bogs are a common landscape feature here in Southeastern Massachusetts, comprising about 14,000 acres or a total of around 900 bogs. Many of these bogs have been in production for more than 100 years. Twenty eight percent of cranberries grown in the United States are from Massachusetts, but Wisconsin accounts for much more -- 57%. New Jersey, Oregon and Washington also grow smaller amounts.

The Wampanoag referred to the cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, as “sassamanash” or “ibimi” (bitter berry). European colonists called it the “crane-berry,” seeing the likeness of a crane’s head and neck in its blossom and stem. Eventually it became “cranberry.” In Europe, a similar variety, Vaccinium oxycoccus, is known as the lingonberry.
Cranberries require acid peat soil and lots of fresh water. These conditions often occur naturally – in kettle holes, carved and filled by the retreating glaciers with sand, peat, gravel and clay. The result is a spongy, low-lying wetland. After the commercial cranberry industry began -- on Cape Cod in 1857 – numerous improvements developed. Today’s cranberry bogs include a system of ditches, flumes and ponds surrounding the growing area, to facilitate irrigation and flooding.
The cranberry growing season begins in April and ends in November. The long winter dormancy period is an important requirement in the plant’s life cycle. The berries grow on low-lying, trailing vines, similar to but hardier than those of the strawberry. Undamaged cranberry vines will survive a long time. Some on Cape Cod, still bearing fruit, are more than 150 years old.

So how does a cranberry bog work? In the winter, the bog is flooded with fresh water, to protect the plants from freezes and thaws. Every few years, a layer of sand is applied, to promote growth and slow the spread of weeds and insects. Sometimes the sand is spread over the ice of a flooded bog. Other methods include dry sanding, by hand or with a vehicle, or barge sanding, on a flooded bog.

In the spring, the water is drained off, and the plants begin to grow. Sometimes the bog is flooded again briefly in April or May, to manage insects, weeds and disease. Water is also applied via sprinkler system to protect the tender plants when there’s a threat of frost (this occurs in the fall as well). On many bogs, herbicides for weed control are applied in the spring, although some cranberry growers pull weeds by hand. In both spring and fall, to optimize the flow of water, the ditches around and between the bogs are cleared of mud and other impediments. This is generally done with a mini excavator.

As spring turns to summer, fertilizers are sometimes applied to support growth. Since cranberries do not self-pollinate, growers keep beehives on the bogs during bloom (early June through mid-July), hoping the bees will pollinate the cranberry flowers. Cranberries typically require about an inch of water per week, so if there isn’t sufficient rainfall, the bogs are irrigated, generally with a sprinkler system. Weeding and/or herbicide application continues, as does Integrated Pest Management using a variety of methods, some regulated by the state.

In the fall, beginning in mid-September, it’s harvest time. There are two basic methods of cranberry harvest – dry and wet. Dry harvesting, which comprises only 10% of the crop, involves walk-behind combing machines or self-propelled harvesters that separate the berries from the vines, which must be completely dry before harvest. The berries are collected in large burlap sacks, and eventually sold as fresh whole fruit.

Wet harvesting, far more common, involves flooding the bog once again. Growers use reels (sometimes known as “egg beaters”) to stir up the water and help separate the berries from the vines. Since cranberries have pockets of air inside them, they float to the water’s surface, where they are gathered within wooden or plastic booms and lifted or pumped onto a truck. These are made into juices, sauces, dried cranberries, and nutritional supplements.

Many years ago, a wise older friend reminded me that a cranberry bog is not necessarily land that’s open for use by the public. “It’s someone’s farm,” she said, “someone’s livelihood, and it should be treated with respect.” Many cranberry growers welcome walkers and ice skaters to their properties, as long as they do no harm. It’s always a good idea to ask first.

We are likely to have another good month or so of ice skating weather. Always make sure the ice is solid before you skate. Perhaps I’ll see you out on the bog!

Sources:
http://www.cranberries.org
www.uscranberries.com
http://www.capecodtravel.com/attractions/nature/cranberries0900.shtml

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
January 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Celebrating the Winter Solstice

2009-12-21T15:06:00.000-05:00

Where did the tradition of Christmas lights come from? Why do we light artificial candles in our windows and deck our homes in strings of white or brightly-colored bulbs? This modern convention is actually based on very old ways – bringing light to the shortest days of the year, and marking the Winter Solstice, which occurs here in the northern hemisphere on December 21 or 22 (the exact time varies slightly from year to year).

Certainly you’ve noticed how the sun sets a little earlier and comes up a little later each day as we head into November and December. By the middle of the twelfth month, many of us are leaving for work before the sun rises and returning home long after it has set. But we know that this is temporary – that the days will again grow longer . . . and warmer too. Once the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, has passed, daylight hours will increase, and continue to grow throughout the first half of the new year.

Since ancient times, cultures worldwide have considered the Winter Solstice a time for gathering together. Typical late-December rituals include holidays, festivals and celebrations of rebirth, mostly centered on the life cycle, so to speak, of the sun. For example, the Druids viewed the solstice as the time of death of the “old” sun and the birth of a new one, the beginning of the solar year. In the third century, the Roman Emperor Aurelian established December 25 as the birthday of the "Invincible Sun;" this was only part of a more elaborate Winter Solstice celebration. In the year 273, the Christian church selected this same day to represent the birthday of Jesus.

Anthropological studies have concluded that some early tribes feared that, as the days grew shorter and shorter in late fall, the sun would continue to wane, eventually leaving them in permanent darkness. So when the days began to grow incrementally longer once the solstice had passed, there was reason for celebration.

Winter celebrations had a practical purpose as well. The growing season was over. In order to survive the winter and early spring, a community would have to rely on what foods it had saved and stored, as well as what it could obtain by hunting and foraging. Generally, livestock were slaughtered at this time so that they would not have to be fed through the winter. So you can see why this was a time for feasting – it was perhaps the only time of the year that the people could eat fresh meat. In addition, beer and wine made from crops grown earlier in the year had finished their fermentation processes and were ready to consume. If that wasn’t enough reason for having a party, the threat of not living through the winter made it all the more compelling.

Nowadays we have modern conveniences that ensure, for most of us, fresh food in the fridge and the pantry throughout the year. Yet the Winter Solstice and the holidays that fall close to it (e.g. Christmas, Hanukah, Ramadan, Yule, New Year’s) are still opportunities to feast, to celebrate, to bring light to the darkness.

As much as we enjoy them, incandescent Christmas lights are not the most eco-friendly way to bring light to the darkness. Consider the new LED holiday lights, which look them same when lit, but use much less energy. If you’re curious (or simply aiming to be more frugal) you can calculate the cost of your own holiday display. Search online for an energy cost calculator for Christmas decorations, such as the one at http://www.christmaslightsanddecorations.com/energy-cost-calculator.aspx.

Or consider this alternative to Christmas lights, borrowed from Latin American culture. The luminaria, or farolito, is another way to brighten the dark days and nights. Made from small brown or white paper bags partially filled with sand, illuminated from within with a tea candle, farolitos are a Christmas Eve tradition, arranged in rows for maximum effect. You can line your driveway or the sidewalk in front of your home with farolitos, and invite your neighbors to do the same.

Happy Solstice!

Sources: www.circlesanctuary.org; www.wikipedia.org; www.religioustolerance.org

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
December 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Earth-Friendly Holiday Shopping

2009-12-03T09:42:00.001-05:00

Holiday shopping season is upon us. Perhaps it’s due to the economy, or maybe just a desire for a less-complicated December, but many of us are aiming to do less this year. We are trying to figure out what’s essential as we prepare for Christmas, Hanukah, and other winter holidays. For example, my family has decided to keep our Christmas Eve/Day menus simple. Also, we are reminding each other that we “really don’t need more stuff.” Let’s remember that the winter holidays are first and foremost about family, friends and faith.

‘Tis the season for gift giving, though, and there’s the dilemma. How do we choose thoughtful, personalized gifts that communicate the joy of the season without creating more waste? Here are a few suggestions.

A Gift To Improve One’s Carbon Footprint – Consider all the waste that goes into packaging and shipping the products we buy online or purchase at national chains. The alternative -- shop locally! From jewelry to clothing to art to home furnishings, and so much more, there are lots of wonderful gifts to be found within a few miles of home. Some of my favorites include: Local Pottery in Hanover, Woodacre Farm in Pembroke, and The Focus Gallery in Cohasset.

A Gift of Education and Fun – Memberships to museums and other cultural institutions make terrific gifts. Your purchase supports the arts (which tend to get hit hard in a bad economy) and your giftee receives free admission for a year, as well as all sorts of other perks. For young families, consider local favorites like the South Shore Natural Science Center (www.ssnsc.org) or The Children’s Museum in Easton (www.childrensmuseumineaston.org). Or head up to Boston, where there’s something for everyone -- New England Aquarium, Museum of Science, Boston Children’s Museum, or any of the art museums.

A Gift to Reduce Junk Mail – A couple years ago, my sister gave my husband and me a subscription to GreenDimes (now called Precycle/Tonic). We gave the company every variation of our names and mailing address we could think of that had ever been used on a piece of mail, and they set to work reducing the amount of junk in our mailbox. It worked! We used to get a ton of glossy catalogs every day from Thanksgiving to mid-December. Now we receive only a few. Check it out at precycle.tonic.com

A Gift to Protect The Environment – A great gift for any occasion is a membership to one of our local environmental organizations. Your donation helps the organization to achieve its goals – land preservation, for example, or cleaner water – while the person to whom you give it enjoys the benefits of membership in the group (discounts activities, newsletters, and so forth). Some favorites of mine: The North and South Rivers Watershed Association (www.nsrwa.org), The Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts (www.wildlandstrust.org), The Trustees of Reservations (www.thetrustees.org) and Mass Audubon (www.massaudubon.org).

A Gift To Better One’s Community – What do you give the person who has everything? Who needs nothing? How about an investment in his or her community? Local food pantries, shelters and clothing banks always need financial support. Programs like Marshfield Community Christmas help to improve the holidays of the less fortunate. Plus there are animal shelters, hospice services, programs for senior citizens and veterans . . . the list goes on. Choose a charity your giftee would happily support and make a donation in his or her name.

A Gift For The Soul – When times are tough, what’s the first thing to be dropped from the To Do List? Special treats for oneself. Thus, gift certificates for massage, yoga, acupuncture, a facial, a pedicure -- the things we are reluctant to get for ourselves – are often the most appreciated gifts of all.

Alternatives to Wrapping Paper: While you’re considering the impact your gift-giving will make on the environment this year, also be mindful of the waste generated by the use of wrapping paper. There are several alternatives. You can repurpose magazine pages as wrap for small gifts, or – with your child’s permission – children’s artwork. Paper gift bags, boxes, and ribbon can be reused numerous times before they wear out. My favorite eco-friendly wrap, however, is a drawstring cloth bag. A couple years ago, I crafted a big set of these, in varying sizes, from fabric leftover from various projects. They can be used over and over again, passed on from one person to the next. You can buy them, or if you have the resources, make your own. They’re a lot less work, too.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein
November, 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Fall Fun for Families

2009-10-28T15:26:00.000-04:00

Autumn is such a wonderful time of year to spend time outdoors. The summer heat has passed, and – at least on most days – the chill of winter has yet to set in. It’s time to get some fresh air and some quality time outside with the family. Most of the ideas listed below cost nothing, and depending on where you live, many can be done in your own back yard.

Collect Colorful Leaves – How many different colors can you find? How many different shapes? Take a walk in the woods and see what’s there. When you’re done, you can put the leaves back where you found them, or bring them home to make art projects. Press a collage of leaves between two sheets of wax paper (use a hot iron), or preserve individual leaves. You can string them together to make a garland or even a wreath. Keep them for yourself, or mail them to a friend living in a place where the leaves don’t change color.

Make a Pile of Leaves – And Jump In It – If your leaf collection gets big enough, you can rake it into a giant pile. Kids love to play with leaf piles – jumping into them, scattering them across the yard, or just sitting in them and pretending. Encourage them to use their imagination. Is it a nest? A landing pad? A bowl of soup?

Build Things With Sticks – Especially after a storm, the forest is filled with all lengths of sticks and fallen branches. Put your creative mind to work and these can be a fun alternative to building blocks or Legos. Long sticks can be bound together at the top to create a rustic tipi, or stretched across a stream (real or imagined) to make a walking bridge. Shorter sticks can be used like Lincoln Logs to create miniature log cabins and other structures.

Build Things With Stones – Rocks of all sizes can also make intriguing building materials. Find a rocky forest or field, or just go to the beach, and collect a variety of rocks and stones. You can make your own miniature stone wall, Stonehenge replica, or other sculpture. Or make a “hoodoo,” piling one stone on top of another, and another, and another, etc. at the edge of a walking trail, leaving a mysterious mark for others to ponder as they pass by.

Plant Bulbs For Spring – Many flower bulbs have to go into the ground in the fall in order to bloom in the spring. Choose an interesting variety or two at your local garden store, and select an area in your yard to which you’d like to add some color. Even the smallest hands can help with this home improvement project. Don’t forget to watch for green shoots and flowers when springtime comes!

Adopt a Tree – Choose a tree in your yard or in a place you visit regularly. Consult a field guide to learn all about the tree’s life cycle. Observe the tree each day and make a diary of your observations. Notice how the tree changes as the weather grows colder, what animals live in or near the tree, and so on.

Go On A Scavenger Hunt – Make a list of things you’d like to find in nature (a maple leaf, an acorn, a birch tree, some moss, a squirrel gathering food for the winter) and then choose one of our myriad conservation areas and get busy looking for them.

Walk on the Jetty – Several local beaches (Plymouth, Green Harbor Brant Rock) have rock jetties that you can walk on, some more challenging than others. If it’s not too cold or windy, scrambling over the boulders, being careful not to fall in the water can be an invigorating, adventurous way to spend an hour. Bring a snack to enjoy once you’ve reached the end of the jetty, where you can sit down and enjoy the view.

Go Birding – So many different varieties of birds pass through the South Shore while migrating south for the winter. Plenty more live here year-round. Bring along your binoculars and a field guide (or a knowledgeable friend), and stop by any nature preserve to see what you can see. Want more guidance? Our local Mass Audubon office offers regular birding outings for adults and families throughout the year.

Take a Walk – With the foliage at or just beyond its peak, the woods are a beautiful place to be in mid-fall, especially on those properties where you can see the colorful leaves reflected on the surface of a river or a pond. The meadows and marshes are quite lovely too. There are so many open space areas on the South Shore . . . too many to count. Check out one you’ve never visited before!

Get On The Water – The vibrant fall foliage also makes a delightful backdrop for a paddling or boating trip. If you don’t have your own, you can rent or borrow a canoe, kayak or perhaps even a small motorboat and explore our local rivers – the North, the South, the Jones, the Weir, and so forth. Just be sure to avoid going on a windy day. Want some company? Check www.nsrwa.org (and this newspaper’s community calendar) for paddling trips.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
October 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Preserving Agricultural Landscapes

2009-10-01T11:04:00.000-04:00

Cows graze on a hilltop pasture at Weir River Farm.

It was in the middle of our third hayride at Mass Audubon's Daniel Webster Farm Day that it occurred to me that my son and I have been spending an awful lot of time on the farm this month. In addition to attending Farm Day, one of our annual fall rituals, we picked tomatoes, potatoes and a pumpkin at Weir River Farm's Market Garden in Hingham, sat on tractors and took a different hayride at the South Shore Natural Science Center's Corn Festival in Norwell, picked apples at Mounce Farm in Marshfield, and visited the cows at O'Neil Farm in Duxbury. Plus, every week we've stopped by Rise and Shine Farm in Marshfield to pick up our farm share (and if Abel's lucky, dig some carrots). We are fortunate to have so many farms, so close by.

Despite its agricultural history, the South Shore can no longer be described as a farming community. There may be farmlands hidden away here and there, but to get a real feel for the wide-open fields that large agricultural enterprises require, you have to go to Plympton or Middleboro or parts of Bridgewater. This wasn't the case 100 years ago, when farming was still a way of life around here.

Things have changed. Lands where once we raised cattle, or grain, or vegetables are now neighborhoods, strip malls, big box stores. It won't change back. That's why I am grateful for organizations like Mass Audubon, The Trustees of Reservations, and The Wildlands Trust for having the foresight to preserve agricultural landscapes.

It was 25 years ago that Mass Audubon purchased the 350-acre Dwyer Farm from Edward Dwyer, the last in a short line of owners that also included statesman Daniel Webster. Dwyer was ready to retire from farming, but did not want to see his land absorbed in suburban sprawl. Negotiations with the Conservation Commission had stalled, due in part to the property's $500,000 price tag. But thanks to the tireless efforts of Dorothea Reeves and other volunteers on the Committee to Preserve Dwyer Farm, numerous fundraisers, and an anonymous $100,000 donation, Dwyer Farm was saved from development and preserved as open space for future generations. "Nature doesn't last for us if we take it for granted," Reeves told the Marshfield Mariner. "This is paying off some of our debt to nature."

Since then, the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary (Winslow Cemetery Road, Marshfield) has grown to over 500 acres. With rolling green meadows, an apple orchard, and vestiges of old agricultural structures, it still has the feel of a traditional New England Farm. It is also one of the most strikingly beautiful places on the South Shore. Audubon has added two miles of walking trails, wildlife observation blinds and platforms, boardwalks through red maple swamplands, and foot bridges over the Green Harbor River to facilitate exploration. It is open year-round, dawn to dusk.

Another agricultural landscape now preserved for posterity is Weir River Farm in Hingham (Turkey Hill Lane). Managed by the Trustees of Reservations since 1999, this beautiful 75-acre property was originally a country estate, founded in the early twentieth century. Most recently, it was the home of Polly Thayer Starr, an acclaimed painter. Ten acres of fields have been left open for pasture, evoking an aura of days long past. The Weir River flows through the northwest edge of the property. There are also 60 acres of oak and red cedar woodland, and a good old-fashioned barnyard, with horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, and a llama.

The Trustees of Reservations have made a point to preserve the farm's historic character while providing diverse wildlife habitat. This spring, on a hilltop field that once grew corn and winter rye, grower Cindy Prentice (with the help of hundreds of volunteers) put in a 2.5-acre Market Garden, with 90 varieties of flowers and vegetables, including 20 different kinds of sunflowers. The garden is open to the public twice a week for Pick Your Own; they also have a small farm stand. All summer long, Weir River hosts Open Barnyard on Saturdays, where visitors can meet the animals that reside there. The season culminates with the Fall Festival, with livestock viewings, live music, pony rides, pumpkins and more. Walking trails are open year-round.

Why should you visit Weir River Farm? Meghan Connolly, the property's Education and Interpretation Coordinator, has this to say. "When people first discover the farm, they often have the same reaction: 'a place like this exists on the South Shore?' There is something about this place that appeals to people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether it is a five-year-old collecting eggs for the first time, an eighty year old neighbor out for his daily hike, or a volunteer with their hands in the soil of our market garden, there is a community here that everyone can be a part of."

A third agricultural landscape now preserved for the enjoyment of future generations is the Historic O'Neil Farm in Duxbury (Autumn Ave.). By far the most recent of such acquisitions on the South Shore, the property was opened in part to the public in 2005, thanks largely to the efforts of The Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts. It is now run by its own non-profit corporation, Historic O'Neil Farm, Inc. Conservation restrictions and an agricultural preservation restriction are in place to ensure that the farmhouse, barn and outbuildings will remain, and that the 145-acre farm will never be developed as house lots.

The farm was founded in or before 1736, and has been in the O'Neil family since 1829. Current owner Carl O'Neil, along with his brother Edward, took over day-to-day operations in the 1950s; Carl himself has been running the dairy farm for the past 30 years, selling milk to Agri-Mark, a cooperative best known for Cabot Cheese. It is possibly the last working dairy farm on the South Shore.

While O'Neil asks visitors not to disturb activities in the barnyard, there is a new walking trail on the property, and another one in progress, both of which give you a sense of the land and how it is worked. While there, you might catch a glimpse of O'Neil plowing a field or letting the cows out to pasture. Once a year, on Farm Day, the entire farm is open to the public, with hayrides, animal demonstrations, and children's games and crafts. Private tours also may be arranged.

Besides being a fun place to bring the kids, farms like these - some working, some not - are a wonderful destination for anyone seeking a pleasant walk or the opportunity to spot some wildlife. They speak to our region's not-so-distant history, and remind us of the importance of keeping land undeveloped and open to the public.

"Agricultural landscapes are a window to our past, the classrooms of today's new farmers and an important piece of our food independence in the future," says Meghan Connolly. "Even non-working farms are an important feature in defining the unique feel of Massachusetts and provide critical habitats for grassland bird species and other wildlife."

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein
September 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Visit Your Local Farmers’ Market

2009-09-04T10:40:00.000-04:00

(Lynda Everett's beautiful and delicious tomatoes)

This is an ideal time of year to shop at the farmers’ market. Here in southeastern Massachusetts, the harvest is in full swing. Most vendors offer a wide selection of fresh produce, much of which is picked the same day it is brought to market. Cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, green and yellow beans, tomatoes, potatoes, onions . . . Stop by any farmers’ market and you are sure to find a bounty of these items – as fresh as can be, and super-tasty.

Shopping the farmers’ market is a wonderful sensory experience. You will see all sorts of vibrant colors, and smell fresh flowers and herbs. Many vendors offer food samples, so you can taste a chocolate cherry tomato, for example, or a bite of fresh blueberry pie. Some markets also offer live music. Most feature crafts, jewelry, and other retail items for sale.

In addition to satisfying your own needs for food and entertainment, shopping the farmers’ market is an excellent way to support the local economy. Although some area retailers stock locally grown produce, most truck or ship the majority of their fruits and vegetables in from California or other regions with long growing seasons. But at the farmers’ market, everything is local. Your dollars go directly into the farmers’ pocket, helping him or her to run the farm and support the family. It feels good to make such personal transactions.

Farmers’ markets can be social too. My son and I visit the Marshfield Farmers’ Market every Friday afternoon. Our first stop is the table for Rise and Shine Farm, from which my family purchased a farm-share in the spring. That means that each week we receive a full bag of fresh, organic produce grown right down the street from our house, in Marshfield. While there, we learn what’s ripening on the farm, find out about volunteer opportunities, and perhaps share a recipe or two.

Our next stop is organic grower Summer Dreams Farm, also based in Marshfield, where we buy additional herbs and veggies. Summer Dreams often offers unusual crops like squash blossoms, mulberries, and multi-colored swiss chard, plus a more typical array of greens, tomatoes, squashes and so on. While I chat with owner Lorrie Gampp, Abel ducks into the shade under her farm stand, to flirt with the other customers and watch for familiar faces.

By then, Abel is itching for his weekly treat from Carver Farm, which offers Marshfield-made breads, pies, baked goods and jellies. This year we can’t get enough of Sally’s cinnamon buns, with a 25-cent cup of lemonade or iced tea to wash them down. From there, we visit with Lynda Everett of Today’s Harvest (based in – you guessed it – Marshfield!). While Abel demonstrates his performance skills (lately he sings songs from “Mary Poppins” – and dances too) I stock up on tomatoes and sweet white cucumbers, one of Lynda’s specialties. The Everett children are often on hand too, ever-friendly.

All of this food is grown or produced right here in town. You can’t get more local than that.

We round out our shopping trip by buying more produce from Costa Farm and Freitas Farm, from Plympton and Middleboro, and from anyone else that might help us complete our shopping list. We could have gone to the grocery store and tossed similar stuff into our cart, and been in and out in twenty minutes. But instead we spent an hour outdoors -- making friends, sharing stories, and doing a small part to enrich the local economy. Perhaps the best part of shopping at the farmers’ market is that it makes us feel good.

Consider stopping by your local farmers’ market before the season ends, mid-fall. You’ll be glad that you did.

Local Farmers” Markets:
Braintree: Town Hall, Washington Street; Saturday, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm through 10/31.

Carver: Shurtleff Park, Route 58, across from Town Hall; Sunday, Noon - 4:00 pm
through 10/25.

Cohasset: Cohasset Common, Main Street; Thursday, 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm through October 8.

Duxbury: Tarkiln Community Center Grounds, Route 53; Wednesday, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm through 10/14.

Hanover: Hanover Mall, Circuit City parking lot; Saturday. 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
through 10/31.
Hingham: Bathing Beach Parking lot on Rt. 3A; Saturday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
through 11/21; and Downtown Square; Wednesday, 10 am - 2:00 pm
through 9/2.

Hull: Nantasket Ave. (Bayside) between Bay and Edgewater; Friday, 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm through 9/11.

Marshfield: Marshfield Fairgrounds, Route 3A; Friday, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm through 10/16.

Plymouth: Stephen's Field, off Route 3A near Plymouth Center; Thursday, 2:30 pm- 6:30 pm through 10/29; and Courthouse Green on Court Street; Saturday, 9:30 am - 1:30 pm through October 31.
Quincy: Quincy Center, J. Hancock Parking lot, across from the Court House; Friday 11:30 am – 5:30 pm through 11/20.

Weymouth: Town Hall, 75 Middle Street; Saturday, 9:00 am -1:00 pm through 10/24.

(Lemon cukes and sweet white cukes from Today's Harvest in Marshfield)

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
August 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Saquish and the Gurnet

2009-08-05T14:12:00.000-04:00

A view from Saquish Head. Photo by Sandy Bacon.

The South Shore is dotted with all sorts of hidden gems, special places, and best-kept secrets. Those in the know are often reluctant to share these places with others – because if too many people find out, they might not be special or beautiful anymore. But some of these gems are in plain sight, and accessible if you know where to go. A perfect example is the collection of hills and sand spits that run south and west from Duxbury Beach -- The Gurnet and Saquish.

If you head south from the seaward side of the Powder Point Bridge, on the dirt road that runs between Duxbury Beach and Duxbury Bay, you will pass three different beach access roads, a wooded area known as High Pines, and shortly thereafter, a sign that reads “Entering Plymouth.” The road continues, now on private property. Gurnet Lighthouse rises in the distance. After checking in at a guard station, you can continue uphill into the village known as The Gurnet. From there, making a sharp turn westward, you traverse a relatively long and narrow stretch of sand, which is Saquish Neck. Continuing up onto another highland, you arrive at Saquish Head.

The Gurnet and Saquish are different from the rest of the South Shore. Most visitors agree, when you go there, it’s like traveling to an earlier, simpler world.

The drive alone is worth taking. The changing views of the bay as you head south over the often rough and rutted road are just spectacular. At times you will pass close enough to large shrubs of beach rose to smell their sweet scent. You will also see grassy sand dunes, the pebbly bay shore, yellow spikes of mullein, and stands of sumac and cedar. This year, in mid-July, after a rainy spring, the bright greens in the landscape sparkled like emeralds.

The Gurnet is a drumlin hill, as is Saquish Head and nearby Clark’s Island. All were formed 20,000 years ago – like much of our landscape --with the retreat of the Wisconsin Glacier. Saquish Head was originally an island, but over time, sand accumulated between it and the Gurnet, creating a lovely stretch of barrier beach. Although connected to the mainland in Duxbury, these villages are all part of the town of Plymouth.

The 27-acre Gurnet was named either for a fish common to Devonshire, England, or one of several headlands in the English Channel. Humans have been active on this promontory for centuries. There is ample archaeological evidence of Native American use, and records indicate a possible visit by a Viking ship around 1004. In 1605, the renowned cartographer Samuel de Champlain mapped Clark’s Island and the Gurnet. When the Plymouth Colonists arrived in 1620, they found The Gurnet to be a reliable source for pine and clams. As European settlement in the Duxbury area expanded, the Gurnet and its environs were visited frequently for lumber, fishing, salt haying, and shellfishing. The first people to purchase land there were John Doty, John Nelson and Samuel Lucas, all in 1694.

A primitive lighthouse was constructed on The Gurnet as early as 1710, and replaced with a more modern one in 1768. This twin-beacon lighthouse was the first of its kind in America, and was for a time in the late 18th century the charge of Hannah Thomas, our country’s first female lighthouse keeper. Cannonballs, fire, and erosion each plagued the lighthouse over the years, and thus it was rebuilt several times and moved back from the edge of the cliff. It was converted to solar power in 1986, and still helps to guide boats into the harbor today.

The Gurnet also played a role in our region’s martial history. In 1776, a six-cannon battery known as Fort Andrew was constructed at Gurnet Point, overlooking Plymouth Harbor. Militia from Plymouth, Duxbury and Kingston manned it throughout the Revolutionary War. A life saving station was built there in 1878. Destroyed by the Portland Gale and rebuilt, it was eventually operated by the Coast Guard and functioned until 1956. Other, now departed, features of note on The Gurnet included farms, a dance pavilion, and an inn.

Saquish has a quieter history. Its name is a variation on a Native American word for clams (which were abundant for harvest there at low tide). Champlain’s map shows Saquish Head as an island, but by 1774, it was connected to The Gurnet by a sandy barrier beach, created as a natural consequence of tides, storms and shoreline erosion farther north. Plymouth Colony sold Saquish to Ephraim and George Morton in 1690. It was probably settled first in the late 1600s or early 1700s, with farmers, fishermen and later, the occasional rum-runner. Fort Standish was constructed there during the Civil War, a small structure with a gun mounted on each of its four corners, with locals taking patrol shifts.

The prevalence of mosquitoes and the relative inaccessibility by land (prior to 1898’s Portland Gale) kept Saquish relatively unpopulated until the ditching of the salt marshes in the early 20th century and the arrival of the Jeep after World War II. Then things changed rapidly. Fifty cottages were built on Saquish during the 1950s. Today there are 52 homes on Saquish Head, 120 on Saquish Neck, and another 55 on The Gurnet. These are generally passed down within families, not sold.

All of the land on Saquish and The Gurnet is privately owned. There are no paved roads, and no public utilities (although you do see plenty of generators, propane tanks, solar collectors and rain barrels these days). The roads are alternately thick with sand traps or deeply rutted—that is, if you’re not driving directly on the beach, which is also considered a “road” of sorts. It’s a 6-mile trip from the end of the Powder Point Bridge to Saquish Head, requiring 40-60 minutes of your time.

As these are private lands, I don’t recommend visiting Saquish or The Gurnet without permission. But if you can find someone to invite you there, be sure to take advantage of the offer!

Source: The Duxbury Beach Book, compiled and edited by Margaret M. Kearney and Kay Foster, published by The Duxbury Beach Reservation Inc., Duxbury MA; 2007.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
July 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Visiting the South Shore Natural Science Center

2009-07-06T13:32:00.001-04:00

I have been writing this nature column for over fourteen years. Oddly, I have never featured Norwell’s South Shore Natural Science Center (SSNSC) in this space. What a tremendous oversight!

Do you know about the Science Center? It may qualify as one of the South Shore’s best-kept secrets. Founded in 1962, SSNSC has been active in environmental education for almost 50 years, working with area schools “to cultivate an awareness, appreciation and concern for” the natural world. They offer hands-on, interactive programs for preschoolers through Grade 12 -- in schools, at the Science Center, and at the beach and local nature preserves. They also offer programs for adults and families, throughout the year.

Originally knows as the South Shore Nature Center, the SSNSC got its start when a group of local naturalists and college professors, led by the renowned Norwell native, William G. (Cap’n Bill) Vinal, began running nature education programs out of a building in the town center. An old school bus named Flora brought children on field trips. In 1968, the group acquired land on Jacobs Lane in Norwell. The first Nature Center building, constructed in part by students from the South Shore Vocational-Technical High School, was dedicated in 1974. By then the Science Center was offering educational programs year-round.

Today the Science Center is comprised of a nature center on 30 acres, with six interpretive nature trails, and access to an additional 200 acres of conservation land. Outdoors there is also a summer house, an amphitheater, and a picnic area. Indoors includes a gallery, a greenhouse, a gift shop, classrooms and restrooms, and most notably, The EcoZone and other interactive exhibits.

Created with the help of South Shore native Jeff Corwin (of TV’s Animal Planet), and established in 2002, the EcoZone, is a multidimensional, interactive exhibit area that focuses on the ecosystems of southeastern Massachusetts, with special emphasis on wetlands habitat. Visitors can crawl through a hollow log and view a live pond – complete with frogs, fish and turtles -- from the bottom up; open tiny doors that reveal what plants and creatures inhabit a meadow; cross a wooden bridge; and learn first-hand about quaking bogs, vernal pools, nocturnal animals, and local reptiles and amphibians (snake-phobes, beware!).

Judging from my three-year-old son’s enthusiasm for the EcoZone, I’d say that it definitely helps to fulfill the SSNSC’s mission “to provide natural science experiences that educate, excite, and commit every generation to preserve the environment and to encourage responsible use, stewardship and enjoyment of our natural resource.”

The Science Center is also home to Bob the Iguana, a barred owl named Hedwig, an annual infusions of tiny red-bellied cooter turtles. Weekly programs such as Feed the Animals provide guests an opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with some of these creatures.

There’s always something going on at the Science Center. Vine Hall, the main gathering area, boasts a gallery of works by local artists that changes each month. The Nature Center Preschool runs throughout the school year – plus the Nature Adventures Summer Day Camp from June through August. Annual events such as Corn Festival, Maple Day, Perseid Showers Family Campout, Through the Garden Gate Garden Tour, the Water Watch Lecture Series (co-sponsored by Mass Audubon and NSRWA) and others provide entertainment and education for all ages. Visit www.ssnsc.org for a listing of current classes, programs, and events.

If you prefer a more solitary experience, be sure to check out the Science Center’s woodland trails. Most are easy hikes - perfect for families. Of particular note is the Tupelo Trail, a sensory trail developed for the blind and print handicapped, and the Sylvester Trail, which passes over a vernal pool. The trails are open every day, dawn to dusk (pets and smoking prohibited). Access is free of charge; you can pick up a map at the front desk. (Braille, large-print, and audio guides also available).

The South Shore Natural Science Center is located at 48 Jacobs Lane, off Route 123 in Norwell. Summer Hours (July and August) are Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30pm, and Saturday 9:30am - 1:00pm. Admission fees for indoor exhibits are $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children (ages 2-15) & senior citizens (free for members). Admission to Vine Hall Art Gallery, the Nature Gift Store and the trails is always free for everyone.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
June, 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Choosing Local Foods

2009-06-08T13:57:00.000-04:00

Have you heard the term “locavore?” In 2007, the New Oxford Dictionary named it the Word of the Year. A locavore is someone who eats food grown or produced locally -- within a certain radius (a county, a region or a certain number of miles). Being a locavore may seem sensible for someone who lives in California, for example, or another place where food is grown year-round. But around here? Is it even possible?

It is surprisingly easy to find locally-grown food here in Southeastern Massachusetts. There are a number of farms, orchards, and cranberry bogs right in our back yard; the popularity of farmers’ markets is on the rise; and we can purchase local produce, eggs, milk, bread, meat and plenty more at farm stands, Pick Your Own venues, and specialty stores. Plus a number of area chefs are seeking out local foods for their restaurant tables.

The following are some reasons to consider adding more local foods to your diet.

It’s Fresher, It Tastes Better, and It’s Better for You.

Locally grown produce doesn’t have to cross the country by plane or truck, or sit in cold storage for days. Most often it is picked within 24 hours of when it is sold to you, which is significantly shorter than what you’ll find in the average grocery store. Because local food doesn’t have to travel as far, it can be harvested at its peak. Produce from farther away has to be picked sooner and less ripe in order to survive the journey across the country – or around the world. (Compare the flavor of a freshly picked local apple to one flown in from New Zealand.)

Locally-grown food is better for you too. According to the FDA, some of the vitamins in fresh produce are depleted 50% or more within a week or two of being harvested. So if you choose a local tomato, you’re getting significantly more nutritional value from it.

You’re also lessening the risk of contamination. When you buy local, your food travels a much shorter route from the farm to the table. Thus it’s easier to track potential problems. You may even be able to talk with the farmer who grew it. This is especially relevant in light of the many food recalls we’ve seen of late.

It’s better for the local economy.
Buying local helps keep money in our communities. When you buy lettuce grown nearby, your money goes right back into the local economy, supporting the value of our real estate, the maintenance of infrastructure like roads and bridges, the quality of our schools. It can even help to enliven downtrodden areas.

Buying local supports our communities, but even more, it supports our farmers. Nationwide, farmers on average receive only 20 cents of each food dollar – the rest covers costs like transportation, processing, packaging, refrigeration and marketing. But if they sell directly to the consumer, they receive much more. Why should we support local farmers? For one, farms provide jobs. Furthermore, the taxes towns collect from agricultural development actually earn communities 70 cents on the dollar. Compare that to residential development, which costs a community $1.25 per dollar earned. When we support farmers, it gives them an economic incentive against selling their land to the highest bidder, which in turn helps us to preserve open space.

It’s better for the environment.
According to Rich Pirog of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the average fresh food item on our dinner table travels 1500 miles to get there. Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and other best-selling books on food, elaborates on this point. “It takes seven to ten calories of fossil fuel energy to deliver one calorie of food energy to an American plate,” he writes. “Only a fifth (of that energy) . . . is consumed on the farm; the rest is spent processing the food and moving it around.”

It’s Social – and you can learn something.
Buying local helps to build community. Going to the farm stand and chatting with the grower, or running into a friend at the farmers’ market . . . we’re creating social ties that only strengthen our communities

Plus, buying local might encourage you to try something new. At the farm stand, you may find an item you haven’t tried before – squash flowers or mustard greens, bite-size plums or purslane. Local growers may offer more variety too – they are often willing to try out a new type of lettuce, for example, when a grocery store won’t because the demand isn’t there.

It can save you money.
Because costs such as cross-country transportation are not a factor, local food is often less expensive than what you find in the supermarket. You are eliminating the middle man. Blueberries at Tree Berry farm in Norwell last summer were $2.60 per pound to pick your own. They averaged around $2.99 per pint at the grocery store.

Can we do it year-round?
One of the major challenges of eating local is what to do in the winter when nothing much grows here. The first step is to buy extra when a certain food is in season. You can freeze strawberries, or make jam. You can turn an abundance of tomatoes into sauces and salsas. You can make pesto or pickles or fruit leather and stock it all away for the colder months. If you’re not adept in the kitchen, you can look to local producers of such products.

Another important consideration is simply to be conscious about the foods you choose. Can you hold off on apples from New Zealand next summer and wait for the local ones to come through in September?

Where To Find It
In the summer and fall, local foods are available nearly everywhere. Most towns host at least one farm stand, and Pick Your Own berry farms and orchards are scattered throughout the region. Even a standard supermarket stocks some locally grown produce in July and August.

In 2008 there were ten weekly farmers’ markets in Plymouth County and thirteen in Bristol County. What could you find there? Fresh-picked produce to be sure, but also eggs, baked goods, homemade condiments, seedlings, even lobster. Many area stores stock locally-grown or produced foods as well. Check out Good Health Natural Foods in Hanover and Quincy; Whole Foods Market in Hingham; and the Fruit Center Marketplace in Milton and Hingham, to name only a few. In addition, restaurants from the tiny Rockin’ K Café´ in Bridgewater to the renowned Tosca in Hingham feature locally-grown foods on their menus.

Two excellent resources for finding locavore fare are edible South Shore magazine, published quarterly in Kingston, MA; and the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership’s (SEMAP) Online Farm Guide, where you can search an immense database of growers to find farmers markets, farm stands, and other local food purveyors near you. Check it out at www.farmfresh.org. And save the date of September 28, 2009 for NSRWA's Food For Thought event at the Mill Wharf Restaurant, which features locally grown and prepared foods from numerous South Shore growers, chefs and caterers.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
May, 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Visiting Weir River Farm

2009-05-04T14:38:00.000-04:00

Graham Schofield, 3, of Marshfield, checks out the chickens at Weir River Farm.

If you haven’t yet visited Weir River Farm in Hingham, now’s the time to check it out. Managed by the Trustees of Reservations since 1999, this beautiful 75-acre property offers something for everyone.

Like World’s End, its majestic companion to the east, Weir River Farm features a stunning view of Boston Harbor. The panorama from the top of Turkey Hill can be breathtaking. On a clear day, you might be able to see the North Shore.

Weir River Farm was originally a country estate, founded in the early twentieth century. Most recently, it was the home of Polly Thayer Starr, an acclaimed painter. Ten acres of fields have been left open for pasture, evoking an aura of days long past. The Trustees of Reservations make a point to preserve the farm’s “historic pastoral and agricultural character,” while providing diverse wildlife habitat. The Weir River flows through the northwest edge of the property.

There are also 60 acres of oak and red cedar woodland. A footpath from the top of Turkey Hill meanders down through the fields and the woods, and then divides into two trails. One trail leads to the barnyard, while the other directs visitors to The Grove. Intentionally reminiscent of a British woodland, The Grove features an open understory plus a garden path bordered with flowering shrubs and perennials.

The trails measure a total of 1.5 miles. Some are quite steep. Whether you’re hiking uphill or down, be prepared to feel your muscles at work! Trail maps are available near the parking areas.

Weir River Farm’s trails connect to those in the Whitney & Thayer Woods Reservation, which in turn connect to Wompatuck State Park and Hingham’s Triphammer Conservation Area. These parcels comprise the largest contiguous tract of open space on the South Shore, totaling close to 5,000 acres.

The barnyard is . . . well, a good old-fashioned barnyard. The restored barn and adjacent pens are home to a small number of horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens -- and a llama. Throughout the late spring and summer (beginning May 2), Weir River Farm offers Open Barnyard every Saturday from 10-2, where visitors can meet the animals and learn more about how they are cared for (free for TTOR members, $3 for non-members).

In season, Weir River Farm sells the all-natural eggs, beef and pork produced there. This year they plan to offer homegrown cut flowers and pumpkins as well.

Also, on Wednesdays from 10-11 beginning June 3, there is an Outdoor Story Hour. Other programs for adults and children, including the Farm Hands Camp for ages 5-12, are available throughout the year. Call 781-740-7233 for more information.

How To Get There: From Route 228 near the Hingham Town Library, turn onto Leavitt Street. Follow Leavitt for 0.6 miles, then bear left onto Turkey Hill Lane, and follow it to a dead end. There are two small parking areas.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
April 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Going to the Zoo

2009-04-13T14:05:00.000-04:00

A lion at Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro, Massachusetts.

Now that spring is here, it’s time to start spending more time outdoors. We have plenty of options here on the South Shore – the beaches, the rivers, and plenty of sanctuaries, preserves and conservation areas. But perhaps you are looking for something a little different. Consider the zoo.

Until recently, it hadn’t occurred to me to visit any of our local zoos. I’ve been to some of the great ones – Washington DC, San Diego – but I think the last time I went to a zoo within a 50-mile radius more than thirty years ago.

Last spring we received a membership solicitation in the mail from Zoo New England (ZNE). If we joined, our family would be granted a year of access to both ZNE Zoos (Franklin Park and Stone Zoo), as well as their affiliates nationwide -- which includes pretty much all of the other zoos in our area. We decided to try it.

First up was the Franklin Park Zoo in Dorchester. Franklin Park has enjoyed a renaissance of late. In fact, it now feels like an oasis in the middle of the inner city. The zoo itself is divided into several sections. Serengeti Crossing features ostriches, ibex, wildebeests and a herd of zebras. Franklin Farm has chickens, cows, goats, and sheep, plus rabbits, a barn owl, and a Contact Corral for the warmer months. The Children’s Zoo includes prairie dogs, the amur leopard, a duck pond, and assorted reptiles and amphibians. And the Outback Trail has emus, kangaroos, kookaburras, cockatoos, and black swans. Bird’s World and Butterfly Landing round out the offerings.

The Franklin Park Zoo is large and well-spaced. Climbing a grassy hillside, you will see giraffes, lions, tigers, bongos, and camels. A landscaped path from which one can catch a rare glimpse the “real” city beyond the zoo walls leads to the Tropical Forest, home to a family of gorillas – as well as snakes, a pygmy hippopotamus, a dwarf crocodile, various birds and small critters, tapirs, and wild dogs. The gorillas are fascinating to watch – so similar to humans in their gestures and expressions.

Throughout the zoo, there are plenty of picnic tables, restrooms and (seasonal) snack bars, plus a gift shop and a large playground. In the warmer months, the zoo also offers a carousel and a small train on which children can ride. One final highlight: the Franklin Park Zoo is also home to a peacock, but you never know where you might find him. He struts around the grounds, spreading his plumage at regular intervals.

Our next visit was to the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. Probably the largest in the area, this zoo is packed with attractions. Divided by geographical region, Roger Williams takes you to Africa (elephant, zebra, giraffe, cheetah, jaguar, crane, wildebeest, wild dog), North America (bison, red wolf, pronghorn, bald eagle, seal, penguin, farm animals), and Australasia/The Tropics (emu, kangaroo, anteater, flamingo, sloth, monkey, wallaby). Plus you can visit the Silk Road (camel, moon bear, snow leopard, panda), and Madagascar (lemurs, tortoise). Great care has been taken to create the feeling that you are moving from one natural environment to another. Ample foliage makes it a pleasant excursion on a warm day. There are plenty of rest rooms, benches and snack bars. For us, the highlight by far was the three elephants, and the informative talk given by one of their attendants.

Our final destination (so far) was the Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro. I had never heard of this zoo, until I saw it featured in – of all places -- People magazine. Capron Park’s main attraction right now is Ramses, a white lion who likes to play. Other zoo-bound lions tend to snooze the day away, but not this one. He loves preening for the guests. As does his cub, born last fall. This zoo is much smaller than the others, which means it is perfect for a visit with a toddler who refuses to sit in a stroller. Little legs can easily walk from one exhibit to another, and see all there is to see in just a couple of hours. Other featured animals include: snow monkeys, sloth bears, warty pigs, meerkats, a snow leopard, emus, kangaroos, a green tree python, owls and other nocturnal creatures, plus llamas and goats (that you are encouraged to feed). A new exhibit, Lemur Island, in the middle of a large pond, opens this spring. Restrooms, a gift shop and snack bar, and a new playground round out the offerings at Capron Park.

Two other local zoos are on our list of Place To Visit soon. The Stone Zoo, in Stoneham, features a bald eagle, black bears, reindeer, roadrunners, jaguars, and yaks. And the Buttonwood Park Zoo, in New Bedford, is home to bison, black bears, elephants, harbor seals, a bald eagle, river otters, deer, and coyote.

Do an Internet search for any of the zoos mentioned above and you will find visiting hours, directions, maps and almost everything else you need to plan your trip. In many cases, the warmer the weather, the more you will see the large jungle animals outdoors (many of them are kept inside in the colder months). Certainly you will see – and learn about – animals you would not otherwise find here on the South Shore.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
March 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Cabin Fever

2009-02-27T07:25:00.000-05:00

Abel and Chris Bernstein enjoy a winter stroll on Rexhame Beach in Marshfield.

This winter has been long and cold so far – and snowy. I was just beginning to wonder if I’d see bare ground again before April when that warm sunny Sunday arrived in early February and shook things up a bit. Could it be – our January thaw, only eight days off schedule?

Melted snow and ice ran in rivulets down the front steps at my parents’ house, where I was charged with snow removal duty (while they vacationed in Mexico). The snow was gone, but two inches of thick ice remained. Would it ever go away?

The wind blew so strongly that the pines shed not just twigs but small branches, smashing apart in the driveway where they fell. It was 49 degrees, warm enough to spend some time outside, but not safe to be in the woods with all that stuff falling down.

At home, I asked my son Abel, who is nearing age three, how he wanted to spend the afternoon. He began reciting the names of the toy trains he wanted to add to his collection, a sacred litany, hopeful. “And we can go today, to the store, to get them!” No, shopping was not the answer.

“Would you like to go to the beach?”

“I can bring my trucks! And play in the sand!”

After lunch we put on our sneakers – not our boots. It felt strange to resume contact with the bare ground, to let go of that extra layer of insulation underfoot.

“We can bring our beach chairs!”

Beach chairs . . . the warm sun . . . lounging. I feel a strong wave of envy surge and then float away. My hardworking parents, under the palm trees, alternately reading, swimming and eating. I wish we were there too, on the island, our idea of paradise. “Next year,” I assured myself. “Maybe next year.” It seems wrong even to fantasize about a tropical vacation in this economy.

Last winter was mild. We spent a lot of time outdoors, in the back yard, gathering sticks and “fishing” in the brook that skirts the edge of our property. This year is the opposite. Even on the days when it is warm enough to venture outside for more than a few minutes, the yard is iced over, encrusted with dirty snow. No wonder I feel depressed.

I don’t want to complain about the weather. I want to be outside. I want to breathe fresh air and feel the sun on my face. I don’t care if I have to wear a hat, coat, scarf, gloves -- and long underwear wouldn’t be a bad idea either – I need to get out of the house. Is it Seasonal Affective Disorder? Cabin Fever? It doesn’t matter. Yes, we are going to the beach.

At Rexhame, it is colder and windier than at home. Those five miles make a difference. Climbing over the dunes, I am surprised to see snow. Even on the beach, there are patches of hard, dirty snow! But beyond it are rocks, pebbles, and because it’s low tide, a long, flat expanse of wet sand. And the ocean! Suddenly I feel like there is much more air to breathe.

My husband, my son, and I make our way toward Beadle’s Rocks. Abel wants to sit on the sand and make roads with his trucks, but the sand is too damp and so we walk instead. We tell him that we can climb on the big rocks.

It’s too late in the day for seals, but the receding tide has left all sorts of puddles. Abel wants to splash in them. How do you explain to a two year old that some days you have to step over the puddles? Instead, we pretend that the big rock is a slide, and let him go down it, again and again, as much as he wants. He still manages to get his feet wet, darting off into the puddles with a sly grin.

It’s too cold to linger, so we make our way back to the car.

On the way home, we stop at Gerard’s Turkey Farm for sandwiches and french fries, which we eat in the car, right out of the bag. It’s not a vacation, but it kind of feels like one -- a much-needed change of pace and scenery, albeit brief. Maybe next week it will be warmer.

Only a few more weeks till spring!

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
February, 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Outdoor Fun in the Wintertime

2009-01-19T14:52:00.000-05:00

Winter is here. So far this one has been cold and snowy, and it’s unlikely that that trend will change. Have you been inclined to sit indoors, eat chocolate, and dream of warmer climes? I have -- but if I keep that up, I will be fat and listless come spring. It’s time to light a fire under our hardy New England bones, get outside, and enjoy the season.

But what to do? It’s difficult to walk on ice-covered roads and hiking trails. It’s no fun anyway, when the wind blows so strong and cold that no amount of layers can counteract it. But the fresh air can be invigorating, the sunshine can make you feel more lively -- and a little bit of exercise will bring color to your cheeks and get the blood flowing through your tired old veins. Step outside – and feel better.

Here are a few outdoor activities to consider this winter.

Spy on the Harbor Seals – At low tide on a relatively warm sunny day, you can find harbor seals on the rocks (and sometimes on wooden floats) up and down our coastline. Duxbury Beach and the road to Saquish are prime viewing spots, as are the road to Blackman’s Point in Brant Rock and the end of Damon’s Point Road in Marshfield. It’s fun to watch harbor seals frolic in the water and bask in the sun.

Skate on a Frozen Pond – Yes, it’s cold outside. Consider it an opportunity! It’s not often that our lakes and ponds freeze up enough to support ice skaters. Dust off those skates, bundle up, and find some ice. Once you get your “sea legs,” you may surprise yourself, pirouetting around the pond a la Dorothy Hamill. Not feeling graceful? Grab a hockey stick and see if you can get some friends together for a quick game.

Sled Down a Big (Or Small) Hill – Oh, the joys of freshly-fallen snow when it’s powdery and not covered with ice. Is there a plastic sled in the corner of your basement? A toboggan? An inflatable snow tube? An aluminum saucer? You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy the thrill of sledding. Every town has its favorite spot. Country clubs usually offer a variety of hill shapes and sizes. The ride down is fun, and the hike back up the hill will strengthen your legs and get your heart pumping a little faster.

See a Favorite Place With New Eyes – Let’s face it: cold and windy are not ideal conditions for a walk in the woods if you have to move slowly to avoid a fall. Slide a pair of Yak Trax or good old-fashioned crampons over your boots, and you’ll gain some much-needed traction on the ice. Then you can walk faster – and feel warmer as you go. There are plenty of forests to choose from on the South Shore – consider Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke or the North River Wildlife Sanctuary on the Marshfield/Scituate line. Notice how different – and beautiful -- the woods appear when covered with snow. You might also try snowshoes or cross-country skis.

Build a Snowman – You don’t have to be a child to enjoy constructing a snowman or any other kind of snow sculpture. If the conditions are right, it won’t take long to roll three big balls of snow and stack them for the traditional humanoid figure. Corncob pipes and button noses are optional – get creative with what you have at hand. I’ve seen snowmen wearing Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses, or dressed up as firefighters.

Cold Weather Safety Tips:
• Don’t go alone. Whatever you’re doing outdoors, bring a companion – or at least a cell phone – so you’ll have access to help in the case of an emergency.
• Dress in layers. Waterproof (or water-resistant) on top, and something warm underneath. Choose wool or synthetics like fleece or polypropylene for the bottom layer.
• Change your clothes immediately if they get wet.
• Keep your hands, feet and head covered – your face too if it’s very cold, wet or windy. Concerned that you’ll look dorky in a hat? Better that than freezing! You will lose 40% of your body heat through an uncovered head.
• Keep moving when you’re out in the cold. Staying still will permit the cold to set in, and once you get a chill, it’s hard to shake it.
• Don’t stay out in the cold too long. Take breaks when you can and go someplace warm.
• Drink warm beverages. Filling your tummy with something warm will help combat the cold as well. You can bring a thermos for outside, or drink cocoa, soup or tea when you go in. Avoid alcoholic drinks, which can dangerously alter the way your body senses cold.
• Keep Your Chin Up. Spring will be here before we know it.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
January 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

On Behalf of Playing Outdoors

2008-12-29T13:27:00.001-05:00

In the neighborhood in Marshfield where I grew up in the 1970s and 80s, the kids were allowed to roam the streets until dark -- and sometimes after. Mostly we played in each other’s yards, rode our bikes, or played kickball, baseball or other games in the big triangle where three streets came together. We were almost always outdoors – skating or sledding in the winter, swimming in the summer when a parents was around to supervise.

One of our favorite places to play was a vacant lot that we dubbed Kids’ Highway. It was only a half-acre, but it seemed much larger. It was thickly wooded, and older kids from the neighborhood had created a network of bike trails among the trees.

When I first learned to ride a bicycle and was allowed to pedal “around the block” with a friend, I was cautious about entering Kids’ Highway. It seemed mysterious -- a place more for older kids than an elementary-schooler like me. Its dense stand of pine and cedar trees didn’t let in much light, so it was always dark inside. Toward the back, in a spot where parents were least likely to see what was going on, there was a clearing where – the story was told – some of the boys had fist fights, or smoked cigarettes. Sometimes empty beer bottles could be found there too. (Back then, it was fun for us to collect all the different, colorful bottle caps, hoping for an unusual one.)

Once I overcame my fear of biking along the root-knotted trails through Kids’ Highway, I liked to race my friends to see who could pedal through the fastest, without “wiping out.” These were the days before mountain bikes, so there were plenty of falls.

At the far end of Kids’ Highway was a large pile of dirt – probably 15 feet high – that also had a path worn into it. The more adventurous boys would try to jump their bikes off of it, creating a ramp of compressed dirt at the bottom. I would sometimes run down it, but it took me years to work up the guts to hurtle my bike down that hill and “catch some air.”

One of the best features of Kids’ Highway was a tall tree – probably an oak -- with lots of strong branches – perfect for climbing. The tree was in the corner of the property, so once you got up into it, you could see far down three different streets. I wasn’t inclined to climb the tree (not higher than the first realm, anyway), but one of my friends was. One day we packed a picnic lunch and took our one-speeds (mine had a banana seat!) on a “bike hike.” We ate our sandwiches under the tree, and then my friend decided to climb. She got high enough to get scared -- and would not come down. I had to go all the way back to her house to find her father, whom I hurriedly led back to the tree, to help her.

Kids’ Highway was a magical place. You rarely saw an adult there. As the name implied, it belonged to the kids. So you can imagine our outrage when one day some workers came to cut down most of the trees. Before long, trucks dug a big hole, and more workers poured a foundation. In a matter of weeks, Kids’ Highway was gone – someone’s house was there instead.

People say that children don’t play outside anymore. I don’t think that’s true – I know plenty of kids who play outdoors – and enjoy it immensely. Perhaps what has changed is the roaming. The tree climber and I (still friends, yes, 30 years later), debate whether it’s safe for her eighth grader to ride his bike half a mile to the town center, when we ourselves did it in fifth grade, from farther away. We’ll think twice (or more) about letting the younger children stay outdoors – and more importantly out of earshot -- until dark.

Our generation of parents may be more cautious about letting our children roam free. Our towns – and streets -- are much more populated now, and in general, the times demand closer supervision. But it’s important that we not let go of the notion of playing outdoors, especially in areas that are not fenced it. There is so much to learn from pretending to be explorers in the woods, making discoveries absent from the purview of a parent. So much to learn in burying “secret treasures” in the forest peat and then trying to find them a week later. So much to learn from creating one’s own games – where the tools are forked sticks instead of joysticks – making one’s own entertainment rather than demanding to be entertained.

When my son and his friends are old enough, I want to be able to say, “Go out and play,” and not worry that I’m asking them to do something that’s just not done anymore. We have a nice, big wooded lot in our backyard – I hope my son will create his own Kids’ Highway there someday.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
December 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

North River Men of Times Past

2008-12-08T13:25:00.000-05:00

I found the following article on microfilm at the Ventress Memorial Library in Marshfield. Back in the 1970s, Walter E. Crossley of Pembroke wrote a column entitled “As I Remember,” which was a series of remembrances, mostly about the North River. This one appeared in the Marshfield Mariner on June 15, 1972.

What strikes me most about the subject of this article, a man named Nat Magoon, is that he was able, more or less, to live off the land, even through the winter, right here on the South Shore. I doubt that there is anyone who would be willing to do such a thing nowadays.

Such reminders of times gone by make me thankful for modern conveniences – but also curious about how to make do with less.

OLD MEN ON THE NORTH RIVER
My choice of the old river man falls on Nathaniel Magoon, better known as Nat.

If someone had addressed him as Mr. Magoon, he would have looked about in surprise to see who was being spoken to. He lived in a small house, inherited from his parents, for practically his entire lifetime. This was located squarely in the middle of the present 139 route at the Water St. intersection.

A LEISURELY GENT
Nat (I still think of him by that name) was a leisurely moving, rather stout man. I have heard my mother say that when Nat went to the one room school with her, he spent most of his time asleep. If called on by the teacher, however, the proper answer was immediately given. I imagine his formal schooling ended early. For Nat’s way of life, anything beyond the three R’s was wasted.

He was pretty much self sufficient. He acquired the few dollars of cash he needed by trapping in the cold winter and, on occasion, he did odd jobs. If he had an unlucky winter, he worked for a few weeks on the town highways in the spring.

Nat could make a split oak basket strong enough to stand on or he could shape an ax handle, if need be. When he needed a boat, he built one. His dory may have been a bit rough by present standards, but it served him for forty years.

Can we say as much for one of our modern fibre glass or plastic boats?

The trapping and hunting season started with the first. The came the muskrat up until spring. The furs brought cash, the bodies food. An occasional duck, partridge or rabbit furnished variety. Potatoes and other winter vegetables came from his own garden and were stored in the cellar.

Eels were speared all winter. And with the coming of spring, Nat looked forward to the herring run. Fresh and salted, they were on the menu for a long time.

HIS SPECIALTY
He had one specialty. A scoop or two of flour, a few other ingredients were stirred together and baked in the oven and, in a short time, produced biscuits that made the local housewives green with envy.

By the time the herring run had ended, summer had arrived and there were garden vegetables, fish, clams and a turtle now and then. They did nicely until fall when the round started over.

On a nice day with a fair tide, Nat could be found down on the river, sometimes with Mr. Simeon Phipps, but more often alone. His trips on the river were leisurely voyages. He started from what is now the Pembroke Marine and Route 139 and rowed just enough to keep off the bank. A couple of buckets of clams and a goodly catch of flounder were his reward. There was peace and quiet on these trips and plenty of time to observe nature. There was never any hurry.

This was Nat’s way of life. It was as he wanted and it sufficed him for many years.

He was held up to us boys as a bad example – no job, a lazy good-for-nothing. He envied no one and was free from the hurry and strain of our present competitive existence. I sometimes wonder if he had something that is largely lost today.

There were many others of that era. Some I knew personally, some by hearsay. They, no doubt, varied as to appearance and habits but the basic pattern was the same.

There were the Hendersons and Pratts from Norwell, the Flahertys of Third Cliff, Phillips and Rogers of Marshfield, William Cann, Melvin Ewell, several Damons and many others. I do not attempt to remember them all. The hurry and stress of our modern era has about, if not quite, done away with their mode of living. I doubt it will ever return.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
November 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. Visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com for an archive of the last 12 years of Kezia’s articles.

Another View of the 1898 Portland Gale

2008-10-31T08:35:00.000-04:00

Local lore is full of tales about The Portland Gale, the November 1898 storm that relocated the mouth of the North River. These accounts tend to focus on Humarock, the Seaview section of Marshfield, and the lower portion of the North and South Rivers, where the storms effects were most dramatic.

But the Portland Gale wreaked havoc up and down the shores of New England. What follows is a letter dated December 2, 1898, less than two weeks after the storm had hit. It tells how the village of Brant Rock endured The Portland Gale. The letter was originally published in the South Shore Mirror newspaper on November 23, 1967, in a column entitled “Marshfield Matters” by Mrs. D.B.

Times change, but storms continue to pound our coastlines year after year. This year (so far!) we have been lucky. I think it’s useful to be reminded how powerful Mother Nature can be.

The letter is not signed. Originally, it continued for a few more paragraphs, but my copy is faded and truncated, so I can’t share the rest of it with you. (A note to local historians: if you have a copy of the rest of this letter, I’d love to see it and publish it here!)

Brant Rock, Dec. 2, 1898.

Dear Friend:

Your letter received and will try to give you a little account of how we are left at Brant Rock. I cannot tell you just how many houses are wholly destroyed (I have only looked over one beach as I caught a cold taking a sea bath out of season, and have not been able to get out of doors much), but a great many, nearly all are damaged to some extent.

Walter P’s store and Ocean House are not damaged to any great extent. Our large Stetson cottage was the only one out of our five that was damaged much. Walter P. had four houses nearly destroyed, one barn and his large stable damaged considerably.

Mr. Bryant was the greatest loser. Nearly all his houses are wrecked, six or seven I think, and his dwelling house burned, leaving them with only the clothes they had on when they fled to the church. Mr. Houghton’s and Whiting’s and Tribur’s nice cottages are damaged badly. Edgar Phillips’ house is gone entirely, and the roof is at my back door.

Millis Brigg’s house at the corner on Dyke Road has sailed over to ‘Cut River.’ “Twilight” cottage has been obliged to move back out of the street nearly on to the back street.

Sea walls are all gone. There is hardly room to drive a team by Churchill’s, the bank has washed away so, but the hotel was not hurt much, or the houses up the street. The roads are full of great rocks and wreckage of all kinds, lobster traps, boats and furniture. I can look out of my window and see a nice bed lounge and stoves, etc. scattered around.

Webster Park (this is now Fieldston) is a thing of the past: the sand hills are flat. Scarcely a house remains to tell there ever was a settlement there. Mr. Foster and Mr. McLaughlin must be losers by thousands of dollars.

Duxbury beach is nearly destroyed. A great many houses are destroyed and others are badly damaged. In the height of the storm a schooner was driven over the beach into the bay safe. H. says your house seems to be all right. Our own dwelling only had some glass broken.

I have tried to give you an idea how things are, but I cannot describe things half as bad as they are, and now I will give you a little of my own experience. There are others who had just as narrow escapes, but I can only give you mine.

Saturday we felt there was a storm brewing, but the water was very calm. Towards night it commenced to thicken, and at 6:30 it commenced to snow and blow. The southeast wind changed to northeast. We did not sleep much for the wind was something fearful. At 8 a.m. Sunday the breakwater gave way and seas broke through on the street.

At 8:30 the street was full of water, and H. said Mr. Bryant’s family had gone to the church and must get the children dressed to go. So the men took Mr. C’s three little ones, Mr. Landry’s two, and my two little ones to the church; also Mr. Peterson’s two youngest. It was all they could do to get there.

We went into the station (Coast Guard) and I thought I was wet and uncomfortable then, but it was nothing compared to what I got later on.

We had only been in the station a few minutes when Mr. Cahoon’s house and one of the station hand’s houses went down with the ‘Clifton’ the second house from the station next to ‘Melrose.’ Mrs. Cahoon just escaped with her four children, the youngest five months old. They only had what clothing they had on.

Then we thought the station was going, but they ordered the men to break down the doors on the street side to let the water and rocks go through, and that was what saved us. They did not dare for us to go upstairs. They ran a line over to the church and fastened it to the stone porch, thinking we might get over on that, but Mr. Harris, who carried it over, nearly lost his life getting back. The rope slackened up and the rocks knocked his feet from under him and the rope got around his neck. Henry and Baker went to his rescue.

So you can see what danger there was to get into the street and off your feet. They ran the lifeboat out and strapped life preservers on us, even to the little baby. When we found there was a chance for the station to stand, and we were drenched through, and the rocks were coming in by carloads, the men said we better get up stairs.

It was full sea at 10:30 and about 11:10 Bryant’s house caught fire and burned down. At that time the tide had ebbed so the men fought their way down with the wind blowing a gale, but the fire was confined to Mr. B’s dwelling and his house next to it he used as an ‘office.’ The office was only partly destroyed. He only saved a few papers however.

We came back to our house thankful to escape with our lives and find a dry house. If we had only known, we could have stayed in our house, safe, but there are houses piled up all around us.

Mr. P’s houses all came down on us. Mr. P, Leslie, Annie and Mrs. P left and went to The Ocean House when their house got so full of water the kettles washed from under the sink. They thought the Ocean House was built stronger, as the piles it rested on were driven by a pile driver very deep in the mud.

Mr. Peterson’s family and mine left our homes at night and went up on the hill and stopped in a house of Mr. Flavell’s over night. Others, about 30, stopped in the church. We were afraid of the night tide, but the wind changed and we were saved. I consider we were fortunate, compared with Mr. P. and Mr. Bryant, but have lost enough.

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein
October 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Fun Fall Activities

2008-10-27T13:57:00.000-04:00

(Sauchuk Farm corn maze photo by Chris Bernstein)

Autumn has arrived! The days grow shorter and cooler, and many of us revel in the crispness of the air and the absence of humidity. Fall brings lots of opportunities to spend time outdoors. The South Shore offers all sorts of traditional fall activities – you just need to know where to find them.

Apple Picking – Quick, before it’s too late! Mounce Farm at 481 Union Street welcomes visitors to its orchard on Saturdays and Sundays from about 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. You can pick your own apples for $5.00 per bag, or buy them pre-picked. The orchards will only be open the last two weekends of September, and maybe the first weekend in October, so act fast. Or check out C.N. Smith Farm at 325 South Street, or Singleton Orchards at 160 Pine Street, both in East Bridgewater.

Pumpkin Picking – You can pick your own pumpkin, then bring it home and make a jack o’ lantern. Most pumpkin picking begins in October and is weekend-only. Check out the pumpkin patches at The Baker Farm, 101 Bakers Lane, Marshfield -- but call first: 781-834-4021. Or visit Cretinon’s Farmstand, 86 Landing Road, Kingston, the aforementioned C.N. Smith Farm and Singleton Orchards, or Beaver Brook Farm, 645 Summer Street, East Bridgewater. Also, at Sauchuk Farm at 234 Center Street in Plympton, you can take a hayride around an 8-acre field of corn to a giant pumpkin patch and find just the right one to grace your doorstep on Halloween. You’ll find a similar hay ride/pumpkin picking opportunity at Bog Hollow Farm, 80 Wapping Road (Route 106) in Kingston. There, from October 11-13, you can also get lost in “The Maze,” try the hay jump, visit the animals check out farm equipment like tractors, truck and excavators, and even pose in a fireman costume with an antique fire truck.

Corn Mazes – Sauchuk Farm, just off Route 58 in Plympton offers a giant corn maze. From the air, you can see its elaborate design, with three jack o’ lanterns, two spiders, and the name of the farm all carved into the cornfield. From the ground, it’s just a sea of corn and you’ll do you best to find your way through (don’t worry there are clues, plus two tall overlooks from which you can gauge your progress). The corn maze is open weekends through October 26. There you will also find hayrides, (see below), a cow train (where children can ride in “cows” created from barrels that are towed behind a tractor), a corn box (think sandbox, but with dried cow corn), and more.

Hay Rides – What fun to ride in the back of a tractor-drawn hay cart and observe the landscape of a local farm! Mass Audubon’s South Shore Sanctuaries, based in Marshfield, offers 1-hour hayrides for up to 30 people at their Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary. Call 781-837-9400 for more information. Hayrides are also available at Singleton Orchards in East Bridgewater.

Watch a Cranberry Harvest – Southeastern Massachusetts is home to a number of cranberry farms. In general, the farmers don’t mind if you stop to watch them harvest their crop – as long as you respect private property and stay out of the way of the equipment. Most cranberry bogs feature farm stands where you can buy freshly harvested berries, too (it’s not okay to help yourself directly from the bog). Check out these bogs, featured on the Cranberry Harvest Trail Guide. Many feature farm stores and offer tours by appointment: Flax Pond Cranberry Company, 1 Robbins Path, Carver; Bog Hollow Farm, Kingston (see above); and Cranberry Hill, 103 Haskell Road, Plymouth.

View the Fall Foliage – One of the best ways to see the rainbow of changing color in the fall foliage is to take a walk in the woods. Check out the trails along the Indian Head River, via Luddams Ford in Hanover, or the paths overlooking the North River at Nelson Memorial Forest in Marshfield. Take a stroll at World’s End in Hingham, or Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke. Really, anywhere you go where there are trees, you’re bound to find a spectacular view at this time of year.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein
September 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. Visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com for an archive of the last 12 years of Kezia’s articles.

Pick Your Own Fruit this Summer

2008-09-03T15:05:00.000-04:00

I've discovered a great way to enjoy the outdoors, promote healthy eating in my family, and support local farmers, all at the same time -- patronizing a Pick Your Own Fruit farm.

Nearly every week this summer from mid-July on, I visited Tree-Berry Farm on Route 123 on the Norwell-Scituate line. Sometimes alone, sometimes with my 2-year-old son, I picked a few pounds of blueberries. It's fun, it's fast (an adult can easily pick a quart in 15 minutes), it's even safe for kids, since the farm is divided into sections, and each is fenced in. And it's relatively cheap. This summer a pound of blueberries there cost $2.60, while at the supermarket, the average price was $2.99 per pint!

Picked fresh, these fruits and vegetables taste better than what you'll find at the store. They also last longer, because when you bring them home, they haven't been sitting around on trucks or in refrigerators for days (or weeks) already.

Naturally, Pick Your Own food is only available when the fruit or vegetable is in season. But you can gather extra and freeze it, or make your own jam or jelly.

And you can feel good about supporting your local farmer. Maintaining agricultural land preserves open space and helps to stave off development. Often food grown at small farms like these is chemical free or organic. Or if pesticides are used, it's generally in far less volume than on conventional, non-local produce.

Below is a list of nearby farms offering Pick Your Own items this year. You can learn more about local farms, farm stands, farmers markets and other venues for purchasing locally-grown fruit and vegetables by visiting the website of the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership at
www.umassd.edu/semap/welcome.cfm.

o The Baker Farm, 101 Bakers Lane, Marshfield. Founded in 1700, this 93-acre farm run by Laurie Baker offers Pick Your Own strawberries, blueberries and pumpkins in season. Call ahead: (781) 834-4021.

o Tree-Berry Farm, 135 Cornet Stetson Road (Route 123), Scituate. Founded in 1974, this 9-acre farm run by Beverly Westerville offers Pick Your Own blueberries and choose-and-cut Christmas trees. In blueberry season (mid-July through August), they are open 7am to 1pm daily - just call ahead to be sure: (781) 545-7750. For trees, call in early November for dates and times or visit www.tree-berry-farm.com.

o The Blueberry Farm, 698 West Washington Street (Route 14), Hanson. Founded in 1947, this 5-acre farm run by Jack and Pat Concree offers Pick Your Own blueberries (in season) weekdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and weekends from 8-6. Call first as conditions vary: (781) 447-1584. They are members of the Mass Cultivated Blueberry Growers Association and have been growing for over 20 years.

o Lipinski's Farm, 19 Franklin Street, Hanson. Founded in 1932, this 50-acre farm run by Steve Lipinski offers Pick Your Own strawberries in mid-June. They also have farm stands in Brockton, Plympton, and Pembroke, offer hayrides (by appointment) and a corn maze in September and October. Call (781) 293-3440.

o C. N. Smith Farm, 325 South Street, East Bridgewater. Founded in 1925, this is a 90-acre, third generation family farm run by Chris Smith, Jr. The farm stand is open year round, and they offer Pick Your Own peas and strawberries in June, string beans and blueberries in July and August, corn in August, raspberries in August and September, and apples in the fall. Plus they have a petting zoo and seasonal events. Call (508) 378-2270 for hours, or visit www.cnsmithfarminc.com

o Beaver Brook Farm, 645 Summer Street, East Bridgewater. Founded in 1920, this is an 83-acre farm run by Brian & Katie Cavanagh that offers Pick Your Own pumpkins from late September into November. Call (508) 584-6528.

o Coyne Bog Blues, 34 N. Carver Road, West Wareham. Run by Linda Rinta, this farm, nestled in beautiful countryside amidst lush trees, offers Pick Your Own blueberries seven days a week mid-July through August. Call (508) 295-3254.

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
August 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Surviving The Dog Days of Summer

2008-08-08T07:58:00.000-04:00

Hot. Hazy. Humid. These are the Dog Days of summer, when so many of us find it hard to get – or stay – comfortable.

The Dog Days of Summer is an actual natural phenomenon in the northern hemisphere. It is the hottest time of the summer, extending forty days from July 3 to August 11 (the dates can vary somewhat in different latitudes and climates).

Although many think the Dog Days’ name is derived from the way people often feel at this time -- dog-tired, or dogged by the heat and humidity, the name actually refers to Sirius, the dog star, the brightest star in the night sky, which is part of the constellation Canis Major (the big dog), visible at this time.

Sirius shines most brightly in July and early August, when it rises and sets with the sun. In late July it is in exact conjunction with the sun. (The Dog Days extend twenty days before and after this conjunction.) The ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all believed that the heat of Sirius joined the heat of the sun to create the hot, humid weather so common in mid-summer. But it’s actually the earth’s tilt that causes the extreme heat.

The ancients also associated the Dog Days with drought, plagues, and madness. In modern times, we see it more as a period of inactivity, stagnation, general discomfort, and plain-old “bad hair days.”

So what can you do to beat the heat and survive the hottest time of the summer without breaking the bank? Staying home and camping out in front of your air conditioner with an endless supply of popsicles may be the most appealing option. But if that’s not going to work for you long term, consider the following approaches. Many of these are not quick fixes – so you may want to wait until the Dog Days have passed to attempt them.

• Close the window shades on the sunny side of your home. If you don’t have shades, consider installing them – or curtains or draperies.

• Install ceiling fans to help cool the house. Run them when you’re at home.

• Clean or replace ventilation system filters each month.

• Install a programmable thermostat, and keep your house cooler when you’re there, warmer when you’re not.

• Have a professional conduct an energy audit of your home (NStar is offering these for free in some local towns right now). Among other things, this will help you to determine whether or not your house is adequately insulated.

• Replace an older central air-conditioning system with a more efficient “Energy Star” one. Have your central air serviced each spring.

• Shade window-unit air conditioners from direct sun to improve their efficiency.

• Replace single-pane windows with double-pane, high performance glass to reflect the sun’s rays (and reduce heat loss in the winter).

• Plant a tree. In time, it will provide valuable shade to help keep your house cool.

The Dog Days are almost over. Soon enough we’ll be complaining how cold it is outside. Consider taking some long-term steps to make subsequent Dog Days more tolerable.

Sources:
http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=178
http://wilstar.com/dogdays.htm
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/dog_star_030815.html
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cfocus/cfjune2001/focus.htm
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt091.shtm

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
July 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

The North and South Rivers: A National Natural Landmark

2008-07-09T13:48:00.000-04:00

Do you know that we have a nationally recognized landscape in our midst? Like California’s Mount Shasta, the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, Kentucky’s Red River Gorge and Ship Rock in New Mexico, the North and South Rivers are one of our country’s National Natural Landmarks.

In 1977, the National Park Service/Department of the Interior designated the North and South Rivers of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, a National Natural Landmark (NNL). The rivers were recognized as “possessing national significance in illustrating the natural character of the United States,” The area of designation comprised 5400 acres, including over 3600 acres of saltwater marsh.

This came after years of hard work by former Pembroke residents Jean & Jack Foley, Marshfield resident Bill Finn, and other members of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, who nominated the rivers for the NNL program, and worked behind the scenes to help make the designation a reality.

In September 1977, the Foleys and Finn provided a boat tour of the North and South Rivers to Dr. H. W. Vogelmann Ph.D., who had been contracted by the government to review the rivers for NNL designation. Vogelmann also viewed the area from an airplane, and at the end of the year submitted an evaluation to the Department of the Interior, recommending that the rivers receive the designation.

Vogelmann observed that, “the marshland systems of the North and South Rivers are extensive and complex,” and noted that the rivers were “classic examples of drowned river mouth estuaries.” He said, “Extensive marshland systems and relatively unpolluted rivers are a rare occurrence near a metropolitan area like Boston.”

National Natural Landmark status was conferred soon thereafter. This was especially significant because until then, the program had only accepted more nationally well-known sites. There were only 66 NNLs at that time.

“But nothing happened,” remembers Finn.

The official designation date for the North and South Rivers as a National Natural Landmark is 1977. But according to Finn, it took several years for the designation to be declared. Repeated inquiries to the National Park Service (NPS), attempting to determine whether or not the rivers would receive the designation, yielded nothing. Finally in 1979, when Paul Tsongas of Massachusetts was elected to the US Senate, the wheels began to turn. Theta Leonard, who worked for Tsongas, along with the senator and Bill Finn, worked with the NPS to tie up loose ends.

Finally in May 1980, during the second annual Massachusetts Rivers Celebration, a dedication ceremony was held on the grounds of Mass Audubon’s North River Sanctuary in Marshfield. Tsongas, US Congressman Gerry Studds, MA Senator Allan McKinnon and MA Representative Philip Johnston, as well as representatives from the NPS and other state and federal agencies, joined NSRWA members and officials for a canoe trip down the North River. A wooden sign stating that the rivers had been designated National Natural Landmarks was presented “to the people of the North and South Rivers watershed.” Another sign declaring that the State of Massachusetts had recognized the North River as its first Scenic and Protected River was presented as well.

According to the NPS “the National Natural Landmarks program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of our country’s natural history.” To date, only 587 sites have been designated. In order to obtain NNL status, the site must be “one of the best examples of a natural region's characteristic biotic or geologic features.”

The program was founded by Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall in 1962. Its primary goal is to “encourage the preservation of sites illustrating the geological and ecological character of the United States, to enhance the scientific and educational value of sites thus preserved, to strengthen public appreciation of natural history, and to foster a greater concern for the conservation of the nation's natural heritage.” Sadly, the program has languished in the past two decades. In 1989 an official moratorium was placed on adding sites.

All sorts of different landscapes may be considered for NNL designation. The present sites include lands used for ranching, agriculture, recreation, nature preserves, research areas, camps, conference centers, and commercial ventures. They vary in size from a 7-acre bog and a 960,000-acre glacier. Some, like Connecticut’s Dinosaur Trackway, involve only a single remarkable feature, while others encompass large, widely diverse landscapes.

Unlike the lands in the National Park system, National Natural Landmarks are not owned or managed by the federal government. They may be privately or publicly owned.

The Natural Landmark program’s aim has been ”to encourage and support voluntary preservation of sites that illustrate the geological and ecological history of the United States, and to strengthen the public’s appreciation of America’s natural heritage.” In order to maintain NNL status, the only requirement is that the “significant natural values of the site” are preserved as much as possible. No new land use restrictions are set upon the site. The NPS does make occasional visits to verify a site’s condition and maintain good rapport with landowners.

Public access is not a foregone conclusion. Some NNLs may be too ecologically fragile to permit visitors – or it might be the best remaining example – in the country, or even worldwide -- of a certain, often irreplaceable, type of landscape feature.

Last year the North River Commission and the NSRWA hosted Deb DiQuinzio of the National Park Service - Northeast Region, for boat tour of the North and South Rivers. DiQuinzio said,

"I was pleased to learn of the efforts to enforce speed limits and to monitor dock construction, vegetation removal and other activities having negative impact on the North River. Also the continued improvement to water quality and opening of the North River to recreational shell-fishing. It is for these and other preservation activities that National Natural Landmark status can be used as a tool, and to bring together the diverse owners, users, and stewards of the rivers for the common purpose of protecting these nationally significant, natural resources."

To learn more about National Natural Landmarks, and to read a complete listing of NNL sites, visit www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/Registry/USA_Map/index.cfm.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
June 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. Visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com for an archive of the last 12 years of Kezia’s articles.

Outdoor Summer Fun

2008-06-18T12:56:00.000-04:00

Summer is just around the corner. It's the time of year when many of us want to be outdoors as much as possible, and lucky for us, there is plenty of opportunity to do so. Why not grab your hat, sunscreen, bug repellant and water bottle and check out the following:

Eat Outdoors. Many area restaurants offer al fresco dining, and some are right on the water. You can enjoy everything from fine cuisine to clam shack fare, often with a view (although you might be viewing a parking lot). You can bring your meals outdoors at home too. Lunch and dinner are often served on the patio, but why not breakfast too? Or consider a picnic.

Sleep Outdoors. Myles Standish and Wompatuck State Parks offer campsites, or consider pitching a tent in your backyard. Wake with the sun, and the birds, and the other sounds of the natural world. My parents converted an old pool shed into “the casita,” a rustic cabin in the backyard that contains a bed and a bookshelf. Guests actually request to sleep there, even though the nearest toilet is a hundred-foot uphill walk away.

Shop Outdoors. Cohasset, Marshfield and Plymouth all have weekly Farmers' Markets, where you can purchase seasonal fresh produce, baked goods, live plants, crafts, and even lobster. Many of the local arts festivals scheduled to take place this summer offer artisan booths with a variety of art prints, jewelry, home decor, and quirky gifts.

Count Fireflies - for a cause. The Museum of Science, along with researchers from Tufts and Fitchburg State College, is starting a citizen science project to study the fate of fireflies. They are trying to get as many people as they can to become firefly watchers. It involves -- once a week -- counting the number of fireflies you see in your backyard in a ten second period and reporting your findings on the internet. Even if you see no fireflies, that data is important.
Find out more at www.mos.org/firefly.

Go for a Walk. Each town on the South Shore offers a number of different walking trails. From the coast to the forest to a meadow to a lakefront, there are seemingly endless choices. Check out one of the area's newest trails, on the Driftway in Scituate. A new walking path runs from the Driftway Conservation Area, along the edge of the marsh behind James Landing, and then connects with a leg of the former Old Colony Railroad, just south of the current railroad's terminus. You can walk far out into the marsh along the old railbed, and enjoy some unique perspectives.

Get Out on the Water. Rent a canoe or kayak -- or bring your own -- and explore the area's many rivers. The North, South, Herring, Green Harbor, Jones, Back, and Weir Rivers all have navigable portions with public access. Or test your mettle at the NSRWA's Annual Great River Race (watch this newspaper for more details).

Go swimming. There are public beaches all along the coast, as well as inland ponds that welcome swimmers. My favorite “secret” swim spot: the South River from the rear of Rexhame Beach in Marshfield. It's relatively warm and shallow, and the view is spectacular. Just beware of the current, and never swim alone.

Practice Yoga. Join the NSRWA and certified yoga teachers for the twelfth season of Yoga at the River's Edge, Saturdays from 8:30-10 AM at various outdoor sites along the North and South Rivers. It's the perfect way to begin a summer day!

Walk in the rain. When I was a child, my friends and I would don our bathing suits during a warm summer rainfall (not a storm) and walk around the neighborhood barefoot. The cooling asphalt smelled so good, and the rain was so refreshing! You can wear “real” clothes to do this too.

Pick Blueberries. Come July, many local blueberry farms will be open for business, where you can grab a pail or bucket and pick your own. Kids seem much more apt to eat fruit when they've harvested it with their own hands. Sometimes you can pick raspberries too.

Eat Ice Cream. There's nothing quite like cold ice cream on a hot summer day. My favorite ice cream stand, Dairy Twist in Pembroke, offers traditional ice cream, soft serve, frozen yogurt, sugar-free ice cream, and even slushes and sorbet for the lactose-intolerant. There's something for everyone. Also check out some of the other great, independently-owned ice cream shops in the area: The Latest Scoop in Brant Rock, Heidi's Hollow in Hanson, FarFar's in Duxbury, and Peaceful Meadows in Whitman and Plymouth.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
May 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Do You Use Freecycle?

2008-05-19T14:12:00.000-04:00

Several years ago, my husband pulled into our driveway with his pickup truck and said, “Honey, you’ve got to come with me to this yard sale. They’re giving everything away for free!”

We drove up the street, following the signs to the “Yard Free.” A family was moving out of state and downsizing from a large Colonial home to a condo. Rather than try to sell the items they didn’t need anymore, they were just giving them away. They probably figured that they could get rid of a lot more stuff that way. And I’m sure they did. We took home a patio umbrella, a lounge chair, a set of bowling balls in their own custom bag, a set of four outdoor chairs, and plenty more that I can’t recall at this point.

I’ve never seen another Yard Free, but there’s something almost as good out there – the Freecycle Network. Freecycle permits you to post notices about things you’re getting rid of – or things you want to acquire -- on the internet. A list goes out each day to everyone in your Freecycle group, and if someone wants an item – or can fulfill a request for one – they e-mail you and make arrangements for pickup. There is no cost involved, and you end up giving away or getting stuff for free.

There are 4,342 Freecycle groups around the world, including 82 in Massachusetts alone. It is recommended that you join the most local network so you don’t have to use up precious fuel driving all over the place to pick up your free stuff. Some local groups include Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Cape Cod, Carver, Hingham, Holbrook, Kingston, Plymouth, Quincy, Rockland and Weymouth.

According to Freecycle, “It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. It is *not* a place to just go get free stuff for nothing. It *is* a place to give or receive what you have and don't need or what you need and don't have -- a free cycle of giving.”

Basic Freecycle etiquette asks that you give at least one thing away on the network before you start posting notices for things you’d like to receive. And that once you’ve claimed a Freecycle item, you pick it up promptly from the giver – don’t just say you’ll be over “eventually” for that sofa for which they are itching to find a new home.

It’s such a green thing to do. By passing along an item on Freecycle, you are reducing the amount of trash you discard, as well as reusing things that still have life in them.

What can you post on Freecycle? Almost anything. I gave away a child’s car seat that my family didn’t need anymore, as well as two small vacuum cleaners. I’ve got some clothing slated for a future giveaway, as well as some VHS tapes and old computer equipment.

What can’t you post? The usual no-nos – pornography, alcohol, tobacco, drugs of any kind, firearms/weapons or human beings (this isn’t a place for personal ads or matchmaking services). You’re also asked to leave your politics, religion, moneymaking schemes and bad manners at home.

My rules for putting something on Freecycle are slightly more complex. Is it worth my time to sell it on eBay? If not, can I give it away locally? To a friend? To the clothing bank? To the food pantry or another charity? If not – if it’s too bulky (a giant bolt of floral fabric), too strange (a handsome painting on velvet of a Doberman Pinscher), too random (37 partially-used balls of wool yarn), it’s time to post it on Freecycle.

It feels good to pass along things that are still perfectly usable – just not by you. You get to de-clutter your house without feeling guilty about supplying yet another item to the already-too-full local landfill. Plus, you know that someone else is making use of your cast-off.

Plus, the Freecycle Network makes it easier to get rid of something you’re fairly ------ but not entirely – sure you won’t need again in 12 years. If it turns out, many years down the line, that you really did need that set of snowshoes, you can post a notice stating so, and very likely someone else in the network will have some they’re ready to part with.

So far, I haven’t found much on Freecycle that I’ve wanted to acquire. I was delighted to receive two metal folding chairs that I needed for a yoga class. Soon I will post a notice seeking one of those plastic (or wooden) outdoor playhouses for our son. I’ve been tempted by notices for other toys, as well as ink jet printers and a wooden fence – but not tempted enough to actually send an email to find out whether the items have been claimed or not.

I’m looking forward to further opportunities to pass things I don’t need on to other people. Freecycle is inspiring me to take stock of and part with items that have been cluttering up my house for years. Especially now with many towns adopting Pay As You Throw trash removal, Freecycle provides an excellent alternative to just-throwing-things-away.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
April 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Skunks and Skunk Cabbage Mean Spring is Here

2008-05-19T14:11:00.002-04:00

One night in early March I caught my first whiff of skunk spray in the air – a sure sign that spring is on its way.

Other than Pepé LePew and the fact that they are smelly (and can make you or your pets smelly too), I have very few associations with skunk. So I did some research to learn more about these much-maligned critters.

The skunks that live here in New England -- Mephitis mephitis nigra, the striped skunk -- are easy to spot. Their distinctive black and white striped fur and bushy tail make them stand out at dusk, or when your headlights flash on them while driving at night. Unlike other members of the weasel family, they are not especially agile. Their gait is wobbly, and with short legs, they move rather slowly. Perhaps that is why so many of them end up as roadkill. Generally an adult skunk measures 29-36 inches in length, tail included, and weighs 6-10 pounds. The males and female look alike, although the males are 25% larger.

Striped skunks usually make their homes in fields and woodlands, but they are just as happy to live under a porch, deck or shed. Because of their short legs, skunks don’t climb well, but they are excellent diggers. Sometimes they dig their own burrows, but more often they take over that of another animal, such as a woodchuck or fox. The burrows are from 6-20 feet long, with a round room at the end lined with leaves and grass.

Nocturnal, they rest in the burrow during the day, and search for food by night. While foraging, they usually stay within a one-mile radius – but they will go as far as five miles if they need to. Their diet consists primarily of small rodents, insects, and seasonal fruit – but they also will eat the eggs of turtles and ground-nesting birds, as well as garbage and pet food. While not true hibernators, they do tend to settle down in groups of three or four for the colder seasons, emerging only when the weather grows warmer than 30 degrees.

Here, breeding season for skunks is in February and March. Litters of two to ten are born between late April and early June. Six to eight weeks later they are ready to learn how to forage for food with their mothers (the fathers are not involved with raising the young).

While we tend to associate skunk with the stink they can make, the truth is, they spray this scent as a last resort. Skunks will spray when they sense they are in danger – but when possible, they prefer to walk away from danger altogether. If you find yourself face to face with a skunk, it is best to back away slowly. And bear in mind these warning signs. Before a skunk releases its spray, it arches its back, raises its tail, turns its back toward its target, and stomps its feet. The musk is released in a fine spray from two glands on the skunk’s rear end. It can travel a distance of 15 feet – and there is enough in the glands for 5 consecutive sprays.

Taking up residence under your deck, perhaps, or getting trapped in your garage, skunks can be a nuisance. Mass Audubon’s Living with Wildlife is an excellent resource, accessible via the website http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/wildlife. It includes some guidelines on skunk problems and how to avoid or fix them.

Another sure (and somewhat related) sign of spring is the emergence of skunk cabbage in wetlands. In mid-March I noticed the rounded purple heads beginning to emerge in a swampy area of my back yard.

Eastern skunk cabbage, or Symplocarpus foetidus, is one of the first plants to bloom in the early spring. This foul-smelling plant produces a bulbous, mottled purple flower, about 4-6 inches tall. The flower appears to be lying in the mud, leaves or moss in which it grows because the stem and leaves do not emerge until later in the season.

The leaves are large – 15-22 inches long and 12-15 inches wide. When torn or trampled upon, they are quite smelly. The smell is not harmful to humans – and in fact it attracts pollinators such as bees and stoneflies to the plant, and helps prevent larger animals from damaging it.

Skunk and skunk cabbage – smelly when disturbed and not especially attractive -- might not be among our favorite things in the natural world. But by winter’s end, it’s a joy to see them . . . some of the first signs of spring!

Sources:
www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/wildlife
www.wikipedia.com
Living with Wildlife: The Skunk in Massachusetts – Massachusetts Department of Fisheries & Wildlife

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
March 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Exploring at a Toddler’s Pace

2008-05-19T14:11:00.001-04:00

My son Abel will be two years old in May. Our house is small, and when winter began, I was concerned that as the cold days wore on, it would start to feel like the walls were closing in on us. But so far, we’re doing okay. We’ve learned that we can still play outside as long as the temperature is above thirty degrees. And if it’s colder than that but sunny, if we bundle up, we can still take a short walk or enjoy a brief stay at the playground.

One mild Saturday in February, we were on our way out the door, headed to the playground. It was one of those days where time kept getting away from us. I’d bundled up Abel in his coat, hat and mittens, then realized that he needed a diaper change. Then the phone rang. Then Abel became fascinated with a toy on our screen porch. When I asked, “Do you want to go to see the big slide? Do you want to ride on the seesaw?” he said “No.”

So maybe the playground wasn’t going to happen after all. Anyway, it was getting close to naptime.

Done amusing himself on the screen porch, Abel asked, “See Dada? See Dada?” Then commanded, “See Dada in barn!”

My husband was trying to get some work done. But I figured we could go down and say hello at least, and tell him we weren’t going out after all. On the way out of the barn Abel spotted my husband’s tractor, and commanded “Tractor! Ride!”

This is a common occurrence. Abel likes to sit on the tractor and pretend he’s driving it. So we “rode” the tractor, and then we went to the shed to “ride” the other tractor, and sit on the motorcycle -- and then we did the same loop again, because Abel wanted to touch all the wheels. “Wheels!” he shouted.

We do have outdoor toys. We have a sandbox and a swing and a little slide. We have a wagon and a tricycle and two dozen different-size balls. But these days Abel is more fascinated with Dada’s “toys.”

So I said to Abel, “I know where Dada has ANOTHER tractor. Do you want to see it?”

“Anudder one? ANUDDER one!” He was excited.

I said, “But first we have to take a walk in the woods.”

“Walk in da WOODS!”

Abel has been walking for almost a year. Why hadn’t I thought of this before?”

So we followed a path through the woods, to the clearing where my husband stores yet another tractor. After “riding” it and touching the wheels, Abel was ready to move on.

“Do you want to see the baby river?” I asked. Using the word “baby” to describe something is guaranteed to get Abel’s attention.

“Baby river! Baby RIVER!”

Abel has finally learned the difference between a river, pond, and ocean. At least most of the time.

We took the typical toddler route along the path, stopping to investigate deer scat, surveyor’s flags, and big sticks, which Abel would hand to me to carry.

A tiny brook skirts the rear border of our property. It’s maybe two inches deep, and sometimes you have to look carefully to see if it’s flowing. The mild days had caused a lot of snow to melt, so the brook was flowing fairly well. Abel actually shuddered with excitement. “Baby RIVER!”

At first he seemed afraid to get close to it. I gave him a long stick so he could make ripples in the water. He inched closer and closer, until he ended up sitting down at the water’s edge, splashing with both his feet and the stick, and getting quite wet. It was hard to tear him away.

After about ten minutes of playing in the brook, Abel and I headed back to the house for naptime, gathering sticks the whole way.

A toddler will spend a long time being fascinated with the simplest things. So on a day when it seems like there’s nothing to do, a simple tour of the backyard can provide all sorts of fun. We both got some fresh air and exercise, Abel saw something new, and I had a chance to slow down and enjoy the quiet of the forest.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
February 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

The Brant Rock Dike Feud

2008-05-19T14:10:00.001-04:00

Driving along Route 139 in Marshfield’s Green Harbor, you might not notice that the road passes over a tide gate, also known as the Brant Rock Dike. The harbor itself lies to the east of the gate, while to the west, the tidal Green Harbor River and its marshes stretch out toward the horizon. Although beautiful, it seems like an ordinary kind of place. You’d never know from looking that the Brant Rock Dike was the site of quite a bit of controversy back in the nineteenth century.

The Green Harbor River rises from springs and ponds near the Garretson Cranberry Bogs on the Marshfield-Duxbury line. It passes under Webster Street, and flows through the Green Harbor Golf Course and Mass Audubon’s Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary. Continuing through a basin of wide, grassy meadows, it enters a tide gate at Turkey Point and empties into the sea via Green Harbor itself, on the Brant Rock/Green Harbor line.

Originally the river’s path to the sea was much less direct. Passing what is now the harbor (which was then just another bend in the river), it continued on a circuitous route through narrow marsh creeks, and eventually into Duxbury Bay.

Ever since the Pilgrims settled in Marshfield, there have been efforts to improve the river’s navigability. In 1633, a canal was dug to better connect the river to the bay. In 1636, this canal was widened and deepened per order of the court. In 1806, a group of Marshfield landowners successfully petitioned the court for permission to dig a more direct canal from Green Harbor to Duxbury Bay. Known today as the Cut River, this canal flowed through the marshes and meadows behind Green Harbor Beach, and out to sea near present-day Canal Street on the Duxbury line. But soon after the canal was complete a November storm closed off its mouth completely.

An even more direct outlet was cut in 1810 – and remains to this day. While prior attempts to improve the river’s navigability had been permitted -- or even decreed -- by the court, this was a case of townspeople taking matters into their own hands. According to Joseph C. Hagar’s book, Marshfield, 70’40” W, 42’5” N: The Autobiography of a Pilgrim Town, “This labor was done under cover of night and about forty men were engaged in the undertaking.” (This was not an uncommon practice – attempts to improve the outlet for the North River were also made in this fashion.)

By eliminating the narrow last leg of the river, the 1810 cut dramatically increased the incoming tidal flow to the Green Harbor River. This was a boon to local fishermen, as it improved the harbor’s navigability. However the owners of farms bordering the river saw things differently. The increase in both the volume and the frequency of saltwater flooding to their lands was a big problem, as crops don’t like salt water.

So in 1871, a group of farmers petitioned the court to construct a dike, or tide gate, that would block the flow of saltwater upstream, and create more arable land. The dike was constructed in 1872, with the condition that “Should shoaling take place above the level of mean low water in the channel in consequence of dike construction, it was to be removed by the Marsh proprietors.” Shoaling did occur, and thus began the “Brant Rock Dike Feud.”

By 1876, shoaling in Green Harbor was significant enough that the Harbor and Land Commissioners demanded its removal. The fishermen claimed that “the value of the harbor was totally destroyed,” as there wasn’t enough water for their boats to enter the harbor at times other than high tide.

The farmers did not respond to this request. They said the harbor was made illegally, while they followed proper channels to get their dike. They argued that boats had trouble entering the harbor at lower tides even before the dike was built. They claimed that shoaling would have happened anyway, without the construction of the dike, and that if they removed the shoals, the problem would return soon enough.

The situation remained in stalemate until one angry anti-diker, Henry Tolman, contrived to force the issue by blowing up the dike. Word of his plan got out, and a Boston detective firm was hired to keep an eye on him. Marshfield selectmen warned that “No man can catch him but a woman can,” so a female investigator was assigned to the case. After becoming acquainted, Tolman invited her to accompany him to the dike in the middle of the night. He brought along a wheelbarrow of dynamite, fuses and “other equipment necessary to achieve the destruction in view.”

Tolman was arrested. Unfortunately, the police acted too soon. Tolman was stopped while still on the road above the tide gate, not down in the sluiceway where the detonation was to occur. In court he claimed that he was only transporting the dynamite Brant Rock, and he was doing so in the middle of the night so he wouldn’t endanger anyone. He was allowed to go free, but “under bond for the rest of his life.”

The dike feud continued for decades. In 1898, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill that called for the removal of the dike. But a few days later, Governor Wolcott vetoed the bill, because it included a clause guaranteeing the farmers be paid damages for what would once again be salt-ruined land. So the dike remained.

Really, no one won the Dike Feud. Unfortunately, Hatfield/McCoy-type spats continued in town meetings and other venues for many years. Although the farmers got to keep their dike, the promise of arable lands upstream never did come true, as their crops did not grow the way they had hoped. Meanwhile, the fishermen continued to deal with shoaling in the harbor – a problem that continues to this day. But Green Harbor’s cod and lobster fishing industry has prospered for many years nonetheless.

It is important to know that shoaling has always been an issue on the Green Harbor River, even before the dike was built. According to Jim O’Connell, a Coastal Processes Specialist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, “the channel would be shoaled with or without the dike.” O’Connell continues, “The harbor tidal prism (volume of water between high and low tide) is too small to flush the channel to a point to keep the channel open; wave and wind dynamics move sand into the channel and current velocities are too low to move the sand back out.”

Does the dike contribute to the need for periodic dredging in Green Harbor? It is certainly a factor, but so many other issues must be considered as well. Professor of Geography Reed Stewart cites a few: sea level rise, the building of seawalls, and the changes in the amount of sand washed south along the beach since the realignment of the North River mouth in 1898.

“Even after extensive study, the Corps of Engineers cannot figure out how to keep the entrance channel from shoaling,” says O’Connell. “Natural coastal processes are at work here that we humans cannot overcome!”

And that’s really what it comes down to. No matter what we do to change the course of a river – dig canals, reroute channels, build jetties, perhaps even blow up tide gates – Mother Nature will always have the upper hand.

Source:
Hagar, Joseph C. Marshfield, 70’40” W, 42’5” N: The Autobiography of a Pilgrim Town. Marshfield Tercentenary Committee (Marshfield, MA, 1940).

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
January 2008

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Visiting Norwell’s Fogg Forest

2008-05-19T14:09:00.002-04:00

Last January, I made the resolution that I would visit at least one new conservation parcel in 2007. I finally succeeded, in November, by going for a walk with my sister and my son at the 40-acre Fogg Forest in Norwell.

Fogg Forest is one of those places I have driven past for years, always intending to investigate, but never actually stopping to do so. The main entrance is located right on Main Street/Route 123. For years it was marked with a large wooden sign that read ‘Conservation Area,” although that sign is now gone.

From the street, the property just looks like a big grassy field. The grass is mowed regularly, so it doesn’t really appear to be the typical conservation place. But if you walk away from the road, toward the rear of the field, you will see another sign and the trailhead.

There you will find the main trail, which forms a half-mile loop as it passes through a mixed pine and hardwood forest, dotted here and there with large rhododendron shrubs and crumbling stone walls. It’s relatively easy walking – the trail is wide enough for a jog stroller, but not so wide that two adults can walk side by side.

From the main trail, you can explore several narrower, one-way trails that generally lead to private properties. One of these (take your second right once you’re on the main trail) leads to a bridge that crosses Black Pond Brook and eventually opens to the Central Street entrance to the property. According to the Town of Norwell’s website, it’s another half mile to Central Street.

If you prefer long walks, Fogg Forest probably isn’t the best choice for you. But if you don’t mind a shorter hike, or plan to spend most of your time birding or paying attention to the finer details of the woods, Fogg Forest is a quiet, relatively uncrowded place to stretch your legs. I’m sure it’s beautiful after a snowfall, too.

To Get There: From Norwell Center, proceed 1/4 mile west on Route 123 to the property. Look for a large grassy field. You can park along the roadside; there is room for about 4 cars. There is also access, along with benches and a picnic area, from Central Street, but no parking.

For a trail map, visit http://www.geocities.com/norwelltrails/fogg.html

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
December 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

The Land Doesn’t Change

2008-05-19T14:09:00.001-04:00

My maternal grandmother passed away in November, after a long illness. “Babci” (the Polish word for grandmother) had been living in a local nursing home these past few years, but on the occasion of her death, my family and I traveled to the Berkshires, to the small town of Adams, to attend her wake, funeral and burial.

Babci grew up in Adams, as did my other grandparents, my parents, and the rest of my extended family. As a child, I spent a lot of time there – climbing Mt. Greylock, swimming in nearby lakes, and riding my bike on old country roads. But after my paternal grandparents passed away in the 1980s, I stopped visiting Adams to any significant extent. Certainly, my family drove out there a few times each year to see great aunts and uncles -- and to bring Babci to Marshfield for visits -- but we rarely stayed more than a single night.

Many people have heard of North Adams, the city directly to the north that’s home to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (formerly North Adams State) and Mass Moca, the contemporary art museum. Founded in 1778, Adams was once a thriving town in its own right – first as a farming community, later as a mill town, thanks to the brisk flow of the Hoosic River.

Beginning in 1814 with the opening of the Adams South Village Cotton Manufacture Company, Adams’ population flourished, jumping from 2,000 to 4,000 between 1820 and 1835. It continued to grow well into the 1900s, as woolen, lumber and plastic mills and the promise of good wages drew people there. A state of the art cotton mill, Berkshire Cotton Manufacturing Company, later Berkshire Hathaway, was founded in Adams in 1889; over the years they added three more mills and became Adams’ lifeblood. It was a boomtown. The cotton mills even managed to prosper through the Depression, and thrived during World War II.

But after that things changed. The new post-war economy brought a decline in wages. The mills moved south, where they could find cheaper labor and weaker unions. In 1958, Berkshire Cotton closed down its Adams operations. The boom went bust. Textile-related industry remained for many years, but job opportunities diminished greatly. Now the only remaining mill is Specialty Minerals, which mines and processes limestone.

And so the town of Adams struggles to reinvent itself. Many nearby communities have turned to tourism. The more posh Berkshire towns of Lenox and Stockbridge have relied on this for decades. North Adams and Pittsfield are seeing some success as they follow suit. But even with such draws as Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts; the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, a rich cultural history, and a shiny new visitor center, Adams has a long way to go. Jobs are hard to find. Population continues to drop.

My grandmother was buried in the Polish cemetery, up high in the hills of the Hoosac Range. Driving back into the heart of town after the services, we were treated to a panoramic view of Adams. Looking down from the mountain, we could see the valley below, the river flowing through town, the church steeples, dairy farms with green pastures, beautiful stands of trees in their red-gold autumn finery, Mt. Greylock towering above. This is the way Adams looked before the mills came to town. This is how it is today.

The land doesn’t change. Humans and their industries come and go. Mining and deforestation may alter the way a place looks, but the land itself remains the same. The casual visitor may only see closed down restaurants and storefronts, but like any town, Adams means “home” to generations of people – there is much more to it than what one sees on the surface.

Is there a way for Adams to get back on its feet? Will the prosperity of other towns filter into Adams? There is talk of a “recreation area” up on the mountain. Is the landscape enough to draw people in?

The South Shore is experiencing its own “boom” these days, with the revival of the commuter rails and an influx of population. The landscape continues to change as more and more homes, “big box” stores and “lifestyle” shopping centers are constructed. Lucky for us, we have set aside thousands of acres of land as open space. Thanks to Conservation Commissions, land preservation groups such as The Wildlands Trust and The Trustees of Reservations, Community Preservation Act funds, and foresight of voters, we have ensured that – no matter what the future holds -- the land itself will remain.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
November 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Vacationing at Home

2008-05-19T14:08:00.002-04:00

My husband and I used to travel twice a year, usually in the fall and winter. Even last year, after our son was born, we still managed to go away for a week in September. Although a 6-day stay at a friend’s Vermont condo with our 4-month old was far less glamorous than the 2-week vacations in Mexico and road trips in the American West that we’d enjoyed in prior years.

This fall we chose to stay home. Now that our son is more than a year old, travel for pleasure has taken on new meaning. It’s hard to “get away from it all” when you’ve got a trunk full of baby gear and a little one in the back seat who doesn’t appreciate scenic vistas or long drives.

Not going away was a conscious choice. We contemplated planning a toddler-friendly trip – perhaps renting a house where we could sightsee by day, but also have a quiet place to retreat to during naptime. A place where we could cook our own meals and have room to spread out our son’s toys. It was certainly possible -- still, it didn’t seem worth the effort. No destination was compelling enough to warrant the energy required to make it happen.

Staying home had its own appeal. Two weeks off from the 9-5 job (for my husband) so he could spend more time with our son. Extra opportunity for me (the primary caregiver) to work. More time for both of us to catch up with projects around the house that never seemed to get done. And best of all -- more time with each other. It wasn’t our typical vacation, but it sounded nice – and cheap.

And good for the planet. Typically our vacations involve airplane travel, and often a rental car on which we put at least a thousand miles. The carbon emissions that this “trip” would generate would be significantly less. Sure we might venture into Boston one day to visit the Children’s Museum – but that was nothing compared with – for example -- driving from San Francisco to Seattle and back.

As it was, we spent a lot of time visiting with friends, going for walks, checking out local playgrounds, and just hanging out in our own yard. Since we weren’t working as much, our morning and nighttime routines were more relaxed. We could stay up late or sleep in (as much as our son permitted), and let our days develop at their own pace. We didn’t feel rushed. It was a wonderful reprieve. One of my favorite memories from that time was sitting on the Sea Street Bridge in Humarock with my son in his stroller, sharing a snack of Goldfish crackers, and watching the boats and seagulls pass by as he exclaimed “Boat!” “Bird!” “Cracker!”

The challenge of vacationing at home is that you can take on too many projects and end up resting less than you would on a normal week. That was certainly an issue for us – but still we both managed to achieve a good balance of down time and “getting stuff done.” As for our son, he seemed to enjoy “helping” Daddy fix the tractor and organize the basement.

I have to admit, do miss the travel. There are plenty of places in the world I’d like to see, and plenty of places I can’t wait to show to my son. I can’t imagine that it will be easy to watch my parents and sister leave for Mexico this winter without us. But on the other hand, travel just doesn’t seem important right now. I know we’ll get back to it someday.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
October 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

A Baby’s View of Nature

2008-05-19T14:08:00.001-04:00

On Sunday afternoons Abel (my 16 month-old son) and I often spend time with my parents. In the summer we hung out around my folks’ pool, but now that fall is here, we like to go for walks. Recently we explored the Norris Reservation in Norwell.

When we’re in the woods, I usually transport Abel in a jog stroller. However on this particular Sunday, the jogger had a flat tire, so we opted for a backpack specially designed to carry children. I had purchased it at a yard sale months ago, but this was my first time using it.

A pack loaded with a 20+ pound child isn’t easy to lift onto one’s back. My dad had to help me get Abel up there. And we weren’t sure for how long Abel would tolerate this new outlook. But it turns out that he loved it! As opposed to moving along at stroller-level, it must have been a great novelty to have his head up among those of the adults.

So we set off into the woods. You enter the Norris Reservation by heading down a wide trail that leads to an old mill pond. This is a favorite fishing spot for young families, and sure enough, a father and his two boys had just pulled a small fish out of the water. As we approached, they were examining its scales before throwing it back “to his mother.”

As soon as Abel saw the pond, he shouted “Pool!”

“Pond,” we said. “That’s a pond, Abel. Lots of water – just like a pool.”

Abel has a vocabulary of about sixty words, and can sometimes get his point across quite clearly. “Pool” is his word for most things watery – swimming pools, puddles, the ocean, the rivers.

We started down the path that leads to the old boat house, a favorite spot for many who walk at the Norris. “We’re going to see the river, Abel,” my father said.

“River!” replied Abel.

These days, Abel mimics a lot of the words he hears, but doesn’t necessarily know their meaning. We talked some more about what we might see along the trail. Every once in a while Abel would say “river,” excitedly.

Soon we were at the boat house. We stood at the railing, and looked up- and downstream.

“Pool!” Abel cried, his eyes shining with delight.

“This is the North River,” my mom explained.

“Boat!” said Abel, seeing the vessels moored not far away.

“Yes, there are boats on the river,” I said.

“Pool!” shouted Abel. “Pool, pool!”

My father gathered a handful of stones. Abel has recently figured out how to throw things. He often grunts with the exertion as he throws, but then giggles as the object meets it target. We began handing him the stones, and one by one, he tossed them into the water.

“Rock!” he exclaimed, as each one left his hand. “Pool!” This distracted us all for several minutes.

After awhile, we headed back to the trail and continued our walk. The woods grew denser around us, but every so often we could still see the river through the trees. “See the river?’ we asked Abel.

“River!” said Abel. “River, river!”

He said river! Had he learned a new word?

After climbing a hill, we paused to look out from another vantage point. The river was below us now. “See the river?’ we asked.

“Pool!” said Abel.

We continued through the woods. Abel did a fair share of happy-sounding nonsense babbling, and every so often, he would say “river.” I began to wonder if it actually was the forest he was associating with that word. We have yet to succeed in teaching him “forest,” “woods,” or “trees.”

At another stop to look out over the water, we asked, “See the river, Abel?”

“River!” he replied.

After an hour or so, we had completed our walk. As we passed the mill pond, Abel was beginning to nod off in his back pack. But when he saw the water, he managed to summon enough energy to comment upon it. “Pool . . .” he sighed.

Has he learned the word “river?” We’re not sure. But we’ll be returning soon to the Norris Reservation, and to many other of our area’s nature preserves, to find out.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
September 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Nature Brings a Sense of Peace

2008-05-19T14:07:00.002-04:00

It was a cool, quiet, Sunday morning in August. Abel, my 15-month-old son, and I had been at Gaffield Park playground in Norwell for about a half hour. It was our first visit there, and we’d already checked out the swings, the toddler-size jungle gym, and some of the woods that surround the park.

Our next destination was the “big” slide. Abel loves to go down the toddler slide, but he also enjoys riding the “big” slide in my lap. He was excited to see this “big” slide for the first time. I let him scramble up the many tiers of the jungle gym, following closely behind. Once we reached the top, I sat down and he crawled into my lap.

You may remember reading last year in this column how shocked I was by the changes to my life that motherhood brought. Becoming a mother really threw me for a loop. I wrestled with post-partum depression for my son’s first few months – and struggled quite a bit longer with depression-related anxiety issues.

Through much of Abel’s first year, I could function well enough, but I really didn’t feel like “myself.” My doctor likened it to being between the rungs of the monkey bars. I had let go of one, pre-parent, version of myself, but had not yet grasped hold of the new “mother” version.

Identity-wise, I was in sort of a free-fall. It was scary when I had time to think about it -- but as any mother of a young child will tell you, when you’re raising a little one, there really isn’t much time for thinking. Not the thinking you used to do before you were a parent, anyway. Not the big picture thoughts that come up when you take long walks in the woods, or spend an afternoon kayaking on the river.

Back to the slide. We were up high -- ten to fifteen feet off the ground. Abel was secure in my lap, with my arms around him. I had scooted to the lip of the slide, and was just about to push off, when I paused, just for a few seconds.

I could hear the wind in the trees. I could smell the peat and decaying leaves of the woods around us. I could sense the presence of the North River, which isn’t far, as the crow flies, from Gaffield Park. I could hear birds and insects and distant traffic. None of this was remarkable except the simple fact that for the first time in at least 15 months, I was noticing it.

Could it really have been that long since I’d stopped to be aware of my surroundings? Since my mind was quiet and content enough to experience such simple peace? Apparently so.

Spending time outdoors has always been an important part of my life. I love to go out on the water, to visit nature preserves, to find someplace beautiful and just sit and listen – and watch. Such activities have always made me feel good, and more connected with myself.

In his first 15 months of life, my son has already visited a number of conservation areas here on the South Shore. He’s been to the beach; he’s sat beside the rivers. His dad and I – and the rest of his family -- look forward to exposing him to much, much more of this. We hope he’ll experience the same sense of peace and contentment there that we often do.

Sitting at the top of the slide with Abel nestled happily in my lap, I felt so grateful. To have survived the first year of motherhood; to have reared (so far), a smart, healthy, sensitive child; to have so much to look forward to in the years to come – even if some of it might be scary.

“Are you ready?” I asked Abel, giving him an extra squeeze.

He giggled.

“Here we go!” I said, pushing off.

And down the slide we went, both smiling.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
August 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

Our Resident Rabbit

2008-05-19T14:07:00.001-04:00

A cottontail rabbit has taken up residence under our screen porch. Every evening we see it nibbling the weeds that grow in the gardens around our house. It doesn’t seem to mind us watching – even when my one-year-old shrieks with delight.

We’ve seen an increase in rabbits in our yard this year – in fact, an increase in wildlife in general. A family of turkeys trots across the lawn every day around dusk, the mother along with ten babies. A hawk perches on the roof of our barn or in the trees above our house, and we have regular evening visits from a family of deer. Our back yard connects to a wide corridor of undeveloped land, close to the highway, so I imagine these creatures are roaming free in their natural habitat – what’s left of it. But nothing comes as close to the house – and its inhabitants – than the rabbit.

Massachusetts is home to two species of cottontail rabbits, the New England (Sylvilagus transitionalis) and the Eastern (Sylvilagus floridanus) . The two species look very much the same to the untrained eye, although the former is generally a little bit smaller in size. But they prefer different habitat. According to the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife, the New England Cottontail likes denser areas – mountains, shrub-dominated wetlands, brush-filled woods, as well as regenerating clearcuts, and densely-forested power line corridors and highway medians. The Eastern Cottontail, on the other hand, prefers more open areas -- pastures, fields, farms, stone walls, marshes, and suburban backyards. Their home range can be anywhere from half an acre to more than 40, depending on the terrain. Since our resident rabbit is hanging out so close to the house, I’m guessing it’s the Eastern variety, even if the woods out back are brushy and fairly dense.

Cottontail rabbits are active at dawn and dusk. They tend to be solitary, and very territorial. They are herbivores, eating tender green vegetation – including grasses, clover, and garden veggies --when it is available, and bark, twigs and buds in the colder months.

The Eastern Cottontail rabbit has long ears and, true to its name, a short, fluffy tail. It is reddish brown or brownish gray in color, with lighter color on its belly and the underside of its tail. It has big eyes, weighs 2-4 lbs., and can range from 12 to 20 inches in length.

Eastern Cottontails breed in the spring and summer. During mating season, the male and female perform a sort of dance, wherein the male chases the female until she stops to box at him with her front paws. Then, they each take a turn jumping straight up into the air. Now that’s something I’d like to see!

Eastern Cottontails nest in shallow depressions in the ground which they line with grasses, other plants, and fur plucked from the female’s belly. After about a month, the female produces a litter of 1-9 young, who leave the nest at 3-5 weeks of age. The female may mate again very soon, and she can have up to four litters per year.

Cottontail rabbits can move quickly, leaping distances from 10-15 feet at a time, and running up to 15 miles per hour. They stand on their hind feet to watch for predators, which include fox, bobcat, hawks, owls, snakes, and even pet dogs and cats. When chased, they sometimes dart from side to side to break the scent trail. Just as much of a threat is the hunter -- the Eastern Cottontail is the most widely hunted game animal in the eastern United States.

Our resident Eastern Cottontail doesn’t have to worry about being hunted – unless it strays beyond the bounds of our neighborhood. I don’t even mind that it has eaten a hole in our compost bin, where it seems to take much of its nourishment. We will enjoy watching it come out for its evening meal, and hope the hawk that perches on the barn can continue to look the other way.

Sources:
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfwcotontail.htm#History
http://wildwnc.org/af/easterncottontailrabbit.html
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/easterncottontail.htm

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
July 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org.

No More Plastic Bags?

2008-05-19T14:06:00.003-04:00

San Francisco has been getting publicity lately for becoming the first major American city to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags – if only in large grocery stores and pharmacies. The Boston City Council is considering taking similar measures, as are leaders in other municipalities around the country. I find this intriguing . . . and also a bit worrisome.

As I’ve stated a few times in this column over the years, I try to use my own shopping bags whenever it’s convenient. I have a set of strong, amazingly expandable, cotton mesh Eco Bags that are perfect for hauling groceries and other large loads. Notice that I used the word “convenient” above, and not “possible.” There are still plenty of times when I don’t have a bag with me, and have to choose “paper or plastic,” and plenty more times when a using mesh bag would not make sense.

When I have to choose, it used to be that I would almost always go for the paper bags, since my town’s recycling handler prefers us to bag our paper waste before we place it in the bin. But occasionally, and increasing since my son was born last May, I’ve gone for the plastic ones. They’re a great way to diffuse the stench of a well-used diaper, or to contain the juices and scraps from a package of meat. These are important measures to take when you don’t want to attract raccoons to your garbage can -- or when your trash pickup is still a week away.

Still, I could be more vigilant about limiting my use of disposable bags -- especially when I consider the consequences. Did you know that the typical plastic shopping bag requires up to 1,000 years to decompose? Further they are made of polyethylene, a petroleum-based product; with gas prices hovering around $3.00 per gallon, we could all do our part to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Each bag we keep out of the landfill – either by reusing an old one, or replacing it with something more earth-friendly – is a tiny contribution to the health of our planet.

These days, most grocery stores offer their own reusable tote bags. For a few dollars, you can purchase a nice canvas sack in which to carry home your groceries. If you bought one each month, you’d soon have enough bags to contain your entire grocery order. It’s a great idea – as long as you remember to bring the bags with you when you go to the store. (Hint: between shopping trips, keep them in your car.)

However, you don’t need a “special” bag for your groceries – any sufficiently strong tote bag will do. Check out the mesh bags at ecobags.com, or reuse the paper and plastic bags from your last shopping trip. Whole Foods Market will give you five cents off for each shopping bag you provide (and use) yourself.

I’m not naïve. I know that there are plenty of people who can’t be bothered to bring their own bags along every time they go shopping. There are worse sins, to be sure. But there are also alternatives. How about paying a small fee for the use of a plastic bag? Ikea, for example, essentially taxes you five cents if you accept a plastic bag from them. Perhaps stores could drop their prices ever-so-slightly if they didn’t have to shell out big bucks for free bags. Another alternative would be to create a strong, cheap DEGRADABLE plastic grocery bag. I for one would be psyched about that!

One excellent option is to skip the bag altogether. I’ve worked in a few different music stores over the years. It never made sense to me why anyone would need a bag to carry one small cassette or compact disc. So when I rang up a small order I would always ask my customers whether or not they wanted a bag. Some said no. Some said yes. Others paused to think it over, and generally declined the bag after all. Consider that next time you’re in a store for just one thing.

Even if we don’t stop using plastic bags altogether, we can still reduce our reliance on them. It takes some time to break a habit – but the rewards make it worthwhile.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
June 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

Robin Rescue

2008-05-19T14:06:00.001-04:00

This spring, a family of robins built a nest at my parents’ house in Marshfield. There is nothing unusual about robins nesting here on the South Shore, however, this particular robin family chose a somewhat unique location to roost: on top of an outdoor floodlight, attached to the house, about 10 feet off the ground.

There was no way to see into the nest – neither from the ground, nor from the second story windows. But still you could get an idea of what was going on there – the mama bird keeping her eggs warm until they hatched, and later bringing worms and insects to the babies to eat.

We were all saddened one day in May to see that one of the small blue eggs had fallen from the nest. But that hardly compared to the anguish we felt two weeks later when we discovered that the nest had fallen from its precarious perch, and broken apart. Two baby birds were lying in the dirt below, alive but clearly stunned.

We wanted to help, but we didn’t know how. We had heard that, once handled by humans, baby birds would be rejected by their parents. A call to Massachusetts Audubon’s South Shore Sanctuaries saved the day.

Audubon’s Education Director Ellyn Einhorn was happy to advise us. She said that the “parental rejection due to human scent” thing was a myth, and that it was okay to handle the birds and the nest. But we had to act fast, before the parent birds viewed the situation as a lost cause.

Einhorn advised us to scoop up the remains of the nest and to fit them into a container to help them retain their original shape. We found one of those plastic mesh trays used at garden centers to transport potted plants – and fitted the nest parts together in one of its corners. We added more pine needles and leaves to fill in the gaps.

She then told us to place the birds securely in the nest. We’d never handled birds before, and felt a bit anxious about this – especially since the mama robin was perched on a tree limb nearby, seemingly warning us to stay away from her babies . . . or else. (Einhorn said that the parents probably wouldn’t attack us.) One of the birds was quite sedate, lying in the nest, opening and closing its mouth as if asking for food. The other was all a-flutter. It didn’t seem able to get comfortable, and kept flipping over onto its back. Its head seemed to be turned the wrong way. But – this was probably the most heartbreaking thing -- it was very much alive, and in need of help. They were both so warm to the touch, their first feathers just beginning to sprout, their tiny legs and feet tucked beneath them.

Our next task was to put the nest and its contents back as close as possible to where it had been. Even if we’d had a tall enough ladder, there was no easy way to secure the nest on top of the light fixture. So instead, we placed it about eight feet high in the same pine tree where the mama bird had been perched earlier—and secured it to the branches with wire.

Then all we could do was wait. It was up to the parents now – would they go back to the nest and bring their babies food? Or would they abandon them? We tried to stay out of the front yard to give them some peace. Later in the day we were happy to observe the parents returning to tend to their young.

The next day, we peeked into the nest and were saddened to see that the injured bird had died. But the other one seemed okay. Now we’ll keep an eye on the situation, and see whether the robins build a new nest someplace else, or just stay in the makeshift home we created for them. Maybe we’ll see that remaining baby bird take flight!

A word of advice: not all bird species have the same needs. If you find yourself in a similar rescue situation, you might contact Mass Audubon for guidance. You can reach the South Shore Sanctuaries office at 781-837-9400.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
May 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

Wild Turkeys in Our Midst

2008-05-19T14:05:00.001-04:00

On a recent Sunday morning, a neighbor saw a turkey pecking at my dad’s home-office door in Marshfield. Across town, I spied a small flock of turkeys strutting across my back yard. We are used to squirrels and chipmunks frolicking in the yard, but turkeys? Even in big cities, wild turkey sightings are becoming more and more the norm.

Wild turkeys are not new to New England, but it has been a long time since it was common to see one anywhere other than on the dinner table. In Colonial times, turkeys were quite prevalent, but like many other species, they were hunted or driven away as human settlement expanded. By the early 1800s, a wild turkey was a rare sight -- largely because the hardwood forests they called home had been cut down.

There were attempts to reintroduce turkeys to Massachusetts in the early to mid- twentieth century, but these all proved unsuccessful. However in the early 1970s a flock of 37 wild turkeys were set free in Berkshire County, and by 1978, the turkey population had grown to 1,000. Some of these birds were relocated elsewhere in the state, and now the estimated turkey population is more than 15,000.

When you see a wild turkey, there’s no mistaking it for another bird. A male turkey, or tom, is large – 16-24 lbs. – and when it struts, its head turns bright red. Across short distances, it can run up to 20 miles per hour. Its feathers are black or brown, with white bars on the wings, and a hair-like “beard” extends from its breast. During mating season, mid-March to early May, it puffs out its feathers, fans its tail, and gobbles. As you may already have discovered, it’s a little scary and a little weird to encounter one at close range.

The hens are smaller, only 9-12 lbs. After mating, a turkey hen lays 12-15 eggs in a shallow leaf-lined nest on the ground. These hatch after about a month, so in early June we begin to see baby turkeys, or poults, . . . as long as the foxes don’t get them. Soon after hatching, the poults instinctively follow their mother, who provides protection and food. They learn quickly how to climb into trees at night, where it is safer to roost.

Wild turkeys live in flocks, and each flock has its own system of social ranking. This “pecking order” determines which turkeys are dominant over the others. This is not a pun – the dominant bird actually has the privilege to peck on a bird of lesser rank. This behavior can be a nuisance – or downright frightening – if a turkey deems a human or other animal as subordinate. Especially during breeding season, a turkey is prone to peck at or attack any potential threat. In addition to other animals, turkeys sometimes peck at shiny objects like cars -- or even reflections.

But you don’t have to worry about a wild turkey actually eating you. They consume a primarily vegetarian diet, including acorns, nuts, grapes, skunk cabbage, plus some berries and tubers. They will also scratch at the ground in search of food. Poults also eat insects.

Turkeys are fascinating to observe, especially from a distance, or through a window where’s there’s no threat of attack. The Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife offers these tips for preventing conflicts with turkeys.

• Don’t Feed Turkeys. Feeding, whether direct or indirect, can cause turkeys to act tame and may lead to bold or aggressive behavior, especially in the breeding season.

• Keep Bird Feeder Areas Clean. Use feeders designed to keep seed off the ground, as the seed attracts turkeys and other wild animals. Clean up spilled seed from other types of feeders daily. Remove feeders in the spring, as there is plenty of natural food available for all birds.

• Don’t Let Turkeys Intimidate You. Don't hesitate to scare or threaten a bold, aggressive turkey with loud noises, swatting with a broom or water sprayed from a hose. A dog on a leash is also an effective deterrent.

• Cover Windows or Other Reflective Objects. If a turkey is pecking at a shiny object such as a vehicle or window, cover or otherwise disguise the object. Harass the bird by chasing it, squirting with a hose or other means of aggression.

• Protect Your Gardens and Crops. You can harass turkeys searching for food in your gardens. Dogs tethered on a run can also be effective in scaring turkeys away from gardens. Netting is another option to employ. In agricultural situations, some scare devices are effective.

• Educate Your Neighbors. Your efforts will be futile if neighbors are providing food for turkeys or neglecting to act boldly towards the birds. It requires the efforts of the entire neighborhood to help keep wild turkeys wild.

Sources:
www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfwturk.htm
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11162-2004Nov24.html
www.post-gazette.com/pg/05327/611403.stm
www.birding.about.com/od/birdsturkeys/a/wildturkeys.htm

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
April 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

It’s Not Easy Being Green

2008-05-19T14:04:00.002-04:00

Last month I wrote about “Ten Simple Things You Can Do To Stop Global Warming,” and in the past I’ve referenced other ways to reduce one’s impact on the planet. It all sounds good on paper, but I will be the first to acknowledge that putting environmental consciousness into action can be a challenge. To quote a song sung by Kermit the Frog, “It’s not easy being green.”

In recent print advertisements, Kermit the Frog has been the spokesman for the Toyota Prius, the most popular hybrid vehicle in the United States. So even those of us who don’t watch Sesame Street regularly may be reminded of the potential pitfalls and perils of “being green.” I’ve been listening to Kermit’s song a lot, however -- driving around in the car with my son Abel, who will turn one next month. “It’s not easy being green,’ Kermit sings. It’s true, and for me, parenthood has made that truth all the more evident.

Let’s start with the diapers. Before Abel was born, I considered using cloth diapers, but only until I’d conferred with fellow moms and got a reality check. Gone are the days of the local diaper service. There are plenty of new-styled cloth diapers on the market that you can wash at home, but when you’re going through ten diapers a day, you have to wonder if the environmental impact of all that laundry is any less than that of using disposables. So we’re using the Pampers, and contributing generously to the landfill each week. On top of that, some diapers are accompanied by a handful of baby wipes and wrapped in a plastic grocery bag to seal out odor. At least the grocery bags are recycled! I don’t even want to think about how many years it will take for those diapers to decompose…

Despite the disposable diapers, we’re doing quite a bit more laundry these days too. This is a natural consequence of when a family grows by 50%, especially when the baby is learning how to feed himself and crawl. So are we reducing the amount of hot water we use? Nope. Definitely using more of that, and more of the dryer too. I put most of the grown-up clothes on the drying rack, but not the little ones -- I just don’t have time!

What about reducing the amount of packaging we throw in the trash? Again, I had good intentions. Sure, baby food jars are recyclable, but it would be more ecologically sound – and cheaper – to make one’s own baby food. Most of my friends envisioned me as the queen of homemade purees, and I thought they were right, but here I am, stocking up on crates of baby food at the grocery store each week. Sure, Abel gets the occasional homemade meal, but I have to admit, I’d rather play with him and his blocks than stand at the stove steaming carrots.

My husband and I have always been good about turning off the lights when we exit a room. But that has changed too. A typical hour for Abel involves roaming through all of the rooms on the first floor of our house, finding new things to explore. Even when we put up the gates and confine him to a smaller space, we find that we’re going back and forth from the kitchen to the living room to the dining room to meet his needs. The lights stay on until Abel’s bedtime. At least we’ve begun to replace our regular lightbulbs with compact fluorescents, so even though we’re using more energy, we’re being somewhat conscious about it.

Which is good, because we’re going to need those savings to offset the cost of keeping our house warm enough for baby. We used to keep the house at 58 degrees all day, and turn it up to 62 when we got cold. Now the thermostat is set at sixty, but if we’re home (and we’re home a lot more than we used to be) it goes up to 64. So much for turning your thermostat down a couple degrees in winter to conserve!

It’s not all bad though. Most of these measures are temporary, and we can go back to being more environmentally conscious as our son grows older. We still recycle, compost our food waste, and use cloth grocery bags. We take Abel outdoors a lot, which we hope will foster in him a love of nature. We’re trying to improve in the areas where we’ve slipped. And we try to be aware of the impact we have upon the earth even if it’s a negative impact.

So no, it’s not easy being green. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be. Even the smallest steps we take will count toward lessening our impact on planet Earth.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
March 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

How You Can Stop Global Warming

2008-05-19T14:04:00.001-04:00

“An Inconvenient Truth” recently won the Academy award for Best Documentary Feature. If you haven’t seen the movie, it is essentially Al Gore giving a presentation on global warming.

The presentation itself isn’t anything fancy – more like a lecture by one of your more captivating college professors, along with some really cool graphics. But it does state the facts of global warming quite clearly.

There are dissenters, but the prevailing school of thought these days is that global warming – the widespread rise of temperature on our planet – is a direct result of the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil, as well as the clearing of forests. Both of these increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which in turn heats things up. These are manmade problems -- not natural ones.

You might think a small rise in temperature is not such a big deal, but it does have consequences, such melting glaciers, severe storms and droughts in greater frequency, and serious changes in plant and animal habitat. According to the website www.climatecrisis.net, “The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years,” and if global warming continues at its current rate, “Sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet, devastating coastal areas worldwide.” Some of the documentary’s most compelling scenes were computer-generated oceans rising to fill the streets of modern cities.

What I liked best about “An Inconvenient Truth” was the tips it offered as the end credits rolled – Ten Simple Things You Can Do To Stop Global Warming. I also liked the fact that movie’s message wasn’t all doom and gloom – instead, it reassuringly stated that we CAN solve the problem of global warming, and that small efforts could bring big results.

So here’s what you can do:

Replace regular lightbulbs with compact fluorescents. The compact fluorescents screw into the socket the same way. They cost more, but they last much longer. Also, turn off lights when you’re not using them.

Drive less. If you can walk, bike, carpool or take mass transit instead of driving, consider doing so. A friend in Albuquerque started taking the bus instead of driving to work. He’s saving money, using less fossil fuel, and also meeting new people and seeing things he wouldn’t ordinarily see on his daily commute.

Recycle. Aim to recycle half of your household waste. Most paper, plastic, cans and jars can go in the recycle bin. You can also donate things you no longer need to charity (instead of sending them to the landfill). Organizations like Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Vietnam Veterans of America will come to your house and carry away your castoffs.

Check Your Tires. Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve your gas mileage by more than 3%.

Use less hot water. Install a low flow showerhead or take shorter showers. Only do laundry with hot water when you need to – warm and cold usually suffice. Be mindful when you wash the dishes and avoid keeping the water running when you don’t need it.

Consider how things are packaged. Choose products with less packaging to reduce the overall amount of garbage in your household. When purchasing fresh produce, ask yourself if you really need the plastic bag. Most of the time you don’t.

Adjust your thermostat. Would you still be comfortable with the inside temperature a couple degrees lower in winter or higher in the warmer months?

Plant a tree. Trees absorb carbon dioxide. They can also shade your house and reduce your need for fans and air conditioning in the summer.

Turn off electronic devices when they’re not in use. Do you keep your television or computer on when you’re not using it? Turn it off and save energy! You’ll notice a difference on your electric bill too.

Encourage people to see “An Inconvenient Truth.” Hopefully they’ll get the message and pass it on.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
February 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

Development on the South Shore

2008-05-19T14:03:00.000-04:00

Back in December, one of the last stands of trees in the commercial section of Marshfield’s Route 139 was cleared to make room for a new office building. Technically, we’re not supposed to be upset by this, as the land was zoned for business. Still, I heard lots of people bemoaning the loss of the woods, or otherwise commenting on how striking the difference is, landscape-wise, when you drive along that road. Even now, two months later, I still do a double take when I drive past the cleared land. I miss the trees.

This sort of thing is happening all over the South Shore. Take Route 53 in Hanover and Norwell. A number of properties have been cleared, razed, or renovated in the past year to make room for new commercial buildings. In many cases, an eyesore was demolished to make room for a newer, larger, and (I hope) more aesthetically pleasing structure. In other cases, it was only forest that was taken down.

Again, these are commercially zoned parts of town. They are “meant” to be developed. But it’s sad to see the wooded areas go.

Why is this happening all of a sudden? It isn’t sudden, really. It’s been happening all along. My neighbor, who is in her eighties and grew up in Marshfield, told me a story about how when she was a child, she used to sit down in the middle of Union Street to play. Now Union Street is a narrow but busy thoroughfare where cars zip along at 40+ mph and most people wouldn’t even dare to walk along the side of the road. With 40B communities, a day camp, and numerous new houses vying for building permits up and down the road, it promises only to get busier.

When I was a child, in the 1970s and ‘80s, there were acres upon acres of undeveloped land in town. Now the “new” neighborhoods that were carved out of those forests in my lifetime – places like Woodland Hills and Arrowhead – are no longer even considered new. The trend continues. I can’t even count how many new roads and age-55+ complexes are being built in our town. It’s the same all over the South Shore.

You can blame some of it on the trains – the Kingston and Bridgewater commuter lines, and the Greenbush line that is coming to Scituate. Easy access to public transportation makes communities more attractive, and so we’re building houses and businesses to accommodate the population influx. But some of it is just “progress.” As long as they have their permits in order, people who own residentially zoned land are entitled to develop it. Towns that had the foresight to set aside land for conservation will maintain that open space, but where that isn’t or wasn’t a priority, land will just continue to be cleared and built upon.

Here’s my conundrum: how much of it is good, or inevitable, and how much of it is not? I’ve been asked to sign petitions protesting certain developments. I have resisted so far because I honestly don’t know where I stand on those matters, even when presented with facts and figures. But when conservation groups set up campaigns to save parcels of land on the South Shore, I try to give generously.

I don’t have the answers. I am grateful for the Wildlands Trust, the Trustees of Reservations, Mass Audubon, and the Nature Conservancy for maintaining open space here on the South Shore, and where possible, campaigning to acquire more. I am thrilled with the towns that have adopted the Community Preservation Act and who continue to buy land for conservation. I think it’s a foregone conclusion at this point that traffic is only going to get worse around here. Can we make it less worse? We can’t stave off all development, but can we contain it? Can we find a balance somehow?

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
January 2007

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

Avoiding Nature Deficit Disorder

2008-05-17T21:24:00.002-04:00

My son, Abel, who is seven months old, loves to go for walks outdoors. When we step into the woods or fields of a nature preserve, he inevitably begins to babble excitedly. Even though we have no idea what he is telling us, it is clear that he is quite pleased.

This makes me so happy! I too love the outdoors, and I’d be dismayed if my son didn’t share my enthusiasm. I know there’s a really good chance that when he’s thirteen he may prefer video games to hikes, but for now we’re good. We’ll continue to walk as long as the weather permits it.

Chris, my husband, is already talking about bringing Abel to the redwood forests of Northern California when he gets older. We’ll camp for a week or two while Chris photographs the ancient trees. And my parents are planning to bring Abel to the Grand Canyon when he is ten years old. This fall my father and a friend hiked down to the canyon floor – a tremendous physical challenge that only one percent of Grand Canyon visitors even attempt (but that’s a story for another day). Maybe someday we’ll do that too. For now, I’m content to dream of watching the sun rise over the canyon rim with Abel and the rest of my family.

According to the National Park Service, my dream – which used to be quite common – is becoming more and more rare as the years pass. Visits to national parks have been on a downward slide for the past decade, and fewer and fewer people are interested in staying overnight at park lodges and campgrounds. The Park Service is studying the trends and ramping up their efforts to attract visitors, especially young ones. But the competition from theme parks threatens only to worsen.

Richard Louv’s 2005 book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder” discusses how childhood is becoming an increasingly indoor affair. We are so concerned about the possibility of abductions and other crimes, not to mention insects bearing horrible diseases, that we won’t let our children play outside – at least not to the extent that we did when we were kids.

When I was growing up, my parents permitted my sister and I to roam the neighborhood, including the woods and the cranberry bogs nearby. In fact, my mother wanted us to play outside as much as possible, and encouraged us accordingly. We weren’t supposed to go anywhere alone, but as long as a friend or sibling accompanied us, we had free reign over a large area. I want to offer this same freedom of exploration to my son as he grows up. I’m not sure that’s possible.

Some National Park officials cite our overly cautious and litigious society as the source of the problem. If we didn’t have to post signs warning of flash floods, bears, ice, dangerous spiders, and so forth, perhaps people would be more apt to spend time outdoors. Too many warnings scare us away from some of the most magnificent places on earth, not to mention the more mundane but still beautiful nature areas right in our back yards. Did you opt out of a walk in the woods this summer for fear of catching Lyme disease or encephalitis? Certainly these fears are warranted, but how cautious is too cautious? Is it really better for your health to stay indoors?

It’s winter, and spending time in nature is less of a priority for most people now than it is during the other, warmer seasons. Still, most of us need to go outside every so often to get a breath of fresh air or to avoid cabin fever. Chris and I discovered that even as a tiny baby, Abel benefited from some time outdoors. We try to bring him outside every day. When he gets cranky, the change of scenery seems to improve his mood. It does the same for us.

Before long Abel will be walking – and then running. Our wooded back yard will be a great place to play, even if we have to take extra precautions to avoid ticks and mosquitoes. The South Shore’s myriad nature preserves will make excellent field trip locations. And when Abel gets older, we look forward to visiting some national parks. It’s funny – before Abel was born I couldn’t imagine camping in the redwood forests of northern California – but now it sounds fun!

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
December 2006

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

Marshfield’s Puddle Wharf Conservation Area

2008-05-17T21:24:00.001-04:00

Thanks to the Marshfield Trailheads, a community organization dedicated to improving access to local open space lands, I have discovered a new nature preserve. While perusing the Trailheads’ (www.marshfieldtrailheads.org) website, which also provides information on the official Marshfield Trails and Ways Committee, I came across an item on a large conservation parcel that I’d never noticed before, named Puddle Wharf. I was eager to check it out.

According to the Trailheads, the Puddle Wharf Conservation Area is home to Marshfield busiest nature trail, probably because the high school cross-country team uses it for practice. You can see where the team runs because the trees are emblazoned with white paint to mark the way. But both days I visited, my guests and I were the only people on the trails. That’s my kind of “busy” nature preserve!

You can access the Puddle Wharf Trails from School Street. Look for parking just off the roadside (there is no designated parking area) at the bottom of the hill, near the water pumping stations (brick buildings). The trailheads are marked with small round metal plaques – look for them at eye level on the trees.

The Puddle Wharf trails extend for quite a distance on both sides of School Street. If you head south, a walking path leads you through the woods and alongside Puddle Wharf Creek for a short distance. Then the path broadens considerably. One trail veers uphill while the other continues straight ahead.

If you go straight, you will soon encounter a very large sandpit, which is bordered on one side by Forest Street. While not necessarily “pretty” this is nevertheless an interesting landscape to behold. There are spur trails all along the borders of the sandpit, many of which lead to private backyards. It’s probably possible to make your way around the sandpit without hitting a dead end or having to detour out onto Forest Street – but I haven’t yet figured out how to do it! One noteworthy discovery was a stand of “furry” pine-type trees on the perimeter of the sandpit near Forest Street. I’ve never seen anything like them.

Because the trails on the southern section of the property are wide, Puddle Wharf is inviting to cross country skiers. The sandpits are a popular winter sledding spot.

The trails on the northern portion of the property are more wooded and enclosed. Following heavy rains, they can be wet too. The walking path, which was recently improved by Boy Scout Troop 212, winds through the forest, and offers an occasional bench. After a short distance, you will need to cross under the high-tension lines. Go to your right and downhill a little bit, and watch for the trail to continue on the other side of the clearing. It’s my understanding that the trails continue all the way to St. Christine’s Church and Pine Street. On the day I visited this northern side, about 3/4 of the distance into the property there was a giant puddle blocking my way, so I wasn’t able to confirm this.

Puddle Wharf Conservation Area is managed by the Marshfield DPW, the town Water Department, as well as the Conservation Commission. The area is important for protecting the town’s wells and drinking water supply. In fact, five of the town’s wells are located within or adjacent to this property. Marshfield relies on its own groundwater supply (as opposed to water piped in from other sources), so it is essential that these lands be protected from contamination. The property is part of the Furnace Brook Watershed, which drains to the South River.

Motorized vehicles are prohibited from the Puddle Wharf Conservation Area, yet sadly there is plenty of evidence of ATV (all-terrain vehicle) use on the property. There are signs posted that encourage visitors to report any illegal activity. According to the Trailheads, such reporting occurs quite frequently, and the Police Department takes action.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
November 2006

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

Pembroke’s Canoe Club Preserve

2008-05-17T21:23:00.001-04:00

What a delight to discover a new place to walk! You’d never know it, but behind the new Pembroke Pointe Shopping Plaza (at the junction of Routes 53 and 139 in Pembroke), you will see a sign for the Canoe Club Preserve, 20 acres of open space managed by the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts. I’m always trying to keep up-to-date on new conservation lands, so on a recent Sunday, I decided to check it out.

The trailhead for the preserve is well marked from the plaza’s rear parking area. Watch for the sign, then head down the hill, and you can choose to go right or left.

If you go to the left, a narrow trail leads you through the woods. For my visit on a bright morning in mid-October, the fall foliage was at its peak. The sun filtered through the trees and illuminated the leaves like stained glass. Beautiful!
As the trail is new and not yet well trod, be careful where you step. There are some small stumps and roots to watch out for. That should change soon enough -- the more people who use the trail, the better it will be!

Eventually the path opens into an extensive boardwalk that crosses swampy woodland and tidal freshwater marsh. You may see moving water beneath the boardwalk – springs that lead to the upper reaches of the North River, which is just down the hill.

Now that it’s mid-fall, the colors of the marsh are fading, but there is still plenty to admire. While the lush green grasses of late spring may turn more heads, the golds and grays of autumn offer their own subtle glow.

As for wildlife, Jessica Schultz, Director of Stewardship for the Wildlands Trust, recommends that visitors be on the lookout for migrating birds. In addition, she says one of the highlights of the property is the view through the forest from the hillside, especially at this time of year. Typically we see the woods from the ground up, but as the Canoe Club Preserve is set on a steep hill, following the boardwalk trail reveals the mid-level of the forest.

The boardwalk eventually leads to a three-way intersection. Turn right and proceed to another dirt path, which completes a loop back to the trailhead. If you look up when you get to this part of the trail, you may see a chair mounted high in a tree. This is an old hunting stand, which eventually will be removed. It’s an odd site in an otherwise natural environment.

Please be aware that the other section of boardwalk that links into the aforementioned intersection is private property, even though it is not yet posted as such. (I didn’t know this at the time of my visit. Trespassing afforded me some great views of the marsh and the upper reaches of the North River, but I don’t recommend you follow suit. Those lands, which include a dock, boathouse and several wooden benches -- belong to the homeowners at the adjacent Canoe Club Estates.)

How did this come to be? As part of his subdivision construction plan, Ron Wilson, the developer of Canoe Club Estates, was required by the Pembroke Planning Board to set aside a portion of his land for conservation. In April 2005, he gave 20 acres to The Wildlands Trust for public use. The Wildlands Trust created the trail and boardwalk system – a process that took a full year to complete since the Pembroke Pointe Shopping Plaza was under construction at the same time. Wilson was enthusiastic about the trail system, and participated in its creation.

I applaud the Pembroke Planning Board for their vision. What a great idea – to require that some land be saved while adjacent properties are developed. And what an attractive feature to offer potential homebuyers – Wilson’s subdivision includes a private nature preserve that links into the Wildlands Trust parcel. I hope to see more collaboration like this in the future.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
October 2006

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

South River Walks

2008-05-17T21:20:00.002-04:00

Among the waterways of the South Shore, the North River is much more well-known than its sister, The South. Visible from major highways like Routes 3 and 3A, the North seems to get all the press, while the more discreet South River is largely ignored. It’s a situation that has both advantages and disadvantages, as being relatively unknown makes the South River a quieter, more private place.

The South River flows for twelve miles from its headwaters near Round Pond in Duxbury. It begins as a small but often swiftly moving stream that passes through woods and predominantly rural areas. The South River briefly shows the public its face at Veterans Memorial Park in Marshfield, then darts behind storefronts and other businesses as it glides through the heart of town. Passing along the back of Rexhame Beach it emerges again in Humarock, where it eventually meets the North River and flows into the sea.

The South River is best viewed by water. You can paddle much of its lower reaches in a canoe or kayak; a good-sized piece of it is navigable by motorboat as well. But it can also be seen on foot. Several public trails offer excellent vantage points. Here is an overview.

The Round Pond Trails, off Mayflower Street in Duxbury – This is where you will find the sprig that is the source of the South River. This wooded area includes a small kettle pond and walking trails. Trail maps are available on site and at the Duxbury Town Hall. There is a small parking area off Mayflower Street.

Pudding Hill Reservation, Pudding Hill Road, off Old Ocean Street in Marshfield – 37.2 acres managed by the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts. This parcel includes a pleasant pondside meadow, a bubbling stream and a pine-covered ridge, linked by a wide path. There are walking trails on two sides of Pudding Hill, and access to Chandler’s Pond for fishing, canoeing and kayaking. Parking is available off-pavement on the right side of, and parallel to, Pudding Hill Lane, opposite the preserve sign.

Veterans Memorial Park and South River Junctions, Route 139 (Plain Street), Marshfield – The park is the site of many milling and manufacturing operations, dating back to 1656. In the spring, you may be able to see herring swimming upstream to spawn. Recent renovations have made the park even more pleasant for passive recreation and nature study – as long as you can tune out the heavy traffic nearby. The Junctions, 2.5 acres adjoining the park, includes a boardwalk, benches and a gazebo overlooking the South River. Look for a gravel parking area off Route 139, between Cross and Old Ocean Streets.

The Keville Footbridge, Route 139 (Ocean Street), Marshfield. Follow the trail along the old railroad bed behind the CVS store at the intersection of Webster and Ocean Streets and you will find this footbridge, a lovely spot to view the middle section of the South River. Watch for signs of life in the water below – you may spot an otter or a beaver! The railroad bed trail extends all the way across town, and is ideal for foot or mountain bike travel. Park at CVS.

Bourne Island Reservation, off Chandler Drive, Marshfield. An island surrounded by 34 acres of salt marsh, managed by the Marshfield Conservation Commission. Volunteers from the town’s Trails and Ways Committee recently improved access to the area, which includes four trails through stands of birch, oak and pine trees, and views of the South River. Watch for blue heron and deer. A lagoon tempts fishermen with abundant stripers.

The Rexhame Dunes, Standish Street, via Winslow Street, Marshfield. Former site of the river mouth, before the 1898 Portland Gale relocated it a few miles north at Fourth Cliff. A fascinating natural vista, which transforms from salt water estuary to upland sand dunes to ocean beach over the course of a few hundred feet. Follow the wide trail through the center of the property or check out some of the narrower footpaths. Also good for swimming, picnicking and fishing. Park in the Town parking area at the end of Winslow Street – a sticker or a fee is required from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Humarock – The South River runs along the western edge of Humarock, providing spectacular views, especially at sunset. Park in the village center and walk down River Street to the Julian Street Bridge, then continue on to the Rexhame Dunes. Or loop back from Julian Street via Ridge Road to the Sea Street Bridge. Or, from the village center, head north on Central Avenue for a great view of the estuary.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
September 2006

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

Some Thoughts on New Motherhood

2008-05-17T21:20:00.001-04:00

My husband and I welcomed Abel, our much-anticipated first child, into the world in mid-May. I was blessed with an easy, even blissful, pregnancy, during which I felt healthy and strong . . . and special. There’s nothing quite like carrying a child in the womb, and nurturing oneself and that child simultaneously.

During my pregnancy, I did all the “right” things. I rested a lot, got plenty of exercise, and read extensively about labor, birth and newborn care. My husband and I prepared a nursery for our son, stocked up on diapers, and accumulated all sorts of baby gear. But even though I felt ready for Abel’s arrival in a material sense, there was something in the back of my mind that wouldn’t quite let me feel at ease.

People would ask, “How do you feel about becoming a mother?” and I’d reply “Excited . . . and terrified.” It was a true statement, but also somewhat glib, as I never really paused to think about where that terror was coming from.

So Abel was born, and after a couple of nights in the hospital we all came home and began to settle in. For the first two weeks, I was tired but quietly content. Like most newborns, Abel didn’t sleep for long stretches, and he often refused to nap unless he was held in someone’s arms. I spent most of my awake-time in my sitting room, holding and/or nursing Abel, and reading.

I was fortunate to be able to give birth to Abel naturally, so my recovery time, in a physical sense, was short. Before long I was dashing around the house, “getting things done” whenever someone else could hold Abel. I’d heard about new mothers feeling helpless once the baby arrived. I didn’t want that to happen to me, so as quickly as I could, I leapt back into as much of my old schedule as possible. Abel and I went grocery shopping, and to my office to work on my newspaper columns and other computer jobs. I made dinner every night, and visited with friends and family during the day.

And then abruptly, my adrenaline wore out. Years ago I’d endured a depression characterized primarily by anxiety and frequent panic attacks. When Abel was around five weeks old, the anxiety and panic returned. Suddenly I felt completely overwhelmed. I was overdoing it, trying to return to my old lifestyle and beginning to realize that such a thing was no longer possible.

Before Abel was born I was a very independent person. I worked six days a week, and although I made my own schedule with freelance work, my days were often non-stop. On any given day -- even though I was working at my computer -- I had several hours to myself, by myself. My husband’s schedule was similar, so we cherished the few hours we had together at the end of each day and on Sundays.

When Abel arrived, that all changed. Instead of being home only to eat, sleep, and veg on the couch for a couple hours a night (and occasionally do some housework), I was now in the house almost all the time. I was still doing freelance work, but I had to fit it into times when Abel was asleep or being cared for by someone else. When I wanted to go out, I had to schedule around Abel’s feedings. Suddenly everything revolved around the baby. I was used to everything revolving around me -- or my husband and me.

You may be saying, “Of course your life revolved around your newborn! What did you expect?” I know it seems obvious. But it’s hard to truly fathom how much your life will change until you’re living the changes.

I was ready for the sleep deprivation. I was ready for nursing and all that goes with it. But no one talks about how you will have no personal space, and no un-negotiated time to yourself. No one tells you how you will mourn the loss of your old life, how you will feel incredibly guilty for wanting to spend an hour away from your baby, and yet you will desperately need that time to yourself in order to remember who you are.

I started asking my friends if they felt overwhelmed when they became mothers for the first time. Most, but not all, of them said yes. When I asked those same friends if I was naive for expecting it to go more smoothly, they all admitted that it took them by surprise too. When I asked, “SO WHY DIDN’T YOU WARN ME!?!” their responses were variations on the following themes.

“You came to my house every week, saw me struggle, and listened to me complain. Wasn’t it obvious?” (Apparently not – unless I was thinking, “this won’t happen to me.”)

“I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want to sound negative just because I found it hard.” (Okay, but . . . )

“I tried to tell you but my mom/husband/sister elbowed me in the stomach and told me to shut up.” (Thanks for trying!)

“It’s not something you can explain or understand until you experience it for yourself.” (That pretty much sums it up.)

There has been plenty of coverage of post-partum depression in the media lately, thanks in part to Brooke Shields’ brave memoir about her own experience and Tom Cruise’s wacky response to her book. But I’m concerned that we tend to focus on the extremes, where mothers want, however fleetingly, to hurt their selves or their babies. There’s a whole spectrum of depression that’s common among new mothers, and no one is talking about it. Depression and anxiety are not unusual responses to big life changes. Yet we women end up feeling guilty for not living up to the ideal of the perfect mother, who loves – and thrives on -- every minute of her new role.

I don’t want to play into that image. So I’ve decided that, as undignified as I might appear, I will be honest. I don’t want pity – and it would be easier to pretend that everything is fine -- but when someone asks me how I’m doing, I admit that it has been a difficult adjustment. When someone says, “Isn’t motherhood the greatest?” I say, “I’m not there yet.”

Don’t get me wrong – I love my son and the daily joys he bring me. I feel confident in my ability to meet his needs. The hard part is meeting my own needs at the same time. Transitioning into motherhood has not been easy. At least now, more than three months into it, I can say that it is getting easier.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
August 2006

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

Becoming Sisters

2008-05-17T21:19:00.001-04:00

On a sunny Saturday in early August, my sister Marnie and I took Abel, my almost-three-month-old son, for his first walk at the Norris Reservation in Norwell. For the most part, this summer’s extreme rains and humidity have made walking in the woods unadvisable. But this day was different: dry and cool, and pretty much bug-free.

To avoid the mosquitoes and at least some of the heat, Abel and I have been favoring the beach for walks. I carry him in a sling or a chest-carrier, where he falls asleep almost immediately and stays asleep until it’s time to return to his car seat. But at the Norris, he stayed wide-awake, looking around the whole time. He seemed especially to like the boathouse on the North River, where we stopped to sit for awhile and enjoy the view. It was so serene there, with the tide coming in, the golden, late afternoon sun reflecting off the river, the gentle breeze . . .

The serenity of our surroundings stood in sharp contrast to the way I was feeling – the way I have been feeling for the better part of the past three months. Becoming a mother has been a joyous and yet at the same time traumatic experience for me. Fiercely independent and an admitted control freak, I find myself having to let go of my old ways and let my infant son call the shots. This has been a huge challenge for me, and the radical shift in lifestyle makes me feel depressed and anxious. It’s not that I’m having problems mothering my son – it’s that I have to redefine who I am. Change has never been easy for me.

My husband and my immediate family have been incredibly supportive. They remind me that I am a good mother, doing a good job. “Abel is happy and thriving,” they point out. “And you’re going to get through this, and come out the other side feeling confident and strong.” I need their encouragement, because for at least a few hours of most days I find myself overwhelmed, acutely self-judgmental, or worrying that I’m never going to feel better. I was definitely feeling that way as we set out for our walk.

I am the older of two sisters. Marnie and I freely admit that we didn’t start to get along until I went away to college. As kids we tolerated each other, even enjoyed each other’s company sometimes, but mostly fought for our parents’ attention. As teenagers, we had periods of camaraderie mixed in with all sorts of cattiness and competition. We finally started to get to know each other, for real, about ten years ago, in our early-to-mid twenties. Things have improved steadily ever since.

Until recently, I was the eternal older sister. Marnie would often come to me when she was upset or confused and I would try to advise her. But I would never discuss my own issues with her – it didn’t even occur to me to do so. When we didn’t see eye to eye, we could be very mean. The truth can hurt, and perhaps we relished inflicting some of that pain, carrying out our childhood one-upmanship in a different fashion.

Our relationship had been improving over the years, but when began thinking about having a baby, Marnie and I really began to grow close. She had recently moved back to Marshfield, after living in Seattle, Colorado and the Berkshires during the past decade. She made a commitment to stick around. She said, “It’s about time I showed you some support.”

It was a new thing, treating each other like equals, and it took some time to get used to it. Instead of me taking the role of the older, wiser sister, I tried to view Marnie as a peer. Instead of only looking to me for answers, Marnie began to tune in to when I might need support. In time we found that we could talk more easily with each other, finally permitting our common past to unite rather than divide us. When Abel was born, Marnie fully embraced her role as doting Aunt.

This came just in time, as these days I need all the support I can get! I was having an anxious day when we stepped into the Norris Reservation, worried that my depression would never end, or that it would prevent me from bonding fully with my son.

“Don’t you see the way he looks at you,” Marnie pointed out. “He adores you.”

“You’re a great mother,” She said. “I think you’re more bonded than you realize.”

“You’re doing all the right things,” she told me. “Abel is a happy baby.”

“You’re doing a great job.”

I can’t tell you how encouraged I felt to hear those words. It’s so easy for a new mother to get caught up in trying to do what’s “best” all the time – especially for people like me who constantly strive for perfection. It doesn’t help that the experts change their mind on what’s “best” every five years or so. There’s a lot to be said for “good enough.”

I’m so used to being the strong one, the one who knows all the answers or who can offer solace at a time of need. But here I am, needing more support than ever before. I’ve always received it from my parents and husband, and now my sister too. It’s so gratifying to know that she is there for me, with her own special wisdom.

Walking in the woods, we thought back on how much our lives have changed in the past decade. We’ve been through some good times and some tough times, and learned a lot about ourselves in the process. Most importantly we’ve truly become sisters.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
July 2006

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

Dogs in the Woods

2008-05-17T21:18:00.000-04:00

My first child was born this past May, on the first sunny day after a week of rainstorms. The sun shone for a few more days after his birth, but not long after that, we had another series of dark, wet, gloomy days.

You’re not really supposed to bring a newborn out into public month in the first month or two of his life. Until he receives some key vaccinations, it’s better to limit his exposure to other people and the germs they may carry. So I was dutifully staying home and otherwise out of the public sphere. I didn’t mind at all – I needed my rest and it was enough work making sure my baby was kept well-fed and clean-diapered.

This was fine with me, especially since I could go out in my yard for a short walk or just sit outside on my bench swing. But when the rains came back and I felt like I was stuck inside, I started to experience a little bit of cabin fever. One Sunday afternoon when the skies had cleared enough to justify a walk in the woods, I invited a friend to join me and the baby for a jaunt at Two Mile Reservation in North Marshfield, just down the street from my house.

After preparing my son to be outside (tucked into an infant sling, protected from the elements), my friend and I started out down the path into the reservation. We had gone about twenty feet when I saw a golden retriever approaching from the trail ahead. My friend was attacked once by a dog and she still feels terror when a canine of any sort begins running toward her. I said, “It’s a golden retriever; it’s gonna be okay,” and it was, as the dog wagged its tail and continued past us. But behind it was another dog, and it wasn’t so well-mannered. It ignored my friend, but instead jumped up on me, its paws just missing my son. You can imagine how I felt – taking my baby out for the first time and having a strange dog jump up at him.

The dogs’ owners came around the corner just then. I asked, “You do know there’s a leash law?”

They said, “We came after the dogs as soon as we knew you were there.”

“And anyway,” they continued, “The reservation permits dogs to run free.”

I was surprised by their defiance. Did the leash law not apply, as the property was not owned by the town? Was it really okay for a dog to jump up at my newborn baby? Even if their dog didn’t have to be leashed while in the reservation, weren’t the owners required to keep their dog under control?

A bit shaken, my friend and I managed to enjoy our walk. The fresh air and exercise did me and my cabin fever a world of good. But it got me wondering about the rules around dogs in our local nature preserves, what’s permitted and what’s not.

This is what I learned. In a nutshell, dogs must be under control at all times. Some places require leashes, and some do not. Here’s the scoop.

At properties managed by the Trustees of Reservations (TTOR), including Two Mile Farm, the Norris Reservation, and World’s End, among others, the regulations plainly state that a dog must be kept under control at all times. Dogs must stay on the trails so they don’t disturb wildlife or livestock or damage vegetation. They must also yield to equestrians. People can walk with no more than two dogs per person, and must carry plastic bags with which to pick up the dog’s waste, and dispose of it off the reservation. TTOR also asks that you “Recognize that many people have little contact with dogs and may be afraid of your dog regardless of its size or demeanor.”

Properties managed by the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, including Willow Brook Farm, Pudding Hill Reservation, the Tucker Preserve, and others, the rule is as follows. “Dogs, properly leashed, are permitted at most preserves. Please respect other visitors, our neighbors and wildlife by keeping your pet under control.” You should check posted signs at a given preserve to make sure it is one that welcomes dogs.

Mass Audubon, whose local open space parcels include North Hill Marsh, the North River Sanctuary, and Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary, is much stricter. Their policy is that you “Do not bring pets, leashed or unleashed, on to the site.”

Properties owned by individual towns and managed by their Conservation Commissions have rules that vary on the basic theme that a dog must be kept under control at all times. Some towns, such as Kingston, Hanover and Norwell, require that the dog be kept on a leash. So bring your leash to Bay Farm, Luddam’s Ford Park, and Stetson Meadows, to name a few. Others, like Duxbury and Pembroke, only ask that your dog be kept under control, and that you use common sense when approaching other people or animals.

It seems it all comes down to being considerate. Do not assume that anyone walking in the woods is comfortable with dogs – they could be allergic, or like my friend, somewhat traumatized by a past incident. If the property requires that you keep your dog on a leash, please do. If it requires only that you keep your dog under control, then use your head. “Under control” should include keeping the dog within sight, so that if a person or another dog comes around the corner, you can stop your animal from being friendlier than the other person would like. A dog licking or jumping up on a stranger is never appropriate. And by all means, bring a plastic bag and pick up any mess your pet leaves behind!

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, correspondent
June 2006

The Ant Farm That Wasn’t

2008-05-17T21:17:00.000-04:00

When my husband, Chris, was growing up, he really wanted an ant farm. But his mother, squeamish about hosting a family of insects in her home, would not allow it.

My mom was more easy-going in the ant department. For a time while I was in junior high, we had a thriving ant farm set up on a shelf in the bathroom. It was fascinating to observe the ants as they built tunnels and hills, and otherwise went about their business, seemingly oblivious to the fishbowl situation in which we had placed them.

Fast-forward many years. This past Christmas I purchased Uncle Milton’s Giant Ant Farm for Chris. He had knee surgery scheduled for the end of December, and I figured the ants would keep him amused throughout his recuperation.

When you purchase an Uncle Milton farm, the ants do not come in the box along with all the other equipment. Instead you get an order form, and for $3 you can send away for a special breed of ants that work like crazy and don’t reproduce (they are all the same sex). I did this before I wrapped the gift, in anticipation of the ants arriving shortly after the holidays. But instead I received a postcard indicating that it was too cold to ship ants, and I would have to wait until spring. Oh well . . .

This April we received a standard brown envelope in the mail from Uncle Milton. It contained a sealed plastic tube full of rather large, reddish brown ants. The instructions indicated that I should first set up the ant farm, and then place the tube of ants in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to make them less active and easier to transfer to their new home.

The ant farm is made up of two clear plastic panels that snap together into a frame. There is a green plastic divider with a farm motif of barn, silo, and house that runs across the center. Your pour special sand into the bottom half of the ant farm, add enough water to make it “like real earth,” and then snap the base into place. Once everything has settled, you open a special hatch at the top and add the ants. Simple enough. A small bag of food and a water dropper come with the kit, so that you can keep your new pets from getting to hungry or dry. The farm itself seals up quite tightly so you don’t have to worry about the ants escaping finding their way into your kitchen cabinets.

After chilling the ants sufficiently, I gingerly upended the plastic tube into the opening at the top of the farm. They tumbled in after a few taps, and most just kind of sat there, stunned, as the instructions said they would. I moved the farm to a shady spot in our living room – too much sun can cook your ants – and went on about my day.

After only ten minutes, though, Chris passed through the room and noticed that the ants had already begun to make a tunnel. By that night, they had made several short trails in the dirt and had sequestered the small tidbit of ant food I had dropped into the farm in a custom-made storage area.

For over a week, we observed the ants creating tunnels and hills and otherwise keeping quite busy. It was as fascinating as we had hoped it would be. I added a few drops of water every other day as the instructions recommended. I added a little bit more ant food too, and then a piece of black mushroom that had fallen to the floor from our Thai take-out order. The instructions encouraged us to add the occasional tidbit of fruit or vegetable, or even a breadcrumb, to offer the ants some variety.

By soon we noticed that the number of ants was diminishing. They hadn’t touched the mushroom (granted, it’s not typical ant fare). They didn’t seem to be accessing the food supply at all. And there were little dark areas all over the farm where the ants seem to have crawled to the end of tunnels and died. One by one, more dark areas appeared, and fewer active ants were visible. By the end of two or three weeks, all the ants were dead.

“I killed the ants!” I cried. I was horrified. What had I done? They were supposed to live for months, even years. I had kept them watered and fed, kept them warm, but not too warm. I didn’t introduce any “foreigners” into the colony (which can promote warfare). And still they all died – or committed suicide – in some sort of bizarre Jonestown Massacre type fashion.

Before I took the farm apart, I referred to the instruction booklet once again, to make sure I hadn’t missed something obvious. And there in bold face were the words “Never overfeed your ants.” Oops. I had been so concerned about them finding enough food in what seemed to me like a sandy wasteland, that I’d apparently given them way too much. That would explain the giant storage area they had created for what was probably a season’s supply of food, administered over the course of seven to ten days.

I think I will give up on ant farming for the time being -- but not forever. I plan to rinse and thoroughly clean the ant farm and put it away, but I intend to resurrect it someday. When my ant farming confidence returns, I will order new sand and new ants and try again.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
June 2006

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.

Living in the Material World

2008-05-17T21:16:00.000-04:00

My husband and I are expecting our first child in May. These past few months we’ve been busy preparing our home for the arrival of the little one, and all the major life changes that go along with starting a family.

Our house is older (1949), and on the small side of the spectrum as compared to others on the South Shore. The family who built the house raised two children there, so we’re hoping we will remain comfortable, space-wise, as our party of two becomes a party of three.

In our culture, humans tend to fill any space that is allotted to them. My husband and I certainly fit that bill. Getting the nursery ready, and clearing space elsewhere in the house, we’ve sorted through an awful lot of “stuff.” We’ve made many trips to the dump and to charities seeking household goods, and yet it still seems like we’ve up to our ears in “stuff,” even now that it’s (mostly) organized and packed away neatly.

There is definitely room for a baby, and room for him to grow over the years. But I am a little bit concerned about all the baby-related paraphernalia we’re “supposed to” acquire to support the well-being of this fragile new person. Certainly we need a crib, some baby clothes, and a whole lot of diapers. There are plenty more items that will make life with baby more comfortable one way or another, many of which, through the generosity of friends and family, are now stacked high under the eaves. But how much is too much?

I was discussing this “stuff” phenomenon with a friend who has been in the Army since the early 1990s. Even moving around from base to base every three years, both in the United States and abroad, he too has managed to acquire a full ration of clutter. Serving in Kosovo, Iraq, and other war-torn places, my friend has certainly caught glimpses of “how the other half lives.” Yet he and his wife find themselves in the same position as my husband and I – they too are new parents this year, and thus they are bringing a truckload more “stuff” into their home.

To help me grapple with my inherent materialism, my friend recommended that I check out Peter Menzel’s book “Material World: A Global Family Portrait” (Sierra Club; 1994). I did, and found it so fascinating that I kept renewing it from the library for two months straight.

Primarily photographs, “Material World” visits thirty countries around the globe. Facts and figures, such as life expectancy, annual income, and the typical size of a family, are featured along with scenes from day-to-day life. But the centerpiece for each country is a portrait of an average family, outside its home, surrounded by all, or at least a fair representation, of the family’s “stuff.” The differences are eye-opening.

In Mali, for example, the family possesses little more than the most basic set of clothes, and the necessary implements for cooking and eating. The same is true in Ethiopia. In countries like Bhutan and Uzbekistan, religious items and some furniture become part of the picture, but overall, belongings are still quite sparse. On the other hand, in the most affluent countries, like Japan, Kuwait, and the United States, the sheer square footage of “stuff” seems bizarre when placed out of context (generally the belongings are arranged in a giant outdoor still-life outside the front door).

We grow accustomed to a certain quality of life, a certain amount of “stuff” around us, and so that stuff becomes a part of us, and shapes our lives. So do our possessions also own us, in a sense? I like to think that it’s the bigger pictures that really matter – our relationships, our work, our spiritual lives. But when I think about quality life in the absence of my refrigerator, for example, it’s a very different scene. Still, the presence or absence of a working refrigerator is much more significant in my life than the hundreds of books my husband and I have acquired, or the several months’ worth of clothing.

Could we be happy with less? Absolutely, although we’d need time to adjust. But would we choose to give up a significant portion of our possessions? Probably not. Still, seeing how people in other cultures and other economic realities live day to day opens our eyes and reminds us of what’s really important.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
May 2006

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168.