The summer is winding down. Warm thanks from LLCT to our seasonal interns and volunteers for their hard work these past few months.
Joe Pariser and Robert Killam worked two days with Town Conservation and two days with LLCT for eleven weeks this summer. We were impressed with their dedication to the mission of land conservation and positive attitude when confronted with the challenges of field work: heat waves, wasp stings, and poison ivy didn’t dull their smiles.
One of their favorite projects was boardwalk repair. They helped fix a bridge near Beaver Pond that had been taken out by tree in the spring. They also enjoyed pulling water chestnut, an invasive species, on the Sudbury River. In addition to those projects, they helped maintain pollinator gardens throughout the summer: filling water barrels, weeding, and even planting. Rob and Joe also pulled buckthorn, bittersweet, and garlic mustard at many different properties in town. Lastly, they enjoyed trail trimming and maintenance, particularly on shady, wooded paths! LLCT and Town Conservation hope that the internship gave them a well-rounded perspective on all that goes into managing Lincoln’s beautiful conservation land.
Robert graduated from UMass Amherst in the spring with a degree in natural resources conservation. This fall, he will be with TerraCorp at Mass Audubon’s Broadmoor Sanctuary in Natick. Joe also graduated in the spring from Fitchburg State University. He is pursuing a masters degree this fall, with the goal of becoming a conservation ranger.
LLCT additionally thanks Holly Wessman, a recently graduated L-S senior heading to UMass Amherst this fall. After helping plant at LLCT’s spring pollinator work day, Holly reached out to LLCT to stay involved with the pollinator initiative. In July and August she weeded at the LLCT’s Pollinator Meadow. Thanks to her hard work, many areas of the meadow have been reclaimed and are ready for new plants.
Lastly, Jeannette, a rising 8th grader at Birches School has been helping weekly since the early spring, at all of LLCT’s pollinator sites. In March, April, and May she helped with spring clean up and light weeding. During the summer she has mostly weeded at the LLCT Pollinator Meadow and Lincoln Station gardens, helping maintain the existing plantings. We are incredibly grateful for her dedication to this project.
Stay tuned for a separate update from LLCT’s Pollinator Intern, Jillian Perkins, who is wrapping up her internship next week.
