MASSACHUSETTS SIERRA CLUB
10 Milk Street, Ste 632, Boston, MA 02108-4621 • Tel:(617)423-5775 • Fax:(617)890-0338 •

Outings

Our outings leaders are Sierra Club volunteers, and the range of outings is as diverse as their interests. Depending on where you are, you can choose from day hikes, peak scrambles, bicycling, cross-country skiing, bird-watching, conservation-oriented walks, or forays into the remaining natural areas of our major cities.

In short, Sierra Club outings are a great way to find out about local conservation issues while enjoying the great outdoors!

The Massachusetts Chapter has a limited number of outings. Please visit our events page for a current listing.

An Interesting Walk in the Woods

We gathered in Sturbridge to learn about the Leadmine Mountain Conservation Land and the Forest Stewardship plan developed for it. We enjoyed plenty of expertise: Erin Jacque, Conservation Agent for the town, Michael Downey, who is the Forest Stewardship Program Service Forester for Massachusetts, and Allison Wright, the Community Forester.

Erin showed us a map of the 900 acre plus site, which was purchased from Old Sturbridge Village a few years ago with funds from both the town and the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Some of the land was formerly the Robinson Crusoe summer camp. Erin then led us to the sites of several different projects that are part of the Forest Stewardship plan. On a parcel of this size, many projects are possible.

There are new trails and bridges built by eager volunteers. The ten-year plan also calls for removing some old dams so the creeks will flow freely, thinning some smaller trees to give bigger ones more resources to grow, the creation or maintenance of some field and shrub habitat, and the removal of invasive species. Old Sturbridge Village, which formerly owned the property and is still its neighbor, is also developing a Forest Stewardship plan for part of its land, with coordination between the two plans.