Member Appreciation Programs - Westport Land Conservation Trust

Thank you for your support!

This free series of programs is just for you.

We hope these unique member programs will provide you opportunities to spend time with our staff and your fellow members, and learn more about what it means to preserve and steward Westport’s natural resources.

Who is a member? A member is any individual or household who makes a philanthropic gift to the Westport Land Conservation Trust, at any point during the year.

UPCOMING Programs

Walk the Let
Thursday, July 23 9 am

Join Land Steward Nate McCullin for a walk to the Let, normally reserved for New Year’s Day.

This is a beautiful walk down a laneway and down a berry-filled trail to the east branch of the River.

Berry Picking at Walt’s Farm
Saturday, July 25 at 9 am

Meet Your Farmers: Family Event

We’re pleased to bring you on a special berry picking tour of Walt’s Farm, with farmers Barry Cohen and Courtney Rocha.

Orr’s Farm
Thursday, August 20 at 3 pm

Meet Your Farmers

Farmer Andrew Orr is passionate about growing healthy food. This walk is a perennial favorite!

Why Brooks Matter
Friday, August 21 at 10 am

Investigating Cold Water Fisheries

Westport’s brooks and streams are vitally important to habitat, fish lovers, and the Westport River. Join Mass Wildlife Aquatic Biologist Joe Facendola at Brookside for an investigative talk.

Walk Snell Creek
Friday, September 18 at 3 pm

Get a sneak peek at our newest property!

Before the trails at Snell Creek Conservation Area open to the public, we’re opening them to you, our members.

You’ll get to see the berries growing for the Food Pantry and walk the 1 mile loop.

Cows & Healthy Soil
October date TBD

Large animal farmer Geoff Kinder raises cows on rotational grazing, restoring overworked agricultural land, improving soil health and producing higher-quality feed. Join us at a local farm to learn more about an important stewardship strategy for agricultural land–grazing herd animals to restore agricultural soil.

Past Programs

Meet Your Farmer: Westport Dairy

Thursday, June 25 at 3 pm

Shauna and Andrew Ferry provided a detailed overview of their production facility on Gifford Road–from field to cow to milk to drinnkable yogurt.

Coastal Bird Walk

Friday, June 12 at 8 am

Enjoy an early morning walk along the shoreline and learn more about our coastal birds–and how WLCT’s conservation efforts affect their habitats.

Stewardship Assistant Alec Mauk, who previously worked in coastal bird ecology, will lead this 45-minute walk.

Digging Deeper: Grasslands

Thursday May 28 at 4pm

We’ve learned a lot in the 10+ years WLCT has been managing upland grassland habitats.

Using Westport Woods’ warm-season grasses as our classroom, we’ll talk about the motivation to plant and care for upland grasslands, as well as our ongoing management plans.

Land Steward Nate McCullin will lead this approximately one-hour walk.

Restoring Waterway Health

Friday, April 24 at 2 pm

Healthy waterways start on the land!

Buffer strips are often discussed and employed in agricultural environments to reduce nutrient loading and runoff to water resources.

Executive Director Ross Moran will lead this walk and will discuss how buffer strips can be employed in ag environments locally AND how you can implement one at home reducing these items in a “backyard” environment.

Mills & Mill Ponds of Westport: Brookside Conservation Area

Friday, March 27 at 2 pm

Many of WLCT’s properties contain evidence of Westport’s industrial history. Past landowners built waterworks on Bread and Cheese Brook and the Noquochoke, streams that run through Brookside, Forge Pond and Mill Pond Conservation Areas. This walk will highlight the stone works and mill races that remain.

Exploring New Trails: Westport Woods — POSTPONED due to snow

Friday, February 27 at 2 pm

The 2024 expansion of Westport Woods means miles of new trails. We’ll discuss what we look for in properties that become public access, how we site a trail, and take a walk along some of the newest trails at Westport Woods.

Understanding Richmond Pond

Friday, January 23 at 2 pm

Richmond Pond is a barrier salt pond tucked into the far West corner of Westport. Learn more about this important ecosystem–the birds and fish that call it home and how WLCT is stewarding the pond and its environs.

Walking Westport’s Woods

Thursday, November 13th 12 pm

Westport boasts significant woodlands, most if it around 100 years old. Woodlots can illuminate Westport’s history and point to possible futures of carbon capture, water management, and natural beauty.

Wendy & Jeff Henderson have been caring for the woods that surround Lyons Brook for 40 years. Wendy will lead this walk and talk, paying particular attention to the human history of these woods and the current status of the beech stands within them.

Behind the Dunes: Bog Plants of Westport

Friday, November 7th 10 am

Horseneck hosts one of the sweetest cranberry bogs on the South Coast! Cranberries, which love high-acid, sheltered environments, are not alone in the bogs behind the sandy arm of beach. They share habitat with pitcher plants, sun dews and other rarely-seen plants. Take a walk with us through this unusual habitat!

Meet Your Farmer: Andrew Orr

Wed, August 20th 3pm

There is no better time to visit Orr’s Family Farm than at the height of summer vegetable season!

Orr’s Family Farm is a special place for foodies, farmers, and the land trust. Andy purchased this farm at the corner of Adamsville & Sodom Roads after it had been bought and placed in agricultural restriction by WLCT in 2008. We’ve all been reaping the benefits ever since.

Andy is a thoughtful farmer and is always thinking about the future of his farm. This year’s tour will include a visit through the new farm stand and conversation about the deer fencing he has in place.

Deepening Roots: Native Plant Gardens at Westport Woods

4 pm – July 11th

Westport Woods Conservation Park is host to several areas of native plantings, including the one year-old pollinator garden that surrounds our offices at Kirby House. These plantings diversify the habitat, provide shelter and food for a variety of animals, and act as a passive teaching tool.

Land Steward and horticulturalist Nate McCullin will lead this walk of the Woodland Path, Pollinator and Rain Gardens. Discover new-to-you plants and more about the process WLCT uses to choose and site plants!

Grazing Cows for Healthy Soils

Friday, June 27th 3 pm

Geoff Kinder raises cows on rotational grazing, restoring overworked agricultural land, improving soil health and producing higher-quality feed. Join us at Berry Hill Farm to learn more about an important stewardship strategy for agricultural land–grazing herd animals to restore agricultural soil.

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about regenerative farming, meet young, local farmers, and visit Berry Hill Farm, a 2022-23 WLCT land preservation project now forever-preserved and farmed by Carissa and Adam Davenport.

What is Conservation Monitoring?

Friday, May 30th 3:30 pm

A requirement of placing a Conservation Restriction on a piece of property is that it must be monitored annually: Who monitors and how do they know what to look for?

Executive Director Ross Moran leads this Member Appreciation Program walk, describing the process of monitoring land that has been conserved through a Conservation Restriction (Easement).

New Trails: Inside & Out

Evening Talk and Daytime Walk

Not all of the work of new trails happens outdoors! Quite a bit of mapping and planning takes place in the office on a computer, using digital and experiential data. Join Land Steward Nate McCullin and learn how WLCT plots a trail–inside our conference room.

In this second part of New Trails: Inside and Out, we’ll walk a portion of a trail built in 2024 and connect the inside work to the land and the trail being built.