One Week Until MLT Program: How Are Your Local Birds Doing?

Hope to see you in Upton next Thursday, June 26th at 6:30 pm!

View this email in your browser Dear Neighbor, We hope to see you in person on Thursday, June 26th, for Metacomet's annual business meeting and program!  We will gather at 6:30 p.m. at the Upton Community Center, 9 Milford Street (Rte 140). Our program will be on the state of Massachusetts birds, including visitors such as this beautiful Yellow Breasted Chat, which was banded and released at a preserved property in Uxbridge last fall. Prior to the meeting, please take a few moments to read our Annual Report which is now available on our website at this link: 2025-MLT-Annual-Report.pdf Our membership meeting is an important part of our annual governance. We encourage you to attend, ask questions about our progress and recent activities, and vote on the key motions to allow the Trust to fulfill our governing by-laws. But if you can't attend in person, please consider sending your proxy in ahead of the meeting so that we can reach a quorum of our voting membership. The proxy form is the at the bottom of the first page of the report at the link above. Email a photo of your signed proxy to info@metacometlandtrust.org by June 25th. If you would like to volunteer to serve on the Board or other committees, please contact me for more information at Lisa.Mosczynski@metacometlandtrust.org. In Conservation, Lisa Mosczynski President Board of Directors Membership Donations, Gifts of Land or Conservation Restrictions, or donations of items to be auctioned are deductible on the Federal 1040. Our Federal Tax-Exempt ID is: 04-3020897.  How Are the Birds?       Metacomet will host Brandi Van Roo, Ph.D. and Beth Milke for a presentation on the health of our wild bird populations when they speak at our annual meeting on June 26th. The program will be held at the Upton Community Center at 9 Milford Street (Rt. 140) in Upton.      Brandi Van Roo is a professor of wildlife biology at Framingham State University. Her research includes bird breeding behavior as well as migrant bird banding for conservation purposes. She trains undergraduate students at banding stations in Ashland, Uxbridge and Douglas.      Beth Milke has lived in Uxbridge for 35 years, since her husband Paul retired from the military.  She grew up in suburban Philadelphia, PA and her early background included business education and mass communications. Her reincarnation as a nature lover began after spotting bluebirds in her yard shortly after moving in and then meeting an experienced local birder.  This meeting led to a 12-year stint banding songbirds and small owls at local parks. Most recently, Beth serves as a Volunteer-in-Parks with the National Park Service, leading birdwalks and maintaining River Bend Farm's Pollinator Garden for Blackstone Heritage Corridor, Inc.     A silent auction with wild bird-focused items, refreshments and information on land preservation will also be offered. If you would like to contribute an item to our fundraiser, please write to susan.speers@metacometlandtrust.org. We Love Where We Live -- And We Know You Do, Too! Copyright © 2025 Metacomet Land Trust, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Metacomet Land Trust P.O. Box 231 Franklin, MA 02038