Citizens for Lexington Conservation promotes the enjoyment and appreciation of our natural environment through education and advocacy.
CLC is a non-profit organization in the town of Lexington, Massachusetts.

>> Read more about CLC 

>> Join CLC (or renew your membership)

>> Recent Newsletter The September 2019 Newsletter is Here!

>> Calendar of Events

The Friends of the Landlocked Forest will co-host a late fall guided walk with the Appalachian Mountain Club on Sunday, November 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. (rain/snow date is Sunday, December 15, same time). 

December 12th 

“Building Net Zero” Panel discussion

Thursday, December 12, 7:00pm–9:00pm
Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Mass Ave, Large Meeting Room, lower level

With the goal of getting all buildings in Lexington to have net zero carbon emissions, an expert panel will explore how Lexington has built net zero schools and what it takes to go net zero in your home.

Sponsored by LexGWAC and Sustainable Lexington Committee

Saturday, September 14, 10am-12 noon – iNaturalist Walk at Whipple Hill

Do you have an interest in using online apps to identify plants, animals and wildlife in

general? This exploratory walk of Whipple Hill will use iNaturalist to see what can be

learned using this handy smart phone resource. Bring your phone with iNaturalist

installed and ready to use. (The app may be found at: https://www.inaturalist.org/ . It’s

free but may require registration on the iNaturalist web site.) Plants will be the focus

(since they are easiest to photograph) but we'll look at other organisms as available. Meet

at the Winchester Drive entrance opposite Berkshire Drive. Please park on Berkshire

Drive as space in the parking lot is limited. Heavy rain cancels.

Walk Leader: Andrea Golden (andgold@comcast.net)

Saturday, September 28, 8-10 am – Fall Birding at Dunback Meadow

Fall birding at its best. Come see what surprises Dunback Meadow can offer as the fall

migration of vireos and warblers winds down and sparrow migration begins to gather

steam.  Meet at the Allen St. entrance.

Walk Leader: Bobbie Hodson (781-861-9421, robertahodson@comcast.net)

Saturday, October 5, 9-11 am - Habitat Restoration and Wildflower Preservation at

Joyce Miller's Meadow

Join Conservation Stewardship Program Coordinator Jordan McCarron and Zoo New

England Director of Conservation Bryan Windmiller for an in-depth look at the ongoing

habitat restoration and wildflower preservation work being done at Joyce Miller's

Meadow. Jordan will provide an overview of the Town's Conservation Meadow

Preservation Program, highlighting the ecological, recreational and scenic benefits of the

project while Bryan will talk specifically about Zoo New England's work to preserve

several species of declining sand plain wildflower at the site, most notably the New

England Blazing Star. The walk will then proceed into Arlington's Great Meadow before

returning to the Waldorf School. Park and meet behind the Waldorf School at 739

Massachusetts Ave.

Walk Contact: Keith Ohmart (kohmart@verizon.net)

Sunday, October 20, 1-4 pm, ACROSS Lexington Route L Walk

Explore Route L, the newest addition to the ACROSS Lexington system. This

route connects the Conservation properties of Dunback Meadow, Cotton Farm,

Upper Vine Brook, and Daisy Wilson along with Tower Park along its 4+ mile

route. Walking surfaces will be a combination of easy unpaved walking trails and

paved streets and sidewalks. Heavy rain cancels. Meet at the Bowman School

parking lot.

Walk Leader: Keith Ohmart (kohmart@verizon.net)

Saturday, October 26, 1-3 pm – Meagherville/Poor Farm Walk

The preservation of the Meagherville Conservation property in 1999 was just one of the

lasting achievements of long time resident Kay Tiffany. Join this guided walk to discover

the natural treasures of this property including Lexington’s largest beech grove, an

opportunity to view the memorial bench to Kay, and then a walk to the nearby Poor

Farm, the site of Lexington’s original Poor Farm which is now an open meadow.

Walking surfaces will be flat woods trails. Heavy rain cancels. Meet at the end of

Garfield Street next to the Garfield Street playground. 

Walk Leaders: Elisabeth Bornhofft (lbornhofft@gmail.com) and Fran Ludwig

(fludwig12@yahoo.com)

Monthly Trail Walks in Bedford

The Bedford Trails Committee conducts free monthly Trail Walks in Bedford the first Saturday of each month.  Trail walks vary monthly, from strolls on flat ground to hikes with hills. For detailed info on current and future hikes, please visit: https://groups.google.com/group/bedfordma-trails 

Location We rendezvous at 9:45 am at the parking lot behind the Bedford Free Public Library on 

Mudge Way, and leave 10:10 am from the Trailhead designated on the BedfordMA-trails website 

Contact:        To Join if you already have a Google account, go to: 

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/bedfordma-trails  and click “Join Group to Post”

To Join if you don’t have a Google account, please send an email to: BedfordMA.trailwalks@gmail.com  and you’ll be added to the Group.

Check out this delightful video made by some folks with a real appreciation for the natural world.

The Wright Farm Barn, future home of Lexington's Community Environmental Center

Let us know if there is an upcoming event that should be listed here.

Citizens4LexingtonConservation@gmail.com

Joe-Pye-Weed in Dunback Meadow, August 2016 (photo courtesy John Andrews)

Are you looking for a new route to walk, run or bike?

ACROSS Lexington is waiting for you - try it!

You can find route information here on the Town website.

ACROSS Lexington stands for Accessing Conservation land, Recreation areas, Open space, Schools and Streets in Lexington.

Please let us know if you would be interested in working with CLC in any capacity. Could you write a piece for the Newsletter? Lead a walk? Work on the website? Take a leadership role on the Board? Help manage marketing/outreach? Drop us a line if you think you can help - we always welcome new faces!

Walks Publicity Coordinator: Each spring and fall CLC sponsors a series of walks in conservation and open space. We are looking for someone to focus initially on walks publicity, and eventually to organize and broaden the types of walks we conduct. 

Events Coordinator: Each year, CLC features a speaker on conservation, resource, or environmental issues. To deepen and enlarge our educational focus, we are seeking a new film/speaker coordinator to take on the tasks of identifying, scheduling, and publicizing videos and speakers. Our plans are to offer 3-4 events per year as an exciting new way for CLC to continue to raise public awareness regarding local, regional and national environmental issues.

Conservation Restriction Monitors: CLC is in the process of acquiring conservation restrictions (CRs) on five Town-owned properties that were acquired in whole or in part with Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. We are seeking individuals who are interested in helping to complete the remaining CR applications for three of the five parcels and/or participating in the annual monitoring of the properties. 

Recording Secretary. This position involves taking minutes at Board meetings and filing any forms required to maintain our status as a nonprofit organization. 

If you would like to know more about any of these positions, please contact Eileen Entin (eileenhome@gmail.com, 781-862-6418).

CLC is sponsoring a new program for children - the Junior Ranger Program - aimed at getting kids out into Lexington's Conservation properties with games and activities. In conjunction with Cary Memorial Library we have a booklet to guide children and their parents. The kids will visit several different Conservation areas, fill out some activity sheets that will guide nature observation, and can, upon completion, receive a Junior Ranger Certificate from the Library.

You can find the Junior Ranger booklet here.