Ipswich

The Trustees of Reservations hosts an afternoon of fun herpetology at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate with Rick Roth of the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team! We’ll start with a hunt for local snake species around the Crane Estate, looking under logs and around the stone walls that lace the property. Capture will be strictly catch and release! We’ll then make our way to the Barn where Rick Roth, founder and executive director of the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team and local snake expert, will present "Snakes of New England and the World." Rick cares for over 100 snakes of all different species -- even if we don’t find any slithering friends on our hunt, there will be plenty of snakes to see and learn about during the show.

As we greet the coming of spring we also welcome many feathered friends back to Appleton Farms! Some of our common bird friends will make their way back from the long winter away but also rare birds will make a stop on their journey up north. To get a sense of the environmental health of Appleton Farms (and Massachusetts) we want to keep track of which birds are stopping by the property. So if you have the skills to identify birds and want to play a huge role in monitoring our bird population, join us for a morning of searching for our feathered friends.

Paddle-a-thon is a wonderful opportunity for our community to celebrate the Ipswich River and help ensure it’s here for future generations. Join us, Saturday June 16th, in raising funds and awareness for the river and our Clean Water Program. Paddlers are asked to raise funds and awareness for the river, with $100 per boat suggested minimum.