The Trustees of Reservations

📍 On today’s edition of Trustees Hidden Gems, we introduce you to Rocky Woods in Medfield! With six and a half miles of trails winding through 491 acres of varied terrain, Rocky Woods is a year-round destination for outdoor lovers and a prized habitat for songbirds, bullfrogs, beavers, and painted turtles. 📍 Rocky Woods has one foot within the Charles River watershed and the other foot within the drainage of the Neponset River. The area’s high water table forms wetlands throughout the reservation, and these varied habitats attract songbirds, particularly the towhee, with its “drink-your-tea” call. 📍 Hike the three-quarter-mile loop around Chickering Pond—the largest of the reservation’s five man-made ponds, which offer catch-and-release fishing—for a family outing. For a longer trek, take the Mine Hill Loop, which circles 420-foot-high Mine Hill Ridge. Accessible features ♿ Accessible fishing platform, picnic tables, accessible restrooms. Know-before-you-go: 🌳 Mountain biking permitted only on designated trails when trails conditions are dry. Trails are closed to mountain biking March 1 to April 30, during muddy season. 🐕 Dogs are permitted Off-Leash if they are under control at all times, except must remain On-Leash on the Red Trail around Chickering Pond. 🛶 Boating is only allowed with an on-site rental canoe or kayak. ⛸️ Ice skating is permitted when posted, at your own risk. 🏊 Swimming is not permitted. 📷 (1-4): courtesy of the Trustees 📷 (5-8): credit to David N. Precht #TheTrustees #RockyWoods #MedfieldMA #HiddenGem #TrusteesHiddenGem #Nature #Hiking #HikeMassachusetts #Outdoors #SpecialPlaces #Accessibility [Description: Photos of Rocky Woods in Medfield, MA.]

Summer is still Summering and the weekend is calling your name! Find your next best plans this weekend with The Trustees! We have many great programs and events all across the state of Massachusetts this weekend, ready and waiting for you! This photo is just a sneak peek into all the great things happening over the weekend so make sure you visit our website (or see our link in bio): https://lnkd.in/e6jSgnJr 📷 Row 1: Evening Mindfulness Walk - World's End, Hingham Mindfulness Meditation - Naumkeag, Stockbridge Late Summer Sunset Stroll - Powisset Farm, Dover 📷 Row 2: Hike & Seek: The Great Butterfly Chase - Charles W. Ward Reservation, Andover Pick Your Own Sunflowers - The FARM Institute, Edgartown Cut Flowers: Guided Garden Tour & Bouquet Workshop - Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, North Andover 📷 Row 3: Castle Hill Tour: Formal Flowers, A Tour for Gardeners - Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Sabores de Nuestra Cultura: Family Fun Festival - Piers Park, East Boston Gather with Goats - Powisset Farm, Dover #TheTrustees #WeekendEvents #CultureAndMusic #TheWeekender #Nature #Outdoors #History #Art #SpecialPlaces #Accessibility [Description: Photogrid highlighting events across the State of Massachusetts this weekend.]

Savor the last of these perfect summer nights with us at Trustees Summer Concerts. There's nothing like great music, stunning sunsets, and warm weather. We have some great shows this weekend you won't want to miss! On Thursdays, enjoy a casual evening for Concerts at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Castle Hill Concerts at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, Summer Sunsets at Powisset Farm and Sunset Picnics at Weir River Farm. This Friday, Swifties can treat themselves to a very special concert experience; Taylor & Tractors at Powisset Farm in Dover. Take a selfie with a tractor and enjoy the music of Taylor Swift like you’ve never heard it before. We’ll be joined on the farm by Blackstone Valley Quartet as they bring the songs of Taylor Swift to life on strings. On Saturday, Rock out with us at Rocky Woods in Medfield for Rock the Woods! An Outdoor Music Festival. The Allman Brothers tribute band The Peacheaters will take the stage in the pavilion field as the headliner for an exciting outdoor afternoon of music. Settle in on the lawn in the beautiful surroundings of Rocky Woods. Also on Saturday, if you're looking for a more coastal music vibe, the Summer Send-Off at World's End celebrates the end of an amazing summer with an outdoor concert featuring the Birch Swart Band on the top of Planter’s Hill! Get your tickets here (or see our link in bio): https://lnkd.in/exNqEbBv 📷: Powisset Farm, Dover 📷: deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln, featuring the Blackstone Valley Quartet 📷: Fruitlands Museum, Harvard 📷: Weir River Farm, Hingham 📷: Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich #TheTrustees #TrusteesSummerConcerts #SunsetVibes #LiveMusicOutdoors #FarmConcerts #TaylorSwiftTribute #OutdoorMusicFestival #Swifties #DoverMA #HinghamMA #IpswichMA #HarvardMA #Accessibility [Description: Photos of various popular Trustees Summer Concerts around the state of Massachusetts.]

Did you know August 21 is Elizabeth Freeman Day in Massachusetts? Each year, communities around Massachusetts celebrate Aug. 21, the day of the trial in which the jury ruled in Freeman’s favor. Read this interesting story about a descendant of Elizabeth Freeman, a formerly enslaved woman whose lawsuit for her freedom in 1781, helped propel Massachusetts to abolish slavery in the state and who has connections to The Trustees historic Ashley House in Stockbridge. https://lnkd.in/g8bdBPYf

deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum is centrally located in Lincoln MA. It is the largest park of its kind in New England. Providing a constantly changing landscape of large-scale, outdoor, modern and contemporary sculpture and site-specific installations of more than 60 works. Plan your visit this summer: https://lnkd.in/e_uHzHbV #TheTrustees #deCordova #deCordovaSculpturePark #LincolnMA #Sculptures #Art #Culture #OutdoorArt #Nature #BeautifulPlaces #ThingstoDo #Curiousity #Accessibility [Description: Video of the "Haven" sculpture by Jarrett Mellenbruch.]

“Across Boundaries, Across Barriers” – Featured Art, Part 1 of 5: Over the next few months in a five-part series, we will be featuring historic and contemporary works of art from several Native American communities featured in the “Across Boundaries, Across Barriers” exhibit at Fruitlands Museum @fruitlandsmuseum in Harvard. This historic Bandolier Bag features image conventions of the time: the lifecycle of the plant, diagonal and bilateral symmetry, and depictions of actual plants from the artist's environment. Bags like this one continue to be produced today within woodlands and Great Lakes communities where they became popular in the 19th century. This particular bag is part of the "Embodied Homelands" section of “Across Boundaries, Across Barriers." Marked by its direction in the Indigenous medicine wheel (Center), "Embodied Homelands" ties in themes of the seasons, colors, times of the day, and other aspects intended to inform one's everyday life based on this direction. See it firsthand—alongside many other historic and contemporary Native Art pieces—by visiting yourself! Learn more here (or see our link-in-bio): https://lnkd.in/dsnAgPq 📷: Artist once known, Ojibwe (Anishinaabe). Bandolier Bag, c. 1900. Cloth, polychrome glass beads, yarn, and thread. Collection of Fruitlands Museum, The Trustees. 1.0093.105 #TheTrustees #AcrossBoundariesExhibit #IndigenousArt #NativeAmericanArt #FruitlandsMuseum #HistoricArt #IndigenousCulture #SpecialPlaces #Accessibility [Description: Photo of an historic Bandolier Bag as seen on view at the “Across Boundaries, Across Barriers” exhibit at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA.]

Maine-based artist Jeremy Frey is your 2024 Rappaport Prize recipient! One of the foremost Passamaquoddy craftspeople of his generation, Frey is the first Indigenous artist to receive this prestigious prize in its 25-year history. Learn about Frey—a descendant of a long line of Indigenous weavers—in a recent Boston Globe exclusive announcing this recent commendation: https://lnkd.in/epiVRfya Frey is also hosting an Artist Lecture on Wednesday, October 23 at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum @decordova_museum in Lincoln with the support of the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation. Reserve your FREE tickets now: https://lnkd.in/eufXaTBU #TheTrustees #RappaportPrize #Passamaquoddy #JeremyFrey #IndigenousArt #IndigendousArtist #RappaportFoundation #BostonGlobe @jeremyfreybaskets @karmakarma9 @bostonglobe @bostonglobelife @portlandmuseum @RappaportFoundation @indtwptribe 📷: Image by Michael G. Seamans. Courtesy of The Boston Globe #Accessibility [Description: Photo of artist Jeremy Frey, 2024 Rappaport Prize recipient. Jeremy weaves a basket using customary materials such as brown ash and sweetgrass at his home studio in Eddington, Maine, on April 29, 2024.]

The next Full Moon will occur on Monday, August 19 at 2:26 PM ET and will be a rare Seasonal Blue Moon. There are two types of blue moons: monthly and seasonal. A monthly blue moon is when there are two full moons in a calendar month. A seasonal blue moon occurs when there are four full moons in one astronomical season, instead of the usual three. When this happens, the third full moon of the four is called a seasonal blue moon. For the summer season of 2024, there are four full moons: June 21 Early Summer Moon, July 21 Midsummer Moon, Aug. 19 Blue Moon and Sep. 17 Late Summer Moon. The term "blue moon" does not refer to the moon's color, but rather to its rarity which is where the phrase "Once in a blue moon" came from. August’s full Moon is traditionally called the “Sturgeon Moon,” named after prehistoric fish that served as an abundant food source for North American indigenous people. But there are many alternative names for this Moon: Some people call it the “Thunder Moon,” since August is known for hot, stormy weather. Don’t forget to join us on one of our Full Moon Walks & Hikes all across the state (see our link in bio): https://lnkd.in/efUbM3JC 📷: Powisset Farm @powissetfarm, Dover, Blue Moon, August 2023 – cr: Demos Skipitaris #Accessibility [Description: Photo of the Blue Moon, zoomed in and wide, at Powisset Farm in Dover, MA.]

One might describe Field Farm as being very demure, very mindful... and it is but also, so much more. This Summer, slip into Fall by immersing yourself in a time capsule of mid-century-modern design at our delightful Berkshires Bed & Breakfast called The Guest House at Field Farm @fieldfarm_thetrustees in Williamstown. With its stunning views of Mt. Greylock and the surrounding gardens dotted with sculptures, it's like stepping into a living museum. And don't even get us started on The Folly—a true architectural masterpiece by Ulrich Franzen. If you're looking for a refreshing escape with a touch of modernist flair, Field Farm is the place to be. Plan your stay today (see our link in bio): https://lnkd.in/eF265AX5 📷: The Guest House at Field Farm, Williamstown – cr: David Edgecomb @davidedgecomb #TheTrustees #FieldFarm #ModernDesign #SummerGetaway #MidCenturyModern #BedandBreakfasts #Berkshires #VisitBerkshires #WilliamstownMA #DavidEdgecomb #Accessibility [Description: Photos of the Guest House at Field Farm and the surrounding property in Williamstown MA.]

Meet Bob Murray, Vice President of Stewardship and Decarbonization. Bob has worked for the Trustees since 1982! We really enjoyed hearing about his journey and we hope you do too. 📷: Long Hill, Beverly #TheTrustees #StaffProfile #MeetBob #EmployeeStories #SpecialPlaces #LongHill #BeverlyMA #Accessibility [Description: Video interview with Bob Murray who talks about his long tenure at The Trustees.]