Items of Interest
Sharon's Water Resources
Take a virtual tour of Sharon's water resources with this slideshow presentation (5mb PDF). It's packed with photos, facts and figures to help you get a better understanding of the challenges facing Sharon's water supply as the town grows.
Will Sweet's Flickr Photo Pages
Sharon resident Will Sweet has taken many outstanding pictures of wildlife, especially birds. Most of his pictures are taken in Sharon. You will find a visit to Will's Flickr photo pages well worth your while. Please note that Will's pages are of his all own creation and not part of the Sharon Friends of Conservation's Animal and Plant Sightings in Sharon feature.
Sharon Wildlife Photos
View a collection of photos taken by Sharon residents of some interesting wildlife spotted around town and send us details of your own plant or animal finds using our new Submit a Sighting form.
Sharon and NepRWA Partner on Push for Water Conservation
Courtesy of Neponset River Watershed Association (NepRWA)
The Town of Sharon sits at the headwaters of the Neponset and Taunton Watersheds and supplies all of its own public drinking water from local sources. Sharon is looking ahead to substantial residential and commercial growth over the next few years. As we’re well familiar, with new growth comes demand for more water, as well as the prospect that Sharon could outgrow its current water supplies.
Suckers Spawn, Earth Day 2008
View a collection of photos by Paul Lauenstein of suckers in brooks around Sharon.
A Hike to King Philip's Rock
View a video on YouTube of a hike to King Philip's Rock.
A Walk down the Massapoag Trail and up Devil's Rock
View a video on YouTube of a hike down the Massapoag Trail and up Devil's Rock.
2007 BioDiversity Day Results
View the results of the Sharon BioDiversity Day from June 2, 2007 when SFOC volunteers and others fanned out across Moose Hill Farm to find, record and learn about the diversity of flora and fauna in our town.
Blue Hills "Preserve the Beauty" Photo Contest
The winners of the Friends of the Blue Hills 2007 Preserve the Beauty photo contest were announced at their annual meeting recently.
Billings Land Preserved by Public and Private Donors
By Alice Cheyer
Many residents of Sharon and nearby towns believe that wild land should be preserved for public use—especially since the pool of undeveloped land is shrinking and will continue to do so as the U.S. population increases exponentially. And they are willing to "put their money where their mouth is" to ensure preservation of some green spaces where people can go for rest and respite in the inevitably crowded and paved-over future (even people without private estates or the means to buy them).
Sharon' Endangered Atlantic White Cedar Swamp
By Kurt Buermann and Clifford Towner
The Atlantic White Cedar Swamp west of Lake Massapoag lies atop Sharon’s
largest and deepest aquifer. Over the millennia, decaying vegetation from the
cedars has created a layer of peat up to six feet thick called Freetown muck,
which is one of nature’s best water purifiers.
The white cedar swamp covers an area of over 600 acres. It accumulates and purifies
rainwater, which then seeps into the underlying aquifer and flows out in all
directions. It feeds the Canoe River, Beaver Brook and Billings Brook aquifers,
as well as the springs that feed the lake. Sharon’s six municipal wells
all trap water purified from the cedar swamp.
Read Letters to the Editor about this story.
Read a Note from the Editor responding to these letters.
Why We Need “Cape Wind”
By Diane A. Langley
If you live in Sharon or anywhere in Southeastern Massachusetts,
you may have heard of “Cape Wind,” but you may not be
familiar with its details or with the controversy it has engendered.
Cape Wind is
a “wind park” of 130 giant windmills, or wind turbines,
proposed for Horseshoe Shoal, an area of shallow water in Nantucket
Sound. Each wind turbine will be 247 feet tall (above the water),
and the blade tips will reach 75–417 feet above the surface.
A Closer Look at the Area around the Soccer Fields at Gavin's Pond
The Sharon Soccer Association has proposed an additional soccer field to be built on town-owned land in Sharon Woods across the street from the existing soccer fields for the purpose of scheduling flexibility. It is important to be aware of what will be lost, as well as what will be gained, before deciding which way to vote on this matter. Download the whole story… (2.41mb PDF)
The Skunks of Sharon
By Kurt Buermann
Mephitis mephitis. The scientific name for the striped skunk means “noxious
vapors.” Twice! The armory of the common striped skunk gives it the security
and peace of mind to roam freely and unmolested. The wildlife observer may
even spot them without leaving his yard. Being omnivores, the skunk is ideally
adapted to a suburban environment. He roams about a mile from the den, seeking
insects, fruits and, should fortune smile on him, a neglected bowl of pet food.
Annual Average Conservation Spending 1999–2004
Source: Trust for Public Land
Why It's Called “Sucker Brook”
By Paul
Lauenstein
A clear stream flows into Lake Massapoag. It's called Sucker Brook. You can find
it on Massapoag Ave. right beside the arch leading to the community center.
One sunny afternoon in mid-April I stopped by Sucker Brook and witnessed the annual spawning migration of white suckers. Adult white suckers are fish about a foot and a half long, weighing two or three pounds, and sporting a reddish stripe along their sides.
Mussel Mysteries
By Paul Lauenstein & Kurt
Buermann
The freshwater mussel provides a good example of the interrelationships that
go on “behind the scenes” in nature. Mussels live for a surprisingly
long time—some as long as half a century. Their age can be estimated
by counting shell ridges, much as we can tell the age of trees from growth
rings.
Salamander Story
By Paul
Lauenstein
The combination of melting snow, rising temperatures, and rain
one weekend last March triggered the annual migration of salamanders
to their breeding grounds. Our relatives from New York City were
visiting for the weekend, so we took a ride over to Moose Hill
Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon on Saturday night to witness
the event.
Beat the Peak
by Paul Lauenstein
Cutting down on lawn watering will reduce your water bills and
conserve drinking water. Lawn watering consumes large volumes of
water and
may increase your water rate from $3.00 up to $10.00 per thousand
gallons. Lawn watering creates severe demands on our town’s
water supply in summer, when our aquifers are most depleted.
Here are some tips to minimize your lawn watering without harming your lawn…
Comments on EOEA’s Draft Water Conservation Standards of September, 2005
By Paul
Lauenstein
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs came out in September
with a 56-page draft update to the state's Water Conservation Standards. The
public comment period ended November 1. The final draft is projected to appear
in January, 2006.
The Massachusetts Water Conservation Standards were last updated in 1992. During
the ensuing 13 years, minimum amounts of water in summer in the rivers, streams
and wetlands of Massachusetts have continued to dwindle to the detriment of the
fresh water aquatic ecosystems in many parts of the state, especially heavily
populated areas in eastern Massachusetts. It is very important that the new Water
Conservation Standards be strong enough to result in better management of the
state's vital water resources because of the services these resources render
in purifying our drinking water and providing recreational and esthetic value.
If our politicians can point to the Water Conservation Standards to justify more
rigorous efforts to protect our water resources, they will be more likely to
provide the leadership we need to reverse the trend of continuing degradation.
Read the comments submitted by SFOC board member, Paul Lauenstein… (208k PDF)
Keep Looking Up: A Guide to the Nests of Sharon
By Kurt
Buermann
I think when we walk or hike, our usual habit is to look from
side to side, or at the ground. Less frequently do we gaze
upwards. Some time ago, I was fortunate
to spot a great horned owl. I would never have seen it except for a couple of
red-winged blackbirds who were making a commotion around its head hoping to oust
it from its perch. (They did not succeed. The great bird was trying to enjoy
its daytime sleep and had probably put in earplugs. It was completely oblivious
to the redwings’ harassments.) The incident served to make me more aware
of the world over our heads in the woods. At the risk of falls and sprained ankles
I now tend to amble along with my attention more focused on the branches above
than the ones lying across the path. There are days when nothing much is happening
on the forest floor but there is almost always something of interest in the trees
and limbs overhead.
Outrageous Opossums
Courtesy of the Mass Audubon Society's Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
Opossums are very adaptable and will live wherever they can meet their habitat
requirements. The opossum has a face that is hard to forget—it features
a pointy nose that sports a mouth filled with 50 sharp teeth. They are about
the size of a house cat with gray to black fur and black eyes. Their nose, feet,
and tail are pink. Although most cartoons will show opossums hanging by their
tails, in reality they rarely do so. Their prehensile tail does help them balance
and stabilize themselves when climbing. Few live beyond the age of one year in
the wild, but there are rare reports of captive opossums living 5 to 10 years.