QUINCY The popular Environmental Treasures Program in Quincy is back just in time for Earth Day weekend, and the 22nd anniversary of the program.
At 10 a.m., Saturday, April 23rd, a program called “Lessons from the Pandemic” will take place on the Salt Marsh Trail, Quincy. Here participants will learn more about the plants and wildlife that live in the marsh.
Sally Owen, the founder of the program, and Jean Mackey, birder, will talk about how they made the most of pandemic shutdowns by finding new experiences close to home.
There is limited space. Preregistration is required. Please email [email protected] indicating the number of participants. The event is completely free.
Owen will share her story of how she, rather than driving an hour through traffic to find somewhere new, started walking the Salt Marsh Trail regularly during the pandemic, and met Mackey.
They have been walking the same trail for two years together and have been amazed by the new experiences each week.
Participants will be invited to share their pandemic nature discoveries. Upon registration, you will be notified about the meeting location and other details.
One treasure leads into another:Happy 70th Birthday to Sally Owen of Quincy, “environmental treasure”.
In the woods:Discovering the history of Faxon Park’s stone benches
Owen is currently working on a program to celebrate the acquisition land along the Neponset River, and another about the history of shipbuilding inQuincy.
Owen suggested to the city that it establish an Environmental Treasures Program in 1999. This program would allow people to explore all the “treasures” of Quincy, including historical figures, nature, people, and families. The Environmental Treasures Program was launched on Earth Day 2000. It has grown steadily.
Owen led the 100th Environmental Treasures of Quincy Tour in 2008 and participants hosted a party for Owen.
Owen retired early from her full time job as an attorney.
The first weekend tour was in April 2000 to see the daffodils in Peacefield, the former residence of John and Abigail Adams in Adams National Historical Park.
From an ambitious idea, it became one of the city’s most popular and creative free public offerings. The Environmental Treasures Program’s monthly tours combine historical themes and nature walks, but they also have a strong environmental focus.
Owen often partners the Thomas Crane Public Library, local civic organisations, and state agencies to develop her program curriculum.
Volunteers who are experts in their field or citizens who have a passion for a particular topic and want to share that with others are the tour leaders.
She tried to highlight the various groups in the city, including garden clubs, theQuincy Quarry Workers, and Granite Museum.
More than 200 people attended the March 2012 tour of West Quincy’s Swingle Quarry. Many of them had relatives who used to work in the Quincy Granite industry.
Other programs featured granite monuments, former workers buried at St Mary’s Cemetery, West Quincy. Geology tours in Blue Hills Reservation, Quincy and Nut Island State Park. A program about how Houghs Neck residents collaborated with the state in transforming flat land into drumlins, and a sweeping wildflower hills.
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