Let’s savor our wetlands, as we do a good meal

By Maureen Doyle If I made a fantastic meal, you'd want the whole thing, right? A fragmented meal isn't as satisfying or fulfilling. Similarly, a fragmented landscape is missing elements that make it satisfying to its animal, insect, and plant inhabitants. The construction of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) proposed for Oakham, Mass. will fragment the wetlands there, and therefore has the potential to threaten the entire watershed that provides essential water for millions of Massachusetts residents, and essential habitat for animals and plants. AND you wouldn’t want that delicious meal poisoned or spoiled, right? The danger of such…

Hooray for our 6th Annual Trees Are Treasures Celebration

By Jeana Edmonds Another fantastic Trees Are Treasures celebration occurred on May 18, 2025, and it was one for the record books!!! What a great day we had. The weather was chilly but gorgeous, and it didn't rain — amazing! The trees were beautiful — including paw paw, redbud, and tupelo trees. Our tree expert and her two able assistants did a fantastic job selecting the trees and preparing them for the giveaway. All three engaged everyone entering the Mill Pond path at Wells State Park with information about why trees are crucial elements of our environment, how to plant…

A Tree-mendous Success!

Grassroots Central Mass hosted its third Trees are Treasures Earth Day celebration at Wells State Park in Sturbridge on Saturday, April 22, 2023. We treated families and park-goers to music, stories, climate resources, crafts and activities. Interpretive stops along the nature trails told the story of New England's stone walls and why beavers and muskrats are key to the health of our wetlands. And we gave away 162 trees to plant! Check out the feature in the Quaboag Current, and enjoy some pictures below. Many thanks to our volunteers and our sponsors, Brookfields Fight Fear and Indivisible Mass Coalition!
<strong>Gifting Books to Local Libraries</strong>

Gifting Books to Local Libraries

Increasing awareness of climate change and the unique elements of our New England landscape prompted us to contact librarians in our surrounding towns to see if they would like more books on topics related to the environment.