Published: 3/15/2023 12:58:53 PM
GREENFIELD — David Small, president of the Athol Bird and Nature Club and director of the Millers River Environmental Center, will present “Living with Nature in My Back Yard” as part of Greening Greenfield’s next talk in its series about transforming our lawns.
The talk will be held Thursday, March 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the Second Congregational Church in Greenfield.
Small purchased a house on 1 acre of land in Athol in 2007, shortly before he retired from a 35-year career with state Department of Conservation and Recreation as assistant regional director at the Quabbin Reservoir, where he found and documented state-listed species. Today, his yard, which was once dominated by a lawn, is now a rich habitat for native wildlife.
“I love watching my grandchildren’s delight when they find creepy life forms in the yard,” Small said in a Greening Greenfield statement. “I also love hanging out with family and friends, where we can all watch a wide variety of wildlife up-close, holding late-night moth parties and observing the changing seasons.”
Small will share some of the photographs he has taken of the more than 900 species he has documented in his yard. He will also talk about his work removing non-native trees and invasive species, building a patio surrounded by flower gardens and digging a pond. He also planted fruit trees, shrubs and a vegetable garden, all with the goal of providing food, water and cover for wildlife and people.
“We are excited to offer Dave’s approach to rewilding our backyards from food deserts to thriving native habitats that support biodiversity,” Nancy Hazard, a member of Greening Greenfield’s Pollinator Group, said in a statement. “His incremental approach feels doable, and his yard supplies food for insects, birds and us … while it also sequesters carbon, the major cause of climate change.”
Small’s talk is the second in a series of talks and videos Greening Greenfield is offering this winter. The third talk will be a Zoom event on April 13, during which Charley Eiseman and Julia Blyth of Northfield will talk about what they did to transform their yard.
To see a full list of speakers, and recommended videos that support the theme of transforming lawns, visit bit.ly/3Jh2BRT.
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