Here’s a round-up of recent and upcoming Wellesley, Mass., nature-themed news and activities.

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Fishing at MOPO

The Wellesley Recreation Department recently held a family fishing event at Morses Pond, and Rec’s Brandon Fitts shared some great photos.

MOPO Fishing — Photo credit: Brandon Fitts

Separately, one of Fitts’s photos is in the running for the cover photo for trade magazine Parks & Recreation. You can vote for your favorite, which just might be his stand-up paddle boarders on Morses Pond, through May 24 on the Parks & Recreation Facebook page.

Guernsey brothers help celebrate techie Wellesley trail bearing their name

Richard Guernsey (81, South Wellfleet), David Guernsey (79, Kingfield ME), and Robert Guernsey (75, Dunstable MA) returned to Wellesley earlier this month to help the non-profit Wellesley Conservation Council (WCC) celebrate the opening of a techie new trail on its Guernsey Sanctuary.

The land for the 25-acre nature sanctuary on the shores of Lake Sabrina in the southwest corner of Wellesley was the gift of their parents, Janet and William Guernsey, in the early 1960s. The entrance is at 163 Winding River Rd. in Wellesley.

The new 1-mile circular nature trail uses QR-code (like a bar code, but 2-dimensional) technology to provide an enhanced interactive experience. With support from the Wellesley Turkey Trot Foundation, two naturalists (Bill Geizentanner of Wellesley and Ted Elliman of Sherborn) conducted a botanical inventory of the area and identified 72 specimens or special places along the trail to be featured.

Now each has a QR-code metal marker that identifies common and scientific names of the selected specimens and places. These codes can be read by smart phones and be connected to descriptive narratives and photos of the specific plant that are maintained in the cloud.

Guernsey trail — Photo courtesy of Jim Barr.
Left to Right: Bill Giezentanner (WCC naturalist), Jonathan Gillim (Wellesley Turkey Trot Foundation Treasurer), David Guernsey, Richard Guernsey, Robert Guernsey, Fred Fortmiller (WCC President), Judy Barr (WCC Board Member and Project Manager)

Thanks to Judy for sharing this information.

Final Spring Bird Walk on May 26

Join the Wellesley Conservation Council for its final Sunday Spring Bird Walk on May 26th. Meet at 8am at the Wellesley Free Library Cameron Street parking lot. Beginners, novices, experts, and just nature lovers are welcome. More information on WCC’s website.

Wellesley Trails walk reveals magic of Lower Falls

About 3 dozen people joined the Wellesley Trails Committee this past week to take a guided walk in Lower Falls, checking out the Cordingly Dam waterfall at the end. The next guided walk, set for June 1, is at Beard’s Way.