Join GSLIS West & SLA@Simmons on Friday, May 16th for a guided tour of Harvard Forest , a 3,500 -acre research forest established by Harvard University in 1907. Harvard Forest became one of the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research sites in 1988. We will be given a tour of Harvard Forest's Fischer Museum and Archives by Julie Pallant, Systems and Web Administrator for the forest as well as the de facto archivist on site, will show us the archive and share some of her challenges with us. The archives tour will be followed by a 1.5 mile guided hike through the forest.
Please register for this event here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/harvard-forest-fischer-museum-and-archives-tour-and-hike-tickets-11491837395?aff=eorg
The tour starts at 12:45 at Harvard Forest's Fisher Museum, though everyone is invited to meet up for a brown bag lunch at the Petersham Town Common at 11:30 am.
Our schedule for the day:
Tentative Option:
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM Brown bag lunch/meet up at the Petersham Town Common/Petersham Country Store before the tour. Harvard Forest is a 5 minute drive from the Common.
Tour Schedule:
12:45 -12:55 PM: Arrive at Harvard Forest's Fisher Museum (bathroom facilities available).
1:00 PM: Introduction to Harvard Forest, Tour of museum and facilities.
2:00 PM (approximate): Guided hike of the 1.5 mile Black Gum Trail loop.
3:30 - 4:00 PM (approximate) Return to Fisher Museum. End of the tour and end of the day for those who wish to depart.
4:00 PM: Optional in-depth discussion with Julie Pallant, Harvard Forest's Systems & Web Administrator and de facto archivist (and a former GSLIS West student) about the challenges she faces in trying to make 100 years of forestry research data more accessible.
Tentative Option:
5:30 PM (approximate) Continue discussion and socializing at a local pub (location TBD).
Details:
Harvard Forest is located at 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA 01366, roughly 40 minutes drive from Amherst or Greenfield, MA, 50 minutes from Worcester and 90 to 120 minutes (or more, depending on traffic) from Simmons College in Boston.
Soft drinks and trail munchies will be provided during the tour. You are on your own for lunch and/or cocktails & dinner.
Other considerations:
This tour is not geared toward children and may well bore them to tears in short order. Dogs are permitted on the trails at Harvard Forest but must be under strict control at all times. Depending on the season, you may encounter mountain bikers, horseback riders, XC skiers and/or hunters on the property as well.
Dress appropriately for the weather and for hiking a trail in the woods. The Black Gum Trail is a combination of dirt/gravel woods roads (wide enough for vehicles), hiking trail and a small boardwalk section. While the trail surface is often uneven, with roots, rocks, etc posing tripping hazards, the hike will not be strenuous as we will not be climbing or descending significant elevations. Also, we will be stopping from time to time to learn more about the Forest and the ongoing research done there.
We will, in all likelihood, encounter insects and other invertebrates (ticks) that would like to dine on us, so consider wearing light-colored pants (for easier tick spotting), a long-sleeved shirt and a hat. Some insect repellents will be available, but you should bring your own if you have a particular preference.
Cell phone coverage in the area is spotty, so keep that in mind. The Town Common in Petersham is an OK place to make a call thanks to its higher elevation.
Petersham has many miles of additional hiking trails on properties owned by The Trustees of Reservations and the Quabbin Reservior watershed lands owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
For additional information about the Petersham area, check out North Quabbin Woods.
See you on the 16th!