Williamstown Rural Lands
Knowing Your Landscape: Protecting Wetlands
Williamstown, MAJoin Williamstown Rural Lands for the on-the-land portion of their Knowing Your Landscape series. Wetlands are critical ecosystems for water quality, water storage, and biodiversity, and because of this, they come with a number of regulations regarding the use of…
Sheep Hill Firefly Hike
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAJoin Williamstown Rural Lands to experience the magic of the fireflies at Sheep Hill! Listen to storyteller and musician John Porcino weave whimsical tales and songs, search for fireflies on a guided walk in the meadow, and enjoy s'mores around a…
Invasive Plant ID Walk with Robin Sears
Join Williamstown Rural Lands Executive Director Robin Sears for an interpretive walk at the Lehovec Natural Area in Williamstown. We will identify invasive plants, explore their effects on the ecosystem, and discuss approaches to management. The walk will be gentle along…
Invasive Plant ID Walk at Sheep Hill
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAJoin Williamstown Rural Lands' Sheep Hill intern, Nikhil DeNatale, for an interpretive walk at Sheep Hill. Learn to identify invasive plants, explore their effects on the ecosystem, and discuss approaches to management at Sheep Hill. The walk will be gentle along…
Guided Hike: Examine Local Effects of Climate Change
Petersburg, NYJoin Williamstown Rural Lands and Williams College Assistant Professor Alice Bradley on this easy-to-moderate hike. It will start at the Taconic Crest Trail before descending Shepherd’s Well Trail to a little-known postcard view of Williamstown, North Adams, and the Hoosac…
Youth Write-in/Art-in
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAJoin Williamstown Rural Lands and The Northern Berkshire Community Coalition for a youth write-in/art-in at Sheep Hill. Participants are welcome to wander the property's landscape for inspiration, talk with peers and facilitators, or simply sit to produce. The goal of…
Astronomy Night
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAJoin Williamstown Rural Lands and Williams College assistant professor Anne Jaskot for a night of stargazing at Sheep Hill. Come learn some facts about our universe, view the Perseids meteor shower, and enjoy some space-themed treats! Click here for more…
Sketching Birds
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAJoin Williamstown Rural Lands and local artist Julia Morgan at Sheep Hill for an introduction to sketching birds. Explore the underlying structure, wing anatomy, and markings of birds through drawing. Suggested: bring a sketchbook that is 8” x 10” or…
Butterflies of Sheep Hill
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAJoin Williamstown Rural Lands and local butterfly enthusiast Doug Lister at Sheep Hill for a casual walk through the meadow in search of our late summer Lepidopteran visitors looking for up to 20 species of butterflies ranging from the big…
Community Cookout and Ice Cream Social
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAJoin Williamstown Rural Lands for a late-summer grill-and-chill community cookout at Sheep Hill! Bring your own grillables, utensils (including a bowl), and social moxie. WRL will provide entertainment, drinks, ice cream, sides, grills, and scenery. Open & free for all!…
Migratory Bird Outing
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAJoin Williamstown Rural Lands and former Audubon chapter president and Williamstown local Tommy Richeyin to say goodbye to our summer feathered neighbors with a birder outing at Sheep Hill! Discover birds by sound and sight on this easy bird walk…
History of Sheep Hill
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAFrom the waters of Lake Bascom to the Rosenburgs of Sunny Brook Farm, join Williamstown Rural Lands to learn about the geologic and human history of Sheep Hill. Explore the old barns and the cultural meadow and share your stories…
Guided Walk: Stone Hill Geology
The Lunder Center 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA, United StatesJoin Williamstown Rural Lands for a gentle, 1.5-mile walk to the Stone Hill lookout. How old is the quartzite of Stone Hill? How has this rock helped shape our current landscape? Whatever happened to Lake Bascom? A geologist will accompany us to…
Repair Café
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAWobbly table? Lamp that won’t light? A hole in that elbow? Bring your tired, your broken, the cast-aways huddled in the corner to the Autumn Repair Café, a bi-annual fix-it event organized by the amazing South Williamstown Community Association (SWCA)…
Backcountry Skiing at Berlin Mountain: Pre-season Rundown
Mount Berlin Trailhead Berlin Road, Williamstown, MA, United StatesJoin Williamstown Rural Lands to learn the best skinning and climbing routes needed to ski Berlin Mountain, a backcountry skiing gem. This 1-2 mile strenuous hike will explore ways to get to the top of the former slalom racing pitch and…
Guided Hike Series: Three Hills in the West (of Williamstown)
Taconic State Park 253 State Route 344, Copake Falls, NY, NYJoin Williamstown Rural Lands for a moderate, 4.5-mile hike to cross viewpoints on top of three hills near Route 2 on the western edge of Williamstown and explore the 18th and early 19th-century history of the area. Families are welcome. Click…
Fall Clean-up Volunteer Day
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MACome help Sheep Hill get ready for the snow during our seasonal Volunteer Day! Drop by any time, for any amount of time, to help Williamstown Rural Lands accomplish our List of Things to Do. We have tasks for any…
Making Paper from Invasive Plants
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAIn this workshop, you will be introduced to making paper with invasive plants, specifically Japanese Knotweed, Garlic Mustard, and Honeysuckle. We will review plant identification, safe collection methods, and how to process fibers for paper-making. Then, you will be able…
Fall Hike at Pine Cobble
Pine Cobble 516 N Hoosac Rd, Williamstown, MA, United StatesJoin Williamstown Rural Lands to learn about the unique ecology of Pine Cobble and the changes that prepare animals and plants for winter. Enjoy a moderate/strenuous 3.2 out-and-back hike to expansive views of Williamstown, North Adams, and the Hoosac and…
Beaver Moon Family Hike
Sheep Hill 671 Cold Spring Rd, Williamstown, MAJoin Williamstown Rural Lands at Sheep Hill to celebrate the Beaver Moon! Listen to facts and tales about beavers in winter, hike to the top of the hill (1.5 miles, moderate) to view the full moon, then head back down…