Ashburnham Conservation Trust

06/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AqvPs5pDe/

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

Band Spotlight – Patty Keough

Music lovers, meet the artist kicking off Moose Jam.

Patty Keough opens the festival with the kind of energy that makes you settle into your chair, look around at your friends, and realize you’re exactly where you should be.

The perfect way to start a night of great music.

Give Patty some love in the comments.

05/31/2026

You walked toward the back fence and I was perched on the top rail. Wings spread wide. Bald red head lowered. I hissed — and then I threw up on the grass.

You went for a rock. I understand. But you had it wrong.

I'm a turkey vulture. I've been roosting in the tall pines behind the neighborhood for years. I can't carry off your dog, your cat, or anything living. My talons are flat and dull — built for standing on carcasses, not gripping prey. I don't hunt. I only clean up what's already dead 🌿

🦅 The display that scared you is the opposite of aggression.

The wing-spread isn't a threat — I do it to dry my feathers and let sunlight kill the bacteria I picked up from the last meal. The hiss is the only sound I can make — I don't have the vocal structure other birds use to sing or call. And the vomiting is a panic response. I eat heavy meals, and if something startles me, I have to empty my stomach to get light enough to fly. The smell also discourages anything from eating me. The whole performance was designed to make you leave, not to chase you.

I eat the dead animals that would otherwise rot in the brush, the roadside, and the field edge. My digestive system breaks down the bacteria and disease organisms in decaying meat so thoroughly that by the time the material passes through me, the pathogens are gone. I'm removing the hazards your dog would otherwise find on a walk.

🌿 If you see me:

- Give me space — if you push me into a panic vomit, I lose a meal I spent the morning finding, and I burn significant energy taking off
- Don't use rat poison on your property — vultures are the last stop in the food chain, and toxins in dead rodents reach us through the carcasses we clean up
- I'm harmless to anything living. The weak grip, the flat talons, and the lack of a hunting instinct mean I can't and don't take live prey

I've been circling this neighborhood for years, cleaning up what nobody else would touch. You only noticed me the morning I was drying my wings.

The cleanup crew doesn't get noticed until someone walks too close 🌱

05/30/2026

📣📣📣 Vendor Call 📣📣📣

We’re currently looking for vendors to join Moose Jam 2026.

If you’re a maker, artist, or small business that loves community events and live music, we’d love to hear from you.

Interested in being part of the festival? Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedUcCys3oSwmUv9-qdRtPVgtx_0bn1EuxTnDEzBQxR11Gxog/viewform

05/26/2026

👀 Wait… did you hear about the lineup for Moose Jam 26 yet?!

Yeah… this day is going to be stacked. 🫎🔥

Mark your calendars for September 12, 2026!!!
Neurotic Gumbo
Sirsy
DEADLINE
Patty Jonah Keough
Plus: The very local Silverbacks on side stage.

A full day of live music, good people, community vibes, and probably at least one person dancing barefoot in the grass.

If you’ve been to Moose Jam before, you already know. If you haven’t… this is your sign to go grab your tickets now!

This is going to be an amazing show! 💃🕺
Get your tickets now....https://www.strideevents.com/events/moose-jam/2026/tickets

04/28/2026

I don’t know what you believe in, be it God, fate, the universe - but it was one of those situations that felt undeniable…

We had planned a meeting with the Billerica Police Department as part of a larger effort to bring together Massachusetts police officers, animal control officers, and wildlife rehabilitators. The goal was simple: learn from each other, understand the challenges, and build something better together. Our educational beaver, Nibi came along for the ride.

The conversation went well. Productive. Thoughtful. Exactly what we had hoped for.

And then, something happened…

A beaver had become trapped just below a dam, huddled on a rock in rushing water. Calls started coming in. The rescue would be dangerous - no question. It would take coordination, trust, and skilled people willing to step in.

And it was happening in the very town we were sitting in.

What followed was everything we’ve been hoping for. Billerica Police | MA, Billerica Fire | MA, Billerica & Tewksbury Animal Control, and Massachusetts Environmental Police all came together—communicating, problem-solving, backing each other up. No ego. No hesitation. All aspect of rescue and law enforcement were ready to collaborate and help if needed.

In the end, the fire department climbed a ladder over the rushing rapids and brought that beaver to safety.

Standing there, watching it unfold, I couldn’t believe it.

We came to talk about collaboration and they showed us exactly what it looks like.

The beaver is in our care and being treated for her injuries. She would not be here if not for everyone’s efforts.

This is what’s possible when we all work together.

04/24/2026

Vermont just made a decision that reflects a deeper shift in how we see animals.

In Vermont, coyote killing contests for cash and prizes are now banned. No more competitions. No more turning lives into numbers on a scoreboard. This makes Vermont the second state after California to take a stand against this practice.

For years, these contests treated wildlife like targets in a game. People gathered, not for survival, not for food, but for rewards. The goal was simple. Kill the most. Kill the biggest. Win money, gear, or recognition. Meanwhile, entire groups of coyotes were wiped out in a short time. Pups left without parents. Families destroyed in a single weekend.

Coyotes are not just animals passing through the wild. They are part of a system that has existed long before us. They raise their young. They communicate. They adapt. They help control rodent populations and keep ecosystems in balance. When they are killed in large numbers, it does not solve problems. It often creates more. Their populations can rebound quickly, sometimes leading to even more conflict.

This law does not end all hunting in Vermont. Coyotes can still be hunted. But it draws a clear moral line. Killing for entertainment. Killing for prizes. Killing for the thrill of competition. That is what has been rejected.

It is a reminder that not everything we can do should be turned into a sport. Especially when it involves suffering.

Change like this takes time. It takes people speaking up. It takes pressure. It takes empathy breaking through old habits. And it shows that laws can evolve as our understanding grows.

One state may not seem like much. But every step builds momentum. What was once normal starts to feel unacceptable. What was once ignored starts to get attention.

This is how change spreads. Quietly at first. Then all at once.

And for the animals caught in these contests, it means everything.

Sources:
- VT Digger... Coyote hunting contests banned in Vermont
- V News... Vt. Coyote Hunting Contests Banned
- Animal Legal Defence Fund... Killing Contests

04/17/2026

The Heart of Moose Jam ❤️
There’s something special that happens when music and community collide.

Moose Jam has never just been about the stage. It’s about the people who show up. The volunteers who give their time. The vendors who bring creativity and energy. The neighbors who bring lawn chairs and settle in for a night of great music under the open sky.

Good music. Good people. A good cause.
That’s Moose Jam.