Manchester Essex Conservation Trust

11/12/2026

11/12/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for MECT's 2026 Annual Meeting at Riversbend Restaurant in Essex!

It was wonderful to bring our community together to celebrate another year of conservation and learn more about the wildlife that shares our local landscapes. And a special thank you to our sponsors who helped us bring over 140 individuals together.

Bats: From Spooky to Spectacular

Our featured speaker, Maureen Heidtmann of Winghand Bat Rehab, gave us a fascinating look at one of nature's most misunderstood creatures with her presentation, Bats: From Spooky to Spectacular: A Bat Signal for Biodiversity.

A licensed wildlife rehabilitator who has worked exclusively with bats for more than 20 years, Maureen highlighted the important role these remarkable animals play in healthy ecosystems. Bats are natural pest controllers, consuming enormous numbers of insects, including those that damage forests and crops. Yet bats face serious threats, including habitat loss and white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has devastated populations across North America.

Protecting the Places Bats Call Home

One of the important takeaways from Maureen's presentation was the close relationship between bats and forests. Many of New England's bat species depend on trees for shelter, particularly during the warmer months when they roost and raise their young. Mature trees, standing dead trees, and trees with cavities or loose bark can all provide valuable habitat. Crevices in ledge, and lichen in the usnea family, that is abundant in our area, also provide roosting sites.

This connection is especially meaningful to MECT's work. Through acoustic monitoring on our properties, we've been documenting bat activity in the very forests our community works to defend near Shingle Place Hill, and other areas we are strategically aiming to conserve. By permanently protecting forests and open spaces in Manchester and Essex, MECT helps safeguard the habitat that bats and countless other species depend on. Several bat species of special conservation concern status and one federally protected species have been documented and confirmed by scientists.

Help Us Continue This Important Education and Conservation Work

Events like our Annual Meeting bring our community together to learn about and celebrate the natural world. They also remind us why local conservation matters.

Your donations help make educational programs like this possible while supporting MECT's ongoing work right here at home in Manchester and Essex. So much. So Close.

www.mect.org/donate/

11/11/2026

Happy Veterans Day to those who have served and are currently serving, and to their families who sacrifice alongside them, particularly the Army and Navy service members close to me.

There's a good chance that each of these Navy pilots pictured has seen action in the Middle East, off the coast of Venezuela, or both.

No - they didn't know exactly what they were signing up for when they made the decision to join. It's impossible to know and yet they are here. With gratitude for your service - P

11/09/2026

MECT Fall Extended Hike in Essex with Jeff Cochand and Leslie Waldorf

Sunday, November 15,2026

9 AM

Join MECT Trustees Jeff Cochand and Leslie Waldorf for a strenuous and rugged hike in the Essex Uplands on the eastern side of Southern Avenue to the Gloucester Line. This hike will offer adventuorous hikers the opportunity to explore the rugged, rocky terrain featuring large glacial erratics and granite slabs and lots of elevation change. Jeff and Leslie bring a wealth of environmental and local knowledge along with a passion for hiking and an infectious sense of fun. This is one not to miss!

The route will take us through wooded trails and rigorous inclines, offering a rewarding mix of natural beauty and local perspective. Jeff and Leslie will share insights into the land and MECT’s latest conservation efforts.

Register for more details. Required.
mect.org/savethedate

Explore MECT events including guided hikes, volunteer trail days, and community conservation activities in Manchester and Essex.

11/01/2026

Awesome photos Marc. Love your enthusiasm for our favorite places!

10/28/2026

Who cooks for you all?

10/21/2026

Light up the night! Join us on November 1st.
Register at

Explore MECT events including guided hikes, volunteer trail days, and community conservation activities in Manchester and Essex.

10/19/2026

MECT will feature bat expert Maureen Heidtman for a talk to learn more about these misunderstood animals as she shares her extensive experience in rehabilitating bats. Maureen is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator working exclusively with bats for more than twenty years.

Join the MECT community for a short annual meeting before hearing from Maureen. Riversbend Restaurant in Essex is generously hosting MECT, and attendees can enjoy delicious wood-fired pizza, courtesy of our sponsors, and a cash bar.

WHAT: MECT Annual Meeting and Speaker Maureen Heidtman, bat expert and licensed wildlife rehabilitator
WHEN: Sunday, November 1, 2026. 4-7pm
WHERE: Riversbend Restaurant, 35 Dodge Street, Essex, MA

Registration is required. Register at mect.org/savethedate

About Manchester Essex Conservation Trust - MECT is a nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving ecologically important land and wildlife habitat in Manchester and Essex, Massachusetts, and promoting its use for quiet recreation, education, and research.

Learn about Manchester Essex Conservation Trust and how we protect local land, trails, wildlife habitats, and natural resources.

10/02/2026

MECT Fall Hikes

Learn To Sketch with Slow River Studios!

Have you always wanted to try sketching but never knew where to start?

This free two-hour adult art adventure in the MECT woodlands is the perfect way to begin. You'll be trying line and wash sketching, an easy technique for beginners to learn that pairs simple ink lines with loose watercolor washes to create vibrant, expressive drawings that look stunning even when you're brand new to it.
Jess Yurwitz, owner of Slow River Studio in Topsfield, will kick things off with a 30-minute beginner lesson, then explore and sketch the grounds with you for an hour before bringing the group back together to add color and reflect on our experience.

Fresh air, good company, and the start of something you'll want to keep doing!

Supplies available if you need them or bring your own sketchbook, pen and watercolor set.

This FREE session will take place in Manchester.
Register for more details: mect.org/savethedate

10/02/2026

Be Safe. Be Seen.

Hunting season has begun in our area. Be Safe and Be Seen. Wear blaze orange for visibility. Our trails cross privately-owned parcels and other areas where hunting may be permitted.

Hats, vests, or sweatshirts are a great choice in blaze orange for visibility at a distance. Protect yourself and your family. Even your four-legged friends!

The state has opened an additional hunting season in January 2027 in our zone.