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The Trustees

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We love the outdoors. We love Massachusetts’ special places. And we celebrate & protect them – for everyone, forever!

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You can be here this weekend. 🛶

🔗 in bio to join a kayak excursion on the Crane Wildlife Refuge with our skilled guides, Members save $$

📷: Crane Wildlife Refuge, Ipswich @craneestate_trustees

#TheTrustees #CraneEstate #Kayak #KayakAdventures #IpswichMA taken in Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate by @thetrustees

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10 hours ago

Meet the 2026 Outdoor Ambassadors. 🌱

Nine young people, seven weeks, and a summer packed with community gardens, farmers markets, harbor islands, and a whole lot of hands in the dirt. Formerly known as the Waterfront Ambassadors, this crew of 15-to-18 year olds is spending the season exploring food systems, climate resilience, and open space access across Boston and beyond, all while building serious leadership chops.

Today they are at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard @fruitlandsmuseum, and they are taking over our Stories. Check back throughout the day to see where they end up. 👀

Want the full introduction? Meet the whole cohort on the blog (🔗 in bio) : https://bit.ly/4wmXdnE

📷: Powisset Farm, Dover

#TheTrustees #OutdoorAmbassadors #YouthLeadership | [Image description: Seven teens in matching cream Outdoor Ambassadors t-shirts stand together smiling inside a greenhouse, with an open doorway behind them framing a green field and treeline.] by @thetrustees

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a day ago

Blue Hill Farm in New Marlborough is now permanently protected!

Through a creative partnership led by The Trustees of Reservations and New Marlborough Land Trust, with support from MDAR, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, Mass Audubon’s 30x30 Catalyst Fund, the Nion Robert Thieriot Foundation, and the Goodnow family, the 242-acre farm is now protected with an Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) held by MDAR. The farm will remain in active agricultural use with Pat and Kelly McNiff of Pat’s Pastured being the new owners.

This collaborative effort helps secure the future of local farming, conservation, and agricultural heritage in the Berkshires.

📷: Blue Hill Farm, Marlborough – credit: Nick Laroche Photography

#TheTrustees #Outdoors #LandConservation Image description: Aerial view of Blue Hill Farm's red barns, silo, and pastures nestled among forested hills and aerial view of a green farm field surrounded by dense forest, with Berkshire hills in the distance.] by @thetrustees

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2 days ago

Buy the ticket, take the ride. 🎵

Tonight, 7/22: Los Sugar Kings, Castle Hill Picnic Concert (Ipswich)

Thu 7/23: Fortune at Castle Hill; The Concord Band at Fruitlands (Harvard); Summer Concert Series at Stevens-Coolidge (Andover); Ward Hayden at Powisset Farm (Dover)

Fri 7/24: Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band, deCordova Performance Series (Lincoln)

Sun 7/26: Dr. Viola Voilà, Classical at Crane, Castle Hill (Ipswich)

Members save on tickets. 🔗 in bio.

📷: Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich; Fruitlands Museum, Harvard; World's End, Hinghan.

#TheTrustees #SummerConcerts #LiveMusicMA by @thetrustees

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3 days ago

WE HAVE A NEW DATE & BALLOT NUMBER!

Clear skies are ahead! After rescheduling due to rain, our official "YES" campaign launch rally on the Charles River Esplanade is now set for Tuesday, July 28, at 10:00 AM. Even better news: We are officially Question 6 on the November ballot!

Join our broad coalition of outdoor enthusiasts, conservation advocates, and park lovers as we kick off our campaign to dedicate as much as $100M annually for clean water, land protection, and local parks—without raising taxes. Show up in your hiking boots, running gear, or camo, or roll up on your bike or kayak to make a splash for the media cameras!

RSVP to claim your spot: https://actionnetwork.org/events/protect-water-and-nature-yes-campaign-launch/
#YesOnQuestion6 #ProtectWaterAndNature #CleanWaterMA #MApoli #NatureForMA by @thetrustees

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3 days ago

Meet two of Crane Beach's smallest summer residents.

The Piping Plover is a sandy little shorebird so well camouflaged you might mistake it for a windblown pebble, right up until it darts along the waterline on bright orange legs. When a predator gets too close, a parent plover fakes a broken wing, limping dramatically to lead the threat away while its chicks freeze in place.

Sharing the same stretch of sand is the Least Tern, a small, sharp-voiced seabird that plunges headfirst into the surf for fish and will boldly dive-bomb anything that wanders too close to its colony, a habit that earned it the nickname "little striker."

Both nest right out in the open, in shallow scrapes in the sand, which is exactly why you'll see roped-off areas and signs on our beaches each summer. Trustees staff have that fencing up before the birds even arrive in spring, then monitor the nesting sites nearly every day of the season, all so these little families have the quiet space they need to raise the next generation.

When you spot the fencing this summer, you're looking at conservation in action. Give the birds room, follow the posted dog rules, and pack out what you bring in. Share the beach, and everybody thrives. 🧡

📷: Crane Beach, Ipswich - Credit: Geof Simons

#TheTrustees #CraneBeach #PipingPlover #LeastTern #ShorebirdSeason | [Image description: A series of close-up photos of Piping Plovers and Least Terns on the sandy beach at Crane Beach, including adult birds and small, well-camouflaged chicks near the shoreline and dunes. The sandy-colored plovers and pale gray-and-white terns blend into the beach as they rest, forage along the water's edge, and tend to their nests.] by @thetrustees

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4 days ago

Masquerade 🎭✨
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Cape Ann Pride’s Masquerade Ball
🗓️✏️Saturday, September 12 at 7 PM

Tickets available at capeannpride.org or by visiting the link in my bio

An evening of mystery and queer glam at one of the North Shore’s most beautiful settings — the Great House at Castle Hill, with the Grand Allee stretching out toward the ocean.

Masks encouraged, formal/semi-formal attire welcome — come dressed to celebrate in whatever way makes YOU feel glamorous and festive!

Enjoy a full cash bar, seasonal hors d’oeuvres by Fireside Catering, and live music from the acclaimed Suzuki School of Newton String Quartet.

Free, plentiful parking on-site

Rain or shine; there will be a tent over the patio outside the Great House

The first floor of the Main Hall and the grounds are wheelchair accessible

#drag #dragqueen #localdrag #masqueradeball #northshore
Corset by @ethan.m.cross
Gloves by @majestyblack
Hair by @fenabarbitall taken in Castle Hill-Crane Estate by @thetrustees

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4 days ago

A Trustees Membership isn't just a pass to your favorite trails. It's a quiet, steady form of support for the conservation work happening behind the scenes, work that matters more than ever as our landscapes face a rapidly changing climate. Members help us protect what's here now, and what we hope stays here for generations. Visit thetrustees.org to learn more.

📷: Ashintully Gardens, Tyringham

#TheTrustees #Membership #Conservation #Ashintully [Image description: Four stone columns from ruined mansion stand among greenery with mountains and blue sky behind.] by @thetrustees

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5 days ago

Join us for the Roaring 20s Lawn Party on August 1 & 2 at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich @craneestate_trustees for two unforgettable summer nights while Crane Estate turns back the clock.

Beneath the grandeur of the Great House, flappers twirl, tap dancers steal the spotlight, and every elegant detail feels as though it’s been lifted straight from the Golden Age.

Your invitation awaits. All that’s missing is you.

#TheTrustees #Roaring20s #IpswichMA taken in Castle Hill-Crane Estate by @thetrustees

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6 days ago

✨ FAIRY TRAILS & BOARDWALKS! ✨

Looking for a magical, low-key spot to take the kids this weekend? Put Doyle Conservation Area in Leominster, MA right at the top of your list. This stunning Trustees property is an absolute hidden gem for family walks!

Here is why your family will love it:

The Magical Fairy Trail: Tucked away in the pine woods, there is a dedicated section filled with incredibly detailed fairy houses, tiny bridges, and miniature setups. The kids will enjoy hunting for them all on the forest floor!

Picture-Perfect Pond Scenery: The property features a gorgeous, lily-pad-covered pond surrounded by massive weeping willows.

Easy, Kid-Friendly Boardwalks: The wide, flat wooden boardwalks and arched footbridges make it an incredibly easy walk for little legs (and stroller-friendly in most main loops!).

The Labyrinth & Stone Circle: Don't miss the open grassy clearing with the beautiful stone bench circle—perfect for a quick snack break while the kids explore.

If you are looking to get outside without an intense uphill climb, this place strikes the perfect balance between a peaceful nature walk and pure magic for the kids.

📍 Quick Explorer Tips:

Cost: FREE to park and enter (a massive win for a Trustees property!).

Difficulty: Easy/Flat loops.

Parking: Decent-sized dirt lot at the main entrance.

Have you visited the fairy houses here yet? Drop your favorite kid-friendly New England trail in the comments below! 👇

#newengland #newenglanddadexplorer #exploremassachusetts
#explorenewengland #kidfriendly #centralmassachusetts #familyhike #hikemassachusetts #fairytrail #boardwalk #leominsterma #picturesque #trustees #familywalk by @thetrustees

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7 days ago

Disability Pride Month is a moment to reflect on what it really means to make a place welcoming for everyone.

This year, we partnered with Curry College's Neurodiversity Center for Excellence to support a new employment program for neurodivergent young adults, and this summer we launched Thrive Together, an Employee Resource Group for neurodivergent employees and employees with disabilities.

That commitment extends outward, too. Sensory-friendly barnyard experiences at Weir River Farm in Hingham, accessible tour cart routes at Castle Hill in Ipswich, accessible trails and social stories that prepare visitors for what's ahead are just a few of the ways we try to lower barriers to our properties.

Accessibility isn't a single project with an end date. It's an ongoing practice, shaped in partnership with the disability community, that our Accessibility Working Group carries forward across our properties, programs, and workplace.

📷: Millborn Farm, Sherborn & Millis- credit: Dan Lovy Photography

#TheTrustees #DisabilityPride #Accessibility #Outdoors | [Image description: A woman pushes a man in a wheelchair along a paved path through a grassy, tree-lined property, with a small group chatting nearby.] by @thetrustees

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7 days ago

Welcome to the weekend! Whatever kind of Saturday or Sunday you're craving, we've got a Trustees property ready for you.

Curator talks: Fruitlands Museum (Harvard), Spotlight Talk with Tess Lukey on the new exhibit Eye of the Beholder. The Mission House (Stockbridge), 1776 curator tour with Mark Wilson.

Farm stuff: Coffee with the Cows at Appleton Farms (Ipswich, 16+, registration required). Sensory-Friendly Barnyard Hours at Weir River Farm (Hingham). Morning farm chores at Powisset Farm (Dover), last one before it becomes Barnyard Buddies. Barnyard Buddies at The FARM Institute (Martha's Vineyard).

Naumkeag (Stockbridge), all weekend: Spill the Tea lecture series, house tour, garden tour, meditation.

Free in the city: DCR nature play at Ryan's Playground and Franklin Field, themed around plant power.

Members save on most of these. Pick one. Or pick five. See them all on our 🔗 in bio.

📷: Trustees properties offering programs and events this weekend

#TheTrustees #Weekender #GetOutdoors [Image description: Collage graphic reading "Have a Trustees Weekend" in a green circle, surrounded by photos of a garden tour at Naumkeag, a pink gallery room at Fruitlands, kids examining nature specimens at an outdoor table, the historic Mission House exterior, two goats on a platform, a historic bedroom interior, and a child holding a baby chick in the grass.] by @thetrustees

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8 days ago