Laney Wilder is the executive director for the Concord Land Conservation Trust and an enthusiastic botanist. She holds a master’s degree in plant biology and conservation, with a focus on rare species and land stewardship. Laney is passionate about protecting and caring for natural and historical lands in light of our changing landscapes and connecting people with nature.

A Stroll Along Concord River: The Ecological and Historical Significance of October Farm Riverfront

May 15, 2021

Laney Wilder

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Concord’s October Farm Riverfront is a special place. Its 80 acres include more than a mile of river frontage, where the Concord River makes its great bend and turns to the north around Ball’s Hill. More than 100 years ago, noted ornithologist William Brewster purchased this land to save it from the developer’s axe, but it was not finally protected in perpetuity until 2016, when the Concord Land Conservation Trust and the Town of Concord teamed up to acquire the property with the generous support of many private donors and town and state funds.

The Fall Issue is Here!

It’s Fall - time to venture out and explore the places, people, and stories that make this region so special. Begin by planning a day out with our special insert, “An Apple Picking Road Trip.” Our second special guide invites you to spend a day exploring West Concord. Discover the fascinating lives Henry David Thoreau lived after leaving Walden Pond and encounter a possible Hawthorne family curse, a forgotten Yankee hero, and Ruth Robinson Wheeler. And of course, concerts, exhibitions, festivals, walks, talks, and family activities await you throughout the season. Turn to “Things to See & Do this Fall” and “Arts Around Town” for all the details. Happy fall.

When Thoreau Left Walden Pond: Several More Lives to Live

I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live and could not spare any more time for that one.On September 6, 1847, Henry David Thoreau left his one-room house at Walden Pond and returned to Concord. Living at Walden for over two years had been a life-changing experience for the thirty-year-old Thoreau. Wanting to be a writer, he went to the pond to write, and while there he did exactly that. He produced two drafts of A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. He wrote one lecture about Thomas Carlyle and another about living at the pond called “A History of Myself.” He also penned an essay titled “Ktaadn” about going to Maine in the summer of 1846. And he wrote in his journal almost daily. But what would he do once he was back in Concord?

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19 Things to Do This Fall

Autumn is filled with amazing things to do this year! Here are 19 of them that you won't want to miss.

Laney Wilder

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A Stroll Along Concord River: The Ecological and Historical Significance of October Farm Riverfront