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.

West Concord: A Village in Motion

West Concord has never been a place that stood still. Its identity has been shaped and reshaped by the Assabet River, mills and factories, railroads, a prison, farms, shopkeepers, artists, and entrepreneurs. Buildings have repeatedly found new purposes; new arrivals have affixed their own layers, adding to what came before.Few people have watched that process longer than Maynard Forbes. He arrived in West Concord in 1951 at fourteen and, nearly seventy-five years later, still describes the village in terms of three forces that preceded him: “The railroad, the prison, and industry. Those are the entities that developed West Concord as we know it today.”

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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