http://www.nashuariverwatershed.org/programs-and-events.html

Opening Day for the Fall Season of NRWA Outdoor Wellness Walking Program

The Opening Day for the fall season of the Nashua River Watershed Association (NRWA) Outdoor Wellness Walking program will be held on Thursday, September 20th.  We'll meet at 8:00 a.m. on the Nashua River Rail Trail at the Station Avenue kiosk in Groton.  Staff from the Nashoba Valley Medical Center will be on hand to conduct free blood pressure screenings.  NRWA program directors will lead a 45-minute walk, approx. 2 miles, on the trail.  Pre-registration is required for planning purposes.  Those who pre-register will receive a free pedometer at the Opening Day event, along with a packet of materials on exercise, diet, and walking.  The Outdoor Wellness Walking program is free and open to the public. 

The primary goal of the Outdoor Wellness Walking program is to help people in Nashoba Valley communities develop the habit of taking regular walks that will enable them to prevent a suite of health problems.  The secondary goal is to introduce people to our natural world, leading to a positive environmental experience, improved health and personal well-being, and a higher quality of life.  This program is being funded in part by a grant from the Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund.

NRWA is leading wellness walks four days a week at 8:00 a.m. on the rail trail.  Groups walk in Ayer on Mondays; Pepperell on Tuesdays; and in Groton on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  The walks are free and open to the public.  Participants can attend as many walk sessions a week as they choose.  Summer walkers have enjoyed sighting and learning about plants and wildlife along the trail. 

As part of the Outdoor Wellness Walking program, NRWA will also be offering eleven Wellness Trail Walks in eleven different communities in order to introduce people to trails in their area.  Additionally, NRWA is partnering with the Nashoba Valley Medical Center to offer a series of Healthy Lifestyles & Wellness Lectures and Films.  View Schedule of Trail Walks or view Healthy Lifestyles & Wellness Lectures and Films Schedule.  The schedule of Trail Walks and the Lecture/Film Series will also be available at the Opening Day event.

The Opening Day event, and all components of the Wellness Walking program, are free and open to the public.  To pre-register for Opening Day, please contact Al Futterman, NRWA Land Programs Director, at (978) 448-0299, or email Al This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Schedule of Trail Walks

Willard Brook State Forest in Ashby, MA
Saturday, September 8, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Pine Meadow Conservation Area in Ayer, MA
Sunday, September 23, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Bowers Springs in Bolton, MA
Sunday, October 14, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Dunstable Rural Land Trust Wildlife Preserve in Dunstable, MA
Sunday, October 28, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Surrenden Farm Conservation Area in Groton, MA
Sunday, November 4, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge in Harvard, MA
Sunday, November 18, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Cook Conservation Area in Lancaster, MA
Sunday, December 2, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Cowdrey Nature Center in Lunenburg, MA
Sunday, December 16, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Riverside West Trail in Pepperell, MA
Sunday, January 5, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Devens North Post in Shirley, MA
Sunday, February 2, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Townsend State Forest in Townsend, MA
Sunday, March 3, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Schedule of Healthy Lifestyles & Wellness Lectures and Films

Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Lecture
Speaker: Katy Benson, LICSW
October 2012
Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer
Co-sponsored by Nashoba Valley Medical Center

An Evening with Henry David Thoreau – Lessons for Today from his Essay 'Walking'
Speaker: Richard Smith, Thoreau interpreter
November 29, 2012
Nashua River Watershed Association in Groton

Healthy Eating & Preventing Diabetes Lecture
Speaker: Susan Morris, RD/CDE
January 2013
Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer
Co-sponsored by Nashoba Valley Medical Center

Forks Over Knives: Film Screening
January 30, 2013
Nashua River Watershed Association in Groton

Thank you to Nashoba Valley Medical Center for supporting our Opening Day, and for co-sponsoring lectures.