Dr. Rachael E. Bonoan- Nutritional Ecologist
Dr. Rachael Bonoan is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Providence College, where she teaches in the Environmental Biology major and leads the Bonoan (aka Providence Pollinator) Lab. The Providence Pollinator lab focuses on insect pollinators, which get most of their nutrients by collecting protein-rich pollen and sugary nectar from flowers. Hailing from Tiverton, RI, she is grateful to be studying insect pollinator nutrition and behavior in her home state.
Rachael and her students have surveyed insect pollinator diversity on Westerly Land Trust properties using bee hotels, bee bowls, and field observations. These data are part of the Providence Pollinator Lab’s reference collection of RI insect pollinators, with a focus on bees. Students in the Providence Pollinator Lab are also investigating which flowering plant species are most visited by bees, and the nutritional content of those flowers. Taken together, these data can be used to inform native pollinator-friendly plantings on Westerly Land Trust properties and beyond. Preliminary data show that if you want to plant for pollinators, dense blazing star (Liatris spicata) is a pollinator magnet, that is also nutritious!
Outside of research and teaching, Rachael is co-founder of the Tufts Pollinator Initiative and founding member/past president of the Boston Area Beekeepers Association. She is passionate about sharing her research with diverse audiences and engaging children in science through encouraging curiosity, which is the topic of her TEDx talk and children’s eBook, Dress Like a Scientist Day.
RELEVANT LINKS:
- https://providencepollinators.com/
- https://sites.tufts.edu/pollinators/
- https://dresslikeascientistday.com/
- https://youtu.be/KsA8V-yooFA
- Photo collection of pollinators
To learn more about the scientists & stewards on our land click HERE.
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Solstice greetings from the Westerly Land Trust! ❄️
For more than 5,000 years, people across the Northern Hemisphere have met the Winter Solstice with lights, feasts, and a shared sense of community. This impulse—to gather against the encroaching dark—is a calling innate to humankind. This year, that ancient tradition meets a celestial spectacle: on the night of the 21st, you might catch a glimpse of the Ursid meteor shower.
There is a unique magic to the solstice sky, made even more profound when punctuated by a multitude of shooting stars. Watching this display, it is easy to feel simultaneously tiny and boundless—a perspective that leaves us feeling deeply grounded. 🌠
It is that same sense of connection—to the earth and to one another—that drives the Westerly Land Trust. Our work is about more than just the land we conserve; it is about knitting together the community that enjoys it. Whether you find your peace by connecting with neighbors or disconnecting in the quiet of the woods, WLT provides a space for you to recharge.
As you reflect on these values this season, we invite you to join our efforts to steward the land and curate the programs that weave us together. Beyond the rush of the holidays, I hope you find a moment to stop and be still—perhaps even long enough to see a shooting star.
Thank you for your partnership in our land conservation and programmatic work. From all of us at the Westerly Land Trust, we wish you a Peaceful Solstice, Happy Holidays, and a Joyous New Year.
#winter #wintersolstice #conservation #nature #outside
The holidays are right around the corner, and we have some sustainable, local, last-minute gift ideas for you! 🎄❄️
If you’d like a WLT bright orange beanie or WLT note cards, follow the link in our bio to order. 🗓️
💐Do you know someone who would love a fresh basket of produce or bouquet of flowers each week, @echo_rock_flowers subscription or @frontierfarmri CSA would be a perfect gift. Follow the link in our bio to visit both farmers’ websites!
To gift a friend or family member a WLT Membership, follow the link in our bio and select “Levels of Support”. 🌳
🔪 @graygoosecookerywatchhill will sharpen your knives when you make a donation to WLT at the Gray goose cookery! Sharp knives are safe knives!
👗👠 @second.serve.resale strives to lower the consumption of new clothing by promoting the benefits of resale. When you shop Second Serve Resale and select WLT at checkout, 85% of your sale will be generously donated back to WLT. Follow the link in our bio and select “Shop and Support” to check out the pieces they have.
As we wrap up 2025 we want to say a big heartfelt thank YOU to all of our volunteers, supporters, sponsors, and community partners! We couldn’t do all we do without you! 🌳💚
#westerlyri #landtrust #conservation #rhodeisland #stoningtonct
In December, the Westerly Land Trust was awarded a grant of $47,170 from the Champlin Foundation to support a collaborative agricultural initiative with the Jonnycake Center of Westerly. The project will convert a 3-acre hayfield at WLT’s Haggerty Family Preserve into a productive farm growing food for distribution to food-insecure residents in the Westerly area.
This initiative builds on @thejonnycakecenter successful Giving Garden at Ninigret Park, which is now operating at full capacity. In response to increasing community need, Jonnycake approached WLT to explore farming opportunities on conserved land.
WLT Executive Director Jennifer Fusco said,
“The Westerly Land Trust is committed to conserving open space and protecting our natural resources. When we can accomplish those goals while supporting a partner like Jonnycake and helping them put food on the table for families in need, it’s a win-win.”
Food insecurity is on the rise statewide, with demand at the Jonnycake Center routinely exceeding supply. In a letter to the Champlin Foundation, Jonnycake Center Executive Director Lee Eastbourne wrote,
“We as a Center strongly believe that food is medicine, and access to a greater array of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables will help in creating a healthier community.”
In the coming weeks, WLT will begin preparing the Haggerty Family Preserve for farming—turning conserved land into meaningful community impact. 💚🥗
#community #partnership #landtrust #conservation #outside #sustainableagriculture #farming #foodpantry #farm
What a fun, festive, winter day it was yesterday! Snow in the morning and the Westerly Light Parade at night❄️🎄
#winter #festive #community #lightparade #holidays #conservation #westerlyri
Our first Wednesday Wonder Walk was truly wonderful! 🍂✨
Families explored Wahaneeta with curiosity- studying leaves, and lichen up close, climbing over logs, and discovering every corner of the cabin together.
We’re so excited to partner with @wildrootsplay.ri for these monthly nature adventures. 💚
Join us for the next Wonder Walk on January 14th: Feathered Friends at Grills Preserve! Come walk, wonder, and grow with us!
Happy December! We’ve flipped the calendar page for the final time in 2025. Here’s to hoping that you’ve squeezed everything you wanted out of this year—that your walks were long and peaceful; that your bird count was high; that you made new friends along the trails. Keep reading to find out what’s happening this month!
🎄WLT/WildRoots Wednesday Wonder Walk
Wednesday, December 10, 10-11:15am
Wahaneeta Preserve
Program is NO COST and open to all ages. Registration is required. Follow the link in our bio for more information and to register!
@wildrootsplay.ri
🎄Thursday Hiking Group
Thursday mornings; time & place varies
Grills to Grills, December 11
Champlin Farm Preserve Hike, December 18
🎄Westerly Light Parade
Sunday, December 14, 6-7pm
Downtown Westerly
🎄Nutcracker Trail
To celebrate their 100th anniversary, @ocean_community_chamber has scattered 100 unique, 6-foot-tall, nutcrackers throughout Westerly, Pawcatuck, and Stonington. We at the Westerly Land Trust are lucky enough to host one at our homebase, Barlow Nature Preserve. Come by 449 Westerly-Bradford Road to catch a glimpse. While you’re here, take a hike on the trails, check out our Little Free Library, or pop in for a cup of coffee!
From all of us at the Westerly Land Trust, Happy Holidays!
This season of gratitude brings to mind the Westerly Land Trust’s pick for our 2025 book club last April: The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This book promotes the benefits of the gift economy, encouraging readers to count the gifts the land gives us—food, water, wildlife, inspiration—and then reciprocate through stewardship, care, and conservation. Kimmerer speaks to the joy that’s born out of this gift giving cycle, saying,
“To name the world as a gift is to feel your membership
�in a web of reciprocity.”
As a part of the Westerly Land Trust community—whether you’re a donor, a volunteer, an advocate, a student, or the like—we hope you feel your special place in our web of reciprocity. Your continued care returns to the earth, enriching our shared landscapes and nurturing our community. And for this we tip our hats, and send this message of thanks:
From all of us at the Westerly Land Trust, thank you for building bridges between neighbors and nature, for believing in the importance of protecting these special places, and most of all, for being a part of our family.
Happy Thanksgiving! 🧡🌳
#community #thankful #westerlyri #rhodeisland #stoningtonct #pawcatuckct #conservation #outside #nature
Have you met the newest residents of Avondale Farm Preserve? A herd of Kiko goats has moved in and they are tearing up the neighborhood...in the best way possible!🌾
WLT has partnered with Coleman Replogle, owner and operator of Rōm Land + Livestock, to reduce the occurrence of invasive plants in Avondale’s fields. Coleman relocated his herd of goats here in November and will implement a rotational grazing system throughout the winter. Goat grazing is an environmentally friendly way to remove unwanted plants—the goats love porcelain berry— while improving the soil health. Not only are we able to forgo chemical herbicides and heavy machinery, but the goat droppings provide natural fertilizer, enriching the land.
@romlandlivestock believes in sustainable farming practices and strives to be responsible stewards of the land—two pillars close to WLT’s heart.
