©Ko Baryjames
Great blue heron at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Peter Alden:
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©Jay Copeland
Local Traveler BY SAM COPELAND
“I have traveled a good deal in Concord,” said Thoreau, with his usual Yankee irony. To explore this small town, far away from any oceans or urban centers, would not seem to qualify as “travel.” But Thoreau was a man who could see Homeric drama in the movements of an ant colony; a New England town, then, with its social and natural life, was more than enough to have “traveled a good deal” in. Thoreau belongs to a long line of Concordians who have taught us how to travel a good deal in seemingly quiet places. Peter Alden, naturalist and writer, is a living member of that line. He has spent a lifetime enjoying, studying, and preserving Concord’s unique natural heritage. As a naturalist he has instigated major scientific initiatives to study Concord’s ecosystem,
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and also led thousands of ordinary people on nature tours in Concord and around the world. As a writer he has likewise penned both scientific articles and field guides that open up the natural world to his readers. Like Thoreau, Alden has not only traveled a good deal, but he invites us to travel with him.
Born in the most estimable place in the world
Alden’s roots reach deep into local history, as he is a descendent of Mayflower crewman John Alden. He was born in Concord at Emerson Hospital. Growing up in the town, his birdwatching father taught him to love nature from an early age. Alden fondly remembers hiking with his father and borrowing his binoculars when they spotted a great blue heron. Soon he was birding by
| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors
himself, and he recalls, “When I saw my first cardinal I ran home to tell my father.” These childhood experiences in Concord set Alden on the path that would define his adult life. Today, he likes to quote the saying of Thoreau: “I have never got over my surprise that I should have been born in the most estimable place in the world.” By the time Alden was in high school he was already looking for ways to bring his love of nature to his community. While still a sophomore he instigated the Concord Christmas Bird Count, an annual event where volunteers count and identify all of the birds within the town’s proximity. “By the time I came on the scene there were maybe 100 bird counts around the country,” says Alden, “And I thought, ‘Gee, why don’t we have one in Concord with our great tradition?’” When
