What’s New at Wildlands
Reflections from a Teacher: A Springtime Externship
This spring, Wildlands Trust hosted Julia Whalen, a science teacher at Carver Middle High School, for an externship. We asked Julia to reflect on her experience, and here’s what she had to say.
Julia participated in a birdhouse building workshop at the Stewardship Training Center in March.
Despite being someone who has lived on the South Shore all of my life and visited several Wildlands Trust properties, I had no idea how much Wildlands Trust does to preserve local ecosystems, engage with the community, and provide people with free access to explore nature. Through a recent teacher “externship” (similar to an internship, but more observational and for a shorter amount of time), I was able to learn more about Wildlands Trust and bring back meaningful experiences to my classroom.
I recently finished my 6th year as a science teacher in Carver. Despite being a smaller district compared to neighboring towns, Carver Middle High School does a lot to provide opportunities for its students. One of the ways we achieve that is through the Carver Pathways Program. I am one of the teachers involved with the Environmental & Agricultural Sciences Pathway, which is designated as an Innovation Career Pathway by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The focus of these programs is to provide students with relevant skills and coursework pertaining to a high-demand industry, which will hopefully lead to them pursuing a career or college degree in that field.
This year, our school received a grant for Innovation Career Pathway teachers to complete on-site externships with local business partners to bridge the gap between education and industry and to establish future internship opportunities for seniors in our Pathway.
Starting in March, I attended my first externship activity: a birdhouse building workshop with Brockton teachers, hosted by Wildlands Trust and Manomet Conservation Sciences. That same week, I attended a Winter Trees Identification Hike held at Tucker Preserve in Pembroke. Both of these experiences were a great way for me to get a glimpse of some of the programs that Wildlands Trust has to offer.
Julia represented Wildlands Trust at Give a Hoot About the Park at D.W. Field Park in May.
In early April, I completed both the Hike Leader and Ambassador trainings so that I could begin engaging with the community. Throughout the spring, I helped run the Wildlands Trust outreach table as an ambassador at the Plymouth Herring Run Festival, Give a Hoot About the Park at D.W. Field Park in Brockton, and the West Bridgewater River Walk. As an educator, these experiences were especially exciting to me because I was teaching people of all ages about the mission of Wildlands Trust, as well as the ways that folks can get outside or get involved. These events allowed me to network within Wildlands Trust, but also with other organizations like Mass Audubon.
In late May, I completed my Hike Leader Certification by leading my own hike at the Tucker Preserve in Pembroke. It was a beautiful day to hike the approximately 4-mile trail along the Indian Head River. Our school has a system of trails in the woods nearby, so I’ve found my hike leader training with Wildlands Trust to be valuable when it comes to taking my students outdoors. I feel better equipped to lead my students on hikes to collect data out in the forest.
The final aspect of my externship involved staff interviews that I conducted over the course of my time at Wildlands Trust. I was able to meet with the following departments: Land Protection, Stewardship, Development & Communications, GIS, and Senior Leadership. In each of these interviews, I gained insights on what these staff members do, how they got to where they are today, what skills they find valuable in potential student interns, and what advice they have for high school students looking to go into the environmental field. I will be using everything I’ve learned to help guide instruction in my Principles of Ecology class this fall. Through my externship, I’ve even come up with some projects I’d like to do in that class: certifying both of the vernal pools we have on our school grounds, marking the trails we have behind the school, and creating a map of the trail system.
Julia completed her Hike Leader Certification at Tucker Preserve in Pembroke in May.
Though my time at Wildlands Trust only spanned about 3 months, I had such a great experience, met so many wonderful people, and gained valuable knowledge that I will bring with me back to my classroom. I look forward to continuing a partnership between Carver Middle High School and Wildlands Trust, and hope that we’ll see one of our seniors start an internship there in the next few years. Having completed this experience, I’ve had the chance to see all of the different skills and knowledge that our students could gain from interning at Wildlands Trust. It’s a fantastic local organization filled with people who truly care about making the world a better place through stewardship, community engagement, and education.
Brockton High Students Compete at MA Envirothon Competition
Brockton High Envirothon Team presenting their Current Issue research at the Competition in Hopkinton.
On Thursday, May 21, five Brockton High School students put their natural resources knowledge to the (hands-on, collaborative) test at the 2026 Massachusetts Envirothon. Congratulations to all the students for making their Brockton and Wildlands Trust communities proud!
Thirty teams representing 23 high schools across the state converged at Hopkinton State Park in Hopkinton for this year’s competition. Each team was tested in five environmental areas: Forest, Wildlife, Water, Soil, and Current Issue. This year’s current issue, Living Sponge Communities, called on each team to present actionable ideas to transform Massachusetts into a model for sustainable stormwater management. Our team mapped the City of Brockton’s impervious surfaces, identified areas of point and nonpoint source pollution, and proposed infrastructure and community-based solutions.
Wildlands Trust has coached and sponsored the Brockton High School Envirothon team since 2015. Amy Burt, Wildlands’ Programming Coordinator, coaches the team alongside Brockton High School biology teacher Melissa Kelly and Manomet Conservation Sciences’ Science Educator Lily Green.
Congratulations again to the Brockton High School students on an impressive showing, including a fourth-place tie in Wildlife! Additional kudos to the seniors, who joined the team this year and were able to compete before graduation!
To learn more about Wildlands Trust’s Brockton High School Envirothon initiative, visit wildlandstrust.org/envirothon.
Click through the slideshow below to see more photos from the 2026 competition, and our year together as the Brockton Outdoor Club.
Why do you support land conservation?
By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator
In June, our Solstice Celebration brought together conservation champions from across Southeastern Massachusetts for a day of art, music, food, hikes, and much more at Davis-Douglas Farm in Plymouth. Over 150 of us joined our voices to send a resounding message that nature is vital to the future of our region.
Our voices are louder together, but they are not all the same. Since land conservation has so many benefits, ranging from ecological to economic to spiritual, it perhaps comes as little surprise that there are almost as many reasons to support our work as there are people who support it.
To better serve our community, we wanted to know why people donate their money, time, and passion to our mission. So, we asked. During the Solstice Celebration, a station inside the Community Conservation Barn invited attendees to decorate small banners by completing the statement, “I support land conservation because…” We strung up their responses on a wall inside the barn to create a living tapestry, symbolizing our community’s diverse motivations to realize our shared vision.
Explore some of these motivations in the photo gallery below. Click on each photo to view the full caption.
Why do you support land conservation? Tell us in the comments or add a banner to our tapestry the next time you visit Davis-Douglas Farm!
Thank you to all who support our mission to keep Southeastern Massachusetts a remarkable place to live, work, and play. Your generosity makes our work possible. Feeling inspired? Join our community at wildlandstrust.org/membership.
Green Team 2025: Brockton Youth Serve, Learn & Earn
A Green Team member builds a bench for the outdoor classroom at Raymond Elementary School in Brockton.
By Amy Burt, Programming Coordinator
Green Team returned to Brockton for a fourth summer in 2025 to work on projects at D.W. Field Park and the surrounding area. Wildlands Trust and Manomet Conservation Sciences sponsor, design, and lead Green Team to engage Brockton-area high school students in conservation service-learning.
Green Team crewmembers acquire skills in environmental management while learning about the city’s natural resources. Daily discussions with local professionals expose them to diverse career opportunities. Participants earn a stipend of $70 per day.
This year’s program garnered greater interest than last year, with 42 students applying. We were able to accommodate more crewmembers this year by offering two sessions of Green Team, one in July and the other in August. In total, 23 teens participated.
Green Team monitors birdboxes at D.W. Field Park in Brockton.
Crewmembers were hands-on every day, rain or shine. In addition to managing waste, painting picnic tables, collecting environmental data, and gardening at D.W. Field Park, the crew completed trail work at the new Fieldstone Preserve, helped build an outdoor classroom at Raymond Elementary School, and maintained the grounds at the Fuller Craft Museum.
We asked our teams what their favorite projects were and what they were most proud of accomplishing. There were a few themes:
Immediate gratification projects
Enhancing their outdoor skills through workdays and the campout
Team-building and making new friends
Green Team kayaks on Halfway Pond with the North and South Rivers Watershed Association.
Each Green Team session culminated with an optional overnight campout at Wildlands’ Stewardship Training Center in Plymouth. Attendees explored the area, cooked meals, and camped in tents. Nighttime hikes and bat echolocation games introducing the concept of dark adaptation were a (low-light) highlight. The July crew spent a morning kayaking on Halfway Pond with the North and South Rivers Watershed Association. The August crew enjoyed an exclusive tour of the Trevor Lloyd-Evans Banding Lab at Manomet Conservation Sciences. Wildlands and Manomet co-hosted these campouts for the second year in a row, enriching Brockton youth’s outdoor experiences through Green Team.
According to a post-program survey, 100 percent of crewmembers felt that Green Team will have a positive impact on their future. The top benefits they reported included learning about new jobs, finding better pathways into the environmental field, getting outside more, and making new friends.
Green Team smiles after weed removal at D.W. Field Park in Brockton.
When asked how Green Team might have an impact on their future, crewmembers said…
“I think it has impacted my future because I am considering doing more field science and working with people instead of lab science.”
“It will inspire me to be more conscious with my environment.”
“It helped me feel more comfortable working in nature.”
“I always knew I wanted an environmental career, and this experience solidified my opinion on the topic.”
“Now I think it's easy to make friends.”
Click through the photo gallery below for more sights from Green Team 2025.
A special thanks to Tim Carpenter, the City of Brockton’s Superintendent of Parks, as well as the following organizations and individuals who volunteered their time to engage with Green Team this year:
Brockton Garden Club
Blake Dinius, Entomologist, Plymouth County Extension
Brian Taylor, North and South Rivers Watershed Association
Clark Delisle, Environmental Police Officer
Cam Connelly, Environmental Police Officer
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton
Sean Kent, Arts & Nature Education Manager, Mass Audubon
Sarah Howdy, Education Coordinator, Mass Audubon
Mass Climate Corps, Mass Audubon
Meghan Crawford, Community Engagement Biologist, Mass Wildlife
Molly Jacobs, VP for Environmental Ed. and Outreach, Manomet
Trevor-Lloyd Evans Banding Lab, Manomet
Julia Beyer, Intern, Manomet
Camille Beckwith, Intern, Manomet
If you or a young person you know is interested in Green Team 2026, sign up for Wildlands E-News and the D.W. Field Park email list! If you are interested in sponsoring the 2026 team, please contact Amy Burt, Programming Coordinator, at aburt@wildlandstrust.org.
What Happens on a Meditation Hike?
By Betsy Hall, Volunteer Hike Leader
Betsy Hall is a longtime Wildlands Trust member and volunteer who leads Mindful Meditation, a monthly walk series that encourages new and experienced meditators to reconnect with nature. Visit wildlandstrust.org/events to view upcoming Mindful Meditation programs.
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If you ever pass a group of silent men and women hiking on a forest trail, it is quite possible they are practicing awareness. A meditation hike uses silence (i.e. no talking) as a method for hikers to become more attuned to their inner and outer experience. In a safe group of five to 15 people, hikers have the opportunity to hear the wind rustling in the trees and birds calling out their distinctive cries. They notice the warmth of sun on their face or the chill of a cloudy day.
Hikers also have a chance to pay attention to their thoughts and feelings as they place each foot thoughtfully on the path. Acknowledging thoughts and feelings allows hikers to gently let distractions go as they return their awareness to their surroundings.
There are no rules except silence. Each person is an expert for themselves. The experience of each hiker is different. Plus, every meditation hike is different from previous hikes. Sometimes an eagle flies overhead; sometimes a seal pops up out of the water to say hello. Sometimes a ghost pipe or a lady slipper appears on the side of the trail. Each hiker responds inwardly in silence to these and many other forest wonders.
After we reach our destination, we have a chance to talk about any significant moments on the hike. Everyone is free to pass. Then we talk among ourselves on the return hike, connecting with old friends and making new ones.
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About Betsy Hall
Betsy Hall is a meditation teacher with over 25 years of experience. She trained under renowned instructor Jose Silva, whose techniques have been studied by millions of people around the world. Betsy has also studied with Zen Masters, Buddhist teachers, and Christian leaders. She loves to lead hikes in the forest because she believes that nature is one of the greatest meditation teachers. Betsy gently leads her participants in the art of self-discovery and delight. Her career as a teacher and guidance counselor is an essential part of her foundation as a meditation guide.