What’s New at Wildlands
Wildlands Trust and Partners Receive NOAA Funding for Outdoor Learning and Climate Literacy in Brockton
One of nine projects funded by NOAA’s Environmental Literacy program, the new Brockton Kids Lead the Way initiative aims to foster city students’ connection to nature.
Adapted from a press release originally written by Emily Renaud, Senior Manager, Communications, Manomet
One of nine projects funded by NOAA’s Environmental Literacy program, the new Brockton Kids Lead the Way initiative aims to foster city students’ connection to nature.
BROCKTON, MA — This fall, Wildlands Trust, Manomet, and Brockton Public Schools will launch Brockton Kids Lead the Way, an ambitious education initiative designed to boost climate resilience and environmental stewardship in the city of Brockton, Massachusetts.
This work is made possible thanks to a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Environmental Literacy Program, and it is one of nine projects chosen to receive funding to advance climate resilience through education in the U.S. this year.
Manomet and its partners will use the funding to design and build outdoor learning spaces in collaboration with teachers at three elementary schools in the city of Brockton, Massachusetts, home to a diverse, urban community. Once the learning spaces are built, students at participating schools will receive a year of outdoor education programming. They will also participate in environmental monitoring at their school, contributing to community science at a local level and fostering a connection to the natural world.
Nicole Mejia and Stevenson Tran, Envirothon 2017
“This program is about helping students feel connected to the outdoors and empowered to take action as environmental stewards in their own communities,” says Molly Jacobs, Vice President of Environmental Education and Outreach at Manomet. “And it’s also about long-term support for Brockton schools and teachers. We look forward to using NOAA funds to improve environmental and climate literacy in Brockton through these new outdoor learning spaces and programming.”
Teachers will receive resources and materials to support use of the outdoor learning spaces long after the program concludes. At the end of the academic year, Brockton Kids Lead the Way will culminate with an outdoor learning celebration at each school, where parents and community members will be invited to visit the space and learn about students’ work.
Manthala George Jr. Global Studies Elementary School will be the first school to participate in the program.
"We are excited for this partnership to bring a new outdoor learning space to over 800 students at the George School,” says Natalie L. Pohl, Principal of Manthala George Jr. Global Studies Elementary School. “Outdoor learning gives students the ability to apply concepts learned inside the classroom to the real world. Especially in this digital era, it is important for students to be able to engage with the environment firsthand to better understand the natural world and develop a deeper respect for their environment."
With its expertise in providing better access to nature, Wildlands Trust will lead the installation of the outdoor learning spaces developed through the program. Wildlands Trust and Manomet are also collaborating on a community-driven project to revitalize D.W. Field Park, an urban greenspace managed by the City of Brockton's Department of Parks and Recreation.
“Wildlands Trust has been working with government, neighborhood associations, schools, and youth services groups in Brockton for the past decade,” says Karen Grey, President and Executive Director of Wildlands Trust. “We are really excited to be a partner in this innovative initiative that will bring financial resources to the city schools while providing meaningful opportunities for kids to connect with nature.”
Partners at Sea Grant, a federal/university partnership between NOAA and 34 university-based programs across the U.S., will lead a climate resilience workshop for teachers and project staff each summer while TERC, a research-based education nonprofit, will evaluate the program's overall effectiveness.
“This program looks at the bigger picture and sets teachers and their students up for success for the long haul,” adds Jacobs. “Instead of just providing educational programs and reaching one set of students in one year, we’re investing in outdoor learning and environmental education. This amplifies our impact to reach a whole generation and creates climate resilience in Brockton for years to come.”
Thank You and Farewell to Mitch Hennings
Land Steward for Wildlife and Habitat Mitch Hennings ended his time with Wildlands Trust this month to pursue a career in physical therapy.
Land Steward for Wildlife and Habitat Mitch Hennings ended his time with Wildlands Trust this month to pursue a career in physical therapy.
Mitch joined Wildlands after completing his degree in Environmental Science at the University of New England in May of 2021. After a successful summer as a Seasonal Land Steward, Mitch became a full-time staff member and resident bird and wildlife enthusiast. During his year and a half with Wildlands, he piloted Wildlands’ bird box monitoring program at Cushman Preserve in Duxbury, led stewardship projects for our youth Green Team at D.W. Field Park in Brockton, and attended the ALPINE Summer Institute in Cambridge, where he completed a research project about local cranberry bog restoration.
Mitch enjoyed working outside with his hands and will miss spending time at the more remote preserves that people don’t often see. At Wildlands, we will miss his work ethic and contagious smile. The next stop for Mitch is Quincy College, where he’ll spend the next two years in the Physical Therapy Assistant program while working as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Please join us in thanking Mitch for his time and hard work and wishing him success in his new career!
Click here to read Mitch’s ALPINE Summer Institute research project on cranberry bog restoration.
McCarthy Farm Conservation Area in Rockland Dedicated
On October 21, the Town of Rockland dedicated its newest open space preserve—McCarthy Farm Conservation Area.
By Scott MacFaden, Director of Land Protection
On October 21, the Town of Rockland dedicated its newest open space preserve—McCarthy Farm Conservation Area. Comprising 36 acres in extent, the Farm is situated on the west side of Beech Street in southwest Rockland, bordering the Town of Hanson and closely proximate to the southeast corner of the Town of Whitman.
Rockland Open Space Committee Chair Don Cann Makes Short Work of the Ribbon
Until recently, McCarthy Farm was one of two remaining active farms in Rockland and one of the largest remaining unprotected, privately-owned properties in the town—thus a high priority for preservation.
Louise McCarthy and her family acquired the property in 1952 and maintained a small-scale working farm for many decades. Among other agricultural endeavors, the McCarthys raised chickens and cultivated various types of flowers.
With Louise’s departure from the premises several years ago due to ill health, the property was effectively abandoned, and its era as an active farm relegated to history. In March 2021, Louise’s heirs entered into a purchase and sale agreement with a developer who sought to convert a portion of the farm into 36 units of residential housing. Fortunately, the farm was enrolled in Chapter 61A, and the Town therefore retained a right of first refusal on the property. The Chapter 61 Programs allow owners of qualifying open space lands, including farm and forestland, to receive significant reductions in their property tax assessment in return for keeping their land undeveloped. Chapter 61 is for forestland, Chapter 61A is for agricultural land, and Chapter 61B encompasses open space lands not falling into either of the other two chapters. Municipalities retain a right of first refusal to purchase land enrolled in any of the Chapter 61 programs if the landowner seeks to sell their land for development or develop it themselves.
Rockland open space preservation advocates successfully mobilized an effort to encourage the Town to exercise its first refusal rights, and after considerable deliberation the Town’s Board of Selectmen did vote to exercise that right.
Rockland voters approved the purchase of the farm at a Special Fall Town Meeting on September 13, 2021, and the Town closed on the land on December 29, 2021. The Town used a combination of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds and “LAND” Grant funds from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to acquire the property. As part of ensuring compliance with CPA requirements, the Town is granting a Conservation Restriction (CR) on the property to Wildlands Trust. This CR will represent Wildlands’ first acquisition of any kind in the Town of Rockland, and we are pleased to welcome the town as a partner in our regional land preservation efforts.
Despite its history as a working farm, the majority of the property is wooded. The area that was farmed is along the property’s southerly boundary and adjacent to the former McCarthy farmhouse. A small pond that was likely expanded and deepened during the McCarthys’ tenure is in the approximate center of the property. The summit of the 122-foot-high Rye Hill is located in the property’s southwest corner. It also includes at least two potential vernal pools.
Topography ranges from level to gently rolling. Pockets of wetland habitat are interspersed throughout, with the largest area of wooded swamp in the property’s southeast corner. Two intermittent streams flow through the property that are tributaries of French’s Stream, a North River tributary.
The property now includes a trailhead parking area and an approximately one-mile hiking trail loop that provides visitors with ample opportunities to enjoy a leisurely woodland stroll.
McCarthy Farm Conservation Area sits within a corridor that includes numerous undeveloped parcels, some of which are preserved. Directly abutting to the west is a 10-acre parcel owned by the Town of Rockland, and directly abutting to the north and northwest, respectively, is a 30-acre undeveloped parcel owned by the adjacent Town of Whitman that was formerly part of a Girl Scouts Camp, and a 12-acre privately owned undeveloped parcel. In the larger landscape context, there is the potential for future connections to the Town of Rockland’s Beech Street Conservation Area, situated approximately 0.6 mile to the northwest.
Congratulations to all the town officials and volunteers whose collective efforts ensured McCarthy Farm’s permanent preservation. Town Administrator Douglas Lapp, and particularly the members of the Rockland Open Space Committee, deserve special mention for their unceasing commitment to the preservation effort. We at Wildlands have an acute understanding of how difficult it can be to protect land enrolled in Chapter 61A within the crucible of a proposed conversion to development, a process that in many ways places all concerned under significant logistical, financial, and temporal duress. Future generations of Rockland residents will owe a debt of gratitude for the perseverance of those who accepted the challenge of preserving McCarthy Farm.
Wildlands' Governance News 2022
It’s always hard to say goodbye to long-serving, knowledgeable, committed board members. With their fingerprints on so many of our protected lands projects, Howard Randall and Gary Langenbach combined had 60-plus years of service to Wildlands by the time they retired from the Wildlands board this past September. We thank them both for their many years of service to our mission. Howard has served as past Board Chair, and Gary as the Chair of the Lands Committee. We would also like to thank Allen Caggiano, who stepped down after nearly a decade of service.
The board voted in a slate of new members, and we are delighted to welcome Matt Cammack of Milton, Russ Keeler of Rochester, Peter Tyack of Hanover, and Ethan Warren of Plymouth.
Hats Off to Tower Fest
On Saturday, October 8, the D.W. Field Park Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating D.W. Field Park, brought back the annual Tower Fest after a 2-year Covid hiatus, with great success! Tower Fest is a celebration of community located at the well-known lookout tower in D.W. Field Park, formerly the highest point in Brockton.
On Saturday, October 8, the D.W. Field Park Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating D.W. Field Park, brought back the annual Tower Fest after a 2-year Covid hiatus, with great success!
Tower Fest is a celebration of community located at the well-known lookout tower in D.W. Field Park, formerly the highest point in Brockton. This free festival has plenty to do for all ages, with pony rides, pumpkin painting, a bake sale, balloon animals, music with the Rose Conservatory, and of course, climbing to the top of the tower. This year, Wildlands Trust was invited promote the D.W. Field Park Initiative, of which the Association is a key partner.
Wildlands’ goal at Tower Fest was to pilot our newly completed community survey about D.W. Field Park. Our goal in surveying the community is to learn how people are using the park currently, what kind of improvement projects would be important to park users, and what access barriers there might be for both users and non-users. The survey is live online now at wildlandstrust.org/dwfieldpark in English and will soon be available in Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, and Spanish.
Director of Special Projects Rachel Calderara had a great time chatting with community members and encouraging survey takers to spin the prize wheel. We want to thank the City of Brockton Department of Parks and Recreation, the Fuller Craft Museum, and the D.W. Field Park Association for donating prizes, which included a golfing gift card, free organizational memberships, and bake sale items. Wildlands threw in a few free memberships, Halloween candy, and some $5 Dunkin gift cards, and the prize wheel was a hit! Over 70 people completed the survey, so we’re off to a great start.
If you live in Brockton or the surrounding towns and have a few minutes to tell us about your experiences at D.W. Field Park, please complete our survey at here.
A big thanks to the Old Colony Planning Council for developing this survey with us!