What’s New at Wildlands
Volunteer Spotlight: Mike Arsenault
By Stewardship Manager, Erik Boyer
Michael Arsenault, of Marshfield, is Wildlands’ first Adopt-a-Preserve volunteer at Hoyt-Hall Preserve. Adopt-A-Preserve is a training program in which volunteers help Wildlands monitor the most highly visited WT properties through monthly preserve visits and submitting online reports. Mike has volunteered his time over the last few years and enjoys going out to the preserve on a weekly basis. Mike assists us with everything from leading hikes to being our photographer at events. Recently, I sat down with Mike to find out more about why he enjoys working with Wildlands:
How did you first learn about Wildlands Trust?
In the spring of 2016, I caught a glimpse of a group clearing vegetation from a pull-off on Careswell Street in Marshfield. I was curious to what was happening so I pulled in and learned that an area was being cleared for a future trailhead parking lot. I, being a lifelong hiker and outdoor enthusiast, was excited to learn about the soon to be built 2-mile trail loop that would traverse around the perimeter of Long Tom Pond, an area that I had always been curious to explore. At that point I tagged along to help on multiple trail work days, where I assisted with building the trail and constructing bog boards on the wet areas of the trail.
How did you first get introduced to hiking?
I started hiking at an early age when my father would take me for day hikes in the Blue Hills to explore. I was also a member of the Boy Scouts and we would go to Camp Dorchester in the Blue Hills for camping outings.
What is your favorite trail work memory?
One of my favorite memories is at Hoyt-Hall, where a Great Horned Owl watched us redirecting a trail during a Trailblazer project and then subsequently seeing the owl while out on hikes on the property.
What is your favorite spot at Hoyt-Hall?
The portion of the trail that runs [along] the earthen dam that follows the southern portion of the loop and all of the signs of human use of the land that are noticeable during a hike, such as the access road around the old cranberry bog that is now a red maple swamp, the well that water was drawn from for irrigating, and the foundation of a windmill.
What is the best time of year to visit?
The best times of year to visit is the winter after a light snowfall and in the fall as red maples throughout the property change to a brilliant red.
What has kept you involved at Hoyt-Hall?
Being part of the trail establishment and the evolution of the property to one of the most visited Wildlands Trust properties. I feel a deep connection with the land and I am constantly impressed seeing other hikers picking up trash during most of my hikes. I enjoy keeping trails safe and accessible to hikers and helping connect other people to the natural beauty that is around them.
What is your favorite aspect of trail work?
I would say being part of the raking crew as we get to visually make the trail look complete and it’s a good way to be productive and still chat with other volunteers.
What is your favorite Wildlands Trust property to hike on outside of Hoyt-Hall?
Great Neck Preserve in Wareham. It’s close to a 4-mile hike and you get such a variety of views as the trail gives you views of a salt marsh, sheep farm, pond, and forest.
What advice would you give to anyone interested in volunteering with Wildlands through the “Adopt-a-Preserve” program?
My advice to anyone who is thinking about becoming a volunteer with Wildlands Trust is simply to just try it out, no matter your background, any amount of your time that you can give is valuable. I’ve felt a sense of support throughout the years from Trust staff and I feel that I’ve been part of a community with my fellow volunteers.
A fun fact Mike shared with me during my time with him, this past Christmas Mike received the perfect present from his grandchildren that tells it all: A t-shirt with “Hoyt-Hall Trail Guide” blazed on the back. Thank you to Mike for sitting down and speaking with me about his experience volunteering at Widlands Trust. If you’d like to learn more about Wildlands’ Adopt-A-Preserve program, visit our volunteer page: https://wildlandstrust.org/volunteer
Wildlands’ Volunteer Spotlight Series showcases the interests and experiences of Wildlands’ dedicated volunteers. If you’d like more information on volunteering with Wildlands, please visit our volunteer page or contact us directly.
Brockton High School Competes at Massachusetts Envirothon
By Outreach and Education Manager, Rachel Calderara
Wildlands Trust first started coaching an Envirothon team at Brockton High School in 2015 in partnership with science teacher Joyce Voorhis. Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with many bright and talented students at after school meetings as they study forestry, soils, water and wildlife, and research a current environmental issue impacting their community. Dozens of students attended club meetings throughout this school year and eight of the most dedicated students – all freshman and sophomores no less – went on to represent Brockton High and Wildlands Trust at the 2019 Massachusetts Envirothon Competition on Friday, May 17.
It was a rainy day at Sholan Farms in Leominster, but that didn’t stop swarms of poncho-wearing high school students from taking this outdoor competition by storm. The Brockton High School team started by impressing a panel of judges with their current issue presentation: “Abundant, Affordable, Healthy Food”, as it pertains to their city. They explored how Brockton might be able to help feed a growing population in a city where fresh food is not always accessible.
Envirothon team members get “out in the field” at Langwater Farm in Easton.
Throughout the year, the team learned about this issue with the help of TerraCorps members Hayley Leonard and Alissa Young, Wildlands Education Manager Rachel Calderara, and teachers Joyce Voorhis and Melissa Kelly. They met with a variety of people in the city working towards increasing fresh food access for all, and volunteered at the Brockton High School community garden and at Langwater Farm in Easton. They turned their research into a well-rehearsed 15-minute presentation in the weeks leading up to the competition and now it was time to give it their all.
The team began the presentation with an overview of their city’s landscape and demographics, pointing out that in the most highly populated neighborhoods, the average income is lower than the national average, and there is very limited access to fresh food. They discussed the importance of the volunteer-run Community Garden Network in Brockton, which their school’s garden belongs to, as well as the significance of Brockton’s newly adopted Urban Agriculture Plan. They ended with recommendations for city officials and their big hopes and dreams for increasing food access and production in Brockton.
The judges were impressed with the team’s work and encouraged them to keep advocating for the cause. This summer, the students will be volunteering at their school’s community garden to help harvest and donate the produce grown there, with hopes of expanding garden educational programming next spring to the larger student body at Brockton High.
Our young team made us proud this year. Although it was most of their first times at Envirothon (we had one returner from last year’s team) they gave the competition their all. After the current issue presentation, the team split up to take hands-on field tests in soil, water, wildlife and forestry. They measured and identified trees, classified soil horizons and textures, tested and analyzed water quality, and identified wildlife tracks, pelts, and skulls. At the end of the day, Brockton took home 5th place in the water category!
The Massachusetts Envirothon is one of the most formative environmental programs available for high school students in our state and we at Wildlands Trust could not be more proud to be a part of it. We look forward to working with these students again next year as they continue to learn about our shared environment and begin their research on water resources for next year’s competition.
The 2019 Brockton High School Envirothon team.
The Scoop on Dog Poop (and Other Trail Etiquette Tips)
By Roxey Lay, Membership & Communications Coordinator
*Editor’s note: In 2020, Wildlands Trust adopted a “leash rule,” requiring dogs to be on leash (leash in hand) at all times on Wildlands property, regardless of towns’ policies about pet control. Read on for more valuable information about dog safety and etiquette on trails.*
With temperatures rising, people from all over the region are getting back out onto the trails. Having access to open public lands is one of the great qualities of living in Southeastern Massachusetts and it’s up to all of us who use these lands to follow appropriate dog etiquette when visiting with four-legged companions. So, before you hit the trails this year, we want to give a refresher on some quick dog etiquette tips for your next visit.
A pup ready to hit the trails with a group of hikers.
Your dog pooping on the trails may not seem like it’s a big deal, but it is. Everyone knows not to leave trash on the trail, however, it’s just as important to pick up your dog’s poop, carry it out with you and dispose of it properly. One of the primary reasons is that it can spread disease. “People think it’s fine [to leave it] because it’s natural, but it’s not [fine],” says Stewardship Manager Erik Boyer. “If you’re a dog owner, it should be a concern for your own dog’s safety, as well as for others on the trail.” Animals, including your dog, do occasionally eat other animal’s waste and if they happen to come across some that contains harmful bacteria and/or parasites, it can make them sick. This also applies to humans, who may come in contact with it or unintentionally consume contaminated soil or water. When your dog’s poop breaks down, it may be physically gone but the bacteria remains in the soil or water it has washed into. If you get contaminated soil on your hands and then happen to get it in your mouth or drink contaminated water, it can make you sick too.
Beyond the bacteria, the nutrients found inside your dog’s poop can negatively affect the surrounding ecosystem. Wild animals that live on our preserves eat resources and nutrients from that ecosystem and then return those same nutrients to the area. The nutrient-rich dog food your dog eats, however, results “in poop that’s very rich in substances like nitrogen and phosphorous—the same ingredients you’ll find in fertilizer. The addition of that nutrient-rich poop to an ecosystem leads to an imbalance that, when it’s washed into water sources, can lead to algae blooms and promote the growth of invasive plant species on land.” [1] Nearly every Wildlands preserve has either a wetland or body of water, which eventually connects to the ocean and can affect other areas on the way. For example, 17 different streams connect to the Taunton River and run through 3 counties and 12 cities, populated with 1.7 million people, before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean in Wareham. Contaminating a body of water, no matter how small, can have a larger impact than you may realize.
Bagged dog waste left on the trail.
Bagging it up and leaving it on the ground (or hanging it in a tree) isn’t a good idea either. Now, instead of only your dog’s poop decomposing on the trail, you’ve introduced plastic into the equation. The bag will take years to breakdown and when it eventually does, microplastics, along with the bacteria from the poop, will remain in the soil (or wash into a waterway). The presence of your dog’s waste can also alert prey species to the existence of possible predators, putting undue stress on wildlife that live in that area.
It’s also just plain unsightly. Public preserves are for everyone and no one wants to see dog poop bags littering the trail. “Part of what we do is teach good land ethics and picking up after your dog sets a good example for other trail goers and younger generations,” says Community Stewardship Program Coordinator Conor Michaud. So, if you are out on the trail with your dog this summer, please remember to bring dog waste bags with you and dispose of it appropriately.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here are some additional tips for dog etiquette on the trails:
Dogs check out their surroundings on Wildlands’ Post Feast Waddle.
Know the Town Leash Law:
On any Wildlands property, visitor guidelines require dogs to be under control at all times in order to protect sensitive wildlife and respect other visitors. Prior to your visit, you should familiarize yourself with the leash laws where the preserve is located so you can comply with that town’s definition of “control”. These laws can vary town to town and can range from requiring a leash at all times (sometimes with leash length maximums) to allowing voice command control. In areas that allow voice command, assess your dog’s level of obedience and determine whether or not that is the best option for them or if it’s better, for your dog’s and other visitor’s safety, for them to be on a leash.
Yield Trail Right-of-Way:
When on a trail, if you have a dog and you happen upon another visitor, you should yield the right-of-way to the other visitor. This means stopping and moving to the side of the trail with your pup. If you are in a town that allows voice command control and your dog is not on a leash, you should leash the dog when moving to the side of the trail until the other visitor has passed. You may know your dog is friendly, but others don’t and may not be comfortable with your dog approaching them.
Reflective Gear:
Hunting on Wildlands properties is prohibited unless otherwise posted; however, we do suggest visitors (and their dogs) wear brightly colored or reflective clothing during hunting seasons. Some Wildlands properties share borders with or have trails that cut through other town/organization-owned properties that may allow hunting and it is always a good idea to make sure you and your animal are visible to hunters.
Stay on the Trail:
When visiting any Wildlands property, please respect the wildlife and vegetation around you and stay on the trail. Please don’t let your dog run into the woods as it may disturb local wildlife and destroy sensitive vegetation.
Getting out on the trails is a healthy and fun way for you and your dog to spend your days and we thank you for taking the time to be courteous to both our properties and other visitors!
Wildlands Keeps Brockton Beautiful
By Hayley Leonard, Community Engagement Coordinator
Saturday, April 27, Wildlands Trust partnered with the city of Brockton for their annual ‘Keep Brockton Beautiful Day’. The day is an opportunity for community members to come together with the shared goal of cleaning up trash throughout the city, culminating with an afternoon cookout for those that volunteer. This year marks the second year that Wildlands Trust has participated in the event, the first being in 2012 when Wildlands first acquired Brockton Audubon Preserve.
The weather didn’t discourage our dedicated group of volunteers.
Early that morning, despite the dreary conditions, a crew of 11 Brockton residents came together to help Wildlands Trust staff and AmeriCorps members clean up trash from Stone Farm and Brockton Audubon Preserves. These properties are some of the last intact parcels of open space left in the city and together they total about 240 acres. Armed with gloves, trash pickers and bags provided by the city, we made our way into the most littered areas of the properties. We spent almost three hours cleaning and removed around 20 bags worth of trash by the end of the morning. With everyone’s help, we were even able to clear out some larger items that had been there for quite some time, such as a broken flat screen television, an old tire and what remained of a spring mattress.
Volunteers wrap-up after spending three hours cleaning the properties.
Local clean-up efforts tie into Wildlands’ mission of connecting residents with their natural environments – what better way to build a connection with a place than to help care for it? As a heavily urbanized area, residents of Brockton have fewer opportunities to explore natural spaces than those in the surrounding towns of Plymouth County. Events like this are an important addition to the work Wildlands Trust is already doing in Brockton with Greening the Gateway Cities and the Brockton High School Envirothon Team because they provide residents with the opportunity to actively engage with and learn about their environment, and understand how it connects to other aspects of their lives.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work in Brockton
A yearlong partnership with Stonehill College contributes to the ongoing success of Greening the Gateway Cities.
By Conor Michaud, Community Stewardship Program Coordinator
In the spring of 2017, Wildlands began working with Stonehill College professor Linnea Carlson to explore potential partnerships between the college, which encourages and in some cases requires community service, and Wildlands which has been working for nearly a decade in the neighboring communities of Brockton to protect land and assist in conservation efforts within the city. With the help of Wildlands’ former TerraCorps member, Tommy Blanchard, Wildlands began the early stages of the partnership and worked with Stonehill’s Sociology department to discuss a collaboration on Brockton’s Greening the Gateway cities Program (GGCP). In the fall of 2018 the partnership was fully developed and proposed to Stonehill sociology professor Jungyun Gill, who saw the potential for impactful community service on a program designed to specifically aid Brockton’s environmental justice communities. In September 2018, a group of honors sociology students began the inaugural partnership and joined the ranks of the GGCP canvassing crew.
Saplings waiting to be planted in Brockton.
As we have mentioned in previous articles, GGCP is a community based project in which the success of the program relies heavily on the encouragement of community leaders and engagement of residents to put a meaningful effort forward in order to increase the urban tree canopy. Since Wildlands’ introduction to the program we have been reaching out to community members to support the program, participating in community meetings, tabling at local events, presenting to local groups and institutions, and working with Department of Conservation and Recreation foresters to increase the outreach capacity for the program. One crucial aspect of GGCP, often overlooked from these engagements, is the ability to reach the younger generations. Wildlands periodically presented to Brockton High School students on the program but when it came to reaching the cohort between high school teenage students and the older homeowner community we were missing our mark, until the collaboration with Stonehill College.
A GGCP flyer (in English) that students helped translate into Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole.
Many of us are able to think back fondly on our college education and years spent developing critical thinking skills and diving deep into the study of new found conceptions. The enlightened perception of our world which often goes hand-in-hand with the college experience is something Stonehill brought to the table during this partnership. Wildlands saw that it was imperative to involve the younger generation in projects such as GGCP which are specifically targeted at aiding those in need while reducing the local effects of climate change and helping to clean our local air and water. There is no way to get closer to these concepts then to step out into the street and knock on a strangers door to inform them of how a free tree from GGCP can benefit their home and their greater community.
A partnership with this institution was logical when professor Jungyun Gill explained that this honors sociology class would be what Stonehill College terms a Community Based Learning class (CBL). Meaning, each student is expected to engage in community development projects as a substantial portion of their grade and for this CBL class that project was GGCP. During the fall of 2018 each of the 15 students canvassed alongside Wildlands’ community stewardship coordinator for over 10 hours, contributing a total of 150 hours within the class. This massive canvassing campaign has been instrumental in the success of Brockton’s GGCP and served as a real-life grass-roots experience for each student. The project did not end there, each student was a part of a smaller group within the class, required to expand upon current outreach efforts of the project, including GGCP’s social media campaign, translating GGCP fliers into Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole, translating a GGCP video into Cape Verdean Creole and writing an article for the school paper. At the end of the semester, each group presented their projects and passed along their final work to Wildlands, which continues to draw inspiration from these final works.
A DCR forester stands next to a recently planted sapling.
Due to the success of the fall 2018 partnership, Wildlands and Stonehill College decided to offer this opportunity to an additional sociology class during the spring 2019 semester. Students from the spring semester chose to join Wildlands’ ongoing canvassing efforts and used these outings to build upon the social justice issues discussed in their class. The class worked in groups once more to study global social justice issues and correlate these pressing concerns with the efforts to increase the urban tree canopy in Brockton. One group discussed the current clean water issues of Flint, Michigan and the water use and pollution issues associated with fabric dying and production. While another group tackled rainforest deforestation and what that means for our climate, biodiversity and local community groups. Each of these issues, while vast and complicated, are closely associated with GGCP efforts and solutions to these global crises can be taken directly from GGCP. We plant free trees to reduce pollution and increase financial savings through the reduction of energy expenditure, to prevent storm water runoff, to clean the air and to increase biodiversity.
In the simplest of terms, we plant free trees to benefit public health. These social justice issues linked with clean water, air and public health are being addressed throughout the world and their awareness is becoming increasingly known. The younger generations and students of today will be faced with finding solutions and developing upon previously implemented ideas to better our world and we see these partnerships with academic institutions as a way to kick start that progress.