What’s New at Wildlands
Eagle Scouts Make a Difference!
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Along with our other volunteer opportunities, Wildlands Trust often works with scouts looking to complete their Eagle Scout service projects. An Eagle Scout service project provides scouts with planning, fundraising, and managing experience. Past Eagle Scout projects you may have seen include the Little Free Library at Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke, and the interpretative signage at the Indian Head River Trail in Pembroke/Hanson/Hanover. This summer we had two scouts complete their projects at our properties!
For his Eagle project, Eagle Scout candidate Noah Sherman installed 15 new signs at Halfway Pond East Conservation Area in Plymouth. The trail system on the east side of this preserve can be confusing at times, so reworking the signage was a really helpful project for Noah to take on! The new signs are easy to read and make navigation much easier for preserve visitors, and we are very delighted that Noah was able to install them this summer. Between the new signage on the east side and the brand-new Leona’s Loop on the west, Halfway Pond has plenty of great new reasons to visit!
In addition, Eagle Scout candidate Max Cunniff built a 20-foot-long bridge across the Drinkwater River at town-owned Melzar Hatch Preserve in Hanover. Max made sure that the bridge was high enough for vegetation flowing down the river to pass under it. He also took great care to make the ramps onto and off the bridge flush to the ground. He and his friends enjoy biking on the trails and the previous bridge was very difficult to bike over. This new bridge is already much more accessible for all and has received high praise from members of the Hanover community. Wildlands Trust is thrilled that Max made this exceptional bridge for our preserve! You can see and the new bridge at Melzar Hatch. We expect it to be there for a very long time though, so there’s no rush!
We have some other Eagle Scout projects in the works, including Chickadee boxes at Great River Preserve in Bridgewater, and Blue Bird boxes at Sylvester Field in Hanover. If you are interested in completing your Eagle Scout Project with Wildlands Trust, contact our Stewardship Coordinator Zoë Smiarowski at zsmiarowski@wildlandstrust.org.
Thank you again to Noah for the signage and to Max for the bridge!
Eagle Scout candidate Noah Sherman installing new signs at Halfway Pond East Conservation Area in Plymouth.
Eagle Scout candidate Max Cunniff standing on the newly completed 20-foot-long bridge across the Drinkwater River at town-owned Melzar Hatch Preserve in Hanover.
Wildlands' Trail Updates
By Erik Boyer, Director of Field Operations
Wildlands’ Stewardship Staff and volunteers have been hard at work this fall! A couple highlights include the new trail constructed at our Halfway Pond Conservation Area, and new access to Sylvester Field in Hanover.
Halfway Pond Conservation Area, Plymouth
This past August, we began construction on 1.7 miles of new trail at Halfway Pond. Many thanks to a volunteer group from the Sierra Club, who worked alongside Wildlands staff and volunteers to begin this project. We completed the trail this fall with the help of volunteers from REI Hingham. The new trail, “Leona’s Loop,” is named after one of the founding members of Wildlands Trust, Leona Asker. Leona’s Loop connects to Gramp’s Loop and essentially creates a figure eight, providing hikers the opportunity to hike a nearly 4-mile loop. The trail, best accessed from the southeast corner of Gramp’s Loop, begins with a series of switchbacks to the top of a hill. Then, the trail follows a ridgeline running south, providing beautiful views of Halfway Pond from up high. The trail then jaunts west, traveling through pitch pine barren habitat reminiscent of many portions of Gramp’s Loop. Leona’s Loop then links back up with Gramp’s Loop as it heads north. With this new trail, there is now over 6 miles of single-track trail at Halfway Pond, making the preserve a great stop for those looking to add on the miles!
Sylvester Field, Hanover
Sylvester Field in Hanover is now home to a new three-car parking lot, constructed by Richie Ohlund from Ohlund Landscape & Masonry Design. Wildlands staff installed a new preserve sign and trailhead kiosk. The kiosk highlights the agricultural past of the land, as well as the ecological importance of its location on the Third Herring Brook (a tributary of the North River). Sylvester Field did not previously have a parking area, so this construction gives a new audience access to the preserve. There is a 0.3-mile trail that hugs the outside of the field down to a scenic spot on the Third Herring Brook.
Waddling Out of 2022
By Rachel Bruce, Director of Special Projects
There is much to reflect on and be grateful for this year as it comes to a close. Not least of all was the triumphant return of our annual Post Feast Waddle on Friday, November 25. Our cry to opt outside on Black Friday was heard, and nearly 40 people gathered at Wildlands Trust to take a walk in the woods with us.
The morning was gloomy with the threat of rain constantly looming, but that didn’t stop dozens of people and their dogs and families from helping make our 7th Annual Post Feast Waddle one to remember. Since its beginning in 2016, this program has always been a popular way to “skip the shopping lines and line the trails.” However, Covid in 2020 and then downpours in 2021 brought the momentum for this walk to a screeching halt. With Covid and rain still looming over us this year, we were not sure what to expect, but our community showed up.
We had a great time hiking and chatting about our trails and mission with everyone who came, including the many who had never been to Wildlands before. Along with our regular monthly hikes and a few key events including Spring Opening Day in May, programs this year have provided us with both fond memories and new momentum for 2023.
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.