What’s New at Wildlands
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.
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.