2020 Adopt-a-Preserve Volunteer Rules and Regulations
Trail Work: Please do not make any changes to the preserve before consulting the Stewardship Manager. The use of power tools (i.e. chainsaws) is prohibited by volunteers, but hand tools may be used for pre-approved trail work. Contact Stewardship Manager Erik Boyer at eboyer@wildlandstrust.org.
Protection: Wear proper personal protective equipment (i.e. gloves, goggles, etc.) when picking up trash or performing any trail maintenance tasks. Blaze orange must be worn during hunting season. Reflective vests should be worn if working along a road.
Reporting: After your monitoring visit, please complete an online AAP monitoring report. These reports are vital to the program’s success, and the more details you can include, the better. You are our eyes and ears in the field, and we need to know what you see and hear! Report forms can be found on our website at: https://wildlandstrust.org/adopt-a-preserve.
Violations: If you encounter any third party violators, we ask that you do not confront them for your own personal safety. If you encounter any illegal activity during your monitoring visits, call your local police department’s non-emergency line and include details of the violation in your AAP monitoring report. Examples of violations may include:
Litter & Waste: If you find any medical or human waste such as used needles or human fecal matter, it is important that you do not handle it yourself. Include a description of the waste and location in your AAP monitoring report so it can be safely removed by Wildlands Trust staff. Litter that is safe to handle may be removed by volunteers while on site visits. Lawn waste and other dumping should be noted on your monitoring report.
Off Road Vehicles: Motorized vehicles like ATVs and dirt bikes are prohibited on all Wildlands Trust properties in an effort to minimize ecosystem disruption by users. You can call the local police department to report this violation, and include it in your monitoring report.
Hunting: Wildlands Trust permits hunting at the following preserves: South Triangle Pond Preserve, Plymouth; Great River Preserve, Bridgewater; and Striar Conservancy, Halifax. All hunters must wear blaze orange and may only hunt during the appropriate seasons. Volunteers should wear blaze orange during monitoring visits at all preserves during the fall through spring season. If you encounter hunting violations, call your local police department’s non-emergency line and include details of the violation in your AAP monitoring report. Violations include: Hunting out of season (regulations are set by the State of Massachusetts and can be found at www.mass.gov/hunting-regulations); Hunting on Wildlands Trust preserves that do not permit hunting; Hunting on Sundays (state law prohibits); Hunters not wearing blaze orange.
Dog Walkers: Dogs under voice or leash control are welcome at Wildlands Trust preserves, with the exception of Shifting Lots Preserve in Plymouth during the summer months. It is our policy that owners carry in and carry out all waste, including dog waste. Violations of these rules should be noted in your report.
Landscape Changes: If you encounter anyone making unauthorized changes to the landscape, such as building a new trail, removing vegetation, building a structure, etc., please include this information on your monitoring report.
Wildlife: Our policy is to keep wildlife wild. Never feed or attempt to touch wild animals while volunteering for Wildlands Trust. For issues involving injured or ill wildlife, call The Division of Fish and Game, Southeast District (508-759-3406), the New England Wildlife Center (781-682-4878), or your local animal control line and include details of the event in your AAP monitoring report.
Property Boundaries: Please stay on marked trails and do not enter private property that abuts Wildlands Trust preserves.
Preserve rules: Only enter preserves between dawn and dusk, and obey all other preserve rules during your monitoring visits. Preserve-specific rules are posted at the trailhead, and general rules can be found on our website: https://wildlandstrust.org/visitor-guidelines/.