Welcome, Callahan!

Wildlands Trust is ecstatic to welcome Land Steward Callahan Coughlin to our team! Callahan is the second Land Steward to join us this winter, doubling the size of our permanent stewardship staff. Along with Rebecca Cushing, who joined us in January, Callahan will assist in the maintenance and management of Wildlands preserves. Read Callahan’s bio below, and be sure to say hello when you see him on the trails!

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As a Wildlands Trust Land Steward, Callahan Coughlin returns to the region and organization that first set his sights on a career of community and impact. 

Growing up near Plymouth’s Morton Park, Callahan spent much of his childhood in nature, wandering the woods with his siblings and kayaking on Billington Sea. He first encountered Wildlands in 2017 as a member of Green Team, our summer service-learning program for conservation-minded high school students. Even then, Callahan took note of the tight-knit dynamic of Wildlands’ staff. His time on Green Team led him to his first job at Bay End Farm in Bourne, which cemented his desire to work outdoors on a small, driven team. After college, Callahan spent six months in Georgia, conducting prescribed burns to restore the habitat of gopher tortoises and other native species. But the opportunity to monitor, maintain, and restore Wildlands’ protected areas, eight years after Green Team, compelled him to come home. 

“I wanted to find something where I could make a real difference and learn more about local plants and wildlife,” Callahan said. “It’s inspiring to do good work with good people.” 

Callahan studied environmental science and agriculture at UMass Amherst. After graduating, he completed an internship with the Friends of Chatham Waterways. In his free time, Callahan enjoys kayaking, archery, cooking, and identifying flora and fauna. He also serves as a Marine Animal Rescue & Response Volunteer for Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

Trail Updates: Willow Brook Farm & Beyond

Harry and Mary Todd Trail at Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke. Photo by Rob MacDonald.

It’s been almost a year since we started our revitalization project at Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke. Thanks to your support of our summer fundraising campaign, we’ve already made major strides toward our goal of keeping Willow Brook healthy and safe for future generations of people and wildlife. While there’s much left to do, we wanted to keep you apprised of the latest on our efforts.

In early February, Wildlands staff and volunteers spent a VolunTuesday completing the replacement of the first boardwalk on the Harry and Mary Todd Trail. That means, after a couple months out of service, the Todd Trail is back open! The trail will close again at some point in the spring so our stewardship team can repair the second boardwalk. So enjoy it while you can!

Earlier this winter, we also cleared a new trail along the perimeter of Willow Brook’s central field. Known as the Pasture Loop, the path affords visitors a close-up view of the freshly restored stone wall, and a glimpse into the preserve’s agricultural past. Learn more about the human history of Willow Brook Farm here.

Pasture Loop at Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke. Photo by Rob MacDonald.

If it’s been a while since you’ve visited Willow Brook Farm, you’ll notice an even more dramatic change to the landscape, with trees and other vegetation cleared back from much of the entrance trail and field. That’s because Wildlands has embarked on an ambitious restoration of the preserve’s grassland habitat.

True to its name, Willow Brook Farm was an agricultural site for over 300 years. Diverse wildlife made itself home in the grasslands spanning most of the property. Since then, forests have reclaimed much of the land, save for the central field that Wildlands mows annually to preserve this critical habitat. Unfortunately, invasive plants and woody growth continue to encroach on the field from the forest edges, threatening the grassland’s suitability for native birds, insects, and other wildlife. Removing this aggressive vegetation is the first step to restoring the field’s beauty and diversity.

Grassland restoration is a multi-year process, so we appreciate your patience.

Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke. Photo by Rob MacDonald.

Up next at Willow Brook Farm: refurbishing the parking lot, improving trail signage, and building covered picnic tables. Stay tuned!

In other trails news:

Thanks to our VolunTuesday crew, a new trail at Emery Preserve in Plymouth offers visitors a more varied route to the iconic Beech Tree Clearing. The trail is now a loop, connecting to existing trails on the other side of Ship Pond Road.

See the green loop in the southeast corner of this trail map:

Davis-Douglas Conservation Area trail map. Click the map to download a PDF version.

At Sylvester Field Conservation Area in Hanover, the boardwalk on the southeast portion of the trail loop is closed for the winter as Wildlands staff works to lower its incline. The rest of the trail remains open.

See you on the trails!

Human History of Wildlands: Rochester Preserves

Leonard Farm; now the Hiller Farm on the Trustees of Reservations’ East Over Reservation in Rochester. Via the Plumb Library.

By Skip Stuck, Key Volunteer 

Wildlands Trust is fortunate to have three preserves in the town of Rochester: two “showcase” preserves, Stephen C. L. Delano Memorial Forest and Rounsville II Preserve, and one “community” preserve, Lincoln P. Holmes Memorial Woods, which, along with an adjacent Town-owned parcel, is known as Doggett's Brook Recreational Area. Together, these preserves comprise nearly 300 acres of protected woodlands, wetlands, streams, and vernal pools. 

Like most of Southeastern Massachusetts, Rochester has a rich human history, dating back more than 10,000 years to the retreat of the last glacier and the Native Americans who soon followed to hunt and eventually settle this new land. In what would become Rochester, they found a heavily forested and reasonably flat territory with soils relatively easy to work, but better suited for forests than farming. Nonetheless, the area was well populated by Native peoples who hunted, fished, and farmed small plots by the time of first contact with Europeans. By the early 1600s, the Natives were a band of the Wampanoag Tribe who called themselves Sippicans and the area Menchoisett (or Sippican to the English). 

Map of Old Rochester Territory. In Mattapoisett and Old Rochester Massachusetts: Being a History of these Towns and also Part of Marion and a Portion of Wareham (1907).

Old Rochester 

When originally settled by the English, Old Rochester included the present towns of Rochester, Mattapoisett, Marion, and a portion of Wareham. More on this later. 

The first documented description of the area comes from two sources, both members of the 1602 expedition to the area by Bartholomew Gosnold, who attempted to establish a settlement on nearby Cuttyhunk Island. As they traveled up Buzzards Bay, crew members Brereton and Archer noted seeing many shell middens, small harbors, and "open woods, kept open of underbrush by the Indians." Paradoxically, the "wilderness" often described by early European explorers was from its earliest times a land fully utilized and carefully sculpted by human hands.  

Rochester's first property grant from Governor Bradford of the Plymouth Colony was made in 1640. However, it only allowed settlers to negotiate with the Natives and purchase the property from them. Although there was much negotiation, there is little evidence that much land was actually purchased for the next 38 years. Nonetheless, settlers trickled in, first occupying the harbors, ponds, and river bottoms to trade and fish. This all changed following the Natives' defeat in King Philip's War (1675-78), when Indigenous lands became "open by conquest." In 1679, the Colony approved the "Rochester Township Grant," which permitted the small settlements to come together and incorporate a town. Once this finalized in 1686, family farms increased in the area. In 1704, the first corn mill was established in this part of the Colony by the Handy Family.  

Fishing, trading, whaling, and shipbuilding also grew in importance, causing rapid growth of the sections of town on Buzzards Bay. Meanwhile, the inland portion of town benefitted from logging and timber production. The Town of Wareham split off from Old Rochester and was incorporated in 1739. 

A prosperous area by 1775, Old Rochester gave early support to the campaign for American independence from England, voting to sustain the Continental Congress and support the revolution. In fact, Rochester provided a greater proportion of its men to serve in the war than any other town in Plymouth Colony. One notable Rochester son born in 1792 was Joseph Bates, who went on to found the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Yet Rochester suffered a significant setback in 1816, when its 1,500 residents were hit hard by an epidemic of spotted fever epidemic, a disease associated with typhus and several tick-borne infections. 

Town Common, 1880. Via the Plumb Library.

The birth of Rochester Town 

The success of the coastal sections of town soon resulted in other areas following Wareham’s lead and splitting off from Rochester: Marion in 1852 and Mattapoisett in 1857. Without these areas, Rochester became a landlocked community and turned its focus to forestry and farming, an agricultural identity it largely retains today. Cranberries, and to a lesser degree livestock and corn production, prevail. It is also a "Right to Farm" community, qualifying with zoning and tax incentives to preserve its farming history.  

In keeping with the Town's desire to retain its rural history and character, several families chose in recent years to preserve their properties from development and protect their natural beauty. In 1987, the family of Lincoln P. Holmes donated to Wildlands Trust 100 acres of woodland, which in combination with the Town of Rochester's Doggett Brook property became the Doggett Brook Recreation Area. Less than two miles away, Wildlands acquired two other parcels. In 1985, Susan Delano donated 111 acres of retired wood lot to become the Stephen C.L. Delano Memorial Woods. In 1994, Winnifred Rounsville donated 43 acres to create the Rounsville II preserve. These properties, in addition to the Trustees of Reservations’ Eastover Reservation, combine to make Rochester a great place for hikers and all nature lovers to visit. 

Memorial stone at Stephen C. L. Delano Memorial Forest.

Learn more 

Visit wildlandstrust.org/rochester to view the full descriptions of our Rochester showcase preserves. Then, explore them for yourself! 

Resources for this piece include the Rochester Historical Society, the historical photos collection of Rochester's Plumb Library, and especially the book Mattapoisett and Old Rochester Massachusetts: Being a History of these Towns and also Part of Marion and a Portion of Wareham, published 1907 by Grafton Press. 

A brief aside: although the event was mentioned only briefly in this piece, Rochester and surrounding communities played a large part in the most devastating conflict of colonial times, King Philip’s War (1675-1678). I strongly encourage readers to learn more about this event, which has been mentioned in other Wildlands Trust histories. A good starting point is Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick. 

Welcome, Rebecca!

Wildlands kicked off 2025 with a new addition to our team! Join us in welcoming Rebecca Cushing (she/her), one of two full-time Land Stewards coming aboard this winter. (Stay tuned for the introduction of our second Land Steward, set to start in February!) Get to know Rebecca in the bio below, and be sure to say hello when you see her on the trails!

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What do art education and land stewardship have in common? More than you might think, as evidenced by Rebecca Cushing’s full-circle journey to Wildlands Trust. 

Raised in Plymouth by parents from inner-city Boston, Rebecca grew up with a “casual” love for nature. It was a different passion she pursued in college, studying art, secondary education, and art history at Bridgewater State University. After graduating, Rebecca moved to Georgia, where she taught elementary school art for one-and-a-half years. But the stunning salt marshes and ancient live oaks of the Georgia coast had other plans for Rebecca, capturing her heart and sending her down an exciting (albeit hotter and buggier) new path. Rebecca returned to school, earning a second bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in coastal ecology and minor in environmental science from the College of Coastal Georgia. Equipped with new ecological knowledge and skills, Rebecca joined St. Simons Land Trust in 2022 as a land steward technician. Her background in art and education came into play early and often. 

“As a creative person, you rely on your skills of observation,” Rebecca said. “You have to slow down, pay attention to details, be curious about what’s around you, and share that appreciation with others. It’s the same in conservation, when you’re trying to empower communities to take care of their natural lands.” 

Rebecca joined Wildlands in early 2025 to apply what she has learned to the ecosystems that backdropped her youth. As a Land Steward, she spends most of her time outdoors, monitoring and maintaining Wildlands’ protected areas. Rebecca is excited to serve people as much as nature, promoting public access, volunteerism, and education so future generations can have trails, views, and wildlife to enjoy. She moved back to Plymouth to be close to her family, including her young nieces and nephew. In addition to exploring local preserves with these budding naturalists, Rebecca enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking, and running. She also continues her artistic practice of block printing and painting, always inspired by the natural world. View her amazing work here. 

Adopt A Preserve: Help Us Help Your Favorite Conservation Lands!

Halfway Pond Conservation Area in Plymouth. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

By Zoë Smiarowski, Stewardship Programs Manager 

Once a hiking trail is established, many may consider the job done. But few realize the consistent care required to keep a preserve beautiful and safe for people and wildlife. The Adopt-a-Preserve (AAP) program is one of the key ways that Wildlands can manage to maintain 14,000 acres of conservation land across the region with a stewardship staff of just three!  

Volunteer trail monitoring through AAP peaked during COVID, as people sought ways to get outside and give back to the community during a time of uncertainty and isolation. Since then, the AAP volunteer base has steadily declined. But the benefits of adopting a preserve—for you and for local conservation lands—have never been greater! 

What is AAP? 

Adopt-a-Preserve is Wildlands’ flagship volunteer program, established to connect outdoor recreationists who may already be out walking our trails with a meaningful way to give back to their favorite (or even a newly discovered) preserve! 

Here’s how it works: 

Interested volunteers pick a preserve typically within a 15-minute drive of their home or work (or anywhere else they spend their time!). A Wildlands staff member or seasoned volunteer will meet you on site to go over the basics of monitoring and discuss a range of ways AAP volunteers can help with passive or active trail maintenance. Then, volunteers commit to sending in at least one report per month detailing what they observed and if they did any work on the trail. Afterwards, Wildlands staff reviews the report, assessing any pictures of downed trees, vandalism, or anything else that may have come up at the visit. The report enters the Wildlands database in the Landscape software to document observations on the property over time. Finally, if there are any issues to follow up on, Wildlands staff will plan a site visit to address them! 

Cortelli II Preserve in Plymouth. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

Do AAP volunteers really make a difference? 

Yes! Our stewardship staff is small, so your monthly visits can go a long way toward ensuring our preserves stay in good shape year-round. Even reports that let us know the preserve is in good shape help provide us with a frame of reference if problems do come up and can also help us prioritize tending to properties that haven’t had eyes on them as recently.  

AAP participation might have declined since COVID, but the program still made a significant impact on our stewardship capacity in 2024: 57 AAP volunteers filed 272 reports, providing coverage for 8,300 acres of conservation land! 

Okay, I’m in! How can I help? 

You can make a difference at any preserve, but the following preserves are in particular need of volunteers’ watchful eyes: 

• Tucker Preserve/Indian Head River Trail (Pembroke) 

• Hoyt-Hall Preserve (Marshfield) 

• Great Neck Conservation Area (Wareham) 

• Willow Brook Farm (Pembroke) 

• The Nook (Kingston) 

• Phillips Farm (Marshfield) 

• North Fork Preserve (Bridgewater) 

• Crystal Spring Preserve (Plainville) 

• South Triangle Conservation Area (Plymouth) 

• Halfway Pond Conservation Area (Plymouth) 

• Emery Preserve (Plymouth) 

Thank you for your consideration! To learn more, visit wildlandstrust.org/volunteer or contact Stewardship Programs Manager Zoë Smiarowski at volunteer@wildlandstrust.org.