Read Time: 3 min

By Rachel Calderara, Director of Special Projects

Nine Brockton-based teens joined the 2022 Green Team at D.W. Field Park this summer, a program sponsored and led by Wildlands Trust and Manomet to provide environmental working and learning opportunities for the next generation. Chosen out of nearly sixty applicants, the team of nine met over a two-week period to complete improvement projects at D.W. Field Park that benefit both people and nature. This is a small but powerful example of what the D.W. Field Park Initiative can accomplish with a community working towards shared goals and visions for a better future. 

Projects completed by the Green Team made the park a cleaner, more welcoming place for the community in just six short days. We hope you’ll swing by to enjoy the results of their hard work, which include: 

• 8 new bird boxes built and installed at various locations around D.W. Field Park and the Brockton Audubon Preserve. These boxes provide habitat for Black-capped Chickadees, Eastern Screech Owls, and Great Crested Flycatchers, all of which have been identified in breeding bird surveys conducted by Manomet. 

• 10 park benches and 9 picnic tables restored in the Oak St. picnic area and along the shores of Waldo Lake.  

• Habitat surveys conducted along 2 transects, documenting plants and animals living in the park. The team’s observations contributed to large-scale surveys conducted by Manomet. 

• 2 miles of trails at Brockton Audubon Preserve trimmed and widened to improve access for recreation. 

• Gardens at the Oak Street parking lot maintained with the Brockton Garden Club. The crew raked, weeded, and removed invasive vines. 

Green Team members also had the opportunity to meet various community leaders during their daily lunch break. We appreciate the following leaders for helping expand the team members’ horizons of career and community service possibilities: Joanne Zygmunt (Old Colony Planning Council), Evan Dalton (Manomet), Patrick Sullivan (Brockton Department of Public Works), Shirley Asack (Brockton City Council), Tim Carpenter (Brockton Department of Parks & Recreation), Sean Kent (Mass Audubon Museum of American Bird Art), Megan Shave (Brockton Department of Planning and Economic Development), Emilia Skogen (Manomet), Josephine Tagestad (Manomet), and Patrick Quinn (D.W. Field Park Association).  

The Green Team members deserve recognition for their eagerness to learn new skills, work together through the summer heat, and discuss important environmental and community topics. We can’t wait to see what’s next for this fantastic crew: Keira Williamson (14), Destiny Cater (18), Sylvie Staco (15), Edeh Ugbo (17), Julian Jerome (16), Sanaja Gomes (16), Dawn Centers (16), Jaydah Evora (15), Dillon Him (16). 

Wildlands Trust and Manomet hope to expand Green Team in the coming years. Please visit wildlandstrust.org/dwfieldpark and sign up to have email updates about the D.W. Field Park Initiative sent right to your inbox!