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!

---

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!

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!

---

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. 

Partnership Creates Public Preserve in Bridgewater

Wyman Meadow Conservation Area (foreground) and North Fork Preserve (background) in Bridgewater. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Nearly a quarter-century after its acquisition by Wildlands Trust, North Fork Preserve has a trail system for Bridgewater and surrounding community members to enjoy. Its long journey to public access exemplifies the patience and partnerships often required to make nature preserves possible. 

On October 5, about 30 people joined Wildlands Trust and the Town of Bridgewater for an opening ceremony and hike at Wyman North Fork Conservation Area, 96 acres of permanently protected land with over a half-mile of frontage on the Taunton River. The assemblage may be new, but its constituent parts—Wildlands’ North Fork Preserve and the Town’s Wyman Meadow Conservation Area—have long, intertwining histories. 

Located off the southeast end of Plymouth Street, Wyman Meadow Conservation Area features 55 acres of grassland, woodland, and wetland habitat on the bank of the Taunton River, less than two miles downstream from its headwaters. From 1954 to 1987, the parcel was part of the Wyman dairy farm. It was then used for beef cattle and hay until 1999, when the Town of Bridgewater purchased the property with a Massachusetts self-help grant. Thirty-five acres were designated as a “parkland” for outdoor recreation, while the remaining 20 were allocated for water resources protection. 

Above: Opening ceremony and hike at Wyman North Fork Conservation Area on October 5, 2024. Photos by key volunteer Rob MacDonald.

For the next 22 years, inadequate Town staffing and funds impeded the property’s management for public access. As community awareness waned, invasive plants encroached on the meadow unchecked, diminishing its habitat value. In 2017, an evaluation of Bridgewater’s six parklands by a Bridgewater State University graduate student identified Wyman Meadow as the lowest priority for improvement. 

Meanwhile, abutting Wyman Meadow to the east was North Fork Preserve, which Wildlands Trust purchased in 2001 with support from the Sheehan Family Foundation. On the southern edge of the 41-acre woodland, a high bluff provides scenic views up and down the Taunton River corridor. But for the first two decades of North Fork’s existence, few were afforded these views. Wildlands managed the preserve as Forever Wild—that is, without trails—due to limited public access; separating North Fork from Plymouth Street was none other than the long-neglected Wyman Meadow Conservation Area. 

The Taunton River at Wyman North Fork Conservation Area in Bridgewater. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

Where others saw a lost cause in Wyman Meadow, Bridgewater Open Space Committee Chair Eileen Hiney saw a problem to be solved. After reading the 2017 parklands report and discovering the location of North Fork Preserve, Hiney imagined a new way forward. In 2021, after meeting with Wildlands’ Scott MacFaden and Erik Boyer about a separate land protection project in Bridgewater, Hiney invited them to visit Wyman Meadow. There, spreading preserve designs and management plans from the Conway School of Landscape Design across the hood of their car, Hiney said, “Well, geez, here’s this town property that’s not being used at all. We’ve got a road and land that’s accessible. Isn’t there some way we could work together on this to combine the advantages of these two properties?” 

The idea was simple: Wildlands would build and maintain a trail through Wyman Meadow and into North Fork. In return, the Town of Bridgewater would install a trailhead parking lot and continue to maintain the entrance road off Plymouth Street. 

Wildlands staff and volunteers installed bog boards along the new trail at Wyman North Fork Conservation Area. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

“The project was a no-brainer,” Hiney said. “It fulfills a 20-year promise by the Town to manage the land for its true purpose—enjoyment by the townspeople.” 

Stewardship staff and volunteers from Wildlands got right to work, building and blazing a one-mile trail loop that leads visitors to the most rewarding features of both preserves: Wyman Meadow’s ethereal grassland teeming with native plants, birds, and pollinators, and North Fork’s diverse woodlands, trickling streams, and stunning river views.  

“The Bridgewater Open Space Committee couldn’t have accomplished this without Wildlands Trust,” Hiney said. “Town resources are limited, and Wildlands was able to supplement our needs with volunteers, supplies, outreach, and education.” 

Wyman Meadow Conservation Area in Bridgewater. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

Hiney also noted that these creative partnerships, in which nonprofit staff and volunteers maintain municipal conservation areas, help Bridgewater and other towns save their limited funds to acquire new lands when opportunities arise. 

Improvements continue at Wyman North Fork Conservation Area, including discussions between the Town of Bridgewater and Wildlands Trust about new signage and expanded trails. But for now, the revival and reimagining of this ecological haven—25 years in the making—is reason enough to celebrate. After all, these projects don’t happen every day.