Brockton Gives a Hoot About Conservation

Barred owl, presented by Eyes on Owls at Give a Hoot About the Park on May 19. Photo by Janet Trask.

The verdict is in. Brockton gives a hoot about local conservation! 

An eventful month has left no doubt that this city of over 100,000 residents in northwestern Plymouth County is invested in the protection and stewardship of its natural spaces. 

On Sunday, May 19, our Give a Hoot About the Park event attracted nearly 200 people to D.W. Field Park, a 700-acre urban oasis in Brockton and Avon. Despite considerable rain, friends and neighbors of all ages flocked to see live owls, presented by Eyes on Owls. Free lunch, catered by Lady C&J Soulfood, rewarded those who braved the inclement weather!  

About a dozen community groups joined us, as well, offering information about how the public can get involved in local conservation efforts. 

“This event put local environmental stewardship on display and continued our efforts to build community at D.W. Field Park,” said Wildlands Chief of Staff Rachel Bruce. “The success of Give a Hoot was largely due to the collaborative efforts of our partners at Old Colony Planning Council, the D.W. Field Park Association, the Town of Avon, and the City of Brockton. The dedicated folks of the D.W. Field Park Initiative will continue to work to provide opportunities and resources for this community, who show up to support the park time and time again!” 

The public celebration, as well as the Town of Avon’s recent acquisition of 30 woodland acres abutting D.W. Field Park, were partially funded by the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant program. 

Less than a week later, a determined group of students from Brockton High School ventured to Wachusett Reservoir to demonstrate that the future of our region’s natural resources is in capable hands. On May 23, the Brockton High School Envirothon team competed at the 2024 Massachusetts Envirothon, putting their environmental knowledge, skills, and leadership to the test. The students rose to the occasion, placing in the top five in two categories, Wildlife and Current Issue, where this year, students presented on Clean Energy for a Sustainable Future.

“Our Envirothon team this year was almost entirely new to the competition,” said Programming Coordinator Max Phelps, who co-coached this year’s team. “It was wonderful to see their growth in knowledge and confidence over the school year culminate in amazing presentations. I can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the future.” 

On June 4, the Envirothon team received citations from the Brockton Mayor’s Office in recognition of their excellence at the state competition. Thank you, Mayor Sullivan and the City of Brockton, for celebrating these passionate young leaders! 

Wildlands has co-coached and sponsored the Brockton High School Envirothon team since 2015, with Manomet co-coaching since 2021. Learn more here. 

Our work in Brockton continues! For updates about our D.W. Field Park Initiative, visit dwfpi.org. 

Communities Unite to Expand D.W. Field Park

Waldo Lake in D.W. Field Park in Brockton and Avon. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

When we think about the benefits of nature, we often picture deep and dark woods, a majestic mountaintop vista, or vast, rolling fields. But acre for acre, city parks may do more for people, wildlife, and the planet than any other natural setting. When highly developed areas make room for nature, the social, economic, and ecological benefits are multiplied, making communities happier, healthier, cleaner, safer, and more resilient to climate change. 

D.W. Field Park serves hundreds of thousands in and around Brockton and Avon, two Environmental Justice communities in our region. Featuring miles of woodland paths, a public golf course, and five water bodies sprawled across 700 acres in the heart of this urban hub, the park represents a lot of things to a lot of people. A spiritual refuge from the commotion of city life. An outdoor gym for walking, running, and bicycling. An ecological haven for diverse wildlife. For many, the park is about family, and local generations past, present, and future: “I used to come here as a kid, and now I bring my son here,” said one park supporter. “A beautiful place that brought peace to my late husband and continues to bring peace to me,” said another. 

D.W. Field Park. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

Thanks to these supporters and more than 215 others in the Brockton, Avon, and Wildlands communities, D.W. Field Park is set to continue creating diverse meanings for the people and wildlife it sustains. On December 2, just 10 days after our campaign launch, Wildlands secured the 200 donations needed to unlock critical funding for the addition of 32 acres to this beloved urban sanctuary. These donors rose to the challenge of an anonymous foundation, whose generous contribution to the project was contingent on this show of community support. With these funds and others awarded by the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant program (and approved by a positive town vote), the Town of Avon is finalizing the purchase of this woodland parcel west of Waldo Lake. (Read about our celebration of the MVP award here.) 

“The community continues to show up for D.W. Field Park,” said Wildlands Director of Special Projects Rachel Bruce. “Last time we asked for support, over 1,400 people answered a lengthy survey about park use. This most recent outpouring of generosity shows our current and future funders what we already know—that this park is cherished by those who use it, and that we need to do everything we can to keep improving this vital resource. I’m proud to be part of such an inspiring project and to work with so many caring people in Avon and Brockton.” 

D.W. Field Park. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

So far, 219 donations totaling $7,238 have affirmed the public’s investment in the future of D.W. Field Park. Pending completion of the land transaction, these funds will be integral to our efforts to improve natural access at this parcel. Planning and design work will take place through spring 2024, with implementation to follow. Stay tuned for updates on Facebook, Instagram, our E-News, and wildlandstrust.org/dwfieldpark as we carry on this vital work! 

To those who have donated: please accept our profound gratitude for your support. We are humbled by your generosity and eager to put it to good use, revitalizing the park for people and planet!

Haven’t donated yet? Act fast! Show your support by December 18 at bit.ly/expanddw. 

Town of Avon Earns Grant to Expand D.W. Field Park

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Local, regional, and state partners convened at D.W. Field Park to celebrate an award to expand the park.

Since its inception, Wildlands Trust’s D.W. Field Park Initiative has striven to revitalize the beloved open space in Brockton and Avon through education, outreach, planning, and restoration. Physical expansion was hardly on our radar; comprising 700 acres in the heart of our region’s most populous city, D.W. Field Park seemingly had little room to grow.

Yet less than two years into the Initiative, D.W. Field Park is set to receive a modest yet meaningful boost to its open space portfolio. On August 27, government officials and nonprofit partners convened at D.W. Field Park to celebrate the award of $1.5 million from the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant program to the Town of Avon for the purchase of 32 acres adjacent to the urban park. 

Wildlands President Karen Grey (left) speaks to the group.

Wildlands raised $450,000 in private funding to support the grant proposal, which will also expand our revitalization efforts of D.W. Field Park north and west of our current project area. The award will also fund another semester of partnership with the Conway School, from which two graduate students provided crucial design input last spring. 

“There are only two significant undeveloped open space assemblages contiguous with the park, and we were fortunate that one was owned by an individual who wanted to see his land become part of the park,” Wildlands President Karen Grey said. “The Town of Avon was a lead partner in putting together this exciting project.”  

The project awaits final approval from a town meeting later this fall. 

From left: Wildlands Communications Coordinator Thomas Patti, State Senator Michael Brady, Wildlands President Karen Grey, and Wildlands Director of Special Projects Rachel Bruce.

Thank you to Secretary Rebecca Tepper of the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, City of Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan, State Senator Michael D. Brady, State Representative Michelle DuBois, Town of Avon Selectman Eric Beckerman, and many others for voicing your support of this exciting new project! 

To learn more about our D.W. Field Park Initiative, visit wildlandstrust.org/dwfieldpark. 

Stay tuned for updates as this project and the larger D.W. Field Park Initiative march on.

Improving Walkability at D.W. Field Park

By Maddie Luongo

Maddie Luongo is a senior at Wheaton College. This summer, she served as an intern with Wildlands Trust, assisting Green Team Brockton with various stewardship projects and organizing our 50th anniversary raffles. 

Green Team crewmembers with Iolando Spinola (center) of WalkMassachusetts.

On August 15, members of the 2023 Green Team participated in a walking audit of D.W. Field Park in Brockton. A walking audit is an assessment of the accessibility and walkability of an outdoor space, and for somewhere with as much foot traffic as D.W. Field Park, it is an integral step in the restoration planning process. 

The audit was conducted by Iolando Spinola of WalkMassachusetts, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to make walking safer and easier for people in all types of outdoor spaces. Having grown up in Brockton, Spinola was personally familiar with D.W. Field Park and its amenities. Spinola instructed the Green Team by assigning crewmembers specific tasks, such as assessing the condition of the roads and walkways, counting benches, and evaluating park signage. Despite the rainy day, the Green Team was attentive to their tasks, photographing potential problem areas in the park and discussing their findings with each other. 

Iolando Spinola of WalkMassachusetts leads the Green Team in a walking audit of D.W. Field Park.

One of the keys to a successful walk audit is the people conducting it. As residents of Brockton, the Green Team was familiar with the area and, through this paid summer service-learning program, had already worked on other projects in D.W. Field Park. The walk audit gave the kids an opportunity to view the park through a new and more inclusive lens, attuning them to some of the park’s finer details. This skill can serve crewmembers well in many of their future endeavors. 

Spinola spoke highly of the walk audit as a whole, but also of the Green Team members specifically. “I thought the walking audit was a great way to get a sense of the accessibility and overall walkability of D.W. Field Park,” he said. “The park has a lot to offer, but there are also some areas that could be improved. For example, the sidewalks are uneven in some places, the entrance of the park could be redesigned to ensure pedestrians are safe, and there could be more wayfinding signs to improve the user experience of the paths and park. The park also lacks some basic amenities, such as accessible restrooms, drinking fountains, and bike racks. I loved that the Green Team youth group was working to improve the park throughout the summer and took part in our walk audit. They are super inspiring and had great insights on how to improve the park.” 

As part of the walking audit, Green Team members measured vehicle speed along a roadway in D.W. Field Park.

When pursuing sustainable development, accessibility is crucial to consider. Accessibility and sustainability are intertwined in important ways that few people consider unless they directly apply to them. “Accessibility is important to sustainable development because it ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities and background, can participate fully in society and in our public spaces,” Spinola said. “When people are able to access the same opportunities, services, and resources, it creates a more equitable and inclusive society. Our public spaces are richer and more enjoyable when we can all fully live and utilize them. Sustainable development is about creating a better future for everyone, and accessibility is about ensuring that everyone has the same opportunities to participate in that future. When we design our communities and infrastructure with accessibility in mind, we make them more sustainable for everyone.” 

The D.W. Field Park Initiative is working to create these equal opportunities in Brockton, so that all residents of Brockton can easily access the amenities of D.W. Field Park. It takes projects such as those the Green Team worked on this summer to bring these ideas to fruition, and it is vital that young Brockton residents lend their voices and visions to this effort.  

Green Team members walk down a damp path at D.W. Field Park.

On a personal note, watching Green Team members participate in the improvement of their city was deeply motivating. It even inspired me to conduct similar projects on my college campus. I am incredibly grateful to these dedicated youth for their hard work, and I can’t wait to see how future Green Team projects advance the sustainable mindset in D.W. Field Park and beyond. 

Thank you to Maddie for her many contributions to Wildlands this summer. To learn more about the D.W. Field Park Initiative, visit wildlandstrust.org/dwfieldpark. To learn more about Green Team, visit wildlandstrust.org/green-team. 

D.W. Field Park Survey Closing Soon

The D.W. Field Park community survey will close at the end of February. If you visit the park or live in Brockton, Avon, or the surrounding area, please take 5 – 10 minutes to complete our survey!  

Patrick Quinn, Presidents of the D.W. Field Park Association nonprofit, assists Wildlands in promoting the community survey to park users.

Wildlands Trust is leading the D.W. Field Park Initiative to revitalize the park for people and planet. In close partnership with the City of Brockton Department of Parks and Recreation, we are bringing experts and community members together to create a master plan that will address ecology, infrastructure, recreation, and education throughout this 700-acre city park.  

The results from this community survey will be used to better understand current park usage and inform development of improvement projects. Project partners will use this data and other public input gathered throughout the process to create a master plan that reflects the wants and needs of the community this park serves. The survey is being conducted by the Old Colony Planning Council on behalf of Wildlands Trust and can be taken in five languages. All responses are completely confidential.  

Learn more and sign up for targeted emails about the D.W. Field Park Initiative: