Eagle Scout Candidate Builds Bird and Bat Boxes at Sylvester Field

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Hanover Boy Scouts Troop 38 at Sylvester Field.

Earlier this month, Hanover Boy Scout Jacob DeMong completed a multifaceted conservation project at Wildlands Trust’s Sylvester Field, putting him one step closer to the prestigious title of Eagle Scout. 

“Environmentally beneficial projects are extremely important,” Jacob, 17, wrote to Wildlands stewardship staff Tess Goldmann and Owen Grey, who provided him with mentorship and support throughout the project. "I was overjoyed to get this opportunity.” 

Jacob led Boy Scout Troop 38 from Hanover in installing eight Eastern Bluebird boxes and one bat box along the trail at Sylvester Field, a grassland parcel acquired by Wildlands Trust in 2021. The troop also cleared invasive vines and plants from the trees lining Washington Street, as well as cut back overgrowth from the woodland section of the trail. 

New bird boxes at Sylvester Field.

If you would like to see the project for yourself, you’re in luck! Just this week, the Wildlands stewardship team began installing a boardwalk that will complete a 0.5-mile loop trail around the entire field. This addition will allow visitors to admire all of Jacob’s great work—and perhaps some winged creatures that he has already attracted to the property! Eastern Bluebirds nest from March to August, while bats rely on warm, clean, and secure places to rest, hibernate, and raise young year-round. On Tuesday, a Tree Swallow was spotted inside one of Jacob’s boxes! Be on the lookout for an official trail opening announcement in the coming weeks. 

“We were really impressed with Jacob’s organization skills, as well as by the hard work of the Hanover Boy Scouts,” Tess said. “We are excited to see the boxes in use this season!” 

Congratulations, Jacob, on this huge achievement! Thank you for making our community a place for people, birds, bats, and trees to thrive. 

Jacob’s Eagle Scout project is one of several that Wildlands Trust has recently supported. If you are interested in completing your Eagle Scout project with us, contact our Stewardship Coordinator Zoë Smiarowski at zsmiarowski@wildlandstrust.org.  

Tree Swallow inside a bird box at Sylvester Field.

Funding Secured for Sylvester Field Boardwalk

We are pleased to announce that the boardwalk at Sylvester Field will be installed this spring!

Those of you who have visited Sylvester Field have probably noticed that our trail map shows a trail on the eastern property boundary that does not currently exist. We have been waiting to build the missing trail because it requires a 100-foot section of boardwalk through an especially soggy section of wet meadow.

Well, thanks to a generous donation from the Torrey Family of Hingham, we are now able to build the boardwalk and open the trail. The existing trail is a 0.3-mile out and back trail. The construction of this new trail and boardwalk will provide hikers with a 0.5-mile loop to enjoy. Be on the lookout for construction updates!

A drone's view of Sylvster Field and the Indian Head River in Hanover, Massachusetts.

A drone's view of Sylvster Field and the Indian Head River in Hanover, Massachusetts.

Sunset at Sylvester Field in Hanover, Massachusetts.

Wildlands' Trail Updates

By Erik Boyer, Director of Field Operations

Wildlands’ Stewardship Staff and volunteers have been hard at work this fall! A couple highlights include the new trail constructed at our Halfway Pond Conservation Area, and new access to Sylvester Field in Hanover.

Halfway Pond Conservation Area, Plymouth

This past August, we began construction on 1.7 miles of new trail at Halfway Pond. Many thanks to a volunteer group from the Sierra Club, who worked alongside Wildlands staff and volunteers to begin this project. We completed the trail this fall with the help of volunteers from REI Hingham. The new trail, “Leona’s Loop,” is named after one of the founding members of Wildlands Trust, Leona Asker. Leona’s Loop connects to Gramp’s Loop and essentially creates a figure eight, providing hikers the opportunity to hike a nearly 4-mile loop. The trail, best accessed from the southeast corner of Gramp’s Loop, begins with a series of switchbacks to the top of a hill. Then, the trail follows a ridgeline running south, providing beautiful views of Halfway Pond from up high. The trail then jaunts west, traveling through pitch pine barren habitat reminiscent of many portions of Gramp’s Loop. Leona’s Loop then links back up with Gramp’s Loop as it heads north. With this new trail, there is now over 6 miles of single-track trail at Halfway Pond, making the preserve a great stop for those looking to add on the miles!

Sylvester Field, Hanover

Sylvester Field in Hanover is now home to a new three-car parking lot, constructed by Richie Ohlund from Ohlund Landscape & Masonry Design. Wildlands staff installed a new preserve sign and trailhead kiosk. The kiosk highlights the agricultural past of the land, as well as the ecological importance of its location on the Third Herring Brook (a tributary of the North River). Sylvester Field did not previously have a parking area, so this construction gives a new audience access to the preserve. There is a 0.3-mile trail that hugs the outside of the field down to a scenic spot on the Third Herring Brook.

Late Summer Land Acquisitions Update

By Scott MacFaden, Director of Land Protection

Thus far in 2022, we’ve completed a variety of projects across our coverage area that protect a diverse array of habitats and conservation values, including properties on two of the region’s major rivers.

In February, we completed the first two phases of a long-contemplated project that will create our first preserve in Plainville. These first two steps involved adding another two acres to the 33.5-acre Conservation Restriction (CR) we’ve held on lands of the Crystal Spring Center for Ecology, Spirituality, and Earth Education Inc., since 2008, and then assigning the expanded CR to another qualified nonprofit conservation organization—the Attleboro Land Trust. With those steps concluded, the third and final step will transfer the “fee simple,” or outright ownership of the property, from Crystal Spring to Wildlands Trust. We expect that final transfer to occur before year’s end.

A drone's view of Sylvester Field and the Indian Head River in Hanover. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

In June, we acquired five acres in Norwell along the North River that protects important habitat for marsh wrens. Donated by the Estate of Clayton Robinson, the parcel represents the culmination of the Sylvester Field Preservation Project, through which we previously protected 20 contiguous acres along the Third Herring Brook in nearby Hanover.

In late July, we purchased 30 acres on Halfway Pond in Plymouth that was the largest remaining unprotected parcel on the pond’s west shore, and consequently one of our longest-standing preservation priorities. The property includes pockets of Pine Barrens, a globally rare natural community, and directly abuts and expands our Halfway Pond Conservation Area, now over 460 acres in extent and one of the crown jewels of our protected lands portfolio.

Most recently, in the waning days of August we protected 11.7 acres in Lakeville along the upper Nemasket River through the combination of a deed restriction and a two-acre land donation. This hybrid project protects over 900 feet of linear frontage along the Nemasket, a major tributary of the federally designated Wild and Scenic Taunton River.

Morning fog on Halfway Pond in Plymouth. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

We’re working to close more projects by year’s end, including the third and final phase of the Plainville project, and projects in Bridgewater, Scituate, Rockland, and Hanson.   

Watch this space!   

Historic Hanover Field Permanently Preserved

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

HANOVER – On Friday, July 23, 2021, a months-long collaboration between regional conservation group, Wildlands Trust, and the Town of Hanover culminated with the purchase and permanent protection of Sylvester Field. Encompassing a small pine grove and 660-feet of frontage on Third Herring Brook in Hanover’s Four Corners neighborhood, Sylvester Field’s highly-visible 10-acre meadow and stone wall bordering Washington Street is a cherished part of the town landscape. It has both historical and ecological value, and has long served as an agricultural, recreational and aesthetic resource for the community.

In May, with support from the Hanover Open Space Committee and the Hanover Historical Commission, residents of Hanover unanimously approved the use of $250,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to purchase a permanent Conservation Restriction on the field. With this partnership, along with the generous contributions of 307 individual donors, Wildlands Trust was able to act quickly on the rare opportunity to purchase this highly-valuable parcel of open space in Hanover.

“It was an incredible effort, with hand-delivered mailings, personal solicitations, a farmers market, banners, signs, field tours and more, which continued unabated until the goal was reached!” marveled Sue Chamberlain, Wildlands Trust’s Donor Relations Manager. According to Chamberlain, this grass-roots effort proved critical for the success of the project. A core group of 16 volunteers, led by Four Corners resident, Caleb Estabrooks, raised $150,000 to be combined with a $200,000 matching gift from a generous donor. This community-generated funding supplied half of the total cost of the land in just six months.

Most recently known to many locals as Robinson Field, the last property owner was Clayton Robinson, who died in March 2020. Under his family’s ownership, a mowed path was maintained around the edge of the field, and local residents have long-enjoyed walking past the tall grass, through the pines, and down to the water’s edge. After his death, Robinson’s cousin and estate representative, Debbie Lincoln, was an important advocate among family members for the preservation of the scenic open field and the continued public use of its frequently-visited walking trails.

When presented with the opportunity to preserve this land, Wildlands Trust immediately recognized the ecological value of Sylvester Field. The property is home to numerous wildlife species, both common and rare, and provides an extensive riparian habitat along the Third Herring Brook, an important tributary of the larger North River.

Under Wildlands Trust’s ownership, Sylvester Field will be maintained in its current state.  The field-edge walking trails will remain and annual mowing of the field itself will continue. The addition of a small parking area and an informational kiosk will improve accessibility for public enjoyment of the preserve.

Long before European arrival, Native Americans occupied the area, including the field, which lies at a strategic location near the confluence of Third Herring Brook and the North River. In the mid-1600s, it was owned by William Barstow, who is believed to be the first European settler in the area. It later became part of a larger farm, changing hands to the Stockbridge family and then the Sylvester Family. When the Sylvester family sold much of the farm in the 1940s, Betsey (Sylvester) Robinson purchased this parcel to save it from development. The land continued to be used for agricultural purposes for many years, including the grazing of Hornstra Farms cows and the production of hay, before settling into its latest role as a scenic resource for the community.

Wildlands Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving land and preserving the natural heritage of Southeastern Massachusetts. The organization works to permanently protect and steward important habitats and landscapes, including woodlands and fields, ponds, coastal areas, agricultural lands, and river systems. Founded in 1973, Wildlands Trust has worked to protect nearly 13,000 acres of open space in 48 Massachusetts towns, including: Great River Preserve, in Bridgewater; Brockton Audubon Preserve; Cow Tent Hill Preserve and Cushman Preserve in Duxbury; the Nook in Kingston; Hoyt-Hall Preserve in Marshfield; Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke; and the Davis-Douglas Conservation Area in Plymouth.