If a Tree Falls: Wildlands' Storm Damage Response

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Stewardship Programs Manager Zoë Smiarowski removes a fallen tree at Delano Memorial Forest in Rochester.

If a tree falls in a storm, does it make a sound? 

If that tree crosses a Wildlands trail, then yes. If not heard directly, the crack and boom of the tree’s descent will reverberate along a systematic chain of communication between Wildlands’ stewardship staff and volunteers, ensuring its prompt removal for the safety and convenience of preserve visitors. 

While many fret over the risks that high winds pose to their homes and property, few may consider how their favorite woodland trail remains timber-free, storm after storm. But at Wildlands, every severe storm is an all-hands-on-deck event that relies on the generosity and dedication of volunteers in the communities we serve. 

Tree work at Stewart/Person Preserve in Kingston.

When a potentially destructive storm enters the forecast, one of our stewardship team’s first orders of business is to enlist our trusty reserve of Adopt-a-Preserve (AAP) volunteers. In times of climatic peace, these brave individuals make monthly visits to Wildlands preserves, reporting any signs of disturbance to our staff. But when a powerful storm brews, their reports become even more critical.  

“We have far fewer land stewards on staff than we have preserves that need attention after a storm,” said Owen Grey, Wildlands’ Stewardship Operations Manager. “Our AAP volunteers help fill that gap.” 

By documenting the severity of storm damage at a given property, AAP volunteers help Wildlands prioritize the places that need the most immediate response. For safety’s sake, a tree hanging precariously over a trail warrants faster attention than a tree resting on the ground. More frequently visited preserves claim priority over less visited ones. Preserves with a history of significant storm damage also receive early consideration. It’s tree triage. 

Wildlands stewardship staff cuts down an overhanging tree at Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke.

There are certain steps an AAP volunteer can take to maximize their contribution to this mission. Photos help Wildlands staff visualize the extent of storm damage. Pairing these photos with exact locations helps our stewards respond and move on to the next property as quickly as possible. (Volunteers can geo-reference their photos by taking a screenshot of their location on Avenza, a free mobile app that tracks visitors’ routes on Wildlands trails.) Volunteers should not chainsaw or take on other dangerous tasks on their own—not only is this unsafe, but it violates Wildlands policy and often costs our stewardship team extra time in the field. 

When it’s time for the Wildlands stewardship staff to respond to storm damage, preparation is key. Plans are written. Routes are mapped. Equipment is tested and fueled. At least two, but often more, stewards attend each site visit.  

Stewardship Programs Manager Zoë Smiarowski removes a fallen tree at Striar Conservancy in Halifax.

As a result, these efforts take time. Under perfect conditions, Wildlands can respond to about four properties per day. Therefore, we appreciate visitors’ patience in the days and weeks following a major storm. Please know that we are responding to our preserves as efficiently as we can while ensuring the safety of our staff and visitors.

To our Adopt-a-Preserve volunteers: thank you for your dedication to our work. Your contributions are essential to our mission of safeguarding the special places of Southeastern Massachusetts! 

Interested in joining our ranks? Several Wildlands properties are in need of monthly monitors, including Crystal Spring Preserve in Plainville. Adopt a Preserve today at wildlandstrust.org/volunteer. 

A Volunteer's Reflection on 2023

Ann rakes the new trail at North Fork Preserve in Bridgewater.

By Ann Chadwick-Dias

On the last day of 2023, I arose from bed in eager anticipation of a morning group hike around Halfway Pond in Plymouth led by Malcolm MacGregor, fondly known as the "Trail Guy" of Wildlands Trust. The Halfway Pond trail loop, jointly protected by Wildlands and the Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game, has always been one of my favorite hikes in Plymouth. I try to do this hike at least once a month with my ex-husband, Steve.

So, I spent my morning bidding farewell to 2023, doing my favorite hike with my favorite conservation group along with an awesome group of like-minded hikers on what happened to be an absolutely beautiful day.

Last Day Hike with Malcolm on December 31, 2023, at Halfway Pond Conservation Area in Plymouth. (Ann is hiding behind the woman in the turquoise fleece!)

Fittingly, I spent the first day of 2023 hiking Tucker Preserve in Pembroke, which is another lovely property protected and maintained by Wildlands Trust. Did you know that recent research shows that spending time in nature combats depression and anxiety? Attending group hikes (and otherwise recreating outdoors) is crucial for my physical and mental health, and a perfect way to usher in or out a new year. It's also a great way to spend all those days in between. It is my year-round way of life—to hike, run, bike, and spend as much time as I can outside. 

Wildlands offers me countless opportunities to engage my passions in conservation and recreation. The staff at Wildlands Trust is a small yet amazing group of intelligent, motivated, educated, and truly kind people who continually push their organization to improve and expand. They now protect properties in 55 Southeastern Massachusetts communities! 

In addition to attending hikes and other programs, Steve and I volunteer for Wildlands, assisting the stewardship staff with various trail work and maintenance tasks. Through their regular volunteer events, we get great exercise and enjoy plenty of laughs and camaraderie. Wildlands is a lively and fun group. I feel truly accomplished when I work on a new preserve from start to finish. 

Hike with Malcolm on May 7, 2023, at Myles Standish State Forest in Plymouth. (Ann is second from the left in the front row!)

At every volunteer outing, the Wildlands stewardship crew stresses that they only want us to do whatever work we're comfortable doing for as long as we're comfortable doing it. They are always truly appreciative of our help. Their appreciation often catches me off guard because I feel like I should be thanking them for giving me a healthy way to engage in the protection of our natural resources. 

I recently turned 60. At my age, you find yourself in conversations about what your legacy will be after you no longer walk this planet. For many, "legacy" often equates to financial or real estate assets. But to me, the work I do with Wildlands is the legacy I feel most invested in and proud of. I like to imagine my children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren walking these trails and thinking, "My (grand)mother helped to build and maintain these trails. She spent many hours walking and enjoying these lovely paths and vistas." My optimistic self likes to believe that people will enjoy and benefit from these trails for hundreds of years. What better legacy could one dream of leaving behind? 

Volunteer appreciation lunch & hike on December 9, 2023, at the Stewardship Training Center in Plymouth. (Ann is crouching in the middle!)

I should add that any involvement you choose with Wildlands Trust is likely to be multi-generational. While retirees might have the most time to offer, the Wildlands team is what I would call young, and many participants use their employer’s or school’s allotted volunteer time to spend the day advancing a cause they care about. Wildlands also engages students directly through year-round service-learning programs, fostering a whole new generation of environmentalists committed to preserving this beautiful planet! 

Lastly, Wildlands makes it possible for me to continually learn new things. I learn something new during every hike and project I do with them, since their staff offers expertise in various environmental fields. This year, I got CPR and basic first aid certified through a program they offered. I've attended talks and training sessions on invasive plant species, regional rewilding projects, fireflies, and more. My involvement with Wildlands even inspired me to seek appointment to Carver’s Conservation Commission, which I am currently serving. 

Now, back to the Last Day Hike with Malcolm. It felt good ending my year the same way I started it—outdoors, with a lovely group of nature appreciators. I stood up on the Big Point lookout (an awesome vista) and reflected on my 2023—a year of joy, fulfillment, and constant learning. 

Volunteer trail work day at North Fork Preserve in Bridgewater. (Ann is fourth from the right in the back row!)

So, if you want to be happier, healthier, and more productive, self-aware, and informed, I strongly recommend getting involved with Wildlands. While a financial contribution is certainly helpful, I think you have even more to gain by hiking or volunteering with them in the very spaces they work to protect. 

An environmentalist I truly admire is John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club. If you become a member of Wildlands, you will surely realize his life advice: “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” 

I have taken more dirt paths than I will ever be able to count, in large part thanks to Wildlands Trust. In doing so, I feel happier, healthier, and more connected to nature and my community. I have made lasting and meaningful friendships and left a small but significant legacy that I hope others will enjoy well after I am no longer here. But, while I AM still here, if you decide to get involved with Wildlands, I hope to see you along one of those dirt paths one day. I promise that we will both leave that trail better for it. Happy 2024!

Ann Chadwick-Dias

Want to get involved? Visit our Events page for hikes, presentations, and more, and our Volunteer page for opportunities to lend a helping hand! 

Wildlands Hosts Volunteer Appreciation Lunch

By Max Phelps, Programming Coordinator

At Wildlands Trust, volunteers are integral to the work we do. We always appreciate our volunteers, but sometimes we must put sandwiches and cookies where our mouths are; our volunteers deserve no less.  

On December 9, Wildlands hosted an appreciation lunch for our Adopt-A-Preserve (AAP) and hike leader volunteers at the Stewardship Training Center. Volunteers gathered in our holiday-decorated home beside a (virtual) fire to see old friends and meet new ones.  

Our Adopt-A-Preserve program is an incredibly helpful and simple way for people to volunteer with Wildlands, but it can be somewhat solitary, so it’s important to build community through social gatherings. Most of our hike leaders started as AAP volunteers, so it was great to bring both groups together. After sitting down to a meal of sandwiches, soup, and salad, volunteers shared how they first got involved with Wildlands Trust. Stories ranged from running into staff members on the trails to posting photos of downed trees on Instagram to feeling a debt of gratitude after our preserves became a safe haven during the pandemic. Our longest-tenured volunteer has been working with us since 1999. Regardless of how or when their stories began, all our volunteers expressed a love for the work they do and an appreciation for what Wildlands does for the community and natural world.  

Zoë, our Stewardship Programs Manager, and I shared exciting volunteer numbers from 2023, including 120 miles hiked during Wildlands programs and 8,300 acres monitored by Adopt-A-Preserve volunteers. Afterwards, many attendees joined us for a three-mile hike at Halfway Pond Conservation Area along Leona’s and Gramp’s Loops, trails that our volunteers helped build. After an especially busy summer and fall at Wildlands, it was great to take the time to relax with our volunteers and express our gratitude for the time, knowledge, and hard work they donate to Wildlands. 

Thank you to all our volunteers! If you’d like to contribute your gifts to the Wildlands mission, explore our volunteer opportunities at wildlandstrust.org/volunteer or contact Zoë Smiarowski at zsmiarowski@wildlandstrust.org. 

STC Progress Report

Leadership Council tour of the Stewardship Training Center in June 2023.

In its first year in operation, the Stewardship Training Center (STC) hit the ground running, offering pilot programs to diverse partners and developing creative and collaborative uses for its 12,000-square-foot building and 450-acre woodland campus on the shores of Halfway Pond.  

Wildlands Trust established the STC in 2022 to equip municipal and nonprofit partners with the stewardship capacity they need to maintain ever-expanding conservation lands across our region and state. 

From March to December 2023, 266 people engaged with the STC via programs, trainings, conferences, and residence. Training courses were presented by 17 different instructors and attended by staff of 16 organizations and eight municipalities. Nine organizations, in addition to Wildlands, used the facilities for their own training, research, and housing needs.  

Read on to learn more about the wide reach and varied programs at the STC this year. And stay tuned as the STC presses on into its second year!

By the Numbers

Since March, 28 organizations and municipalities have attended or led programs at the STC. These partners include Buzzards Bay Coalition, Manomet, Wareham Land Trust, New England Forestry Foundation, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Orleans Conservation Trust, North County Land Trust, Rochester Land Trust, Mattapoisett Land Trust, Barnstable Land Trust, Friends of Conte, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Mass Audubon, Brewster Conservation Trust, Sierra Club, Mass Land Trust Coalition, Essex County Greenbelt, Sudbury Valley Trustees, South Shore YMCA, and the Towns of Duxbury, Marshfield, Kingston, Hanover, Halifax, Hanson, Plymouth, and Rockland , in addition to Wildlands.

Over the same time period, 266 people interacted with the STC through training programs, volunteer events, organizational conferences, and temporary residence supporting local conservation activities.

By the Dates

March 4-5: Basic Chainsaw Training and Safety for Land Stewards  

Bill Girard of Girard Custom Cut Hardwood (a Game of Logging training organization) instructed seven conservation professionals in basic chainsaw safety, use, and equipment maintenance. Read more here. 

June 26-27: Seasonal Land Steward Training 

Twelve seasonal land stewards from across the state converged on the STC to gain invaluable conservation skills and expand their professional network. Read more here. 

July 12: Municipal Volunteer Training – Focus Group 

Wildlands hosted a focus group of 12 municipal conservation professionals to assess training needs for local volunteers. The group will develop a tiered volunteer training program to increase stewardship capacity on municipal lands, to be piloted in 2024. 

July 15: Adopt-a-Preserve Trainer Training 

Five seasoned Wildlands Trust volunteers were trained to train the next wave of Adopt-a-Preserve participants. 

July 27: Summer of Service – Carpentry 

Through our Summer of Service program, 14 high school students from across the region learned to build bog boards, which were later installed at North Fork Preserve. 

July 29: First Aid for Conservation Volunteers 

Chris Crowther of Certified Rescue Courses taught eight volunteers how to treat basic medical incidents in the field. 

August 14-18: Sierra Club Service Trip

Twenty Sierra Club members from across the continent completed a service trip at the STC and Shifting Lots Preserve. 

September 10-11: Wilderness First Aid 

Hal Beck of SOLO Wilderness Medical School trained nine attendees how to respond to medical emergencies on trails.  

November 1: Greater Boston Regional Land Trusts Meeting 

Essex County Greenbelt and Sudbury Valley Trustees joined Wildlands at the STC to share success stories and lessons learned. 

November 3-4: MLTC Early Career Conservation Network 

Eight early-career conservationists met at the STC to bond, network, and explore Halfway Pond Conservation Area together. 

November 11-12: Felling and Storm Damage Chainsaw Training 

Bill Girard of Game of Logging instructed 10 land stewards in proper tree felling and storm damage clean-up techniques. 

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To learn more about the Stewardship Training Center, visit wildlandstrust.org/training or contact Stewardship Operations Manager Zoë Smiarowski at zsmiarowski@wildlandstrust.org.

Volunteers Flock to Bridgewater Trail Project

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Volunteers are the heart and soul of what we do. This has never been on greater display than in Bridgewater this fall, where friends and neighbors of Wildlands Trust are braving the elements and wilderness to help establish a new hiking trail at a hidden gem of our land conservation portfolio.  

North Fork Preserve, located off the southeast end of Plymouth Street in Bridgewater, comprises 41 acres of diverse woodland habitat along the banks of the federally designated Wild and Scenic Taunton River. The forest’s open, airy structure and varied composition of pine, oak, maple, birch, and beech trees create rich wildlife habitat and never-ending intrigue for the visiting naturalist. Over 1,000 feet of river frontage, along with a network of trickling streams, add to the preserve’s natural beauty and diversity.  

Purchased by Wildlands in 2001, the preserve has until now been managed as Forever Wild. We elected this passive management strategy in part because Wyman Meadow Conservation Area, owned by the Town of Bridgewater, lies between North Fork Preserve and Plymouth Street, precluding direct public access. However, a multiyear conversation between Wildlands and the Town spawned the idea to restore access to both preserves with a single trail. 

Wyman Meadow Conservation Area. North Fork Preserve begins at the tree line in the background.

"We’ve enjoyed working with Eileen Hiney and the rest of the Bridgewater Open Space Committee,” said Stewardship Operations Manager Owen Grey. “Wildlands and the Town shared a desire for public access at these scenic and ecologically significant preserves. They worked with us every step of the way to make our common vision a reality.” 

Wyman Meadow Conservation Area itself features 35 acres of open grassland habitat with additional Taunton River frontage, creating ideal conditions for various birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. 

Our work at North Fork began in September, when Owen and Stewardship Programs Manager Zoë Smiarowski surveyed the property to determine an optimal trail route through the preserve. Minimizing environmental impact, Owen and Zoë said, is always the guiding principle at this step.  

Once a viable path through the woods was flagged, it was time for volunteers to bring their time, expertise, and enthusiasm to the project. Thus far, four volunteer work days have forged remarkable progress toward trail completion. As of November 7, the entire 1.1-mile trail corridor has been cleared of vegetation using loppers, handsaws, hand snips, rakes, and chainsaws. The next objective is to smooth out the trail by leveling the ground and removing tree stumps. Finally, trail blazing will ensure safe and easy access for future explorers of the preserve.  

Stewardship Programs Manager Zoë Smiarowski shows volunteers how to use a Pulaski to clear roots and stumps from the trail.

“When we set our goals for this trail project, creating opportunities for volunteers to be involved was critical,” Zoë said. “Not only do our volunteer days engage our Wildlands community, but they also offer a space for new volunteers from the local Bridgewater community to become familiar with our organization and connect with a new recreational asset. The drop-in style work days have been a massive success, and feedback from volunteers has been overwhelmingly positive. The work is rewarding for everyone involved. We're not just building a trail, but a cohort that will care for the preserve into the future.” 

Thank you to the volunteers who have turned out already to help transform North Fork Preserve into a natural and cultural resource for the Bridgewater and Southeastern Massachusetts community! We could not do what we do without your generosity.  

Proposed trail map at North Fork Preserve and Wyman Meadow Conservation Area.

If you haven’t joined us yet, no fear! Wildlands is hosting several more volunteer trail work days through December, including from 10 am to 1 pm on Saturday, November 18, Tuesday, November 28, and Saturday, December 2. No experience, equipment, or registration is required—just bring weather-appropriate clothing and a can-do spirit! Visit our Events page to learn more about our upcoming work days. 

Stay tuned for updates on Facebook, Instagram, and our E-News as the North Fork project continues!

Click through the gallery below for more photos from our trail work days at North Fork Preserve and Wyman Meadow Conservation Area.