Welcome (Back), Seasonal Land Stewards!

Every summer, caring for our trails becomes a mightier task, as vegetation and visitation peak. Our Seasonal Land Stewards help Wildlands meet these increased demands on our lands, all while gaining invaluable skills for a conservation career.

According to the position description, Seasonal Land Stewards “perform tasks related to the day-to-day management and maintenance of conservation lands throughout 55 cities and towns in Southeastern Massachusetts.” Tasks include brush-clearing and mowing of trails, upkeep of fencing, boardwalks, and signage, and parking lot clean-up.

This year, our seasonal staff comprises new and familiar faces. Read on to learn more about these exciting additions to the Wildlands family. And be sure to say hello when you encounter them out on the trails!

Marina Smiarowski 

We are grateful to welcome back Marina for her second summer as a Seasonal Land Steward. Since she last worked on our trails, Marina completed her first year at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, where she plans on majoring in chemistry. Growing up, Marina was involved with her local land trust in Branford, Connecticut, sparking her desire to pursue a career in conservation. Before Wildlands, Marina interned with the Stewart B. McKinney US Fish & Wildlife Service unit in Connecticut. 

Pat Collett 

Pat is a new face around the Wildlands office, but he is no stranger to our trails. Having grown up in Hanson, just down the road from the Indian Head River, Pat has been exploring natural areas across the South Shore for as long as he can remember. These experiences have shaped his passion for protecting the local environment. This fall, Pat will enter his junior year at the University of Maine, where he is studying environmental science. As a Seasonal Land Steward, Pat enjoys being outside every day, working with his hands to make environmental improvements that he can see and take pride in. In his free time, Pat enjoys fishing. 

Spring Open House Ends Our 50th Year in Sun & Style

On Saturday, June 8, Wildlands closed out our 50th anniversary year the same way we started it—in deep gratitude for the people who support our work. 

Our Spring Open House drew almost 150 friends and neighbors to our headquarters at Davis-Douglas Farm. Farm-to-table Brazilian food from Gnarly Vines Farm, local beer and kombucha from IndieFerm Brewing, live music by the Butch McCarthy and Bob Calderara Duo, guided hikes at Emery Preserve, and kids’ nature crafts were among the highlights of this public celebration of springtime in Southeastern Massachusetts, and of the conservation lands and leaders that make our region special.  

“It is always a special time when we can bring new and longtime members of the Wildlands community together,” said Programming Coordinator Max Phelps. “Our Open House was a big success, thanks in large part to our wonderful volunteers, who safely parked cars and led two hikes in Emery Preserve.” 

The event also featured 12 raffles featuring prizes generously donated by farms and retailers across the region. We debuted our grand prize of a Current Designs Solara 100 kayak, courtesy of Billingston Sea Kayak and the Friends of IndieFerm. Kayak raffle entries will be accepted until the drawing on August 9. All raffle proceeds directly support our restoration campaign at Willow Brook Farm. 

While most of the fun took place outside on this sunny spring day, inside the Conservation Barn lay our “50 Remarkable Years, 50 Remarkable People” photo gallery, featuring the faces and stories of some of the key contributors to our mission over the last half-century. Set apart from the rest of the honorees and adorned with flowers was the display of Malcolm MacGregor, our longtime “Trail Guy” who passed away last month. Visitors seized the opportunity to write their fond memories of Malcolm on a poster to be presented to his family. 

On behalf of the Wildlands community, thank you for making this celebration—and our entire 50th anniversary year—a moment we will never forget. We cannot wait for the next 50 years, turning your continued support into more of the places you love. 

Click through the gallery below for photos from our Spring Open House.

Conferences Send Wildlands Across State and Country

From left: Communications Coordinator Thomas Patti, Key Volunteer Skip Stuck, Land Protection Assistant Tess Goldmann, Membership & Digital Media Coordinator Kyla Isakson, and Programming Coordinator Max Phelps at the Wildlands table at the Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference in Amherst, MA.

In late March, Wildlands Trust staff and volunteers ventured far and wide to learn new and improved ways to advance our mission in Southeastern Massachusetts. Two conferences—one in Georgia and the other in western Mass—left our team inspired and empowered to elevate our service to the people and places of our region. Read on to learn more about both.

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Sustainable Trails Conference – Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia 

By Erik Boyer, Director of Field Operations 

From March 19 to 21, Stewardship Operations Manager Owen Grey, Stewardship Programs Manager Zoë Smiarowski, and I attended the Sustainable Trails Conference on Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia. Since a focus of this year’s conference was on building diverse trail communities, we thought it would be a great opportunity to learn from stewardship practitioners across the country and world about their past successes and failures as we ramp up our own community-building efforts here in Southeastern Massachusetts, including volunteer programming at the Stewardship Training Center. 

Several workshops left us with valuable insight to apply to our work moving forward. Jordan Sellers of the Blue Ridge Conservancy spoke about the benefits of surveying the plant and animal life along prospective trail corridors and incorporating the findings into subsequent trail design. This method seemed like a promising way to balance recreation and habitat values on conservation lands, always a priority at Wildlands. 

In another illuminating session, Stephen Kasacek and Michael Smith of the Outdoor Sport Institute presented a dynamic partnership working to build a trails culture in rural Maine. Raising awareness and resources for public outdoor recreation comes with unique challenges in rural communities, and their holistic approach offered some exciting solutions. 

Then, Peter Jensen of Peter S. Jensen & Associates, LLC shared a few creative renovation options for trails degraded by extreme overuse. For example, covering roots and rocks along the trail can both improve accessibility and reduce erosion caused by visitors moving around the obstacle. 

A final roundtable discussion explored opportunities to minimize conflicts on multiuse trails, such as those between hikers and mountain bikers. Improving visibility around tight turns, for instance, can help trail users spot and avoid potential collisions. On the other hand, tight turns can also serve to slow mountain bikers down, keeping bikers and pedestrians safe. 

All of these sessions, not to mention the many informal conversations we had with land stewards from around the world, left us with plenty to think about on our long trip back to Plymouth and still today. A key takeaway: as Wildlands extends its reach beyond our traditional coverage area and into more rural and urban communities, we must go outside of our comfort zone to engage new audiences in our work. After all, a trail system is only as effective as its host community is aware, enthusiastic, and invested in its success. We look forward to applying both the technical and social lessons of the conference to our mission of connecting more people with the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits of outdoor recreation. 

Director of Field Operations Erik Boyer and Stewardship Operations Manager Owen Grey at Slow Pour Brewing in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference – Amherst, Massachusetts 

Meanwhile, Wildlands staff members Max Phelps, Kyla Isakson, Tess Goldmann, and Thomas Patti, along with key volunteer Skip Stuck, ventured to Amherst, Massachusetts, for the annual Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference, hosted by the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition. The night before the conference, the Wildlands staff members joined the Early Career Conservation Network at MacLeish Field Station in Whately, where interdisciplinary artist Gina Siepel presented their project “To Understand a Tree” and field station manager Paul Wetzel gave a tour of the grounds, featuring an American chestnut tree orchard. 

At the conference itself, the Wildlands team learned about such diverse topics as planned giving, farmland protection tools, creating antiracist land trusts, and watershed-scale collaboration to advance climate resilience. We left no stone unturned! 

The highlight of the conference was the keynote address by Darren Ranco, PhD, a citizen of the Penobscot Nation, Professor of Anthropology, Chair of Native American Programs, and Faculty Fellow at the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine. Dr. Ranco’s presentation, “Centering Indigenous Peoples and Nations in Land Protection and Conservation: Wabanaki Possibilities,” explored his work with the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship. By moving at the speed of trust, Dr. Ranco said, land trusts and Indigenous people can restore their relationships with each other and with the lands they mutually cherish.  

All the while, we spread the word about our Stewardship Training Center among fellow conservationists from across the state at our Wildlands table. 

It was another great year at the Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference! We look forward to continuing to support and attend this important opportunity for the state land conservation community to exchange stories and ideas for the benefit of our shared missions. 

Upgrades at Willow Brook Farm: Support Our Work

Support us today so that Willow Brook Farm can continue to support us tomorrow.

For all that nature gives us—clean air and water, improved mental and physical health, diverse wildlife habitat, protection from heat waves and floods—it asks for little in return. When it does need our help, can it count on the Wildlands community? 

Few places anywhere pack the same wealth of cultural and natural resources into a suburban setting as Willow Brook Farm, a Wildlands Trust showcase preserve in Pembroke. Comprising 167 wild acres just 30 miles south of Boston, Willow Brook Farm epitomizes the globally rare ecological diversity of the Herring Brook Valley. Each year, over 20,000 people explore Willow Brook’s field, forest, and wetland habitats to learn about the human and natural communities that have come and gone from the region. 

“Willow Brook Farm is a special place,” said Wildlands President Karen Grey. “Whether you come here to walk your dog, go for a run, listen to the birds, or simply escape the stresses of daily life, Willow Brook has something for everyone.” 

After 27 years serving the people and wildlife of Southeastern Massachusetts, Willow Brook Farm needs upgrades to bolster its safety and value for future generations. Tasks include replacing Willow Brook’s 400 yards of boardwalk, building three covered picnic tables, expanding wayfinding amenities, restoring historic meadow habitat, and improving the parking lot. 

Unfortunately, improving public amenities in frequently flooded environments isn’t cheap: we estimate the restoration to cost $60,000. 

“For many years, Wildlands staff and volunteers have made repairs at Willow Brook in a piecemeal way,” said Stewardship Operations Manager Owen Grey. “We’re now at the point where proactively addressing the underlying issue—natural decay of aging infrastructure—will save us significant time and resources in the long run. It also gives us an opportunity to improve and expand Willow Brook’s built infrastructure to match its natural beauty.” 

Old cart path at Willow Brook Farm.

Historic field and boulders at Willow Brook Farm.

Historic path at Willow Brook Farm.

Boardwalk at Willow Brook Farm.

Grassy path at Willow Brook Farm.

Hardwood forest at Willow Brook Farm.

If you love Willow Brook Farm, we need your help! Wildlands Trust is seeking $20,000 in public donations to support this effort. An anonymous funder has agreed to a 2:1 match on every donation under $500 and a 1:1 match on all others, up to $40,000. That means you can triple your impact: a $50 donation will give us $150 to secure the future of this beloved preserve. 

“This campaign is an opportunity for the local and regional community to come together over a shared interest in nature,” President Karen Grey concluded. “When places like Willow Brook thrive, we all thrive. I hope you will consider supporting this work.” 

To donate, visit wildlandstrust.org/upgradewillowbrook. We also accept checks, stocks, and donor-advised funds. 

Multiply your impact by sharing this campaign with your friends, family, and neighbors! Sign up for our E-News and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates and opportunities to get involved as our work at Willow Brook Farm continues. 

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.