New Trail Configuration at Pudding Hill

By Stewardship Manager Erik Boyer

Mike Arsenault assists stewardship staff with raking debris from the trail.

This past September, with the help of nine Adopt-a-Preserve (AAP) volunteers, a new .4-mile trail was created at Pudding Hill Reservation in Marshfield. This project was the vision of AAP volunteer Dodie Frank who has been a steward at Pudding Hill for the past two years.

I met Dodie out at the preserve on a muggy, July morning to bushwhack and flag a new trail from the neighborhood trail entrance off Old Ocean Street to a dead-end trail on the west side of the property.  We chose a route that consisted of rolling hills, old stone walls and thick stands of white pine saplings.  This new connector turns the .5-mile cross-shaped trail into a 1.1-mile loop with varied topography. Over the course of three days in September, we cut through thick brush, established a rough trail tread, and then regraded sections of the trail to make for easier hiking. We then blazed the path and ensured it was ready for the first guided hike held at the property in mid-October.

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Now, thanks to the hard work of many, a visit to Pudding Hill provides for a challenging, wooded, 30-minute hike on the north side of the property and a leisurely, short stroll through a meadow to an overlook spot on Chandlers Pond. I would like to give a special shout out to Dodie for her efforts and to Mike Arsenault, Stephen Connolly, Rob MacDonald, Janine Anderson, Bill Vickstrom, Roger Janson, Marilynn Atterbury and Kevin Walsh for helping out.

Reaching Higher for Environmental Justice

Members of Wildlands Trust are well aware of our commitment to the city of Brockton, where we have worked for over a decade. During these years, Wildlands has dedicated staff and funding to protect and restore 250 acres of much needed open space. But that is just the beginning. We have coached over 125 Brockton High School students through the Massachusetts Envirothon competition, introducing kids to environmental issues and potential career opportunities before they head off to college. We manage community outreach for the city’s urban tree planting program (Greening the Gateway Cities), aimed at lowering energy costs by creating tree canopy to reduce temperatures and provide direct shading. Through our Green Team program, we provide Brockton youth with paid service-learning positions on natural resource projects where they work alongside our staff. We convene and advise neighborhood park groups, church groups and community garden promoters who want to take more initiative to further environmental progress in the city. Currently, we are working on the restoration of the iconic Flagg Pond on the Brockton High School grounds, a project that will engage high school students and their teachers as our partners. 

Serving this environmental justice community is some of our most meaningful work at Wildlands and we have plans to do much more.  As a society, we all need to be reaching higher to help communities like Brockton, and the land trusts spread across the United States are not released from this imperative. Land trusts like Wildlands need to look beyond our habit of tallying up acres and reporting on our completed deals because these measurements fall short in a changing America. Both are the measures of a bygone era and although we will probably always apply them to gauge our success on some level, our communities are desperate for more than simply an acre count. 

Essentially, land trusts are civic organizations and as such, are well-positioned to build authentic and effective partnerships that reflect the diversity and demographics of those communities that need us most, like Brockton. For the past several years, Wildlands has been part of a cohort brought together by the Island Foundation to work with environmental justice expert, Angela Parks, to learn how to embed diversity, equity and inclusion principles into our guiding documents and programmatic work. Wildlands still has a long way to go, but our clear commitment is a starting point. 

Thank you to all of our supporters for making this work possible.

Karen Grey
President

Wildlands Trust Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Wildlands Trust is committed to protecting land and providing access to nature for the people of our region, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We will approach our work with complete respect for the cultures and perspectives of the communities we serve as we endeavor to connect and inspire all people to care about nature and the future of our planet.

Wildlands Honors Doug Hart with Appointment as Chair Emeritus

By President & Executive Director, Karen Grey

Nonprofits rely on volunteer board members who donate time and expertise to help advance mission based work. It’s hard work, but with a talented, dedicated group, and an effective board leader, it can be extremely rewarding and meaningful for all involved. As the highest governing position in the organization, a board chair, with the right skills and experience, can set the stage for a successful and highly functioning organization.

Doug Hart has served with distinction as Wildlands Trust’s chairman of the board since 2007. Always leading with personal integrity and intelligence, Doug earned the confidence and respect of the board and staff early on in his tenure. His thoughtful approach, dedication, and ability to show all involved how to “do the right thing, not the easy thing,” inspired this most recent chapter of Wildlands’ journey. Under Doug’s leadership, the journey has led to a new home at Davis-Douglas Farm, endowment growth of 400%, unprecedented membership and donor growth, doubling of the staff, and 6,000 new acres of protected land in Southeastern Massachusetts.

When Doug ran a meeting, everyone had a voice, everyone was respected, and you could count on being out the door by 9:00 p.m. When I called him on the phone for advice (which was frequently), he offered his insights and guidance without ever telling me what to do. He would listen to me carefully and then say “You know, why don’t you try this…”

I thank Doug Hart from the bottom of my heart for all he has done for Wildlands Trust and for what he has taught me over the last 12 years. I am honored to call him the best boss I’ve ever had and we are all proud to call him our Chair Emeritus.

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On Saturday, November 2, 2019, we honored Doug at Wildlands’ annual Chairman’s Council Supper. Thank you to all those who attended for making this year’s gathering extra special for us and for Doug.

Browse the photos below to see the lands Wildlands has protected under Doug’s leadership:

Wildlands' Commitment to Green Infrastructure

By Community Stewardship Program Coordinator, Conor Michaud

Massachusetts is the 15th most populated state in the nation and as growth trends continue, the communities within the Commonwealth face increasing environmental concerns, intensified by the burgeoning state. Climate change has recently catalyzed some of the most creative solutions to population growth and fading grey infrastructure. As Massachusetts grows, particularly in the Boston metro area, concerns around stormwater runoff, rising temperatures, and compromised air quality in urban landscapes will need to be addressed through innovation and community commitment.

For nearly half a century, Wildlands has been helping to stave off the local effects of climate change through the implementation and conservation of green infrastructure (GI). The Environmental Protection Agency defines GI as “…a cost-effective, resilient approach to managing wet weather impacts that provides many community benefits…green infrastructure reduces and treats stormwater at its source while delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits.”[1] GI is not a new idea but it has become an essential lens in which urban redevelopment is viewed.

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A basic rain garden schematic. (Source: https://www.natureworkseverywhere.org/)

Using the GI lens, impermeable surfaces are redesigned to allow for water passage and stormwater filtration. Street trees and rain gardens are some examples of nature-inspired adaptations which not only facilitate storm water management but help to purify the air, cool our cities, and benefit urban agriculture, all while playing an important role in the mental and physical health of city residents.

Conservation of open space is one of the most significant types of GI. Land conservation in proximity to urban areas greatly reduces localized climate effects while providing city residents with essential exposure to the natural world. Since 1973 Wildland has been working to protect Massachusetts’ natural spaces and promote open space as an opportunity to connect with nature. Helping to sustain the health of Southeastern Massachusetts has long been Wildlands’ mission and within the last ten years, Wildlands has been able to bring its expertise to the city of Brockton.

Wildlands acquired the Brockton Audubon Preserve in 2012 and began working with the city to reestablish the adjacent Stone Farm Conservation Area over the last two years. Together, these preserves comprise over 200 acres of protected woodland and wetland habitat, which help to regulate temperatures in surrounding neighborhoods, filter stormwater runoff, and sequester carbon. All of this occurring only 3 miles from the city center.

Like other Gateway Cities, Brockton is in the midst of redeveloping a formerly robust urban landscape to promote economic growth while creating a safe and attractive home for its residents. A city’s vitality, especially in consideration of a growing population, is now critically linked to GI. In an urban landscape where there is often limited space, making land conservation near impossible, other solutions must be thought of.

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(Above) Street trees being planted as part of GGCP. By 2020, thousands of newly planted trees will line the streets and fill the yards of Brockton residents.

Over the last two years Wildlands has partnered with Brockton and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to increase the urban tree canopy through the Greening the Gateway Cities Program (GGCP). Through this free tree program the partnership will help to decrease the heating and cooling demand on residential properties while raising the real-estate value within these neighborhoods. Numerous other cities across the nation have implemented similar tree programs to effectively reduce the impacts of climate change while empowering their communities through increased property values and the natural beautification of trees.

The GI revolution affects society in a number of ways aside from the environmental and health benefits. The economic impact goes beyond saving on energy costs; the widespread implementation of GI is now beginning to have an effect on the local workforce and the future of the job market. With an increase in the urban tree canopy comes an increased demand for skilled labor and urban foresters. Investing in GI will require an investment in the green technology workforce and the citizens who inhabit these rapidly redeveloping cities. Organizations are already beginning to see this trend and are developing training and internship programs to provide new skills for those interested in joining the field.

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MACEC), for example, helps match aspiring clean energy employees with green technology companies within the Commonwealth. Organizations like MACEC are helping to keep the Massachusetts workforce in place by providing potential employees with an opportunity to expand their skill set while working for a cause that will sustain their community. While green job training and environmental education is becoming more prevalent there are some organizations taking the green technology and GI workforce one step further.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is pushing the boundary on innovation and commitment to a sustainable future with the development of the Sustainability Accelerator. The accelerator is designed to fast track green innovations by providing a space for incubation and connecting entrepreneurs with potential funding sources.  Efforts to sustain the GI and green technology revolution are essential to preserving our cities and providing a home for future generations. Equally important, is working with the communities most impacted by climate change to discuss and implement GI and discover opportunities for career advancement and workplace innovation.

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Brockton Envirothon team members met with Brockton State Reps. Claire Cronin and Gerry Cassady and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo on May 6, 2019 after Joyce Voorhis (bottom row, middle) received the Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education.

While groups like TNC and MACEC are working directly with the work force, Wildlands is taking a different approach to the redesign of our urban landscapes, focusing on environmental education and public exposure to natural spaces. The long established partnership with Brockton High School has allowed Wildlands to aid in student’s education and demonstrate the possibilities for environmental and community based work through Envirothon. Community outreach in the Greening the Gateway Cities Program goes beyond helping put trees in the ground; weekly one-on-one canvassing interactions with Brockton residents are opportunities to discuss the importance of GI and ask each resident to take a step forward in helping to protect their environment.

The goal of developing healthy and environmentally conscious communities across Massachusetts is not lofty. Wildlands realizes that these efforts must start from the ground up through land conservation, community outreach, and environmental education. The commitment to the protection of open space in perpetuity is a commitment to the communities within these spaces and a commitment to help build a more healthy and equitable planet.

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[1] https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/what-green-infrastructure.