Trust Expands Kingston Preserve with New Acquisition

Courtesy of the Frey family, Wildlands Trust’s Indian Hill Preserve in Kingston has almost doubled in size. On April 21, 2017, Daune and Bill Frey donated a 4.6-acre parcel off of Indian Pond Road in south Kingston. 

The donated parcel consists of scenic upland woods with steep slopes, is within multiple areas identified as important wildlife habitat by the Commonwealth’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, and is also significant for water supply protection.  It is located within a Zone II Wellhead Protection Area, and helps protect the Plymouth-Carver sole source aquifer, a vital regional resource that provides drinking water for thousands of area residents. 

The donation expands and complements the adjacent Indian Hill Preserve, donated by Mary Hathaway in 2003. 

Thank you to the Freys for their generous donation! 

Massasoit Students Canvas for Brockton Audubon

On a beautiful Monday afternoon in April, Massasoit Community College Honor Students led by professor Susan Martelli met up with Wildlands Trust staff, Erik Boyer and Ryan Krapp, to canvas the neighborhoods surrounding the new and improved trail system at Brockton Audubon Preserve. 

Massasoit students, professor Susan Martelli, and Wildlands Trust Property Manager Erik Boyer at the 20 ft. boulder, or "glacial erratic", at Brockton Audubon Preserve. 

The goal of the day was to hand out over 100 invitations to come enjoy the new trails located in the backyards of Brockton residents. There are now over 1.5-miles of trails with two new boardwalks, a large kiosk at the Pleasant St. parking lot, and five interpretive trail-side signs along the way. If you haven’t been to Brockton Audubon Preserve in a while you better stop by to check it out! Get the map here http://wildlandstrust.org/trail-brockton.

Thanks Massasoit Community College honor students for your volunteerism and enthusiasm for the work we're doing in Brockton!

One of the new boardwalk trails at Brockton Audubon Preserve.

Plymouth Town Meeting Approves Two Open Space Acquisitions

At this past Saturday’s Spring Annual Town Meeting, Plymouth Town Meeting members approved two open space acquisitions funded entirely or in part by Community Preservation Act funds. 

Both of these acquisitions help protect one of Plymouth’s most vital natural resources, the Plymouth-Carver Sole Source Aquifer.  The pollution-sensitive aquifer encompasses 199 square miles, and in addition to Plymouth serves seven other communities with drinking water. 

One project will protect 43 acres of diverse upland, wetland, and riparian habitat along the Eel River in Chiltonville.  This property is closely proximate to two Wildlands Trust preserves, including the 58-acre Eel River Fields property, and is one of the largest remaining unprotected parcels along the lower Eel River corridor.  It includes rare species habitat and 1,300 feet of river frontage. 

The Town has qualified for Commonwealth of Massachusetts “LAND” Grant Program funding that will help defray the cost of acquiring the property.  The LAND Grant Program provides partial funding for open space acquisition projects to qualifying municipalities, and allows them to make more efficient use of local resources, particularly Community Preservation Act funds.   

The second project will protect 10.2 acres of wooded upland near the terminus of Russell Mills Road.  This property connects with town-owned parcels directly abutting to the west and east, thereby creating an expanded area of contiguous open space.

In keeping with our longstanding partnership with the Town, and to ensure compliance with Community Preservation Act requirements, Wildlands Trust will hold permanent Conservation Restrictions on both properties. 

These projects are the latest in a long series of open space acquisitions enabled by the Community Preservation Act in Plymouth, and provide further affirmation of how the CPA continues to benefit town residents.  Congratulations to the Community Preservation Committee and the Town’s Environmental Management staff for advancing these outstanding land preservation projects! 

Wildlands Trailrunners

You may have noticed a ragtag pack of fleet footed harriers on Saturday mornings on Morgan Rd. and various locations around Halfway Pond.  Last October Wildlands Trust started hosting monthly trail runs from Douglas-Davis Farm in an effort to connect with the local running community.  These runs, which started smaller in the first few months, are now drawing over twenty runners, even during some of the rougher stretches of weather that we had this past February.  

Erik Boyer, Wildlands Trust Property Manager, leads trail runs at Halfway Pond every month.

The group is mostly made up of runners from Mayflower Runners, a running club based out of Plymouth, and Running Around Plymouth, a Facebook page devoted to providing runners an outlet to connect with others in the local running community.  On any given month, we have groups of runners that span across a range of skill ability levels joining us.  Our typical 6 mile route traverses the Halfway Pond loop, which utilizes parts of our Halfway Pond Conservation Area and Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife trails, but there is also a 3 mile option available.

Trailrunners gather at Davis-Douglas Farm on a chilly Saturday morning in January.

"It’s been great to see friendships develop every week and familiar faces each run," says Erik Boyer, the Wildlands Trust Property Manager who leads these monthly trail runs. As we approach the beginning of spring and some more welcoming weather, it’s a good time to lace up those shoes and get out of the trails! Trail runs and other outdoor programs are posted regularly on our events page.

If you’re ever around Douglas-Davis Farm during the week feel free to stop in and learn about some of the nearby trails that you can access right from our office.  We hope to be starting a weeknight run with warmer weather and more daylight this spring so stay tuned!

Summer Green Team 2017

We’re looking for middle and high school aged students to apply for Green Team this summer. Green Team Crewmembers get a summer experience like no other! This fun, hands-on, interactive opportunity offers a wide variety of activities that will help students to better understand conservation and agricultural lands, wildlife, and water resources. Have fun outdoors this summer while acquiring new skills and knowledge!

Green Team 2015 Crewmembers learn about shell fish propagation in Plymouth Harbor

Students ages 12 – 14 are welcome to apply to Green Team I, scheduled for July 11 – 13, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:00 am – 1:30 pm. Green Team I will focus on trail maintenance, organic agriculture, and wildlife conservation. Crewmembers will be trained to safely use and handle hand tools to complete projects. A certificate is earned upon completion.

Students ages 15 – 18 are welcome to apply to Green Team II, scheduled for July 18 – 27, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. Green Team II will focus on trail building and maintenance, carpentry, organic agriculture, wildlife conservation, water quality monitoring, and even camping skills. Crewmembers will be trained to safely use and handle hand tools and certain power tools to complete projects. Green Team II is complete with an overnight campout to practice essential camping skills, experience a night hike, and more! A certificate and small stipend are earned upon completion.

Green Team 2016 Crewmembers after a day of harvesting a processing garlic at Bay End Farm

Come talk to us about Green Team at the upcoming Healthy Plymouth Fairs:                                       Plymouth North High School - March 2, 2017, 2:00 - 4:00 pm                                                         Plymouth South High School - March 14, 2017, 2:00 - 4:00 pm http://www.healthyplymouth.org/youth-engagement/healthy-plymouth-opportunities-program

Find out more about Green Team and apply: