Welcome Aboard New CSP Coordinator, Conor Michaud!

This month, Wildlands Trust said goodbye to Community Stewardship Program Manager Ryan Krapp as he embarked on a cross-country move to Washington State. Luckily for us, Massachusetts native Conor Michaud moved back to the Bay State just in time to take over the Community Stewardship Program!

Conor Michaud, Wildlands Trust CSP Coordinator

Conor was born and raised on the South Shore. He spent his formative years working on water quality research and instructing microbiology out of a teaching laboratory in Cohasset, MA. After graduating with a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Conor found work with the Student Conservation Association in Alaska where he worked as crew leader, honing his trail design and restoration skills in Anchorage and the Denali backcountry.

After working for the SCA, Conor was contracted to work on the Google Trekker project as a GIS field technician in Philadelphia. Over the course of nine months, Conor worked to geolocate and photograph every trail system in Philadelphia for Google’s largest ever city Trekker project. Upon completion of this project, Conor moved back to his home state and started work for the Wildlands Trust as the Community Stewardship Program Coordinator. After working alongside Ryan for three weeks, Conor now takes over the CSP, using his trail design and construction experience as well as his GIS background to help communities develop healthy and sustainable trail systems in the ongoing effort of land conservation in southeastern MA.

Ryan will be sorely missed at Wildlands Trust and in the community at large, but we know that Conor will do a great job leading the Community Stewardship Program and we are glad to have him aboard! Make sure to say hi when you see Conor around the headquarters and out on the trails!

Closing Out the Fiscal Year in Style

The last two months of our fiscal year witnessed closings on a set of diverse projects in Duxbury, Bridgewater, Plymouth, and Marshfield.  Landscapes protected by these projects include salt marsh, river frontage, pond frontage, and a property that helps protect Marshfield’s water supply.

Nash Saltmarsh Donation, Duxbury

In May, Emily Nash Hunnewell donated three acres of salt marsh along the Bluefish River in Duxbury.  The property is part of a large expanse of salt marsh along the lower Bluefish River, which drains into Duxbury Bay., and sits just across the river from our 25-acre Captain David Cushman Jr. Preserve.

Salt marshes are some of the most productive ecosystems on earth, and among other attributes capture and slowly release storm surges, and provide habitat for a wide range of aquatic and avian species.

Emily made this donation in honor of her late parents John and Polly, who acquired the property in 1972.  Many thanks to Emily and her brother Tim for entrusting this property to our permanent stewardship. 

Taunton River WMA Expansion, Bridgewater

On June 12, we acquired 62 acres along the federally designated Wild and Scenic Taunton River in Bridgewater.

This new acquisition includes approximately one half-mile of river frontage, six potential vernal pools, and is partially within Natural Heritage Program-designated Bio Map 2 “Core Habitat” and “Critical Natural Landscape” areas.  It also enhances opportunities for establishing trail linkages, including a proposed Taunton River Trail. 

From a larger landscape perspective, the property directly abuts and is downstream from our adjacent Great River Preserve, which in turn is part of a larger Taunton River Wildlife Management Area.  Between the Mass. Department of Fish and Game and Wildlands Trust, this WMA now encompasses 488 acres on both sides of the river (ed. note—see below for an update on the WMA’s acreage).

The Taunton River Stewardship Council, established in conjunction with the river’s designation by Congress in 2009 as a National Wild and Scenic River, contributed $6000 to the project. 

We held this land for but a few weeks, transferring it to DFG on June 27.  Land trusts will occasionally “pre-acquire” properties for public agency partners in this manner.  We are pleased to partner with DFG on this project, and look forward to future collaborations along the Taunton River and its tributaries. 

Late breaking news:  on June 30, as we were going to press with this acquisitions update, our colleagues at DFG acquired an additional 81 acres on the upstream end of the Taunton River WMA!  This latest acquisition further expands the WMA, which now stands at 570 acres, and enhances the largest contiguous conservation reserve along the upper Taunton River.  

Halfway Pond Conservation Area Expansion, Plymouth

Thanks to the generosity of a private donor, we acquired a vital 10.2-acre parcel on Halfway Pond on June 16.  The subject property includes over 400 feet of frontage on the pond, is entirely wooded upland, and directly abuts and expands our Halfway Pond Conservation Area, which now encompasses most of the land around the pond’s western shore. 

The Halfway Pond Conservation Area is one of our oldest and most cherished protected landscapes, and in conjunction with the adjacent Myles Standish State Forest is part of a 19,000-acre greenbelt corridor—the largest such corridor in Southeastern Massachusetts. 

Furnace Brook Watershed CPA CR, Marshfield

As part of celebrating the Summer Solstice, on June 21 we completed a Conservation Restriction on a 7.7-acre parcel in west-central Marshfield, near the intersection of Furnace and Main Streets. 

The Town of Marshfield acquired the property earlier this year with a combination of Community Preservation Act and Drinking Water Supply Grant program funds.  Administered by the Commonwealth’s Department of Environmental Protection, the Drinking Water Supply grant program provides municipalities with funding for the preservation of properties that are significant for water supply and aquifer protection. 

It is difficult to envision a property that more closely aligns with the Drinking Water Supply Grant program’s priorities.  It is entirely within a Mass. DEP-designated Zone II Water Supply Protection Area, is situated approximately 600 feet from a Zone I Wellhead Protection Area, and is within a High-Yield Aquifer Area. 

The property also includes extensive frontage on Furnace Brook, is within Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program-designated rare species habitat, and joins with and expands the town’s 200-acre Furnace Brook Watershed Area, which in turn connects with the 800-acre Carolina Hill Reservation to create the largest contiguous open space assemblage in Marshfield. 

Kudos to Marshfield Open Space Chair Karen O’Donnell for her tireless efforts toward qualifying for the Drinking Water Supply Grant, and ensuring that the CR was completed well before the June 30 deadline. 

Dragonfly Species Sighting Sets New County Record!

Great River Preserve in Bridgewater has been the site of our Butterflies and Dragonflies walk for the past three years. Program leader Nick Block, Assistant Professor of Biology at Stonehill College, is not only excellent at spotting and catching dragonflies in an instant, but is a whiz at instant identification of insects, birds, amphibians, and more. Towards the end of our program on Sunday, June 25th, he spotted this Great Blue Skimmer, a new county record for Plymouth County! This southern species has likely found its way further north due to changing climate. 

Great Blue Skimmer on the Taunton River, Great River Preserve, Bridgewater

Other notable moments from the program included watching a female Monarch lay eggs on a trail-side milkweed, getting up close and personal with multiple dragonfly and damselfly species, and a Fowler's Toad spotting! 

A damselfly, caught in Nick Block's insect net, Great River Preserve, Bridgewater

Nick is a fantastic teacher - knowledgeable, friendly, skillful, and has been graciously willing to lead this program year after year. Even if you've never considered these creatures to be of specific interest to you, we recommend checking this program out next spring! 

Thanks, Nick! See you next year!

Long Distance Hiking in Plymouth? You bet...

By Director of Land Protection, Scott MacFaden

Over the past two Sundays, we had the privilege of embarking upon a series of hikes we have come to call the ‘Big Ramble”.  Led by the “Trail Guy” and ace navigator Malcolm MacGregor, we (a group of eleven on June 4, and a group of ten on June 11) covered just about 20 miles in all, traversing through a wide range of landscapes that reinforced how much our region has to offer to the ambitious hiker.   

Malcolm and his band of stalwart hikers, including some folks affiliated with the Friends of Myles Standish, have been exploring the wilds of our local state forest and many other places in and around Plymouth for years.  More recently, they have graciously chosen to share their specialized landscape knowledge with Wildlands Trust. 

For most of our history, Wildlands has sponsored what might be more accurately termed walks than hikes—leisurely paced outings that typically cover no more than four miles.  While these walks appeal to many of our members and will always remain an integral part of our programming offerings, a land acquisition we closed on last December inspired us to consider sponsoring more ambitious outings.

The land acquisition in question was the 275-acre Luigi and Teotista Cortelli Preserve on Great South Pond in Plymouth.  Donated by Gerald and Maureen Sheehan, this outstanding property includes multiple rare species habitats, extensive frontage on Great South Pond, and an intriguing landscape connection:  it directly abuts the Plymouth Town Forest to the north and Myles Standish State Forest to the south. 

Poring over maps with Malcolm, it became apparent to us that our new preserve was the missing link in the most expansive corridor of contiguous open space in southeastern Massachusetts: an almost 19,000-acre greenbelt, ranging from the Plymouth Town Forest through Myles Standish and southerly to the Mass. Division of Fish and Game’s recently established Maple Springs Wildlife Management Area in Wareham. 

With this exciting realization in mind, we thought it an opportune time to formally sponsor lengthier, more ambitious and demanding hikes like the Big Ramble. 

As the accompanying photos attest, we encountered many interesting features along the Ramble route, including the sweeping vistas afforded by Pinnacle Hill (the highest location in all of Plymouth outside of the geographic Pine Hills), and the famed “Frogfoot” Reservoir. 

Traversing through the interior of Myles Standish State Forest was a particular pleasure.  The Forest holds many attractions that elude the typical visitor, including the striking landscape of Cherry Pond Valley (the namesake pond is the headwaters of the Wankinco River).   The valley is a steep-sided landscape with comparatively few trees that likely owes its appearance to a forest fire at some point in the relatively recent past.  Most of the state forest’s terrain is comprised of so-called Pine Barrens, a woodland type dominated by Pitch Pine and Scrub Oak and adapted to frequent fires. 

For those who want to undertake their own version of the Big Ramble:  unless you are adept at off-trail navigation and route finding, you’ll have to be patient.  Much of the Big Ramble’s route took us over terrain that doesn’t presently include marked and/or easily followed trails.   Our longer-term vision is to collaborate with the landowners along the Big Ramble route, most particularly DCR, DFG, and the Town of Plymouth, to formalize the routes that Malcolm and his merry band of hikers know so well.  While we don’t yet have a specific timetable for implementing this vision, we are enthused about the possibilities for expanding the range of hiking opportunities in our extended backyard.   

In the interim, we are planning more ambitious guided hikes—so stay tuned! 

Malcolm introduces us to Pinnacle Hill (Part I)

Outlook toward Great South Pond (Part I)

Cherry Pond - the headwaters of the Wankinco River (Part I)

Cherry Pond Valley (Part I)

A leisurely lunch in the shadows of the cathedral pines (Part I)

Traversing through open woodland (Part II)

The Part II Crew (minus Scott) at Frogfoot Reservoir

"The Rhododendron Not Taken" (apologie to Mr. Frost)

A respite at the picnic grounds on Maple Springs Reservoir (Part II)

Welcome 2017 Seasonal Staff

We would like to welcome the 2017 seasonal staff on board for the summer! Each summer, Wildlands Trust hires seasonal employees to help out with the stewardship of our properties, administrative tasks, education, events, and more. The seasonal staff members are often college students who are home for the summer, and many have been or will be involved with Wildlands year after year. We’re excited to have these four fantastic employees here this year!

From the Left: Hugh Grey, Maura Coughlin, Ryan Duty, and Hunter Wiese

Maura Coughlin is a rising sophomore at Simmons College studying Nursing and French. She’s passionate about her studies but also shows her love for the environment through spending time outdoors hiking, swimming, and slack-lining. Maura was a Green Team member last summer. Now in college, she returns as the Education and Stewardship Assistant at Wildlands Trust, helping out with Green Team and more!

Ryan Duty joins us for his second summer as a Seasonal Land Steward, helping Property Manager Erik Boyer out with stewardship projects at various Wildlands Trust properties. A rising sophomore at UMass Amherst, Ryan studies Clinical Psychology. He loves working outdoors, exploring new places and meeting new people!

This is Hugh Grey’s first summer working for Wildlands Trust as a Seasonal Land Steward. Hugh is going into his sophomore year at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont majoring in Environmental Studies and Music. He has spent all of his life outdoors whether it be skiing, hiking, sailing or playing football. Hugh is looking forward to the rest of the summer and fun projects to come!

Hunter Wiese is a rising sophomore at the University of California Berkeley studying Physics. He’s been volunteering and working for the Wildlands Trust since his sophomore year in high school, taking part in 2015 Summer Green Team and other projects. This summer Hunter is helping to create and organize Wildlands Trust's new online database before heading back to California.