Green Team 2018: Two Teams, Twenty-Two Teens, Six Hundred Hours of Service

By Outreach and Education Manager, Rachel Calderara

Green Team 1 team members at the South Shore Natural Science Center

This July, Wildlands Trust hosted our fourth annual Green Team youth volunteer program. Each summer, we hire motivated local teens to tackle conservation projects like trail building, farming, carpentry and water sampling. Over three weeks, six hundred volunteer hours were logged as these teens took Plymouth County by storm.

During the first week, we work with Green Team 1, our younger group of crewmembers ages twelve to fourteen. With a full team of eleven crewmembers, this team completed four service projects over four days:

• Brush clearing around the historic stonewalls at the South Shore Natural Science Center (SSNSC)
• Building five bluebird boxes for our headquarters at Davis-Douglas Farm
• Pulling weeds, planting and harvesting at Bay End Farm
• Clearing brush, gardening and weeding at Davis-Douglas Farm

 In return for their hard work, the team experienced:

• A live turtle program at SSNSC
• A tick safety talk with Plymouth County Entomologist Educator, Blake Dinius
• A walk to active bluebird boxes at Myles Standish State Forest with Interpreter Dan Byrnes
• The opportunity to try a variety of organic foods, including raw garlic, straight from the soil at Bay End Farm
• A GPS scavenger hunt at Emery Preserve

Green Team II at Nelson Park

The next two weeks brought in eleven teens ages fifteen to eighteen for Green Team II, when we completed more intensive service projects. These included:

• Building a new trail connection off Clark Rd. in the 90 degree July heat, part of a larger project to connect trails across South Plymouth
• Picking up litter and ocean debris at Nelson Park
• Helping vendors set up at the Plymouth Farmers’ Market
• Water sampling on Round Pond with the Six Ponds Association
• Surveying habitat for deer browse at South Triangle Pond with Mass Wildlife Biologists
• Planting, raking, harvesting and weeding at Bay End Farm
• Clearing trails for bird nets and improved bird habitat at Manomet, Inc.’s bird banding lab

Green Team II also had the opportunity to engage in deeper discussion of environmental issues, organic agriculture, career exploration and more. For fun and education without the strenuous labor, the team experienced:

• A tick safety talk with Plymouth County Entomologist Educator, Blake Dinius
• A shellfish dig with the Plymouth Harbormaster at Nelson Park
• A tour and in-depth conversation about food production at Soule Homestead
• A hike at Great South Pond with Naturalist Jim Sweeney where the team captured and studied dragonflies and damselflies, as well as other interesting insects of note
• Our annual campout, where the team helps make dinner, sets up camp, goes on a night hike and bonds around the campfire

Green Team II crew members observe an insect with Naturalist Jim Sweeney at Great South Pond

We are so proud and impressed with everything the two teams were able to accomplish this summer. Each crew member displayed determination, curiosity, thoughtfulness and kindness to each other. We hope they are left wanting to learn and do more to help the environment and that they take the lessons they learned in Green Team with them into the future.

Interested in joining Green Team next year? Each crew member goes through a competitive application and interview process for a spot on the team and provide professional references. This was the first year both teams filled with the maximum eleven crew members and we expect the teams to fill again next year. Applications for Green Team 2019 will go online in March, so keep an eye on the e-news for the announcement next year!

Eagle Project Enhances Wildlands' Preserves

By Stewardship Manager, Erik Boyer

John Schelling, second from right, and the rest of Troop 1620 install one of four recently built benches.

Eagle Scout candidate, John Schelling from Plymouth Troop 1620, recently completed the construction and installation of four benches at South Triangle Preserve in Plymouth and the Gleason Family Preserve in Wareham for his Eagle Scout Service Project. Eagle Projects, a requirement to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout, provide a Scout with the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and planning skills by choosing a project that meets a needs of the community. Wildlands has worked with numerous Scouts over the years who have chosen to complete their Eagle Project with us. Past projects include: building water crossings, picnic tables, benches, new trails and mini kiosks.

One of the four benches recently built by Plymouth Troop 1620.

Two of the benches completed for John's project went to South Triangle, one was installed about a half mile into the trail system and the other overlooking Triangle Pond. At the Gleason Family Preserve, the remining two benches were installed at locations overlooking Mark’s Cove.

John has taken part in Wildlands' Green Team for the last two summers, including this summer, and has volunteered a number of times with us. We would like to thank John for both his hard work and the great leadership he exhibited throughout the project and wish him the best of luck in all of his future endeavors

Two Days, Twelve Hikers, Twenty-three Miles Trekked

By Outreach and Education Manager, Rachel Calderara

You may not think of long-distance hiking when you think of Southeastern Massachusetts, but here at Wildlands Trust we have a unique opportunity to showcase the potential for such an adventure. Two major factors make longer treks possible in our area: connectivity of protected lands across Plymouth County that weave a trail-studded landscape and “Trail Guy” Malcolm MacGregor who maps and hikes these long-distance routes. This year, Wildlands hosted our second annual “Big Ramble”, a two-part hike of 20+ miles. Last June, we traversed a 22-mile hike from the Plymouth Town Forest to Maple Springs Wildlife Management Area in Wareham. This year, Malcolm led us through 23 miles of trails in Plymouth from the top of the geographic Pine Hills to Abner Pond in the Myles Standish State Forest. 

Day One: Sunday, June 10, 2018

The Day One crew begins a series of steep hills in South Plymouth

On a beautiful spring day with temperatures peaking in the mid 60s, 11 hikers and three Wildlands Trust staff members set forth from the Cleft Rock parking area atop the geographic Pine Hills for a 12-mile trek to the Davis-Douglas Farm (DDF), Wildlands Trust's headquarters on Long Pond Rd. While it is “all downhill  from here” at the top of route 3A, we were in for a series of ups and downs as we got closer to DDF. First, we traversed the trails atop the Pine Hills, hitting the highest point in Plymouth and the second highest point on the eastern coastline. From there, we descended into the Town of Plymouth’s newly acquired “Tidmarsh West” conservation area off Beaver Dam Road, then across the road into Mass Audubon’s newest preserve, Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary. These two large tracts of land are important links for cross-town treks, not to mention one of the biggest ecological restoration projects in Massachusetts’ history.

From Tidmarsh, a quick jaunt through a subdivision brought us onto the trails at the Town of Plymouth’s Beaver Dam Conservation Area, a wooded preserve along the shores of Little Island and Great Island Ponds, and lead us to Old Sandwich Road. About 8 miles in at this point, the hills begin. Steep inclines and declines characterize the next 2-3 miles, bringing us to Ship Pond Road, over Route 3 and onto the trails of Wildlands Trust’s Emery Preserve. The last mile was leisurely as an exhausted group finally arrived at Davis-Douglas Farm and gave thanks for the perfect weather and company.

The Day One crew atop the geographic Pine Hills

Day Two: Sunday, June 17, 2018

Mother Nature was not so forgiving on this day, one of the last of spring and one of the first to break 80 degrees. A smaller group hit the trails this time, 5 hikers and 3 staff, for the final 11 miles starting at Davis-Douglas Farm and ending at Abner Pond at Camp Cachalot in Myles Standish State Forest. From DDF, the group started with an easy walk on some neighborhood roads to get to Halfway Pond Conservation Area, 400+ acres owned and managed by Wildlands Trust. Hiking up the trails at Gallows Pond, across Mast Road and halfway around Gramp’s Loop, a sudden left brought us into Myles Standish State Forest. From here on, we were immersed in true pine barrens, a plant community characterized by gnarly pitch pine and scrub oak that offered little shade for the next 7-8 miles.

The Day Two Crew finds relief in the bits of shade that White Pines provide

Hiking through a breathtaking landscape of historical significance, the group made their way south through the pine barrens, around pond shores, along open cutter fields and onto the Mass. Division of Fish and Game lands at Camp Cachalot. At the end of these hot, tiresome 11 miles, Malcolm was ready to turn around and hike back. The rest of us found relief in the air-conditioned environments of our cars as we drove off, tired but accomplished, looking forward to a summer of adventure on the trails.

The Day Two Crew at the end of 11 miles for the day and 23 miles overall. Trail Guy Malcolm MacGregor is on the far right.

Without Malcolm’s interest and expertise in trail mapping and navigation, and his willingness to lead these hikes for us at Wildlands, organizing the Big Ramble would be challenging at best. We are thankful for his unparalleled volunteerism with Wildlands Trust. Malcolm leads shorter hikes for Wildlands on a monthly basis, so check out our events page to join the Trail Guy on his next adventure!

Looking to join Wildlands on a long hike this year? Mark your calendars for October 13 when OkTRAILberfest returns for a day of hiking, music and festival fun at Davis-Douglas Farm. Tickets go on sale late summer at wildlandstrust.org!

Wildlands Brushes Up on Outdoor Safety

Wildlands staff and volunteers work through a staged medical emergency scenario during the wilderness first aid class.

Wildlands staff and program volunteers recently had the opportunity to learn basic CPR/first aid and wilderness first aid from Dan Badger of Badger Wilderness Guides, “an outdoor and experiential education and  support service.”[1] Badger, a former US Army Ranger, is a certified instructor for various medical and rescue programs and agencies.[2] 

The basic CPR/first aid class trained participants in emergency and non-emergency medical situations that may occur in any setting. Those who completed the basic CPR/first aid class were then eligible to attend the wilderness first aid class. Held over the course of two-days, participants worked together through hands-on training scenarios to prepare them to provide effective first aid treatments for injuries and illnesses common in the outdoors.

With summer fast approaching and outdoor programs like The Big Ramble and OkTRAILberfest coming up, our staff and volunteers are ready to lead events that are both enjoyable and safe for all attending.

For more information on our upcoming programs, visit: wildlandstrust.org/events

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[1] http://badgerwildernessguides.org/
[2] http://badgerwildernessguides.org/dan-badger/

Chainsaw School Comes to Wildlands

By Karen Grey

Land Stewardship Coordinator, Tommy Blanchard, working under the direction of chainsaw safety trainer, Bill Girard.

Chainsaws are high speed, fast cutting tools with the potential to cause serious injury and because of that, Wildlands enforces a strict policy for their use on our properties. All Wildlands staff using chainsaws must attain safety certification that requires participation in a 16-hour chainsaw training course. Under normal weather circumstances, Stewardship Director, Erik Boyer, and part-time Land Steward, Owen Grey, both certified chainsaw users, can keep up with Wildlands’ tree work; however, the March 2018 storms were anything but normal. By late March, with an estimated 150 trees needing to be cleaned up, our small Wildlands crew was overwhelmed with work.

“We conducted a rapid assessment of our highly visited properties so we could close down trails with unsafe trees,” said Boyer. “That’s all we could do. We knew we had months of work to do.”

But next time, we will be better prepared! Partnering with Mass Audubon, which was also feeling the pinch of too much tree work and not enough trained staff, we brought in Game of Logging Instructor, William Girard, to hold a 2-day training program at Davis-Douglas Farm. The result: 8 new certified chainsaw users from Mass Audubon and Wildlands Trust.