2024 Wildlands Highlights: A Year to Remember

Staff holiday hike at Stewart/Person Preserve in Kingston. From left: Tess Goldmann, Amy Burt, Zoë Smiarowski, Russell Keirstead, and Paul Gallerani.

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

As a small, ambitious organization with a big, never-ending job, we at Wildlands Trust often forget to pause and reflect on our progress and accomplishments. The online support of the Wildlands community offers a welcome reminder of the far-reaching impact of our work. Your engagement with our website and social media accounts proved that 2024 was a year to remember at Wildlands. Read on to revisit the stories that excited, inspired, and informed you this year.

On behalf of all of us at Wildlands, thank you for another great year of protecting, stewarding, and connecting the lands and waters that sustain our local and regional communities. Whether you donated, volunteered, or simply liked and shared our posts, we couldn’t do it without you.

Top news articles of 2024

The following Wildlands news articles received the most views this year. To receive stories like these directly in your inbox, sign up for our monthly E-News here.

1. Partnership Creates Public Preserve in Bridgewater 

Photo by Jerry Monkman.

Read the article here.  

In October, a public ceremony marked the opening of Wyman North Fork Conservation Area in Bridgewater, 96 acres of permanently protected land with over a half-mile of frontage on the Taunton River. The assemblage may be new, but its constituent parts—Wildlands’ North Fork Preserve and the Town of Bridgewater’s Wyman Meadow Conservation Area—have long, intertwining histories. Read more about the creative partnership that made the project possible, 25 years after the land’s protection. 

2. Human History of Wildlands: Shifting Lots Preserve 

Photo courtesy of Roger Janson, via Friends of Ellisville Marsh.

Read the article here. 

In February, Wildlands Key Volunteer Skip Stuck delivered the first entry in an ongoing series called “Human History of Wildlands,” in which we recount the rich and varied cultural pasts of Wildlands’ most cherished preserves. In his fascinating debut article, Skip traces the history of Shifting Lots Preserve in Plymouth, from its Indigenous legacy and agricultural heritage to its modern-day protection and restoration. 

"Human History of Wildlands” has continued with great success, including captivating histories of Great Neck Conservation Area in Wareham; Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke; Stewart/Person Preserve in Kingston; Tucker Preserve and the Indian Head River Trail in Pembroke, Hanson, and Hanover; Crystal Spring Preserve in Plainville; and Halfway Pond Conservation Area in Plymouth. Read them all here. 

3. Wildlands Bids Farewell to Erik Boyer, Max Phelps 

Read the article here. 

As in any ecosystem, change is constant at Wildlands. This summer, two staff departures left big hiking boots to fill in our regional conservation community: Director of Stewardship Erik Boyer and Programming Coordinator Max Phelps. Read more about both of their impactful careers at Wildlands. 

We also welcomed new bright minds and friendly faces to our team. Amy Burt started as our new Programming Coordinator in August. Two Land Stewards are joining us in the new year. Stay tuned! 

4. Remembering Malcolm MacGregor 

Photo by Drew Lederman.

Read the article here. 

Wildlands said goodbye this year to our dear friend and colleague, “Trail Guy” Malcolm MacGregor, who died in May at 81 years old. We are still grieving his loss and fondly remembering his warm presence, impactful work, and legendary hikes. Revisit our tribute to Malcolm in the article above. 

5. Wildlands Raises Over $71,000 for Willow Brook Farm 

Photo by Rob MacDonald.

Read the article here. 

In September, we shared the uplifting news that Wildlands raised nearly $72,000 in public donations to upgrade Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke, far surpassing our campaign goal. Our preserve improvement project, which includes replacing and repairing boardwalks, removing invasive plants, repairing the parking lot, improving trail signage, and building covered picnic tables, is well underway, so stay tuned for updates! Thank you to all who helped make 2024 the year we secured the future of this beloved natural sanctuary. 

6. Hartwell Family Preserve Donated in Pembroke 

Read the article here. 

In 2024, we celebrated the addition of the Hartwell Family Preserve to Wildlands’ ever-growing land portfolio. We extend our deep gratitude to Belle and Michael Barnes, who donated this 7.9-acre Pembroke woodland to Wildlands Trust in honor of Belle’s mother, Thelma Hartwell. Read more about the outsized ecological significance of our new preserve. 

Top social posts of 2024

The Wildlands community showed its support on social media, as well, resulting in nearly 1,000 new followers this year across Facebook and Instagram (@wildlandstrust). The most liked, commented, and shared posts of 2024 reflect the projects and updates that resonated with you this year. Click on the images below to view the full posts.

Rachel Bruce appointed to MLTC board

Willow Brook Farm planter box fundraiser

CZM grant in Plymouth, Duxbury, Kingston Bay

50 Remarkable Years, 50 Remarkable People

Willow Brook Farm volunteers

2024 Spring Open House

VolunTuesdays

D.W. Field Park Master Plan completed

Wildlands Maps on Avenza App

Give a Hoot About the Park - D.W. Field Park, Brockton

D.W. Field Park in Brockton Expands by 30 Acres

On to 2025! Thank you for your continued support as we work to protect more of the places you love.

Partnership Creates Public Preserve in Bridgewater

Wyman Meadow Conservation Area (foreground) and North Fork Preserve (background) in Bridgewater. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Nearly a quarter-century after its acquisition by Wildlands Trust, North Fork Preserve has a trail system for Bridgewater and surrounding community members to enjoy. Its long journey to public access exemplifies the patience and partnerships often required to make nature preserves possible. 

On October 5, about 30 people joined Wildlands Trust and the Town of Bridgewater for an opening ceremony and hike at Wyman North Fork Conservation Area, 96 acres of permanently protected land with over a half-mile of frontage on the Taunton River. The assemblage may be new, but its constituent parts—Wildlands’ North Fork Preserve and the Town’s Wyman Meadow Conservation Area—have long, intertwining histories. 

Located off the southeast end of Plymouth Street, Wyman Meadow Conservation Area features 55 acres of grassland, woodland, and wetland habitat on the bank of the Taunton River, less than two miles downstream from its headwaters. From 1954 to 1987, the parcel was part of the Wyman dairy farm. It was then used for beef cattle and hay until 1999, when the Town of Bridgewater purchased the property with a Massachusetts self-help grant. Thirty-five acres were designated as a “parkland” for outdoor recreation, while the remaining 20 were allocated for water resources protection. 

Above: Opening ceremony and hike at Wyman North Fork Conservation Area on October 5, 2024. Photos by key volunteer Rob MacDonald.

For the next 22 years, inadequate Town staffing and funds impeded the property’s management for public access. As community awareness waned, invasive plants encroached on the meadow unchecked, diminishing its habitat value. In 2017, an evaluation of Bridgewater’s six parklands by a Bridgewater State University graduate student identified Wyman Meadow as the lowest priority for improvement. 

Meanwhile, abutting Wyman Meadow to the east was North Fork Preserve, which Wildlands Trust purchased in 2001 with support from the Sheehan Family Foundation. On the southern edge of the 41-acre woodland, a high bluff provides scenic views up and down the Taunton River corridor. But for the first two decades of North Fork’s existence, few were afforded these views. Wildlands managed the preserve as Forever Wild—that is, without trails—due to limited public access; separating North Fork from Plymouth Street was none other than the long-neglected Wyman Meadow Conservation Area. 

The Taunton River at Wyman North Fork Conservation Area in Bridgewater. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

Where others saw a lost cause in Wyman Meadow, Bridgewater Open Space Committee Chair Eileen Hiney saw a problem to be solved. After reading the 2017 parklands report and discovering the location of North Fork Preserve, Hiney imagined a new way forward. In 2021, after meeting with Wildlands’ Scott MacFaden and Erik Boyer about a separate land protection project in Bridgewater, Hiney invited them to visit Wyman Meadow. There, spreading preserve designs and management plans from the Conway School of Landscape Design across the hood of their car, Hiney said, “Well, geez, here’s this town property that’s not being used at all. We’ve got a road and land that’s accessible. Isn’t there some way we could work together on this to combine the advantages of these two properties?” 

The idea was simple: Wildlands would build and maintain a trail through Wyman Meadow and into North Fork. In return, the Town of Bridgewater would install a trailhead parking lot and continue to maintain the entrance road off Plymouth Street. 

Wildlands staff and volunteers installed bog boards along the new trail at Wyman North Fork Conservation Area. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

“The project was a no-brainer,” Hiney said. “It fulfills a 20-year promise by the Town to manage the land for its true purpose—enjoyment by the townspeople.” 

Stewardship staff and volunteers from Wildlands got right to work, building and blazing a one-mile trail loop that leads visitors to the most rewarding features of both preserves: Wyman Meadow’s ethereal grassland teeming with native plants, birds, and pollinators, and North Fork’s diverse woodlands, trickling streams, and stunning river views.  

“The Bridgewater Open Space Committee couldn’t have accomplished this without Wildlands Trust,” Hiney said. “Town resources are limited, and Wildlands was able to supplement our needs with volunteers, supplies, outreach, and education.” 

Wyman Meadow Conservation Area in Bridgewater. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

Hiney also noted that these creative partnerships, in which nonprofit staff and volunteers maintain municipal conservation areas, help Bridgewater and other towns save their limited funds to acquire new lands when opportunities arise. 

Improvements continue at Wyman North Fork Conservation Area, including discussions between the Town of Bridgewater and Wildlands Trust about new signage and expanded trails. But for now, the revival and reimagining of this ecological haven—25 years in the making—is reason enough to celebrate. After all, these projects don’t happen every day. 

Wildlands' Brockton Work in the News

Brockton Green Team helped build an outdoor classroom at the George School in 2023.

In the past month, two high-profile publications have cast a spotlight on Wildlands Trust’s longstanding, ongoing work in Brockton. In a local and national news cycle laden with despair, these stories offer reason for hope. We are grateful for our members, donors, volunteers, and partners, who make all of our work possible.

From the Ground Up: “Conservation For All”

Published earlier this month, Issue 5 of From the Ground Up features an interview with Wildlands President Karen Grey by Marissa Latshaw. In the piece, Grey recounts the history of Wildlands’ involvement in Brockton, from a tattered manila folder labeled “Brockton Audubon” in 2006 to our extensive work in 2024 and beyond to engage, educate, and empower Brockton youth.

“The time has come for land trusts to be more creative and thoughtful about how we serve and whom we serve,” Grey said.

> Read the interview here.

From the Ground Up is a free quarterly magazine that encourages conversations about conservation, climate, and communities in New England. Published by our friends at Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities, From the Ground Up shares stories and ideas that can lead to transformative, healing actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change, preserve and restore habitat essential to the survival of wild, native species, and bring about environmental justice and well-being for all.

The Enterprise: “$30M makeover pitched for D.W. Field Park”

D.W. Field Park. Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise.

In an article published on November 29, reporter Chris Helms of The Brockton Enterprise covered the release of the D.W. Field Park master plan, spearheaded by Wildlands Trust and the D.W. Field Park Initiative.

"Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan said he's all in on the plan," Helms wrote. "'This project prioritizes environmentally friendly, community-focused, resilient solutions to issues within the park that have been caused by decades of high-traffic utilization,' Sullivan wrote in a letter of support."

> Read the article here.

Helms also details plans by the D.W. Field Park Association and Brockton Parks Department to build a small welcome center at the Oak Street entrance to the park.

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Thank you to our press partners for spreading the word about our unassuming yet vital work! For media inquiries, please contact Communications Coordinator Thomas Patti at (774) 343-5121 ext. 108 or tpatti@wildlandstrust.org.

Human History of Wildlands: Halfway Pond Conservation Area

By Skip Stuck, Key Volunteer

We have all played with jigsaw puzzles at one time or another. We select one based on a picture on the box that displays what the puzzle should look like when complete. Opening the box, we see pieces of color that bear no resemblance to the finished product. The work is in their reassembly. In many ways, land preservation is like a jigsaw puzzle—identifying and assembling small, seemingly unrelated pieces until they reveal a larger, cohesive picture. This is especially true in areas as long occupied as Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

Until about 12,000 years ago, this land was covered by a glacier, up to a mile thick. Over the next 2,000 years, the climate warmed and ice retreated, creating a land surface composed of rocks, gravel, and sand that had been carried in the glacier. This "outwash" plain created the topography we see throughout Southeast Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the Islands, featuring rocky hills and kettle ponds formed by huge pieces of melting ice. One of these kettle ponds, Halfway Pond, lies amid a concentration of such ponds in Plymouth, known collectively as the Six Ponds. The others include Bloody Pond, Little Long Pond, Long Pond, Gallows Pond, and Round Pond.

Early human history 

Native peoples soon followed the retreating ice and utilized these new forests, ponds, and rivers to supply their food and shelter needs. For thousands of years, they and their cultures flourished. Especially important were the spring runs of blueback herring and alewives from the Agawam River, which outflows from Halfway Pond, and the Manomet (or Monument) River, which flowed from Herring Pond. These people, forebears of the Wampanoag Tribe who occupied the area at the time of European settlement (and still today; see Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe), have been identified in historical documents by many names: the Patuxet, Comassakumkanit, Manomet and Pondville Indians. In fact, Halfway Pond got its name because it was halfway between the Dutch and Indian trading posts at Aptuxet (now Bourne, MA) to the south and the original Plymouth English settlement to the north. A trail known as the Indian Path or the Herring Way was a well-used route from Herring Pond to Halfway Pond. 

While the geography suited the Indigenous people’s lifestyle of hunting, gathering, fishing, and subsistence farming, the English were slow to move out of the original colony at Plymouth Harbor. The earliest mentioned settlement at Halfway Pond is that of Nicholas Snow, who in 1637 was appointed to repair and manage a fish weir on the Agawam. Others followed, but not immediately in great numbers. 

Above: The Old Douglas Homestead. In Plymouth’s Ninth Great Lot and the Six Ponds, 1710-1967, A Chronicle. “John Douglas was born in Middleboro in 1752 and married Lydia Southworth. He became a schoolteacher in 1786 and moved to Plymouth and settled in the neighborhood known as Halfway Pond. He bought the sawmill from Belcher Manter, Morton and Jonathan Wing for $750. … He built a house on the Agawam which became ‘the old homestead’ to many generations of the Douglas family until it was destroyed by the hurricane of 1938” (10). For much of the 20th century, descendants of the Douglas family lived and worked on Davis-Douglas Farm, which they sold to Wildlands Trust for our headquarters in 2012.

Cutting the puzzle pieces

When the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, the lands of the new colony were controlled by a group of English investors known as the Adventurers, who funded the initial colony. When their contract ran out, a new patent was granted to Governor William Bradford in 1629, giving the colony freedom to divide and sell their lands. By 1710, about 30,000 acres of land claimed by the colony was still undivided. These lands were cut up into the 10 "Great Lots." Halfway Pond and the five other aforementioned ponds lay at the center of the Ninth Great Lot. In 1713, a meeting was held that created 18 divisions of the Ninth Lot. Those granted land abutting Halfway Pond included John Harlow, Jonathan Snow, John Churchill, Nathaniel Thomas, Jabez Shurtleff, and Deacon Thomas Clark. There is no record—and it is highly doubtful—that any members of the Wampanoag Tribe were consulted in this matter. 

At this point, English settlement of the area accelerated. The Halfway herring run provided an increasingly important resource for food, fertilizer, and trade. Sawmills and stave mills appeared on the Agawam River, including one built in 1781 owned by Belcher Manter and another built in 1847 owned by Thomas Pierce. In 1786, as the settlement known as Halfway Village on the pond's southwest side grew, John Douglas established a grammar school, at one time serving as many as 50 students.  

By the mid-19th century, general family farming in the area began to shift toward cranberry growing. The ample water, flat lands around Halfway Pond, and availability of sand were quite agreeable to this new agricultural pursuit. As often happens, the success of the small farmers attracted investors. By the 1890s, LeBaron Russell Briggs and his brother-in-law, George Gardner Barker, had purchased most of the land surrounding Halfway Pond. George Barker soon built the family homestead, Wyanoke, on the pond. His son LeBaron Barker was a very successful grower, reputed to be the largest independent cranberry grower in America by the turn of the century. He built his mansion on a hill adjacent to the pond. For the next 80 years, all of the lands surrounding Halfway Pond remained in private hands, as cranberry bogs or increasingly as forested land. 

Assembling the puzzle 

Red pines on Gramp’s Loop in Halfway Pond Conservation Area. Red pine stands were planted extensively across New England between 1930 and 1960 as a timber alternative to white pines, which are susceptible to insect and fungal pests. Now, many red pines are dying due to red pine scale and pine bark beetles.

With the protection of the adjacent Myles Standish State Forest in 1916 (with improvements by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s), a vision emerged of what Halfway Pond could become if the separate holdings could be protected and united. It would take time and strategic collaborations, but the fledgling Plymouth County Wildlands Trust and its board believed it could be accomplished. In 1982, the family of LeBaron Briggs donated, with assistance from the Nature Conservancy, 242 acres called the West Shore. On the pond's east side, the Briggs family also gifted 56 acres at Gallows Pond in 1982. In 1986, Irene and Saul Taylor gifted an additional 61 acres abutting the West Shore. In 1987, the Conant family gifted 27 acres to string together more of the eastern shore. In 1998, the Nature Conservancy donated land on the east side of Halfway Pond that today encompasses the Big Point section of the property. From 1999 to 2022, a series of land purchases bolstered the protection of Halfway Pond’s western shore, including the former estate of LeBaron Barker, now the site of the Stewardship Training Center.  

Wildlands could not have done it alone. MassWildlife proved to be an important partner, purchasing and protecting much of the eastern and southern shoreline. In addition to the Nature Conservancy's support in the acquisition of the West Shore property, it also owns and protects Halfway Island, home of rare old-growth forest. Finally, the AD Makepeace Company, the area's largest cranberry grower, agreed to take three of its bogs adjacent to Halfway Pond out of production, ending the danger of fertilizers and pesticides entering the pond. 

All of the puzzle pieces fit into place, and the result has been the protection of 85 percent of Halfway Pond's shoreline, including over 500 acres of adjacent buffer land that now make up Halfway Pond Conservation Area. The Conservation Area, together with Myles Standish State Forest and additional protected lands, now represents the largest contiguous open space assemblage in Eastern Massachusetts. The project took over 40 years. But important things take time. 

Learn More 

Please visit Wildlands Trust’s online property description of Halfway Pond Conservation Area at wildlandstrust.org/halfway-pond-conservation-area—or better yet, visit its many trails yourself. 

In addition, see the following resources that were used to prepare this history. 

• Plymouth's Ninth Great Lot and the Six Ponds, 1710 -1967, A Chronicle by Ruth Gardner Steinway. 

• The Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe website: herringpondtribe.org 

• The North and South Rivers Watershed Association website: nsrwa.org 

I also wish to thank Scott MacFaden, Wildlands’ Director of Land Protection, and Thomas Patti, Wildlands’ Communications Coordinator, for their assistance and feedback. 

If you or someone you know has information about Halfway Pond’s history, we would love to hear from you! Share your insight (and/or photos!) with Communications Coordinator Thomas Patti at tpatti@wildlandstrust.org.

Support the Brockton High Envirothon Team

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UPDATE: Thanks to the generosity of the Brockton and Wildlands communities, our Giving Tuesday campaign met its goal, raising $3,000 for this year’s Brockton High Envirothon Team!

The funds will help Brockton High School students find and follow their passion for the environment through weekly meetings and field trips, including to the Massachusetts Envirothon in May.

“We are looking forward to having new materials in the classroom to engage our students in hands-on learning and exploration,” said Wildlands Programming Coordinator Amy Burt, who co-coaches Brockton High Envirothon with environmental educators at Manomet Conservation Sciences. “Our students’ access to the natural world will be enhanced and expanded due to your support. Thank you!“

Thank you to all who donated! Learn more about our campaign below, and about Brockton High Envirothon at wildlandstrust.org/envirothon.

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By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Wildlands Trust believes that the natural health and beauty of Southeastern Massachusetts can only persist with an educated and empowered youth. For 10 years, Wildlands has coached and sponsored the Brockton High School Envirothon Team to prepare the next generation of local conservation champions. We need your help so this program can continue to advance environmental awareness, leadership, equity, and resilience in our region’s largest and most diverse city.

Since 2015, in collaboration with the Brockton High School science department and environmental educators at Manomet, Wildlands has trained dedicated cohorts of Brockton students for the Massachusetts Envirothon, an annual statewide competition "emphasizing hands-on, team-oriented problem solving and community involvement that prepares young people for environmental careers and active citizenship.” The Brockton High School Envirothon Team has delivered impressive performances over the years, including fifth place overall in 2015, first place in the Current Issue category in 2018, and the Community Research Award in 2022. 

> Donate to support Brockton High Envirothon here.

The Envirothon Team meets weekly after school to build knowledge and skills assessed during the spring competition’s “ecostations” in forest, soils, wildlife, and water. Additionally, the team completes and presents a community action project around a Current Issue, which this year is “Forest Stewardship: Resilience for a Changing Climate.”

This year’s Brockton High Envirothon Team studies a water sample from a local pond.

In total, the Brockton High School Envirothon Team has engaged well over 100 students in natural resource education and community service. Many have continued in the conservation field through college and beyond. 

Testimonials

Don’t believe us about the real-world impact of Brockton High Envirothon and our other youth programs? Take it from the kids themselves, many of whom have gone on to pursue studies and careers in the conservation field.

Nicole Mejia participated in both the Brockton High School Envirothon Team and the Brockton Green Team, Wildlands’ summer service-learning program, from 2016 to 2018. Now, Nicole is earning her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, where she studies developmental factors of birds’ response to climate change. She credits Envirothon and Green Team as formative experiences in her personal, academic, and professional journey.  

“The time I spent on the Envirothon Team was life-changing,” Nicole said. “Getting to interact with state scientists, learn new things about the Brockton community, and have a group of peers who cared as much about the environment as I did were some of my favorite parts. It is such an important program for students coming from Brockton, who may not have access to the outdoors but do feel that passion for conservation and nature.”

Alyce Watts participated in Envirothon from 2018 to 2022 and Green Team in 2019. She joined Envirothon “to learn about aspects of the environment that I was really interested in, but otherwise wouldn't have learned.” Alyce is now a sophomore at Colorado College, where she studies Organismal Biology & Ecology.

“The skills I gained in Envirothon have been priceless for how I've developed as a student since graduating Brockton High,” Alyce said. “The confidence I have in my ability to take a leadership role as well as in presenting work that I have done are heavily attributed to the work we did in Envirothon. My experiences in Envirothon encouraged me to be more ambitious in the goals I have set for my future, as it opened my eyes to career options I didn't know existed prior to my time in the club.”

Lily Green, Science Educator at Manomet Conservation Sciences, may know better than anyone the importance of Brockton High Envirothon. As a participant in 2014-15 and a coach since 2023, Lily has experienced the program’s benefits from multiple perspectives.

“As a student, Envirothon strengthened my interest I started to have from the regular school curriculum and gave me time to dive deeper into different aspects of sustainability,” Lily said. “The rigorous school day curriculum is tight, so it’s great to give new generations of Brockton youth a real-world experience and a chance to make an impact.”

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Support the Brockton High School Envirothon Team so more students can find and pursue their passion for the environment—and in turn, defend the natural resources that uplift our communities. The program’s expenses are modest, including weekly snacks, teaching materials, and field trips, but its impact is large, shaping the next generation of conservation leaders in Southeastern Massachusetts and beyond. Learn more & donate here.