As a regional land trust, Wildlands Trust’s work throughout the South Shore benefits the fabric of our communities in many different ways.
Wildlands Trust Receives Grant For Youth Programs
Wildlands Trust is pleased to announce it has been selected to receive a $30,000 grant toward the upcoming Flagg Pond and Our Changing Forests studies in Brockton.
Students from Brockton High School participate in a Flagg Pond cleanup day.
Flagg Pond Study
Beginning this spring, Wildlands staff will work with Brockton High School students and faculty on analyzing the current state of Flagg Pond in Brockton. This multi-year, Citizen Science student-based project will look at the wetland buffer zone, vegetation, and assess the overall water quality of the pond. The project will kick off with Brockton’s Envirothon team and continue into the summer with Wildlands’ Green Team, with both groups performing water quality testing. Wildlands staff will also work with Brockton High School (BHS) faculty to establish the study as part of a curriculum within various classes in the future at BHS.
Envirothon team members collect data at Stone Farm Conservation Area.
Our Changing Forests Study
In partnership with the Harvard Forest Schoolyard program, Wildlands Trust is taking part in the state-wide Our Changing Forests Study. This past fall, Wildlands Trust staff set up forest study sites at Brockton Audubon Preserve and Stone Farm Conservation Area, where Brockton High School students visited and recorded data at both locations. Moving forward, students from local schools, with Wildlands staff, will continue to identify and measure trees, analyze the landscape, and submit gathered data from these two sites to Harvard Forest as a part of this multi-year, student-driven study.
Keep an eye out in the coming months for more updates and information regarding these two programs. If you have any questions about either study, please contact:
Flagg Pond Study: Conor Michaud cmichaud@wildlandstrust.org
Our Changing Forests Study: Rachel Calderara rcalderara@wildlandstrust.org
Bringing Adopt-A-Preserve to Brockton
Volunteer Spotlight: Rachel Thilbeault
By Eamon Horrigan, Land Stewardship Coordinator
Recently, Wildlands’ Land Stewardship Coordinator Eamon Horrigan sat down with long-time Brockton resident and Wildlands volunteer, Rachel Thilbeault, to discuss Brockton Audubon Preserve and her volunteer work at Wildlands:
How did you first discover Brockton Audubon Preserve and Wildlands Trust?
When I moved here, I realized right away that there were walking trails back behind my house. The trails were the same as they are now, apart from the trail with a boardwalk leading out to the [utility] easement. A friend from Brockton told me about Wildlands’ work at Brockton Audubon about 4 years ago.
How many years have you been involved with the property?
It has been 31 years since I first moved to Brockton and walked the trails back there. In 2005, I helped certify the vernal pool on the preserve by proving the presence of spotted yellow salamander juveniles in the pool.
A 20-foot-high glacial erratic can be found in the northeast section of the property.
What is your favorite thing to do while out on the property?
Watch for wildlife. [I’m] always looking to see animals like foxes and owls.
Do you have a favorite spot on the trails?
The huge glacial erratic at the trail intersection out there. It is amazing the way that is balanced. It looks like one of these days it is bound to fall over.
What is the coolest wildlife sighting you’ve had at the preserve?
Probably a great horned owl. It was perched on a large white pine tree and I was shocked by how large it was. I also saw two yellow spotted salamanders under a log, which was another cool sighting.
Do you have a favorite time of year to visit?
In the spring, when all the flowers are in bloom and before the leaves on the trees come out. I love to see all the violets around the vernal pool. I also really like to see the yellow of the marsh marigolds and the May apples that bloom on the right side of the trail near the parking area.
What is the most memorable moment you’ve had at the preserve?
Leading my first hike because it was nice to take people out and show them around. I liked having the chance to show people they can escape the rat race of the city and spend a couple hours relaxing in the woods.
What is it like being a volunteer hike leader with Wildlands Trust?
Well, it feels good to show people what is out there and makes me feel proud to have open, public land in Brockton. I think it is a privilege to have an opportunity to escape the hectic city.
A toad, one of many species found at the preserve, rests on the forest floor.
Do you think that property usage has increased since you first got involved or stayed relatively the same?
Definitely more people have been going out there. Many dog walkers. I talk to plenty of people who remark on how they did not know this [preserve] was out here. Whenever I am doing trail work or picking up trash, people are interested and ask what I am doing out here.
In addition to leading hikes, you’re also an Adopt-A-Preserve (AAP) volunteer at Brockton Audubon, what is your favorite thing about AAP?
Going out [to the preserve] with the company of my fellow, friendly Brocktonians, Cynthia and Alan. It’s a chance to tell stories about how Brockton once was.
Do you have a favorite Wildlands property to walk outside of Brockton Audubon?
Great River Preserve in Bridgewater. It’s a great place to ride bikes and it’s nice to sit at the benches by the water and take a rest after a bike ride.
Outside of Wildlands, are there any other trails you also like to hike?
Borderland State Park (Easton, MA) and Blue Hills Reservation (Milton, MA). Borderland has a lot of pretty trails and a nice mixture of terrain; really flat trails and more hilly ones. Blue Hills is great because of the Skyline trail, getting to see the weather station there, and climbing Buck Hill for a view of Boston.
Thank you to Rachel for sitting down and speaking with me about her experience volunteering at Widlands Trust and Brockton Audubon Preserve. If you’d like to learn more about Wildlands’ Adopt-A-Preserve program or any other volunteer opportunities at Wildlands, visit our volunteer page at: wildlandstrust.org/volunteer
Wildlands’ Volunteer Spotlight Series showcases the interests and experiences of Wildlands’ dedicated volunteers. If you’d like more information on volunteering with Wildlands, please visit our volunteer page or contact us directly.
Community Comes Together At Brockton Nature Festival
By Community Stewardship Program Manager, Conor Michaud
Better weather could not have been asked for during the first ever Brockton Nature Festival! Wildlands began planning the Brockton Nature Festival as an event to celebrate the reopening of the city owned Stone Farm Conservation Area, which Wildlands has been restoring since 2017 under a Recreational Trails Program Grant from the Department of Conservation and Recreation. For nearly a decade, Wildlands’ conservation efforts and environmental education initiatives in Brockton have sought to connect residents with the positive impacts of nature and the importance of land conservation. This year, we decided to take this a step further and create an event that would illuminate environmental initiatives in the city and highlight the community groups actively working to enhance the lives of residents and the city’s overall health.
At its core, Brockton Nature Festival was a community-building event where all attendees could explore Stone Farm together, mingle with one another on the Petronelli baseball field, and enjoy conversation over Brockton-based Lady C&J Soulfood. Good Samaritan Medical Center generously sponsored the event, allowing admission to be free and for $5 food coupons to be given out to the first 50 people to arrive for Lady C&J’s food tent. SignDesign and Gerry’s Farm donated decorations, while the Brockton Assembly of God donated the Family Ministry Center event space for parking. The city Parks and Recreation Department granted the use of Petronelli Field, and several city officials were seen mingling amongst the crowd and enjoying the event.
Although the festival was just three-hours-long, Wildlands led two hikes, a 1.5-mile traverse south-to-north through the length of Stone Farm, and a shorter 0.5-mile walk on one of the loop trails in the preserve. Over 50 people joined in on the guided hikes while many other groups and individuals decided to explore the trails independently, guided by Wildlands’ complimentary Brockton trail map. Midway through the event, Wildlands hosted a pumpkin relay race for families and the young-at-heart, with the winner taking home a gigantic glass jar of candy.
The success of Brockton Nature Festival was largely due to the community groups who tabled alongside Wildlands. The attending groups included the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association, Keith Park Neighborhood Association, DW Field Park Association, Brockton Garden Club, PROVA!, City of Brockton Lead-based Paint Hazard Control Program, Boy Scout Troop 1046, Mass Audubon’s Museum of American Bird Art, Natural Resources Trust of Easton, Horizon’s for Homeless Children, Stonehill College’s Student’s for Environmental Action and Food Truth, The Farm at Stonehill, Plymouth County Extension, Massasoit Community College STEM Internship Program, Massasoit Community College Earth Club, Sustainable Massasoit, Merrell Shoe Company, Brockton High School Envirothon, and Good Samaritan Medical Center.
With the festival well received, Wildlands is looking towards the future and hoping the Brockton Nature Festival can become a staple in the Brockton community, acting as a beacon to connect Brockton residents with local conservation land and the groups who are helping to make Brockton a healthy and vibrant community.
