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Religious Lands Present a Valuable Opportunity for Conservation in Massachusetts

Read Time: 3 min

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

Throughout Massachusetts’ history, faith-based organizations have amassed substantial property assets in the state. In global terms, according to the University of Notre Dame’s Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate in 2022, the Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental landowner in the world, with “an estimated 177 million acres” in its worldwide portfolio.* While this staggering statistic is not specific to Massachusetts (and does not take into account the land owned by all other religious entities represented here), it is useful in demonstrating the great potential that exists for the protection of privately-owned religious lands in our region. 

About 20 years ago, Wildlands Trust, working collaboratively with the Massachusetts Religious Lands Conservancy, realized that aging memberships and changing commitments to local religious organizations would someday lead to a significant turnover of lands that these organizations could no longer afford to maintain. Accordingly, we began building relationships with religious entities in our region, with the hope of someday protecting the parcels of land that they owned. Through the years, we discussed visions and plans for these lands with leaders who recognized a moral and spiritual value in protecting the natural environments that had long been a part of their faith communities. These relationships eventually formed the foundation for the permanent protection of several religious properties in Southeastern Massachusetts, earning Wildlands Trust a leadership role in this conservation niche. 

Over the last 15 years, Wildlands Trust’s partnerships with various religious orders have led to the preservation of 6 parcels--in Stoughton, Duxbury, Plainville, Kingston, and Raynham. They range in size from 2 acres to 325 acres, and they are the products of collaborations with several different religious groups, including Catholics, Episcopal Nuns, Thai Buddhists, and others.  

One of Wildlands’ principal partners in this work was Sister Chris Laughlin, a Dominican nun who was instrumental in protecting 37 acres of land in Plainville, owned by the Crystal Springs Center for Spirituality and Ecology. Wildlands’ President and Executive Direct Karen Grey said simply, “Chris was a force—soft-spoken and gracious, but a true force. You could not help but to be inspired when out walking land with Chris.” An 84-year-old nun who walked trails every day, she was a pioneer of the Religious Lands Conservancy, a group established in Massachusetts to protect religious lands. Sister Chris Laughlin died in mid-July 2022, a great loss for all who knew her and for the conservation world. But her death did not come before she was able to ensure the protection of the Crystal Springs Center’s Plainville land, Wildlands’ newest religious land acquisition. With sadness for the loss of a valued friend and partner, we are also eternally grateful for her efforts to build a bridge between religious entities and conservation organizations in Southeastern Massachusetts. 

*https://realestate.nd.edu/research/church-properties

From left: Sister Chris Laughlin, Karen Grey, Scott MacFaden, Sister Barbara Harrington

Green Team 2022: Working Toward a Bright Future for D.W. Field Park

Nine teens out of over sixty applicants were hired for Green Team this summer to complete improvement projects at D.W. Field Park. Green Team emphasizes hands-on learning and community service in an outdoor, team-oriented environment sponsored and led by Wildlands Trust and Manomet.

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Native Plant Garden in Plymouth Dedicated to Deborah Wood Davis

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Read Time: 3 min

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

On Saturday, July 9, at 10:30am, before the morning sun invited summer’s characteristic heat and humidity, approximately 70 community members gathered at Wildlands Trust’s headquarters on Long Pond Road to dedicate the property’s native plant garden to a longtime supporter of the Trust’s mission, Deborah Wood Davis.

Deborah Wood Davis married into the family of Howland Davis, the previous owner of the land that is now Wildlands’ Davis-Douglas Conservation Area. Her family recalls Deborah’s great affection for the area and, according to her daughter Caroline Chapin, she was excited by Wildlands’ mission and the way it drew the community together. So, when Deborah’s five daughters were looking for a way to honor their mother and the strong roots and connections she had established here, they came to Wildlands Trust.

Sarah Geer, one of those daughters, approached Wildlands’ President and Executive Director Karen Grey to discuss the idea at just the right time. Wildlands had been struggling with the desire to maintain some component of the property’s historic barn, but its crumbling foundation walls and the steep drop from ground level to its interior depth posed hazards that had to be addressed. Simultaneously, local landscape architect Love Howard had also reached out to Karen with the idea of designing a pollinator-friendly garden using native plant species that would support the local ecosystem, and she was looking for a location where she could bring the idea to life. The Davis family’s gift to honor their mother provided the needed support to begin the process of converting the unsafe barn foundation into a showcase garden and educational tool at Wildlands’ headquarters.

The project, according to Karen, “brought together need with opportunity and allowed us to make meaningful connections for people, which are always the best type of projects.” In the fall of 2020, after structural work was completed, the first plants were added by a group of volunteers—including some of Deborah’s daughters, Wildlands volunteer and Board Member Marilynn Atterbury, and others—under Love’s guidance. Today, Marilynn continues the work, along with Wildlands’ gardener Kim Goggin, carefully maintaining and enhancing what is often called “the foundation garden.”

On the morning of the dedication ceremony, the gardening team’s hard work and meticulous care were on full display for the large crowd that had assembled for the occasion. In what would have been Deborah Davis’ 100th year, according to Caroline, the family organized a mini reunion around the dedication ceremony, bringing all five daughters, spouses, children, and almost all of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren together in Plymouth—a gathering of community that would likely have brought the family’s matriarch great pleasure. Also in attendance were several of Wildlands’ staff members, Board members, and supporters. Karen Grey addressed the group with gratitude for all who contributed to the project, Sarah Geer shared reflections of her mother, and Love Howard described her inspiration and plan for the garden’s creation. As the ceremony concluded, with a comfortable breeze under bright blue sky, the flitting of bees and butterflies entertained visitors as they reminisced and explored the newly dedicated Deborah Wood Davis Native Plant Garden.

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Spring Has Sprung...Earlier Than Usual?

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Read Time: 3 min

By Mitchell Hennings, Land Steward for Wildlife & Habitat

You may have noticed on your outdoor walks and adventures that this year’s trees, shrubs, and flowers began to greet you much earlier in the season, blooming and filling in the gray and brown spaces of the woods with their intricate flowers and leafing patterns. If you noticed this, you might have also wondered why this occurs. Are the plants confused? Are their calendars mixed up? Or is something much larger at play that is influencing plant behavior across the country?  

Plants can sense subtle changes within their environment, whether it be early rain or lack thereof, increased photoperiods (longer exposure to the sun), frequent disturbances, or intense weather events. These variables impact how plants progress through their stages of growth to sprouting leaves, fruiting, or developing flowers. Yet, if the timing involved in these processes is off by days or even weeks, like we are now experiencing, there can be untold impacts on the plants whose growth is regulated by it. 

This year, plants began to leaf out and fill our forests and roadsides with green earlier than usual, but these growing plants are not naturally occurring in our environment. Plants like Honeysuckle, Bittersweet, Autumn Olive, Multi-Flora Rose, Barberry, and Norway Maple all leaf out much faster than our native plants. These invasive plants had either full leaves or were beginning to bloom before native plants and trees had even begun to produce leaves. The faster phenology of the invasive plants is a clear competitive advantage over the native plants, as they have longer flowering periods and a higher chance of attracting pollinators and going to seed sooner (Kherberger & Holzschuh 2019). This behavior puts increased pressure on native plants to adjust their flowering period earlier in the season, but this may prove to be even more of an issue. If these native plants adjust their flowering period, they could then be impacted by sub-optimal temperatures, low pollinator activity, and a higher chance of dying off (Kherberger & Holzschuh 2019).  

Another well measured variable that has been found to contribute to the forward progression of early leaf onset is the decrease in precipitation events. An article published in the journal Nature details a study conducted to understand the impacts of precipitation on native and nonnative plants and how those complex interactions impact leaf onset date, which is when plants produce leaves (Wang et al. 2022). When there are decreased precipitation days, there are also decreased cloudy days to allow for radiation absorption by the plants, which is what signals plants to begin producing leaves (Wang et al. 2022). You don’t need to be a scientist to notice the decrease in rain over the years during the spring season. The adage “April showers bring May flowers” used to ring true ten or twenty years ago, but in today's climate, it looks like flowers bloom in early April, leaving May irrelevant.  

Sources: 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-51916-0 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01285-w.epdf?sharing_token=KUvEbYSV2OlVtqNv0yT8Q9RgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0NzVQ5QzxLf1H9HLrB-XkimGTvkdmS0Hh390YJBBFd6LS7fvmuPlATbVpm0wAAYYPKLbXnBuL3NY1BERch9f67jNcZtApJLm4zZjPsAKdOJLfJCBG1AitWF_-HlB1xXPoNIKBbecl-2_bxWyYmrJPujMyEtnEzJm-pjHMK_vjzhJnFjVVm_rZTV75jt-Gf0m2w%3D&tracking_referrer=www.usnews.com 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220217155232.htm

Habitat Management Plan Targets Eastern Bluebirds at Duxbury Preserve

Read Time: 4 min

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

Captain David Cushman Preserve, in Duxbury, hopes to introduce a few new inhabitants this summer, and they are sure to be a welcome addition to the neighborhood! In March 2022, Wildlands Trust began the implementation of a habitat management plan developed by Land Steward for Wildlife & Habitat Mitch Hennings, to attract and support Eastern Bluebirds. While the birds were once abundant in this area, their habitat is in decline and the shortage of nesting opportunities has reduced the species’ population. Wildlands’ plan serves to both increase the Eastern Bluebird population and provide the valuable service of nuisance pest management for the inhabited area.  

According to Mitch, “The management plan looks to improve the environment through affordable and creative means that provide habitat for birds and an ecological service for the community.” The addition of cavity nesting birds into specific environments for the purpose of insect management dates back to the 14th century, with some research showing as many as 75-90% of harmful insects being consumed by the birds. And, neighbors of the preserve may be pleased to know that mosquitos are among the Eastern Bluebird’s dietary preferences! 

Secondary cavity nesting birds, including Eastern Bluebirds, build nests in abandoned hollows left by woodpeckers and other wildlife in dead or dying trees, known as snags, along forested edges of farms and managed fields. Eastern Bluebirds are typically seen in open environments with low ground growth and intermittent shrubs that offer cover for hunting. In the mid-1900s, such landscapes—like clearcut woodlots, managed farmland, and meadows—provided ample habitat for the birds. However, urban sprawl and the increasing tendency for landowners to remove suitable snags for aesthetic or other reasons, along with the succession of former meadows into woodland (due to fewer burn events or other land disturbances that prevent regrowth) have decreased the prevalence of nesting opportunities for the birds.

Wildlands’ Captain David Cushman Preserve is a 27.37-acre property in Duxbury that was selected to pilot this habitat management plan for several reasons. Its early successional meadow is mowed annually, providing the required disturbance for Eastern Bluebird habitat. Its open field is proximal to both a saltmarsh and mud flat, and is surrounded by deciduous trees, a combination that’s appealing to the birds. And, it is one of Wildlands’ smaller fields, which helps to simplify project management and data collection for this new initiative.

This spring, nesting boxes were introduced around the edge of the field, with artificial snags added throughout the center of the meadow. Special attention was given to both the distance between and the orientation of the nesting boxes, to maximize productivity and minimize potential territorial conflicts among the birds. Secondary cavity nesting birds utilize these nesting boxes in the same way that they would use naturally occurring snags, and the strategy has demonstrated effectiveness in promoting bird species abundance. In addition to supporting Eastern Bluebirds, the nesting boxes also attract Tree Swallows, another bird species that provides similar benefit to the environment without interfering with Eastern Bluebird activity. 

Since the inception of Wildlands’ habitat management plan in Duxbury, Mitch has conducted weekly monitoring visits to the preserve, systematically recording findings from each of the boxes at the site and addressing any issues of concern. Such continual attention is important, not only to gather data on the effectiveness of the program, but also to ensure that predation of the Eastern Bluebirds by other species does not occur. He reports that many of the boxes are currently occupied by Carolina Wrens, but says this is not counterproductive to the plan’s goals thus far. He also observed that one early Eastern Bluebird nest failed this spring, but recent activity has him hopeful for some hatchlings in the near future! For the safety and well-being of the birds we aim to support, please do not approach or disturb the nesting boxes. But, if you visit Captain David Cushman Preserve this summer, keep your eye on the sky for some new blue inhabitants!