Spring 2023 Land Acquisitions Update

By Scott MacFaden, Director of Land Protection

The Lake Street CR includes frontage on Jones River Brook, a tributary of the Jones River (pictured). Photo by Jimmy Powell of Jones River Landing.

Thus far in 2023, we’ve completed several projects that protect a diverse array of habitats and conservation values, and in one case further strengthen a long-standing collaboration with one of our municipal partners. 

Lake Street CR, Plympton 

In January, we completed a 31-acre Conservation Restriction in northeast Plympton near the Kingston line. The CR area is part of a larger privately owned property that will include a solar energy installation. Because the proposed project site is within mapped habitat for the Eastern Box Turtle, a species of “Special Concern” as identified by the Commonwealth’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP), the project proponents were required to grant the CR. 

The CR protects land identified by NHESP as containing significant wildlife habitat, including “Priority Habitat of Rare Species” and “Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife.”  The CR land includes frontage on Jones River Brook, a tributary of the Jones River.   

As solar projects continue to proliferate across Southeastern Massachusetts, those that are proposed within areas subject to NHESP’s regulatory purview typically require the granting of a CR. We are actively evaluating several other solar project-associated CR’s across the region, and expect we will be offered more projects of this type in the future.   

McCarthy Farm Conservation Area CR, Rockland 

In March, we secured a Conservation Restriction (CR) on 36 acres in southwest Rockland. The Town of Rockland acquired the parcel in late 2021 using Community Preservation Act and other state funds. To learn more about the history and natural profile of the property, click here. 

Sleeper Conservation Area CR, Hanson 

The Bay Circuit Trail, a 200-mile hiking path that lies near the Sleeper Conservation Area in Hanson. By John Phelan, CC BY 3.0

In April, we completed a 12-acre Community Preservation Act (CPA) CR on the Town of Hanson’s Sleeper Conservation Area. Acquired by the Town in 2022 with a combination of CPA funds and a Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Sleeper Conservation Area primarily comprises forested upland, punctuated by several isolated pockets of wooded deciduous wetland. 

The Sleeper Conservation Area’s position within the broader landscape bolsters its conservation impact. It directly abuts the Town of Hanson’s Camp Kiwanee, a long-cherished community asset on Maquan Pond, as well as the Town’s Alton J. Smith Preserve and the neighboring Town of Pembroke’s Town Forest. The preservation of the Sleeper Conservation Area thus strengthens the landscape connectivity between these two municipally owned open space assemblages. 

A section of the Bay Circuit Trail, the premier long-distance hiking trail in Eastern Massachusetts, runs just to the west of the conservation area. Preserving this parcel helps protect the scenic integrity of the trail’s corridor and maintain the recreational value of this regionally and historically significant footpath, a chronological contemporary of the Appalachian Trail.   

In addition to its favorable landscape context, significance for wildlife corridor connectivity, and proximity to the Bay Circuit Trail, the Sleeper Conservation Area also contributes to water resources protection. The parcel lies within multiple areas identified by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection as significant for drinking water and aquifer protection, and sits near Great Sandy Bottom Pond, which provides drinking water for the neighboring towns of Rockland and Abington.   

The LAND grant award was critical to obtaining the support of Hanson Town Meeting voters for the project. The award provided almost two-thirds of the project’s funding, with CPA funds providing the balance. As part of our ongoing partnership with the Town of Hanson, Wildlands staff helped prepare the LAND grant application and provided additional assistance as needed. Many thanks to Hanson Conservation Commission Chair Phil Clemons, whose indefatigable efforts ensured the project’s success. Phil has served as our primary contact person in Hanson for decades, and is a true champion of all things conservation. 

Upcoming Projects 

We’re working to close more acquisitions over the next several months, including projects in Middleboro, Bridgewater, and Rehoboth. Stay tuned! 

Get Involved

Hoping to protect your property’s natural and cultural heritage for generations to come? Learn about Conservation Restrictions, Deed Restrictions, land donations, and more on our Conserve Your Land page.

Seasonal Restrictions in Effect at Shifting Lots Preserve

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Symbolic fencing at Shifting Lots Preserve. Photo by Jerry Monkman.

Shifting Lots Preserve in Plymouth could be considered prime real estate for people and wildlife alike. For people, the warm sand, cool waters, and quintessential South Shore views make the Wildlands Trust property and adjacent Ellisville Harbor State Park a can’t-miss summer destination. For wildlife, the preserve’s salt marsh estuary, sand dunes, and migrating barrier beach provide crucial habitat to an intricate web of aquatic and terrestrial species. Ensuring that Shifting Lots remains a place for all species to enjoy requires seasonal adjustments to how we humans engage with the property.  

In late March, volunteers and staff from Wildlands Trust and the Friends of Ellisville Marsh installed symbolic fencing around the historic nesting area of Piping Plovers within the preserve. This fencing, composed of simple wooden stakes and twine with bright-colored educational signs, may not provide much of a physical barrier between shorebirds, people, and predators, but it can help alert beachgoers to the small, sandy-colored birds that are otherwise almost impossible to spot. Alongside habitat loss from beachfront development and predation from gulls, raccoons, and other species attracted to nest sites by food waste and garbage, Piping Plovers face death and nest failure from more direct human conflict, including pedestrians and offroad vehicles trampling eggs and unleashed dogs frightening parents and chicks. Consequent population declines have contributed to their protected status under both the state and federal endangered species acts since 1985. 

Volunteers of Wildlands Trust and the Friends of Ellisville Marsh installed fencing at Shifting Lots in late March.

However, the dedicated efforts of local, state, and regional organizations and agencies have demonstrated that a little intervention can go a long way toward protecting these vulnerable shorebirds. Over the past four decades, symbolic fencing, nest monitoring, and public education have contributed to a sevenfold increase in Piping Plovers in Massachusetts, from 135 pairs in 1986 to 956 pairs in 2021. Collaboration among conservation groups—including the longstanding partnership between Wildlands Trust, the Friends of Ellisville Marsh, and Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program—has proven particularly effective at securing the space that Piping Plovers need to thrive along our shoreline.  

For plovers to continue calling our region home, we all need to do our part! Please obey all signage at Shifting Lots Preserve, especially by keeping out of fenced areas. Every year between May 15 and September 15, the Shifting Lots parking lot is closed in order to moderate visitation during peak breeding season. Vehicles may drop off passengers at the parking lot gate and park at Ellisville Harbor State Park, a short walk from Shifting Lots. 

Piping Plovers.

Thank you for helping us uphold our duty to protect the vulnerable wildlife of Shifting Lots Preserve. If you observe vandalism or other suspicious behavior on the property, please take photos or videos and notify the Plymouth Police Department and/or Wildlands Trust at info@wildlandstrust.org or 774-343-5121. For your safety, please do not approach any active or hazardous situation. 

To learn more about shorebird conservation at Shifting Lots Preserve and beyond, check out this 2021 webinar presented by Wildlands Trust, Mass Audubon, and the Friends of Ellisville Marsh.

Eagle Scout Candidate Builds Bird and Bat Boxes at Sylvester Field

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Hanover Boy Scouts Troop 38 at Sylvester Field.

Earlier this month, Hanover Boy Scout Jacob DeMong completed a multifaceted conservation project at Wildlands Trust’s Sylvester Field, putting him one step closer to the prestigious title of Eagle Scout. 

“Environmentally beneficial projects are extremely important,” Jacob, 17, wrote to Wildlands stewardship staff Tess Goldmann and Owen Grey, who provided him with mentorship and support throughout the project. "I was overjoyed to get this opportunity.” 

Jacob led Boy Scout Troop 38 from Hanover in installing eight Eastern Bluebird boxes and one bat box along the trail at Sylvester Field, a grassland parcel acquired by Wildlands Trust in 2021. The troop also cleared invasive vines and plants from the trees lining Washington Street, as well as cut back overgrowth from the woodland section of the trail. 

New bird boxes at Sylvester Field.

If you would like to see the project for yourself, you’re in luck! Just this week, the Wildlands stewardship team began installing a boardwalk that will complete a 0.5-mile loop trail around the entire field. This addition will allow visitors to admire all of Jacob’s great work—and perhaps some winged creatures that he has already attracted to the property! Eastern Bluebirds nest from March to August, while bats rely on warm, clean, and secure places to rest, hibernate, and raise young year-round. On Tuesday, a Tree Swallow was spotted inside one of Jacob’s boxes! Be on the lookout for an official trail opening announcement in the coming weeks. 

“We were really impressed with Jacob’s organization skills, as well as by the hard work of the Hanover Boy Scouts,” Tess said. “We are excited to see the boxes in use this season!” 

Congratulations, Jacob, on this huge achievement! Thank you for making our community a place for people, birds, bats, and trees to thrive. 

Jacob’s Eagle Scout project is one of several that Wildlands Trust has recently supported. If you are interested in completing your Eagle Scout project with us, contact our Stewardship Coordinator Zoë Smiarowski at zsmiarowski@wildlandstrust.org.  

Tree Swallow inside a bird box at Sylvester Field.

Local College Student Conducts Natural Resource Inventory in Marshfield

By Tess Goldmann, Conservation Restriction Coordinator

Hoyt-Hall Preserve in Marshfield

Last fall, Wildlands Trust had the pleasure of partnering with Unity College student and Carver resident Nicole Huff. As part of her coursework, she completed a natural resource inventory of our Hoyt-Hall Preserve in Marshfield. A natural resource inventory (NRI) is a multifaceted survey of all the animals, plants, soils, waters, and geological features in an area. Hoyt-Hall, one of our showcase preserves, has a wide variety of environments, including pine forest, red maple swamp, and Long Tom Pond. We were excited for Nicole to conduct an NRI of Hoyt-Hall, as her findings would help us identify specific property conservation needs and future projects to address them. 

Nicole used multiple methods to survey the property. When I met with Nicole at Hoyt-Hall in September, we walked the property and completed three quadrat sampling sessions. Nicole made five bird observation trips and hung two trail cameras to catch mammal activity. Finally, Nicole collected and analyzed 20 soil samples from around the preserve.  

Nicole made several interesting discoveries about the preserve. She found that the upland soil is very acidic, with a pH of 3.62. This soil acidification could be responsible for the deaths of several Eastern red cedar trees around the preserve. In addition, Nicole identified two invasive plants—Oriental bittersweet and European buckthorn, both common in Southeastern Massachusetts—and recommended removal strategies for both. 

Nicole also identified 31 birds, which is remarkable, especially during the late end of fall migration. In spring and summer, this number is sure to be higher, making Hoyt-Hall a premier birding location! (See eBird Hotspot data for the preserve here.) Be on the lookout for Downy Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and many more!  

Thank you, Nicole, for all of your hard work! Your project will be an invaluable resource as we continue to advance positive conservation outcomes at Hoyt-Hall Preserve and beyond. 

Chainsaw Training for Professionals Offered at The Stewardship Training Center

The trainees and their gear and the Stewardship Training Center on March 5, 2023. 

Over the weekend of March 4 – 5, Wildlands Trust hosted our first pilot program at the new Stewardship Training Center on Halfway Pond in Plymouth. This training, offered to our land conservation colleagues in Massachusetts, included basic chainsaw safety, use, and equipment maintenance. Bill Girard of Girard Custom Cut Hardwood is one of very few chainsaw safety trainers in the country, and we were lucky to have his leadership and expertise. The 7 attendees included our own Stewardship Coordinator Zoë Smiarowski and Conservation Restriction Coordinator Tess Goldmann, as well as staff from the New England Forestry Foundation, Buzzards Bay Coalition, Manomet, and Wareham Land Trust. 

Conservation Restriction Coordinator Tess Goldmann puts her chainsaw training to use on a downed White Oak obstructing the trail at our Brockton Audubon Preserve on March 6, 2023.  

Beginning with an emphasis on safety, day one focused on proper use and maintenance of personal protective equipment like helmets, chaps, goggles, boots, and first aid kits, as well as chainsaw mechanics and troubleshooting. Day two started with saw checks and project planning before trainees got to practice using their chainsaws on downed trees. By Monday, Tess Goldmann was putting her skills to the test on a large white pine that had fallen at our Brockton Audubon Preserve during this winter’s strong winds. 

Wildlands’ team of stewardship staff often uses chainsaws for removing downed trees that block trails or pose a safety threat. We require that staff undergo safety training and always work in pairs when using these powerful tools. This important training is one of four pilot programs Wildlands will offer at our new Stewardship Training Center for land conservation professionals this year. Stay tuned; more about the Stewardship Training Center will be shared with our members in this spring’s print newsletter.