A New Park for Plypmton?

Allison Gillum, Regional Conservationist,
AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer
at Wildlands Trust

Allison Gillum, Regional Conservationist, has been an AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer with Wildlands Trust for 1.5 years. She has been focused on helping municipalities and land owners with conservation planning. Most recently she's been working with the Town of Plympton on their first ever CPA (Community Preservation Act) funded land acquisition project.

The proposed project involves 2 parcels: a 10-acre parcel off Main St. to be named Churchill Park at Jones River Brook and Cato's Ridge Conservation Area, a 77-acre town-owned parcel that is currently landlocked. Allison explained that, "The project would provide public access to two incredible parcels of land in the heart of Plympton. I have very much enjoyed working with the Open Space Committee, CPC (Community Preservation Committee), and the Conservation Commission. Plympton is a beautiful, rural town."

Town meeting approval is needed on May 16 to keep this project moving forward. For more information about the project, see the brochure (front and back) Allison designed below:

Grey's Plate: What does moving to the Davis-Douglas Farm really mean?

Karen Grey, Executive Director.

Karen Grey has been the Executive Director of Wildlands Trust for four years. Among her many duties, she is focused on raising the needed funds to purchase and upgrade the Davis-Douglas Farm in Plymouth, which will serve as the new home of the Wildlands Trust.

Karen says, "The Farm is a 10-acre property in the heart of some of our most important holdings. It will place the Trust within a mile of nearly one third of its conservation land.  Because of the Farm’s proximity to so much of our land, we see the property as an opportunity to create a “gateway” to our mission.  The Trust will be much more visible to the public and we will have the space to offer programs and learning opportunities related to land conservation.  We look forward to interfacing with the public in ways we currently cannot."

Davis-Douglas Farm - Plymouth, MA.

The Trust plans to continue what the Trust's AmeriCorps volunteers have started, reaching out to non-traditional constituencies.  Some early ideas include community gardening, horticultural therapy and expanded outdoor passive recreation programs. She added that, "In a way, the new headquarters will serve as a 'Super Trail Head' where the public can park and head out by foot or mountain bike on the extensive trail systems throughout South Plymouth."

Passive recreation trail adjacent to the Farm.

As with most organizations, the Trust has noticed a downturn in fundraising, but Karen and the board remain committed to meeting the goals to make this project happen.

For more information about the Farm or to find out how you can help make the project possible, please contact Karen at 781.934.9018.

Is next week really February?

Here are some of our favorite nature photos from January... what a month!

We hope you'll take a peak, leave a comment, and have a great weekend! -From all of us at Wildlands Trust

Downy Woodpecker at Weir River Woods, Hull.

Mushroom atop tree stump at Rounseville Preserve, Rochester.

Downed Pitch Pine at Great South Pond - South Triangle Pond Conservation Area, Plymouth. 

Fox tracks along the bank of Snows Pond (a coastal plain pond) at Robinson-Gilmore  Preserve, Rochester.

Fungi growing on a hemlock snag at Robinson-Glimore Preserve, Rochester.

South Triangle Pond at South Triangle Pond Conservation Area, Plymouth.

(Photo Credit- Above: Alex Etkind, Below: Sarah Kugel)

Wildlands Trailrunners at the Halfway Pond Conservation Area, Plymouth.

P.S. You can visit www.wildlandstrust.org to learn more about the properties featured in this post!

6 Office Resolutions + Snowy Owls

Gabriela Silva

Meet Gabriela Silva, our Assistant Director at Wildlands Trust. She works behind the scenes to make sure our land protection and stewardship staff have the tools and funds to do their jobs well. As a New Years resolution, Gabriela is hoping to get outside more with her family! Over this past weekend, she visited the Little Conservation Area off Union Street in Marshfield. Approaching a dock on the ~75 acre preserve that overlooks the North River, Gabriela and her family bumped into friends they hadn't seen in over 4 years. Have you ever bumped into old friends or made new friends on the trails? Whether you answered yes or no - we invite you all to become our trail buddies through participating in our free Wildlands Trailrunners program.

Gabriela and son at Little Conservation Area off Union Street in Marshfield.
(Town CPA project)

View of the North River reached by trail on Little Conservation Area.

Next weekend, Gabriela plans to head to Duxbury Beach with her family to look for Snowy Owls. Here are some photos that Allison Gillum, Wildlands Trust Regional Conservationist - AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer, took of the graceful birds on Jan. 8, 2012.

Even though these birds appear on Duxbury beach almost every year, the last time I set out to observe them was on my 9th Birthday! Time flies...

Tell us about your new years resolutions (nature related resolutions) and winter wildlife sightings on our facebook page.

Need some inspiration for a nature related resolution? Here's a list of several office resolutions proposed by our staff and volunteers:

1. Compost our lunch scraps.

2. Participate in staff exercise (weekly walks / stretching series).

3. Get outside more with our families.

4. See many of our ongoing land protection projects come to fruition.

5. Save the Davis-Douglas Farm and create a center for connecting people to the land.

6. Use less paper.

Thanks for reading & don't forget to click "Join this site" so you can get our blog posts sent directly to your email inbox!

-Post by Sarah Kugel, Community Outreach Coordinator, AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer at Wildlands Trust (You can reach me at skugel@wildlandstrust.org)

The First Snow w/ the "Wildlands Trailrunners"

The "Wildlands Trailrunners" aren't just runners! We're also walkers and all committed to staying active, even as the temperature drops.

Yesterday the "Trailrunners" group set out to the Emery Preserve West, located off of Ship Pond Road in Plymouth, where we enjoyed the crunching of the first snow under our feet!

 

The group is now on break until after the New Year. Depending on snowfall, weekly walks/runs may switch to weekly snowshoe sessions. As a reminder, these meet-ups are free and open to the public, all ages and levels are always welcome! *If you would like to be notified via email of our events, please email a request to admin@wildlandstrust.org


-Post by Sarah Kugel, Wildlands Trust, AmeriCorps MassLIFT, skugel@wildlandstrust.org

Winter Trailblazing

Winter Trialblazing in Rochester, MA.

As the cold weather approaches, don't run inside and hibernate! The winter is one of the best times to enjoy your local conservation lands. Whether you enjoy hiking or snowshoeing, birding or cross-country skiing, there are great trails for you to explore this winter.

The Wildlands Trailblazers will be working throughout the winter to help maintain these trails for the enjoyment of the public. Below is a list of upcoming volunteer trail work days. All volunteer work days begin at 10am and run approximately 2-3 hours. Tools, training, and water are provided.

Upcoming Wildlands Trailblazers Work Days

• Saturday, December 10th, Harrington's Wilderness, Marshfield
• Saturday, January 21st, Delano & Rounseville II Preserves, Rochester
• Saturday, February 11th, Great River Preserve, Bridgewater

We hope to see you out on the trails this winter!

-Questions & RSVPs can be directed to Alex Etkind, Wildlands Trust Land Steward, AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer, aetkind@wildlandstrust.org

Turkey Talk

Did you know that... Last year, the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Becoming an Outdoors Woman (B.O.W) program partnered with Wildlands Trust to host an Intermediate Turkey Hunt?

The hunt began at dawn on April 30th 2011 at the 230-acre Great River Preserve in Bridgewater, MA. Four intermediate women hunters were led by two experienced hunting guides. One of the women, Cynthia Langill, successfully harvested her first turkey!

The Great River Preserve is one of the few Wildlands Trust’s properties that allows hunting during legal hunting seasons.

Public is Invited to Open House at Davis Douglas Farm Saturday, November 26th, 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Front steps at the Davis-Douglas Farm.

Please stop by to visit the Davis-Douglas Farm and learn about the Wildlands Trust’s plans to relocate its headquarters to the property and to establish a new educational center focused on passive outdoor recreation and land conservation.

This fall, the Trust entered into an agreement to purchase the Davis-Douglas Farm, a beautiful ten-acre property on Long Pond Road. Long a beloved scenic landmark in south Plymouth, this lovely property is currently owned by the Bongiovanni Family.

The Davis-Douglas Farm property.

 “This is a wonderful opportunity to save a beautiful piece of land and to restore the very interesting farmhouse that has been part of the landscape for over a century,” said Charlotte Russell, long time Wildlands Trust board member.  “We look forward to welcoming the Trust back home.”

The Wildlands Trust, a regional land trust serving all of southeastern Massachusetts, was based in Plymouth from 1973 until 1995 before moving to a donated office space in Duxbury.  Since it was founded, the organization has conserved nearly 10,000 acres of land, much of it within Plymouth.

Davis-Douglas Farm is a dream property for the Trust.  Besides being a very important land protection project, it will provide the Trust with ample space for staff, stewardship equipment, and outreach programs.  The Trust plans to rebuild the barn for community education programs and presentations.  They also plan to host a community garden on the property, similar to the one they’ve had in Duxbury for the past 3 years. 

The Davis-Douglas Farm was once part of Howland Davis’ estate on Long Pond, and the Bongiovanni Family has designated that the property be named “Davis-Douglas Farm” to honor both Howland Davis and their grandfather, Percy Douglas, who farmed the land for many years.

“The property holds tremendous meaning to my family and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome,” said David Bongiovanni.  “We support the Trust’s plans and are thrilled to know that the property will look very similar to how it has looked for the last hundred years.”

Property tours will be conducted for the public on Saturday, November 26^th from noon to 2:00 p.m.  For directions to the Farm, visit www.wildlandstrust.org.

For more information, please contact Karen Grey at kgrey@wildlandstrust.org or 781.934.9018.

For the Love of Garlic

On Friday, I swung past Hannaford Supermarket in Kingston and bought a pack of 6 organic garlic bulbs for $1.99. I then headed to our community garden at The Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless in Kingston (Bridie's Garden) to plant them. Since it was Veterans Day, there was no school and 3 kids staying at the shelter were able to come out and help me in the garden.

Rock label

We separated the bulbs into individual cloves (there were probably 70 cloves) and planted them about 1" deep along two edges of the garden (using rocks as labels so everyone will know where we planted them).

Making a rock label

We had been avoiding the center of the garden since it was recently tilled and with all the rain - was quite the mud pit. BUT THEN, we had only a few cloves of garlic left and the brilliant idea to plant them in secret spots throughout the garden. So, we ventured from the garden's edges where we had begun our planting and into the mud, when I heard a little girl yell "I'm stuck!" I thought she was kidding at first but it quickly became apparent that she wasn't! I ran out to the center of the garden and pulled her out of the mud. You could hear the suction release when she was freed. BUT THEN, I was stuck too and my shoes were sinking quickly! My feet slipped out of my shoes as I was trying to free myself... and that was the end to the white socks I was wearing. There's not much more to the story, except that everyone was laughing at the end and we can't wait to harvest our garlic next spring. For the love of garlic, gardening, and the opportunity to share that moment with some incredibly cheerful kids from the shelter.... it was totally worth it!

My shoes

 Also, our garden volunteers planted winter rye (a cover crop and nitrogen fixer) in the garden several weeks ago. We were happy to see it sprouting!

Winter rye

-Post by Sarah Kugel, Community Outreach Coordinator, AmeriCorps MassLIFT Volunteer at Wildlands Trust (skugel@wildlandstrust.org)

Back to the Land with the Wildlands Trailrunners

Wildlands Trailrunners can't hide their smiles after a group run/walk.

The Wildlands Trust has launched its new Wildlands Trailrunners program. The program meets on a weekly basis for low-impact trail runs and walks throughout Southeastern Massachusetts; however, participants may attend as many or as few sessions as they please. Every session is free of charge and non-competitive. Runners and walkers of all levels and ages are encouraged to attend. This is a great opportunity for those looking to connect with other trail runners and walkers. It’s also a chance to discover many beautiful places that few people know or explore. You do not need to be a member of the Trust to participate.

Leader of the Wildlands Trailrunners, Sarah Kugel, said, “I see huge potential for the Wildlands Trailrunners and interest in the group is already growing. People want to live healthier lifestyles and get back to the land. We had runners and walkers of various ages and abilities at our last event and we all had a blast together. It’s energizing to get outdoors with a group!” Wildlands Trust always has 2 leaders at the weekly events so the group can divide into walkers and runners. Sarah hopes to offer events in different towns on various dates and times to include as many people as possible. Sarah added, “We usually follow trails or paths for 2 to 3 miles. We plan to continue throughout the seasons as long as the weather permits!”

Wildlands Trailrunners November Schedule*:

RSVPs are appreciated, but not required: admin@wildlandstrust.org

11/2- 9:30am Sherburne Carter Preserve, Kingston (Town Conservation Land)

11/13- 10:00am Great River Preserve, Bridgewater

11/16- 1:00pm The Pinehills, Plymouth (Rain date: 11/18)

11/21- 1:00pm Halfway Pond Conservation Area, Plymouth

If you would receive Wildlands Trailrunners e-mails with our monthly schedule, photos, and cancellation notifications*, let us know by e-mailing admin@wildlandstrust.org. Updates about weekly runs are also posted to the Wildlands Trust Facebook Page.


*Events will be cancelled in the case of severe weather.

Directions & Parking Information: 

Sherburne Carter Preserve: Driving west on Route 106 it is located about a half mile past Ring Rd on the left.  As soon as you pass Nobadeer Circle (on right) you will see old bogs on the left that are part of the Sherburne Carter Preserve.  There is an area to pull off the road and park on the left.

Great River Preserve: From Rt. 106 East, West Center Street, bear right onto Rt. 28/S Main Street, bear left onto Rt. 104/ Summer Street. Bear right onto Walnut Street, and left onto Auburn Street. Continue on Auburn Street about 1/2 mile to the Trailhead Parking Lot on right.

The Pinehills: Check our website for directions soon!

Halfway Pond Conservation Area: Rt. 3 to Exit 3. Turn left if coming from south, right if from north. Proceed to stop sign. Turn right onto Long Pond Road, continue about two miles, passing Plymouth schools. Turn left onto Mast Road, across from the golf course. Follow Mast Road about two miles to trailhead parking on right before Halfway Pond.