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| A view of Long Tom Pond at the Hoyt Hall Preserve in Marshfield. |
Every January, the
North and South Rivers Watershed Association sponsors a New Year’s Day Walk.
Typically this annual event -- which is free and open to the public --
showcases a recently acquired conservation area on the South Shore. But
occasionally the event offers access to a privately owned property within the
watershed. The 2017 walk is one of those occasions.
This year’s event, which
begins at 1pm on Sunday January 1st, takes place at the Cardinal
Cushing Centers in Hanover (405 Washington Street). Participants will follow
trails through 100 acres of privately owned woodland to the Third Herring
Brook, a rare opportunity to view the dam removal project that is currently in
progress. For more information, visit www.nsrwa.org.
Whether or not
NSRWA’s New Year’s Day Walk fits into your schedule, you may be looking for
other places to take a stroll in 2017. We are fortunate, here on the South
Shore, to have access to an abundance of nature preserves. Chances are, if
walking in the woods is the type of thing you enjoy, you’re already familiar
with World’s End in Hingham and the Norris Reservation in Norwell, local
favorites that are both managed by The Trustees. You probably know the Mass
Audubon properties too – Daniel Webster and North River Wildlife Sanctuaries,
both in Marshfield.
What follows is a
list of a few other lesser-known properties worthy of your attention. All are
open to the public, generally from dawn until dusk. Before you go, visit the manager’s
website to download a trail map.
• Hoyt-Hall Preserve - Careswell
Street/Route 139, Marshfield. This recently-opened preserve features several
walking trails around Long Tom Pond and through 123 acres of woods, freshwater
marsh and red cedar swamp, with links to the Old Colony Railroad and the
Historic Winslow House. Managed by The Wildlands Trust.
• Rockland Town Forest – North Avenue,
Rockland. A small (39.5 acres) but truly special place to stretch one’s legs,
the Rockland Town Forest’s narrow paths, boardwalks and bridges lead visitors
through the wetlands that surround French Stream. This place is especially
enchanting in the spring and summer when the trees and shrubs are leafy and
green.
• North Hill Marsh - Mayflower Street,
Duxbury. A network of walking trails through pine and oak woodlands takes you
all the way around the freshwater marsh and reservoir, with plenty of
interesting vantage points. These 943 acres, managed by Mass Audubon and
Duxbury Conservation, are prime territory for birding and other wildlife
observation.
• Wildcat Conservation Area – Circuit
Street, Norwell. Over 100 quiet acres, with trails through the woods, and the
occasional bench on which to pause and reflect. The narrow trails lead you past
old stone walls and along historic Wildcat Hill. Managed by Norwell
Conservation.
• Weir River Farm and Turkey Hill –
Turkey Hill Lane, Hingham. Catch a
glimpse of the agricultural landscape of days past on these 75 hilltop acres.
The view of Boston Harbor is stunning. Plus there are pastures, woodland
trails, and a working barnyard, with additional trails that link to Whitney
& Thayer Woods. Managed by The Trustees.
• Bates Lane Conservation Area – Clapp Road, Scituate. This property and
its surroundings comprise over 400 acres of contiguous conservation land in the
West End of Scituate, most of it former farmland. A network of well-marked and
well-tended trails leads through the woods, past glacial erratics and across
small streams. Managed by Scituate Conservation.
• Lansing Bennett
Forest – Union Bridge Road, Duxbury. This historic property was once home to a
sawmill and later a trout farm. Today it is 344 acres of mostly wooded upland,
with glacial erratics and kettle holes, plus boardwalks that traverse the red
cedar swamp that borders Phillips Brook. Managed by Duxbury Conservation.
by Kezia Bacon
December 2016
Kezia Bacon's articles
appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local
non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance
and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For
membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at
(781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 20 years of Nature (Human and
Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
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