100 Years of Audubon Sanctuaries

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A bridge crosses the Green Harbor River at the Daniel Webster Sanctuary in Marshfield. Photo by Sandy Bacon.

One hundred years ago, the Massachusetts Audubon Society established its very first wildlife preserve, the Moose Hill Bird Sanctuary in Sharon. The organization got started in 1896, when its founders, Harriet Lawrence Hemenway and Minna B. Hall, began a well-publicized effort “to restrict the killing of birds and sale of their plumage.” Hemenway and Hall setting out to convince the masses that birds need not be sacrificed simply so their feathers could serve as adornments on fashionable ladies’ hats.

Twenty years later, in 1916, Dr. George W. Field of Sharon donated his estate to Mass Audubon, in order “to attract birds and people interested in birds.” And since then, Audubon has been diligently acquiring, preserving, and maintaining wildlife habitat across Massachusetts. There are now a total of 56 Audubon sanctuaries statewide. And three of those are right here on the South Shore!

These three preserves – Daniel Webster, North River, and North Hill Marsh -- are some of my favorite local places to enjoy the natural world. Chances are, if you’ve resided on the South Shore for any length of time, you’ve observed the simple white-and-blue signs encouraging visitors to stop in. And if you’ve gone farther than those signs – up long driveways or down unassuming residential streets to parking areas and trailheads – you’ve experienced some of our areas most lovely open spaces. But if not, here’s a quick overview of what’s right in your backyard. Why not treat yourself and check one out sometime soon!

Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary

Winslow Cemetery Road, Marshfield (off Webster Street)

578 acres, 3.5 miles of trails

“Panoramic” is the word that comes to mind when I consider the Daniel Webster Sanctuary. The parking area is situated on a small rise, and even from there, you can see quite far in almost every direction. The sanctuary’s agricultural history is still evident in the landscape. Visitors can follow well-marked trails through the woods and across wide meadows. There are ponds and wetlands, with two observation blinds. Boardwalks and bridges extend the reach of the trail system across the Green Harbor River and through the red cedar swamp along its banks. Depending on the time of year, you may see turtles sunning themselves, green herons fishing, muskrat and mink hunting, or even (especially at dusk) coyote and white-tailed deer. And of course a diverse array of avian life – bobolinks, purple martins, northern harriers and Savannah sparrows. No pets, running or bike riding. See below for additional visitor guidelines.

North River Wildlife Sanctuary

2000 Main Street, Marshfield (Route 3A)

225 acres, 2.5 miles of trails

Among its many charms, the North River Wildlife Sanctuary offers visitors a spectacular view of the North River and the vast estuary at its mouth. To experience it, you’ll have to walk across Summer Street, through grasslands, and finally through woods, where a boardwalk leads to a platform that overlooks the river. If you do nothing else on your visit to North River Sanctuary, you will have seen one of the South Shore’s most beautiful landscapes. But that’s not all North River Sanctuary has to offer. There are also trails through oak forest, a Sensory Trail for the blind and people with mobility issues, and up-close views of Hannah Eames Brook. You’ll see birds at this preserve, of course, and probably dragonflies too. When conditions are just right in the winter, be sure to look for the harbor seals. No pets, running or bike riding. See below for additional visitor guidelines.

North Hill Marsh

Mayflower Street, Duxbury (in the Duxbury Town Forest)

146 acres, 5 miles of trails

No one wants to get lost in the woods, but if you’d like to “lose yourself” there for an hour of two the North Hill Marsh is an ideal destination. Audubon describes it as “as sanctuary within a refuge.” One of many contiguous open space parcels in Duxbury’s Eastern Greenbelt, this relatively small preserve feels infinitely larger, due to its surroundings. Most of the property– 90 acres -- is a pond. The rest is oak and pine woodlands, made accessible via several well-marked trails. I recommend bringing a map, though! (You can download one from Audubon’s website.) It is a home to a wide array of migratory waterfowl – herons, egrets, kingfishers, and a variety of ducks, as well as three types of turtle. Look carefully at the pond’s edge, and you may see mink, otters or muskrats. Dogs are welcome at North Hill, but only on-leash, and please keep them out of the pond. Boating is prohibited.

All of the above sanctuaries are open daily, dawn til dusk. The following guidelines, posted by Mass Audubon for your safety, as well as to avoid conficts with wildlife, apply to all three properties.

• Leave everything as you find it, and do not pick or collect items.

• Remain on the trails at all times to protect plants, animals, and yourself.

• Refrain from driving motorized vehicles.

• Refrain from fishing, hunting, or trapping.

• Refrain from launching, operating, or retrieving drones or other remote-controlled aerial vehicles.

• Enjoy snacks or picnics in designated areas, and carry out all trash.

• Do not smoke.

For more information, visit www.massaudubon.org or call 781-837-9400.

by Kezia Bacon

April 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

High Tide at the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary

Ted O'Callahan helps his wife, Kim Hubbard, through one of the preserve's wetter areas.

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Mid-afternoon on the day after Thanksgiving, I went with friends to Mass Audubon’s Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield. This formerly agricultural property, known to some locals as Dwyer Farm, is one of my favorite places to walk. Among other things, it’s expansive, picturesque, and relatively close to home, so it’s the place I most often bring guests from out of town. It was a chilly day, but sunny, and so we chose the sanctuary’s wide open fields over other, more woodsy options.

“Favorite place” aside, it had been a few years since I’d walked at Daniel Webster. At first it didn’t seem like much had changed. We made our way around the perimeter of the 600+ acres, strolling past the pond and an observation blind, and into the woods where a series of boardwalks led us over wetlands and among ice-encrusted trees. As usual, there was plenty of beauty to observe: the blue sky reflected on the water’s surface; the rich orange and reds of bittersweet vines; bright green tufts of meadow grass poking up through the snow.

My companions were unfamiliar with the property, so while I led them around, I told them what I knew of its history and geography. How it had been spared from development decades earlier through a sustained grassroots effort; how it once belonged to nineteenth-century Senator Daniel Webster; how a portion of the parcel was indeed “sanctuary” for wildlife and thus closed to the public.

As we neared Fox Hill, a rise from which – looking toward the ocean -- one can see far down into the Green Harbor River Valley, I had a vague recollection of an article I’d read in the local paper a while back . . . something about adjusting the tide gates in the dike between the harbor and the river – an effort to improve water flow and reduce flooding. I wondered if there would be a discernible difference upstream.

We continued our circuit, traversing another boardwalk through what I remembered – a few years back – as being mostly-dry marsh grass. Looking down, I was surprised to see how flooded the marsh was! High tide was still an hour away, but indeed, there was a lot more water under the walkway than there used to be. So much that I wondered, when high tide came, whether the boardwalk would be submerged.

At the end of the boardwalk, there is a grassy path that leads to a short O-shaped trail. If you go right, you can follow the trail along the water’s edge. If you go left, you climb up onto a wooden bridge that crosses – and offers a great view of -- the river. Well, those are the options at low tide, at least! We found the trail pretty-well swamped; even the few steps to the bridge required careful footing.

Beyond that bridge, another boardwalk leads through a red maple swamp, to a second bridge and river crossing. My memories were of at least a foot of clearance between the boardwalk planks and the water, but again, it seemed that the distance had shortened dramatically. An inch or two more of incoming tide would have put the walkway under water.

We completed our excursion with dry feet and – for me at least – a lot of questions. Was this a fluke occurrence, or are the water levels in the river and its wetlands this high all the time now? Has there always been such a tidal influence within the wildlife sanctuary, or is this new? Is the water saltier now, due to greater tidal influence, or is it just higher? What does this mean for the vegetation along the banks of the river, and the wildlife?

I directed my inquiries to Sue MacCallum, Director of Mass Audubon’s South Shore Sanctuaries, and Jay Wennemer, the Town of Marshfield’s Conservation Agent. Here’s what I learned: Yes, indeed, the tide gates at the Brant Rock Dike are now routinely adjusted to control the flow of water into and out of the Green Harbor River. In the past, there were issues with sedimentation, flooding, and especially in summer, stench. Now the town can – for example -- open the gates to allow more water to flow in, or close them to protect the river valley from a coastal storm. Thanks to this joint effort by the town and several state agencies, the marsh and river are healthier now. Similar projects have taken place with great success at Straits Pond in Hull and Cohasset, and Musquashcut Pond in Scituate.

According to Samantha Woods, Executive Director of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, “Managing tide gates to work in concert with nature allows us to reduce the impacts these structures have on the ecology of the river. Like the removal of dams on rivers, the restoration of tidal flows changes the landscape that we have come to know in our lifetimes but ultimately the system is much healthier when we try to mimic what nature intended.”

Sara Grady, Regional Coordinator of the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program, is part of the team that has been monitoring changes in vegetation, fish and invertebrates associated with this project. She explains, “the changes that have been seen are primarily that there are estuarine species of plants and animals (including some salt marsh habitat) upstream of the tide gate now, and the Phragmites near the tide gate and in the upper tributaries has started to disappear. In addition, there are places on the MassAudubon property that were meadow that are transitioning to wetland, particularly the area near the osprey pole, where there is a (formerly dry) creek that now experiences tides.”

It’s important to note that none of these are negatives. In fact, according to Wennemer, they are quite positive, as they vastly improve the ability of a large inland portion of Marshfield to tolerate storm-related flooding. The landscape will change over time, but we won’t know for sure in which ways or to what degree until more time has passed. For me, that’s an intriguing proposition. As the years pass, there will be fascinating to see what happens at the Daniel Webster Sanctuary.

 by Kezia Bacon

 January 2015 

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 15 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com

Hayride!

A Mass Audubon guide points out the features of a red maple swamp to hayride participants.


If you’ve ever been to Mass Audubon’s Farm Day, held every fall at the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, you’ve probably taken a hayride. Touring the historic farm in a hay cart pulled by an old-fashioned tractor is one of the highlights of this annual event. My son, Abel, enjoys the hayride so much that one year we did it four times in a row.

I was delighted to notice in the Audubon newsletter that hayrides aren’t just for Farm Day. In fact, they can be reserved pretty much anytime throughout the year, for private events like field trips, scout expeditions, and birthday parties. For a flat rate of $125, you can bring 30 guests along for a one-hour naturalist-guided ride.

So with fingers crossed for good weather, my husband and I decided to book a hayride for Abel’s fourth birthday.

And boy, did we luck out! Our date, a Sunday afternoon in mid-May, was sunny and warm. Our guests, about twelve of Abel’s friends plus at least one parent per child, numbered close to thirty. A guide, an assistant and a tractor driver greeted us when we arrived at the sanctuary. And once everyone was ready, we piled into the hay cart and set off across the fields.

At Farm Day, the hayrides are relatively short. You get a quick tour without much input from the guide. But for a private event, the ride takes a full hour, stopping along the way for discussions, interpretation and quick stops to view some of the property’s best features.

Riding the hay cart across fields that otherwise are off limits to guests, we stopped near the apple orchard to learn about what the land was like when Daniel Webster owned it. The property first belonged to the Thomas family, who were among the first European settlers of Marshfield. Webster owned it next, and later Edward Dwyer, who turned it into a thriving enterprise – a dairy farm that produced 4,000 quarts of milk per day and 30,000 bales of hay per year! Dwyer also kept 25 horses and more than 600 pigs.

From there we rode deeper into the sanctuary, learning about some of the birds that nest in the fields and trees. We paused again near the Green Harbor River. The guides led us onto a wooden bridge, from which we spied a turtle sunning itself at the water’s edge. We continued along a boardwalk into the red maple swamp, to learn more about the flora and fauna that surrounded us.

Next we reboarded the hay cart and proceeded to Fox Hill, which overlooks much of the sanctuary. There, we learned about some of the geographic features of the property, as well as the deer often seen in the fields, and the osprey, whose nesting area we could see off in the distance. Some of the children – and their parents too – found this unusual perspective on the town of Marshfield quite fascinating. Looking down the river valley toward Green Harbor, they could see how close Rexhame and the town airport are to the neighborhoods off Careswell Street. By car, it’s a long drive around, but as the crow flies, it’s just across the river!

From there, we rode back toward the parking area, stopping at an observation hut that overlooks a small pond. We piled into the small dark building and peered out the windows to see what we could see. “Can we come back here again?” was a popular refrain.

When our hayride was over, we took advantage of the beautiful day and enjoyed cake and ice cream in the shaded, grassy area near the entrance. There was already one picnic table on site, and we’d brought along a few more child-size ones of our own. The children were delighted to run and play on the open field before and after their treats. The adults were content to relax and chat, enjoying the view and the fresh air.

Abel is fortunate that his friends enjoying spending time outdoors as much as he does. As a parent, it made me feel good to provide an opportunity for my son and his guests to do something educational and nature-related. Birthday parties are supposed to be fun, and if the big smiles on the faces of adults and children alike were any indication, I think everyone had a good time.

Consider a nature-themed birthday party for your own child. For information about Mass Audubon’s hayrides and other birthday packages, call 781-837-9400 or email southshore@massaudubon.org. The South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell (www.ssnsc.org) also offers birthday packages. Or create one of your own! Select a nature preserve, and put together some fun, age-appropriate activities for your guests that will encourage them to explore and learn about the plants, animals and geographic features to be found there. Scavenger hunt, anyone? If you’re stumped for details, consider hiring a naturalist from either organization to lead your event.

By Kezia Bacon-Bernstein, Correspondent
July 2010

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein'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 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Preserving Agricultural Landscapes

Cows graze on a hilltop pasture at Weir River Farm.

It was in the middle of our third hayride at Mass Audubon's Daniel Webster Farm Day that it occurred to me that my son and I have been spending an awful lot of time on the farm this month. In addition to attending Farm Day, one of our annual fall rituals, we picked tomatoes, potatoes and a pumpkin at Weir River Farm's Market Garden in Hingham, sat on tractors and took a different hayride at the South Shore Natural Science Center's Corn Festival in Norwell, picked apples at Mounce Farm in Marshfield, and visited the cows at O'Neil Farm in Duxbury. Plus, every week we've stopped by Rise and Shine Farm in Marshfield to pick up our farm share (and if Abel's lucky, dig some carrots). We are fortunate to have so many farms, so close by.

Despite its agricultural history, the South Shore can no longer be described as a farming community. There may be farmlands hidden away here and there, but to get a real feel for the wide-open fields that large agricultural enterprises require, you have to go to Plympton or Middleboro or parts of Bridgewater. This wasn't the case 100 years ago, when farming was still a way of life around here.

Things have changed. Lands where once we raised cattle, or grain, or vegetables are now neighborhoods, strip malls, big box stores. It won't change back. That's why I am grateful for organizations like Mass Audubon, The Trustees of Reservations, and The Wildlands Trust for having the foresight to preserve agricultural landscapes.

It was 25 years ago that Mass Audubon purchased the 350-acre Dwyer Farm from Edward Dwyer, the last in a short line of owners that also included statesman Daniel Webster. Dwyer was ready to retire from farming, but did not want to see his land absorbed in suburban sprawl. Negotiations with the Conservation Commission had stalled, due in part to the property's $500,000 price tag. But thanks to the tireless efforts of Dorothea Reeves and other volunteers on the Committee to Preserve Dwyer Farm, numerous fundraisers, and an anonymous $100,000 donation, Dwyer Farm was saved from development and preserved as open space for future generations. "Nature doesn't last for us if we take it for granted," Reeves told the Marshfield Mariner. "This is paying off some of our debt to nature."

Since then, the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary (Winslow Cemetery Road, Marshfield) has grown to over 500 acres. With rolling green meadows, an apple orchard, and vestiges of old agricultural structures, it still has the feel of a traditional New England Farm. It is also one of the most strikingly beautiful places on the South Shore. Audubon has added two miles of walking trails, wildlife observation blinds and platforms, boardwalks through red maple swamplands, and foot bridges over the Green Harbor River to facilitate exploration. It is open year-round, dawn to dusk.

Another agricultural landscape now preserved for posterity is Weir River Farm in Hingham (Turkey Hill Lane). Managed by the Trustees of Reservations since 1999, this beautiful 75-acre property was originally a country estate, founded in the early twentieth century. Most recently, it was the home of Polly Thayer Starr, an acclaimed painter. Ten acres of fields have been left open for pasture, evoking an aura of days long past. The Weir River flows through the northwest edge of the property. There are also 60 acres of oak and red cedar woodland, and a good old-fashioned barnyard, with horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, and a llama.

The Trustees of Reservations have made a point to preserve the farm's historic character while providing diverse wildlife habitat. This spring, on a hilltop field that once grew corn and winter rye, grower Cindy Prentice (with the help of hundreds of volunteers) put in a 2.5-acre Market Garden, with 90 varieties of flowers and vegetables, including 20 different kinds of sunflowers. The garden is open to the public twice a week for Pick Your Own; they also have a small farm stand. All summer long, Weir River hosts Open Barnyard on Saturdays, where visitors can meet the animals that reside there. The season culminates with the Fall Festival, with livestock viewings, live music, pony rides, pumpkins and more. Walking trails are open year-round.

Why should you visit Weir River Farm? Meghan Connolly, the property's Education and Interpretation Coordinator, has this to say. "When people first discover the farm, they often have the same reaction: 'a place like this exists on the South Shore?' There is something about this place that appeals to people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether it is a five-year-old collecting eggs for the first time, an eighty year old neighbor out for his daily hike, or a volunteer with their hands in the soil of our market garden, there is a community here that everyone can be a part of."

A third agricultural landscape now preserved for the enjoyment of future generations is the Historic O'Neil Farm in Duxbury (Autumn Ave.). By far the most recent of such acquisitions on the South Shore, the property was opened in part to the public in 2005, thanks largely to the efforts of The Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts. It is now run by its own non-profit corporation, Historic O'Neil Farm, Inc. Conservation restrictions and an agricultural preservation restriction are in place to ensure that the farmhouse, barn and outbuildings will remain, and that the 145-acre farm will never be developed as house lots.

The farm was founded in or before 1736, and has been in the O'Neil family since 1829. Current owner Carl O'Neil, along with his brother Edward, took over day-to-day operations in the 1950s; Carl himself has been running the dairy farm for the past 30 years, selling milk to Agri-Mark, a cooperative best known for Cabot Cheese. It is possibly the last working dairy farm on the South Shore.

While O'Neil asks visitors not to disturb activities in the barnyard, there is a new walking trail on the property, and another one in progress, both of which give you a sense of the land and how it is worked. While there, you might catch a glimpse of O'Neil plowing a field or letting the cows out to pasture. Once a year, on Farm Day, the entire farm is open to the public, with hayrides, animal demonstrations, and children's games and crafts. Private tours also may be arranged.

Besides being a fun place to bring the kids, farms like these - some working, some not - are a wonderful destination for anyone seeking a pleasant walk or the opportunity to spot some wildlife. They speak to our region's not-so-distant history, and remind us of the importance of keeping land undeveloped and open to the public.

"Agricultural landscapes are a window to our past, the classrooms of today's new farmers and an important piece of our food independence in the future," says Meghan Connolly. "Even non-working farms are an important feature in defining the unique feel of Massachusetts and provide critical habitats for grassland bird species and other wildlife."

by Kezia Bacon-Bernstein
September 2009

Kezia Bacon-Bernstein'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 13 years of Nature (Human and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com.

Discovering Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary

The main trail at Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield.

One of the best walking places in the area just got better! After years of effort and an extensive permitting process, the Massachusetts Audubon Society recently added a new trail and constructed two bridges over the Green Harbor River at the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield.

The Webster Sanctuary, a.k.a. Dwyer Farm, is comprised of a diversity of habitats -- from meadow to marsh to woodland, plus a river and a pond. Trails and boardwalks stretch across expansive fields, along riverbanks, and through woods of cherry, maple and birch. To encourage visitors to pause and reflect upon their surroundings, the property also includes two wildlife observation blinds, numerous benches in quiet spots inviting contemplation, and a platform at the top of a small hill that offers one of the most unique views around.

There is so much to experience at Daniel Webster Sanctuary, yet I admit I have often yearned for more. I’ve longed to see what lies beyond the easternmost expanse of the trail system -- to explore the meadows that stretch from Fox Hill to the sea. I’ve daydreamed about paddling my kayak from the tide gate on Dyke Road, upstream through the Webster Sanctuary, as far up the Green Harbor River as possible. And I’ve always wanted to explore the woods on the other side of the river.

What a thrill that one of those wishes has now been granted! The River Walk, the new trail at the Webster Sanctuary, branches off from the property’s main path, crosses a simple but beautifully constructed wooden bridge, and leads onto a finger of land owned by the Marshfield Airport. Surrounded on three sides by the Green Harbor River, this small parcel was until recently a mystery and a temptation to sanctuary visitors-- in plain view across a stretch of river, and yet completely inaccessible.

The trees one sees along the River Walk’s boardwalk path are quite strange. This is a recurring theme in the Green Harbor River Valley. Not only at the Webster Sanctuary, but at nearby conservation areas Wharf Creek, Cherry Hill, and Webster’s Wilderness, the tree trunks are dark, gnarled and stunted-looking. They twist and turn at odd angles, sometimes stretching out parallel to the ground. There is very little growth around them, and very little color, resulting in a landscape that is both eerie and intriguing. What makes the trees grow this way? Is it the soil? The wind? The salt air? The lack of light? Is it some man-made influence?

The Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary is located at the end of Winslow Cemetery Road in Marshfield. From Webster Street, you can follow the blue and white Audubon logo signs. At the end of the road, you will find a small parking area and a visitor information building. At the entrance, you can pick up a trail map, learn more about the property, and find out what creatures have been observed there lately.

Proceed from there to the trails. My favorite tour of the property begins on the Fox Hill trail. Follow it downhill, and take a short detour through the Piggery Loop. Keep your eyes open for the seven northern harriers (marsh hawks) currently inhabiting the sanctuary -- sometimes they perch on top of bird houses.

Once you’ve returned to the main trail, look for signs for the River Walk, which will take you to the first bridge. Cross the river, and follow the boardwalk through the woods and on to the second bridge. You might pause there to see not only a great view of the surrounding marshes and meadows, but also, if you’re lucky, the muskrats who play in the water below. Be sure to stay on marked paths, and don’t stray too close to the river. The banks are unstable and the riverbed itself extremely silty -- not the kind of place you’d want to get stuck (like the Audubon staff member who once sunk in to the top of his chest waders).

The second bridge will connect you with the Sparrow Trail, which leads along the river and back to the main path. Climb to the top of Fox Hill, to the observation platform. If you’re there at the end of the day this winter, you might see long- and short-eared owls hunting. Because the sanctuary is open only from dawn until dusk, the casual observer will have only fleeting opportunities to see these rare creatures. Watch the skies, looking out over the fields toward the ocean, for the fluttering flight of the short-eared owls, or scan the trees and signposts for the more direct movements of the long-eared ones. Audubon occasionally offers guided tours of the property, where you can stay later and see more.

From Fox Hill, return to the main path. You may hear meadow mice scurrying in the grass. Take the winding Secret Trail through the woods to Pond Loop. Consider stopping at the observation blind as well. Most likely, you’ll encounter a flock of Canada geese on your way to the exit; watch your step for their green droppings. Allow yourself at least an hour for this tour, and if you have binoculars, bring them along.

Like all Massachusetts Audubon lands, activities at the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary are restricted, so please leave your dog, bicycle, skis, and loud voices at home. For a more formal introduction to the property, inquire with Audubon’s South Shore Sanctuaries office (781-837-9400) about their Family Days at the Farm program, happening on the third Sunday of each month this winter, from 1-3.

by Kezia Bacon, Correspondent
January 2000

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.