Walking with Friends

The trails at Norwell's Norris Reservation are wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

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While attending a memorial service for a friend in August, it occurred to me how walking together – and the conversation that usually takes place while we’re on foot and side by side – tends to enhance relationships. It might be two friends, or it might be romantic partners, or it might be some other configuration, via family or work. But especially when these walks become a regular happening, when they provide a weekly (or monthly or quarterly . . . ) time to check in with one another, the two people involved not only grow closer to each other, but also gain valuable insight into their own selves.

One of the eulogists for my friend related a story along those lines. She and our mutual friend had gotten to know each other when their children were infants -- new mothers pushing their strollers together around town. In later years, they would meet for walks in the woods, or on the beach, and their “walkies” (spoken in a British accent) became a steady and reliable way to keep in touch, and help one another remain grounded as they navigated the various channels through which their lives led them. I was touched by the story, and – since I too have been fortunate to develop a number of friendships by walking together -- it got me wondering if this is universal theme.

I suspect that it has something to do with one’s mind being dually occupied. Walking requires a certain amount of energy. The conversation often fuels the steps, but at the same time, the steps fuel the conversation. It’s different from sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee together. Perhaps it’s because we’re not looking at each other – instead we’re watching where we are going. There is a sense of freedom – to let the mind wander, to try out new ideas, perhaps saying them aloud for the first time. Some of my most memorable -- and revelatory -- conversations have taken place on foot.

Autumn is probably my favorite time for walking. It’s neither too hot nor too cold. It’s neither muddy nor buggy. And the fields and forests tend to be really pretty – at least around here, as the leaves and grasses turn color and begin to fall.

The list that follows includes some of my favorite places to walk with a friend. These spots feature trails that are – at least some of the time – wide enough for two (conversation can become awkward when there is a leader and a follower). And they are large enough that one can take a decent, hour-long walk without retracing one’s steps. All feature beautiful landscapes as well. Pavement – while often convenient -- has a distinctly different feel from sand or grass or the forest floor.

Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary - Winslow Cemetery Road, Marshfield. Fields, forests, boardwalks through a red maple swamp, plus the Green Harbor River. Managed by Mass Audubon.

Norris Reservation - Dover Street, Norwell. Numerous views of the North River and Second Herring Brook, with both cart paths and woodland trails. Managed by The Trustees of Reservations.

Nelson Memorial Forest/Phillips Farm Preserve - Union Street, Marshfield. Wide logging trails and narrower paths through forest with views of the salt marsh and the North River. Managed by New England Forestry Foundation and Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts.

North Hill Marsh, Duxbury – Mayflower Street, Duxbury. Woodlands, wetlands and varying types of trails around bogs and a large, bird-friendly pond. Managed by Mass Audubon.

Willow Brook Farm Preserve – 99 Barker Street, Pembroke. A former farm, now mostly wooded, with boardwalks and also a meadow trail. Managed by and Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts.

Luddams Ford/Indian Head River trails - Elm Street, Hanover. Follow the trail along a former railroad bed up one side of the Indian Head River. Take short detours toward the water for spectacular views. Managed by the Town of Hanover.

Whitney and Thayer Woods – Howes Lane, Cohasset. A huge network of cart paths and wooded trails, featuring glacial erratics (huge boulders) and some truly impressive rhododendrons. Managed by The Trustees of Reservations.

World’s End – Martin’s Lane, Hingham. This place has almost everything. Views of the ocean, the marsh, and Boston. Trails through the woods and across fields and along the shore. Wide trails, narrow trails, cart paths. Managed by The Trustees of Reservations.

Humarock/Rexhame Beach – Scituate and Marshfield. Many local beaches, due to geography, tidal restraints, or property lines, don’t permit much of a walk. But whether you enter from Humarock, near Fourth Cliff, or Marshfield, via Rexhame Beach, you will be able to cover a lot of ground.

Green Harbor/Duxbury Beach – Marshfield and Duxbury. High tide will impede your progress from Green Harbor, and without a sticker you will have to park at the inland side of the Powder Point Bridge, but if you time it right, you can walk for miles on what is probably the area’s most beautiful beach.

by Kezia Bacon

August 2014 
 

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

Go See the Snowy Owls!

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Snowy Owl. Photo by Doug Lowry

 Have you seen the snowy owls on Duxbury Beach? So many people have been talking about them, I’m starting to feel like I’m the only person who hasn’t gone to see them! This winter we have had an unusually high population of snowy owls in our area, so your chances of spotting one are pretty good.

As you may have guessed from their name, snowy owls are primarily white in color, although they do have some brown spots or markings. The males tend to be whiter than the females. They have small golden eyes, and short sharp bills. One of the larger owl species in North America, they measure up to 27 inches in height, and weigh up to four pounds. That’s heavy for an owl – they need lots of layers of feathers to keep warm in the Artic! Their wingspan ranges an impressive 4.5 to 5.5 feet across. In the wild, snowy owls may survive up to nine years – and considerably longer in captivity.

Snowy owls survive primarily on a diet of lemmings, a small Arctic-dwelling mammal. They are nomadic, and generally follow the lemming population. They also eat fish, insects, birds (ranging in size from a songbird to a medium-sized goose!) and other small mammals such as hares and mice. Last year the lemming population was large, and as a result, a greater-than-usual number of young snowy owls were produced.

Snowy owls make their home in the Arctic, in the northern portions of Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Russia. They breed in May, scraping out a hole in the bare ground in which to nest, and often returning to same spot year after year. If food supplies are good, a female may lay 7-11 eggs, while on a not-so-good sustenance year, maybe 3-5. The female protects the nest while the male gathers food. The babies begin to leave the nest after 25-26 days, however they cannot hunt for themselves until they reach about five weeks of age, and their flying skills don’t really mature for another 2-3 weeks beyond that.

In the fall, snowy owls begin their journey south, searching for a place to spend the winter --  a place that is similar to the dunes and grasslands of the Artic tundra. They prefer wide-open, mostly-treeless coastal areas, so our larger, less-developed beaches are prime spots for viewing them. Duxbury Beach is the best spot locally. If you don’t mind traveling farther, Plum Island, Salisbury Beach and Newburyport to the north are also safe bets, as are the beaches of the Cape and Islands. They are also attracted to airports.

You probably won’t see snowy owls at Logan or any of our other local airports, though. Owls pose an airstrike danger, and so they are routinely removed from the premises. Norman Smith, director of the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Blue Hills Trailside Museum is a hero in this department. For 32 years he has been rescuing and banding snowy owls from Logan Airport, and relocating them to Duxbury Beach and Plum Island. In a normal year, this may involve 6-10 birds, but occasionally there are boom years and the 2013-2014 winter is definitely a boom (the technical term is “irruption”). By the end of December, Smith had relocated 32 snowy owls to Duxbury alone.

Snowy owls typically arrive in Massachusetts toward the end of November, and stick around for a couple of months, before heading north again. The Bay State isn’t their only winter home: they have been spotted as far south as Bermuda, North Carolina and Florida.

While they are here, snowy owls spend their days hunting. They have remarkably keen vision and hearing. Most owls hunt at night, but snowys do most of their work during the day. They look for a spot with a good view: the rolling terrain of a sand dune is ideal, or they may tuck in behind a bush if it’s windy. On calm days, they might choose a less-protected perch, such as a telephone pole or a nesting platform. Generally they are quiet, unless they’re trying to scare away a predator, in which case they may cackle. They sit a lot – often for hours in the same spot, swiveling their heads or leaning forward to get a good look at something. Often, once they’ve captured one, they will swallow a rodent whole! Now that’s something I’d like to see . . .

There’s still time to try to see the snowy owls at Duxbury Beach. While you may want a spotting scope or binoculars for a close-up view, you won’t need any special device simply to catch a glimpse. Please be respectful. MassAudubon suggests that people not disturb the owls by getting too close.

Sources:

http://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/blue-hills/snowy-owl-project

http://www.eyesonowls.com/aboutowls.htm#Snowy

http://www.defenders.org/snowy-owl/basic-facts

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/snowy_owl/lifehistory

http://www.patriotledger.com/x919119789/Snowy-ownl-population-spikes-in-Massachusetts#sthash.EL6HKjgY.dpuf

by Kezia Bacon, Correspondent

January 2014

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

Driving on Duxbury Beach

The access road to Duxbury Beach.

Oversand vehicle permits for Duxbury Beach became available recently, prompting a flurry of conversation about who would get one this season, and how they planned to enjoy this privilege. And for me, it raised – once again – a dilemma about driving on the beach in the first place.

Before I had a child of my own, the notion of driving onto Duxbury Beach was irrelevant. I could park and walk to my own beaches in Marshfield, toting a chair, a book, and a bottle of water. I didn’t require much to enjoy the beach and I didn’t need to get there, or home, in a hurry. Adding a young child to the mix – and his truck, pail, shovel, snack, drink, sunscreen, towel and diaper changing paraphernalia – complicated matters. I still went, because my son loved it, but I grumbled about hauling out stuff over the tall dune at Rexhame or up the road from Green Harbor’s public parking lot.

Over time, the beach became less of a draw for us. But there were rare occasions when a friend with an oversand permit -- as well as a vehicle large enough to accommodate us -- would invite us to Duxbury Beach, and we soon learned what an appealing alternative this was! Pack up the car, drive directly onto the beach, park, and enjoy. It was quick and convenient . . . but for me, the nature writer, it was also guilt-inducing. Was it really okay for us to be driving on the beach?

An understanding of beach mechanics is essential when considering this question. Barrier beaches like Duxbury are unstable environments. Rising and falling tides constantly shift the sand. Dunes help to lessen the effects of storms. So in order to keep a beach intact over time, its dunes must be nourished and protected.

What does it take to protect a dune in a developed area? Money. For much of the past century, there has been a fee associated with the use of Duxbury Beach. The fees are fed right back into beach maintenance and preservation.

People used to drive wherever they wanted on Duxbury Beach, tearing up and flattening the dunes. Then in 1954, Hurricane Carol took its toll and served as a wake-up call for the town. Citizens began to rally around beach preservation. Some care was taken to rebuild the dunes, installing snow fence and planting beach grass to help prevent sand from washing away. Eventually a summer traffic patrol was approved.

Back then, the beach belonged to a group of private owners, the Duxbury Beach Association (DBA). The DBA built the resident and visitor parking lots and leased the beach to the town; the town, in turn collected parking fees. (In 1964, it was $1 for residents and $2 for non-residents.)

 In 1975, the beach’s management was reorganized as a nonprofit, becoming the Duxbury Beach Reservation (DBR). Its mission statement included the equally-rated points of restoring and preserving the beaches in their natural state, and maintaining access both for Duxbury residents and the general public. Like its predecessor, the DBR leased the beach to the town.

Disaster struck in 1978, when the infamous blizzard caused 26 major wash-throughs, plus numerous partial breaches. Some dunes were flattened, and deep drifts of sand and stone covered the main parking lot. The road to The Gurnet and Saquish was completely destroyed in some sections.

After that, beach conservation efforts intensified. It took several years, but a right of way along the bay side of the beach was constructed, sharply delineated by post and cable fencing. Snow fence and grass planting efforts were stepped up, and over time the beach was significantly restored.

But the No-Name Storm of 1991 was even more destructive. Again, there were breaches and numerous washovers; many dunes were obliterated, and the road to the Gurnet and Saquish sustained major damage. Grass planting and snow fencing proved once again to be effective remedies. And added to the mix this time was a crackdown on oversand vehicles.

 Prior to 1992, vehicles could drive almost anywhere on the beach, but beginning that year, the DBR began restricting traffic to a single lane, east of the dunes. Two crossovers provided access to the beach, and parking was permitted only in a single line in a designated area. The DBR measured the beach to see how many cars could fit on it. They set the limit at 500 at any one time, and divided this into 250 resident and 250 non-resident admissions.

You may ask, “Why so many non-residents?” This is another key point in the dilemma. The fact that Duxbury Beach has always been accessible to the public is one of the primary factors in its continued existence. In the 1950s and 60s there were a number of attempts by the state to take the beach by eminent domain. Because the DBA could prove that there was public access to the beach, it was able to maintain ownership. It’s worth noting here that it’s the parking and access fees that pay for beach maintenance – not property taxes.

Readers may be surprised to learn that the shorebird monitoring program, which protects two threatened species -- piping plovers and least terns – actually helps to keep the beach open to the public. Funded by the annual lease, this program ensures the protection of these birds as required by the Federal Endangered Species Act. Were it not for the presence of the town’s Endangered Species Officer, large sections of the beach would be closed during nesting season (most of the summer).

On top of that, the town is obliged by the state to keep the right of way out to Saquish open at all times. Are you following me here? Duxbury is bound by state law to keep the road open, and bound by federal law to protect the birds. This all requires money. Where does the money come from? Parking fees! Without recreational access to the beach, there would be no money for ecological concerns. Without tireless efforts to preserve the beach, there would be no beach left to enjoy. It’s an endless cycle . . . and a delicate balance.

 So to answer the question at last, what is the impact of all these vehicles on the beach? I was relieved to learn that the DBR conducted numerous studies and – now that traffic is controlled and shorebirds are protected -- the ecological damage from vehicles is negligible.

This year, oversand vehicle permits cost $160 for residents and $295 for non-residents. Parking in the town lot, which holds 440 cars, is $80 annually. Non-residents can park in an adjacent lot for $15 per day. While only 500 vehicles can fit on the beach at any given time, permit sales are not subject to limits. Last year around 4,000 resident stickers were sold, as well as around the same number of non-resident, bringing in about $1.7 million total.

Duxbury Beach is one of the most beautiful places on the South Shore. An occasional visit is absolutely worth the non-resident parking fee. Knowing what the beach – and its caretakers – has sustained over the years makes it seem even more precious. If you don’t like crowds, try visiting at off-hours. It’s just as spectacular on a sunny spring or autumn day as it is midsummer.

To learn more about Duxbury Beach, read the excellent Duxbury Beach Book by Margaret M. Kearney and Kay Foster (2007).  

by Kezia Bacon, April 2012

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