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Resource Management Planning Program Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Bureau of Planning and Resource Protection Resource Management Planning Program RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN Middlesex Fells Planning Unit Middlesex Fells Planning Unit RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2011 Deval L. Patrick, Governor Timothy P. Murray, Lt. Governor Richard K. Sullivan Jr., Secretary Edward M. Lambert Jr., Commissioner Dear Friends, Supporters, Users and Stakeholders of the DCR Middlesex Fells Reservation; I am please to introduce you to this draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Middlesex Fells Reservation. RMPs provide guidelines for management of properties under the stewardship of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). They are intended to be working documents for setting priorities, enabling the DCR to adapt to changing fiscal, social and environmental conditions. The planning process provides a forum for communication and cooperation with park visitors and the surrounding communities to ensure transparency in the DCR’s stewardship efforts. For more than a century, the Middlesex Fells Reservation has provided visitors a natural oasis in the midst of an urbanized landscape, and an opportunity for visitors to connect with nature. The reservation offers a variety of nature-based recreation activities that are special to the residents of metropolitan Boston and beyond. It is home to ten rare plants and animals, uncommon natural communities, and cultural and historic resources that live as a testament to our agrarian and industrial past. Generations of users have traversed its trails, viewed the Boston skyline from atop its rocky hills, and enjoyed the sound of birdsong echoing through the forest. This RMP strives to balance recreational use and demand with the protection natural and cultural resources at the DCR Middlesex Fells so that these experiences, and others, are available for the generations to come. Edward M. Lambert, Jr. Commissioner The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), an agency of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, oversees 450,000 acres of parks and forests, beaches, bike trails, watersheds, dams, and parkways. The agency’s mission is to protect, promote, and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources. To learn more about DCR, our facilities, and our programs, please visit us at www.mass.gov/dcr. Contact us at [email protected]. PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Contents Page Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... vi Section 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The DCR Middlesex Fells Reservation ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Resource Management Plans ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 The Planning Process ........................................................................................................................................ 2 1.4 Management Principle and Goals .................................................................................................................... 3 Section 2: Existing Conditions ............................................................................................................ 5 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Historical Context ............................................................................................................................................. 5 2.3 Description of Sites ........................................................................................................................................... 6 2.4 Natural Resources ............................................................................................................................................. 8 Physical Features ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Water Resources ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Vegetation ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................................................. 14 Rare Species ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 2.5 Cultural Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 18 Regional Pre-Contact Context .......................................................................................................................... 18 Prehistoric Archaeological Sites within DCR Middlesex Fells Reservation ....................................................... 20 Historic Resources within the DCR Middlesex Fells Reservation ..................................................................... 20 Historic Archaeological Resources ................................................................................................................... 21 Historic Buildings .............................................................................................................................................. 22 Historic Structures ............................................................................................................................................ 23 Cultural Landscapes .......................................................................................................................................... 24 2.6 Recreational Resources .................................................................................................................................. 27 Recreational Activities ...................................................................................................................................... 27 Recreational Demands ..................................................................................................................................... 29 User Attitudes and Behaviors ........................................................................................................................... 31 Recreational Conflict ........................................................................................................................................ 31 2.7 Infrastructural Resources ............................................................................................................................... 32 Property Boundary ........................................................................................................................................... 32 Buildings and Structures ................................................................................................................................... 33 Roads ................................................................................................................................................................ 33 Parking .............................................................................................................................................................. 33 Trails ................................................................................................................................................................. 34 Signs and Kiosks ................................................................................................................................................ 34 Memorials and Markers ................................................................................................................................... 34 2.8 Demographics ................................................................................................................................................. 34 i Section 3: Management Resources and Practices ............................................................................. 36 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 36 3.2 Management Practices ................................................................................................................................... 37 Landscape Designation ..................................................................................................................................... 37 Natural Resources ............................................................................................................................................ 37 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................................................ 38 Recreational Resources ...................................................................................................................................
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