WINTER NEWSLETTER THE WREN Jan uar y 2013 PANTRY BROOK FARM AND O’Brien FARM EXPAND REGIOn’S PROTECTED OpEN SPACE As the final days of 2012 came to an end, SVT was able to celebrate the closing of two significant conservation projects. These Lichen-covered boulders provide topographical interest to Wrack Meadow Woods. transactions occurred too late for full cover- age in this edition of The Wren, but you can look forward to learning more about these Wrack Meadow Woods in beautiful properties in our spring Wren. Pantry Brook Farm, an iconic Sudbury Boylston Becomes SVT’s landmark, encompasses 97 acres of natural beauty, as well as an agricultural and historic Newest Reservation By Christa Collins, Director of Land Protection richness. As the largest undeveloped, unpro- tected property in Sudbury, it has been a top On December 6th, 2012, SVT acquired the fee title to its newest reservation, Wrack priority for SVT and the town of Sudbury Meadow Woods. This 11.6-acre parcel is located in the northwest corner of Boylston, for many years. Landowners Carole and Dick in the proximity of three other SVT reservations: Wrack Meadow Brook, Keisling, and Wolfe have placed this historic farm under Mile Hill Woods. Just to the east of this forested area is the Mt. Pisgah complex, made a conservation restriction to be co-held by up of over 700 acres of lands owned by the towns of Berlin and Northborough and SVT and the town of Sudbury. the Mass Department of Fish and Game. SVT holds several conservation restrictions The year’s final closing protected within the Mt. Pisgah area. To the west of these lands, significant acreage surrounding the O’Brien Farm in Westford with a the Wachusett Reservoir is protected by the Mass Division of Water Supply Protection. 23-acre conservation restriction, co-held Wrack Meadow Woods is mostly upland and is entirely wooded, with a combi- by SVT and the Westford Conservation nation of red and white oak, hickories, and an understory dominated by lowbush Commission. The fourth-generation land- bluberry and huckleberry. Deer and turkey presence is very evident. In some areas, owner, Charlie McColough, manages his mature white pines extend upward into a cathedral canopy. The forest floor is soft property specifically for the benefit of wild- with pine needles, and large, lichen-covered boulders protrude here and there. life. A network of trails meanders through As a landlocked parcel, the Royal Realty Trust property was not imminently diverse habitat, which includes forests, threatened by development, but, its proximity to other reservations makes meadows, and Pond Brook. This project it a most attractive addition to SVT’s holdings and the region’s open space. provided SVT with a rewarding oppor- Another important feature is its inclusion as “Core Natural Landscape” in the tunity to partner with the Westford Land Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program’s (NHESP), Preservation Foundation. Biomap2 plan (2010). This designation identifies blocks of land that “provide (continued on page 4) SVT Wren Winter 2012.indd 1 1/18/13 12:12 PM Board of Directors Colin Anderson, Sudbury, President Sherrill Cline, Sudbury, Vice President NOTES FROM RON Bruce Osterling, Sudbury, Treasurer Peter Martin, Northborough, Clerk Brian Clew, Framingham Richard Dinjian, Shrewsbury Marylynn Gentry, Wayland Six Decades Chris Jenny, Wayland Our application to the Land Trust Alliance Accreditation Commission gave us an oppor- Richard Johnson, Concord tunity to sum up our organization’s cumulative impact. I thought you’d be interested in Robert Kamen, Sudbury this excerpt from our submission. Deirdre Menoyo, Sudbury The landscapes of eastern Massachusetts have felt the effects of decades of Arthur Milliken, Concord intense development, but significant natural and agricultural areas have been pre- David Moore, Framingham served. The towns of the region have grown, but the area has not been reduced to Karin Paquin, Marlborough the broad belt of pavement and lawn that surrounds some American cities. Living Richard Perkins, Stow room has been saved for the plants and animals that provide the natural context Iryna Priester, Wayland for humanity. Sudbury Valley Trustees has played a leading part in protecting Pam Resor, Acton open land, on its own, and in collaboration with others. Stephen Richmond, Sudbury The communities that spawned Sudbury Valley Trustees are real towns, some of Stephen Winthrop, Wayland the oldest in the United States. Through centuries of self-government, they devel- oped strong cultures in which residents felt entitled and duty-bound to speak STAFF their minds. This resolve for self-determination was strong in the generation that Ron McAdow Executive Director brought forth Sudbury Valley Trustees, an organization founded by seven con- cerned citizens that grew into a regional force whose work is supported by dozens Ellen Byrne Business Manager of volunteers and by upwards of 3,000 members. Sudbury Valley Trustees came Christa Hawryluk Collins into possession of extensive acres of land, which, had they not been committed Director of Land Protection to conservation, would be worth many millions of dollars, and, as they stand, are Susan J. Crane invaluable. Land Protection Specialist Although the founders included purposeful, strong-willed individuals, they did Ashley Davies not achieve these results by mere force of character. Rather, they succeeded by AmeriCorps Member receiving the energies of others who shared their concerns, giving them a focus, Beth Gula and finding ways for each of them to participate in the long-sustained effort. This AmeriCorps Member convergence of strong leadership with openness to new voices and divergent view- Nancy Hallen points is the basis of SVT’s accomplishments. Office Manager Ellie Johnson Sudbury Valley Trustees and its allies in conservation continue to provide a Office Assistant counterbalance to sprawl, striving to preserve those areas most critical to our nat- Laura Mattei ural heritage. We remind ourselves that the real beneficiaries of our work are the Director of Stewardship generations who will follow us, who will find the diversity of plants and animals Michael Sanders and the serenity of natural places preserved for them. Because of our work, tree Director of Membership swallows will have standing deadwood in which to build their nests and flying Dan Stimson insects to feed their young. People will have places to grow food and to expose Assistant Director of Stewardship their eyes, ears, and noses to the colors, patterns, music, and fragrances of nature. Chris Wilson And, for those who love to study nature, there will be woods and fields in which Caretaker to investigate the patterns and logic of lives so different from ours. Six decades of The Wren passionate conservation have made a huge difference in the quality of our land- Nancy Hallen, Editor scapes and the characters of our towns. Joyce Dwyer & Gordon Morrison, Illustrators Jason Fairchild, The Truesdale Group, Designer Sudbury Valley Trustees 18 Wolbach Road Ron McAdow, Executive Director Sudbury, MA 01776 Tel: 978/443-5588 • Fax: 978/443-2333 E-mail: [email protected] Sudbury Valley Trustees is a regional land trust, founded Website: www.svtweb.org in 1953. For almost 60 years, SVT has been dedicated to conserving land and protecting wildlife habitat of the Concord, Assabet, Sudbury river basin. This is one of the most scenic, culturally rich, and historically significant regions in the United States. Guided by a well thought-out strategic plan, SVT carries out its mission for the benefit of present and future generations. 2 / SUDBURY VALLEY TRUSTEES / WINTER 2013 SVT Wren Winter 2012.indd 2 1/18/13 12:12 PM An Early Fascination with the Natural World Beth Gula, AmeriCorps Member As a child growing up in the dense suburbs of Washington D.C., I had a budding understanding of watersheds and my place in them long before I studied ecology in school. Stencil-painted labels declaring “Chesapeake Bay Drainage” on every corner storm drain told me that I lived in a watershed. The connection started to form that gravity carried water, along with our lost nerf balls, stray candy wrappers, and the soap suds from a weekend car-wash, down and away to the culvert at the bottom of the hill, to the creek in our nearby woods, and then miles and miles out towards the Atlantic. Those drainage signs told me that my actions in our front yard had the potential to affect living things that seemed worlds away. I could influence whether fish had oxygen to breathe, oysters could flourish, or turtles choked on plastic grocery bags. The idea that “we are all downstream,” connected and interdependent, germi- nated in me farther back than I can remember. The concept has guided my personal development and professional aspirations. The natural world always fascinated me. Real chances to explore in the woods were rare but enlivening. I went to a sleep-away camp one week each summer; some years I AmeriCorps members Beth Gula and Ashley Davies bring much appreciated energy and experience to SVT. (continued on page 4) Storm Destruction Has Benefits Too! Beth Gula, AmeriCorps Member Superstorm Sandy, like other ers or sapsuckers, which can more intense storms in recent years, left readily excavate the weakened destruction and a death toll across wood to build nests within. When New England in her wake. In our the initial inhabitants abandon region, high winds brought down these holes, new residents move utility poles and dropped trees that in, including wood ducks, tree cut off electricity and roadways, swallows, bats, squirrels, and por- disrupting schools, businesses, and cupines. Snags provide a desirable everyday lives. Here at SVT, we surface for drumming and court- were expecting reports of fallen ship displays. Wildlife, especially limbs and damaged or uprooted birds, feast on the insects that are trees on our properties.