Friends of Upton State Forest Newsletter http://www.friendsofuptonstateforest.org [email protected] Like us on Facebook! Volume 8, Number 2 Spring 2013 President’s Message Potluck Supper & Program By Bill Taylor May 3 at United Parish Vestry It has been a good winter for efforts One Central Square, Upton to preserve the CCC legacy at Upton Potluck at 6 PM, Program at 7 PM State Forest. DCR has started the process to stabilize and restore the Quabbin: A History and Explorers Guide foundation and roof of the headquarters building, the Cultural Resources We are combining our potluck supper this Management Plan is well on its way to year with Upton Historical Society. FUSF being finished, and the CCC records will not have a business meeting. After a project is underway. The plans are to potluck supper, both groups will enjoy a have all three projects completed this program by well-known author, Michael year. It is especially gratifying and Tougias. The public is welcome to come for appropriate that these projects will be the potluck or just to come at 7:00 for the finished during the 80th anniversary year free program. Please RSVP for supper to of the creation of the Civilian [email protected] or Ellen Conservation Corps. Reports on the at 508-529-6610. projects are on page 3. When the Quabbin Reservoir was 2013 is the 80th Anniversary of the constructed, in the late 1920’s and 1930’s, CCC. DCR and FUSF are planning an four towns “drowned”, it displaced 2,500 event at Upton State Forest sometime residents, and 7,500 graves were moved. later this year. The original date for the Today the Quabbin provides water for program was April 6, but that has Boston and 45 other communities, serving changed so watch for a notice. over 2.5 million people. Quabbin and the President Roosevelt signed the bill surrounding forest is the largest tract of open creating the Civilian Conservation Corps space in southern New England, home to on March 31, 1933. The first enrollees nesting loons and bald eagles, coyotes, were selected in April and Camp porcupines, and moose. Roosevelt in Virginia was the first camp Tougias, author of Quabbin: A History to open on April 17. By July 1, there and Explorers Guide, will present a narrated were almost 1,500 camps with 250,000 slide presentation about Quabbin Reservoir. enrollees. This year is also the 75th The program features the demise of the “lost Anniversary of the closing of the Upton towns” flooded to create the Quabbin, the camp, which opened in 1935 and closed construction of the massive reservoir, and in 1938. how the Quabbin works today. He will take It is a real pleasure to report so the audience on a natural history tour of the much good news to you. Spring is also Quabbin, with suggestions for day trips. almost upon us. I look forward to seeing Funding for the program is provided by the you out in the woods. Bill Upton Local Cultural Council, Upton Historical Society and FUSF. 1 Membership Report BSTRA is 40! Congratulations to Bay State Trail Welcome to the following new Riders Association on their Fortieth members: Barbara Bowman and Tom Anniversary! This equestrian group is Neu, Dr’s Trista and Andrew Evens, and very active in trail maintenance and Robert Groth all of Upton and Lynn advocacy. They have partnered with Paresky of Douglas. If you have not FUSF to support work parties and renewed for 2013 we would appreciate matching grant projects. You can learn receiving your dues by April 1 to save more about the group at bstra.org. the cost of mailing a reminder. There are two equestrian events at We regret the omission of Marcella Upton this spring. The BSTRA ride is Stasa’s name from our Annual Report as May 12 and the Tan Heath Hunt Club a Member at Large on the Board of is at the forest on May 19. They will be Directors. Marcella is our longest parking trailers in the Headquarters area. serving Member at Large and one of our When you encounter horses step to the hardest workers! right of the trail and do not approach without permission. Dogs should be Annual Meeting leashed. Directors and officers elected at the annual meeting are as follows: President Raffle Winners Bill Taylor, Vice President Steve Annual meeting raffles winners are Warren, Secretary Mary McManus, Massachusetts Calendar-Russ Arnold of Corresponding Secretary Agnita Knot, Upton, Suet cakes and holder-Ramsey Treasurer Chris Scott and Members at Salem of Douglas, and New England Large Chip Kent, Gerry Lemire, Breakfast Basket-Jane Mosczynski of Marcella Stasa and Jerry Zaslow. Douglas. DCR Documents and Policies Call For Artists DCR is updating the Parks and The annual Call For Recreation Rules. There was a meeting Artists to paint Iron in January for preliminary comment. We Rangers at DCR parks are told that it will be reviewed and that has been announced. there will be a final public comment Submission deadline is period. Here is a link to the draft: April 26, 2013. You http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicme can find more info at etings/materials/policiesandregs/draftpar http://www.mass.gov/d krules2013-jan.pdf cr/stewardship/trust/Iro nRangerCall.htm. This Logo Clothing photo shows the Iron You can purchase our line of tee Ranger at the trailhead shirts, sweatshirts, hats and tote bags at painted by Marcella Stasa. There is A Little Common Sense, 8 North Main another Iron Ranger at the Headquarters St, near the Upton Common. You can Building. It would be great to have a design that honors the CCC heritage of also visit the FUSF store at http://www.friendsofuptonstateforest.org our park. FUSF can provide CCC photos to anyone researching for the project. /FUSF%20Store.htm 2 DCR Project Updates Historic Resources Committee By Bill Taylor The Historic Resources Committee will resume the inventory of cultural Design, engineering and permitting resources in Upton State Forest in the for work on the headquarters building spring. We will be focusing on parcels has begun! DCR plans to have the not connected to the main recreation foundation work underway by May, and area. If you are interested in helping, or they hope to start the roof work by would like to report a feature, please summer or early fall. In addition to send an email to Ellen at improving the structural integrity of the [email protected]. roof, they also plan to recreate the CCC era look of the roof inside the building. Recreation Committee The cost of doing this, available funding, and the pace of permits and inspection will determine timing of the restoration. I think it is a testimony to FUSF and in particular Ellen Arnold’s, tireless advocacy for rehabilitation of the CCC buildings that Commissioner Lambert called Ellen at home, and on a Saturday, to let her know that DCR would be starting work on the building. The DCR Office of Cultural Resources completed a draft of the E. Arnold photo Cultural Resources Management Plan in December. It was shared with FUSF and Upton is a four season park and winter the Upton Historical Commission for is one of the busiest times on the trails comment. We provided our comments to with people enjoying cross country DCR and the Massachusetts Historical skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and Commission (MHC). MHC will review yes, even biking! New Year’s Day found the draft plan and all comments and then the parking lots full and throughout the provide their feedback. If necessary, winter, we have observed many out of there will be a meeting with all parties to state plates. When I stock the map box, I resolve any issues, after which DCR will enjoy meeting and talking to visitors. finalize the plan. In the picture above, Faith enjoys a The CCC Records Preservation treat from a new friend. Faith’s owners Project is underway. A contract for the had her out on the trail for a hike on project, which sets out specifications for New Year’s Day but the day before she the work, is being reviewed. When that had been on the trails training to pull a is finalized, the job will be put out to sled. bid. Another day I met a hiker who told me he often donates to the Iron Ranger Quarterly Quote at the Trailhead. He knows that all If everyone is moving forward together donations support the park where they then success takes care of itself. are made, and he appreciates having a Henry Ford place like Upton State Forest to visit. 3 Wood Duck Boxes-Part 2 the pole and the maul would continue its path on down the ladder below my feet. By Joe Nava, FUSF member When the maul hit the ladder, the ladder (Editor’s note: Joe worked at Phillips went out from under me. I came down, Wildlife Lab at Upton State Forest from usually on top of my partner who was 1948 to 1956. Since 1960, he has holding the ladder. Crunch! Ouch! Ugh! continued his career in Alaska.) Fortunately, we were young and tough When I worked at the Phillips so no one ever got seriously hurt. We Wildlife Laboratory in the Upton State were scraped and bruised, but the boxes Forest one of my jobs was putting up went up and the ducks were happy. wood duck nesting boxes all over the We wanted to put up more boxes so State. It was a new project so we had to we tried putting them up during the develop methods for putting the boxes summer by boat.