Trustees | Special Places | Summer 2021 by The Trustees of Reservations

SUMMER 2021 VOLUME 29 NO. 2

FOR MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS OF THE TRUSTEES

Nature Wild and Wonderful Get into it!

More Ways to Camp! Dunes’ Edge Campground, Provincetown Now available! Camp in comfort and style in our new Rustic Bungalows. thetrustees.org/dunesedge

NEWS FROM ACROSS THE STATE

New Life for an Old Barn Working with the Southborough Historical Commission, Trustees has rescued the Deerfoot Barn—a late-19thcentury, Dutch-inspired timber frame RENDERING COURTESY OF MELLOWES & PALADINO ARCHITECTS, INC. barn located at a former Southborough dairy farm—from demolition and is currently reconstructing it at Trustees’ Southborough reservation, Chestnut Hill Farm. The barn is representative of the town’s agricultural history, which continues today through only a few remaining working farms, such as Chestnut Hill Farm. The reconstructed barn will address the local community’s desire for a unique year-round gathering space in a safe, family-friendly farm setting. Construction on the project began in March and will continue through early fall, when the barn will be opened as an inviting, inclusive, and accessible space for hands-on learning about farms and food production. Follow the progress of Trustees’ conservation work on the Deerfoot Barn—as it happens—during future visits to the farm. Special programs with conservation experts are planned, which will provide in-depth looks at the rejuvenation of this piece of Southborough’s rich agricultural history. Visit thetrustees.org/conservation for details.

Lucy Stone House Site Named to the National Register All of the Trustees inns and campgrounds offer unique accommodations within spectacular natural surroundings. For information and reservations: thetrustees.org/stay

Campsites at Rocky Woods, Medfield

Trustees is pleased to announce that the birthplace and home of Lucy Stone, a prominent abolitionist and speaker for the rights of women, has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. Lucy Stone was born in a farmhouse on Coy Hill Road in West Brookfield on August 13, 1818, and the Lucy Stone House Site consists of a series of foundations and other structures related to the farmstead established by Stone’s family. Inheriting a defiant nature from her grandfather, a leader in Shays’ Rebellion, Lucy spent her adult life promoting equal rights and full justice for all, becoming the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree and also to retain her maiden name after marriage. Adjacent to Rock House Reservation, the property has been owned by The Trustees since 2003. “The Trustees is honored to work every day to preserve this important historical property,” said Jocelyn Forbush, Trustees Acting President & CEO. “We hope this recognition will shine a brighter light on Lucy’s story and her noteworthy place in history.” The application for National Register status was submitted to the Massachusetts Historical Commission by Amy Dugas of the West Brookfield Historical Commission, with assistance from Trustees staff, and more information can be found through the West Brookfield Historical Commission at westbrookfield.org or on the Trustees website at thetrustees.org/rockhouse. LUCY STONE PHOTO: COLLECTION OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Close to home! Boating, fishing, and miles of trails to explore. thetrustees.org/rockywoods

IMAGES ©TRUSTEES

©TRUSTEES

©NASA Johnson via CC BY-NC 2.0

State of the Coast, vol. 2: The Islands to be released this summer Following its well-received first State of the Coast report—which was published in August 2020, focusing on North Shore communities—Trustees is publishing the second annual State of the Coast report in July, this time focusing on Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth

Islands. Following a format similar to the inaugural publication, the report will include town profile pages that provide snapshots of current conditions and projected future impacts, plus longer feature articles focused on coastal issue areas by theme, including beaches, salt marsh,

habitats, developed coast, and coastal banks. An interdisciplinary project team—including an environmental scientist from Woods Hole Group, a local geologist and resiliency specialist, and an award-winning journalist and published author— is compiling and analyzing data, creating GIS mapping visuals, conducting stakeholder outreach to gather perspectives and concerns from people who live and work on the islands, and authoring the content. The unique challenges and stories that have emerged from the research will be explored in the new publication, which is designed to be broadly accessible and will include a digital component. To explore the publication, which will also feature interactive impact maps, once it is published, or to view last year’s first annual State of the Coast report, visit the Trustees’ On the Coast website at thetrustees.org/coast.

$1M Grant Quadruples Acreage in Salt Marsh Restoration Project

©TRUSTEES

A $1 million North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Atlantic Coast Joint Venture has expanded the Trustees salt marsh restoration project in partnership with Essex County Greenbelt Association. The grant funds restoration of an additional 916 acres of Great Marsh land in Ipswich and Essex, bringing the total funded scope to 1,274 acres, making it the largest ecological restoration project in the

©TRUSTEES

130-year history of The Trustees, and one of the largest restoration projects of its type in Massachusetts. The three-to-five-year project aims to “heal” the remnants of agricultural marsh ditching dating back to colonial times, which today disrupt natural tidal draining processes, leaving the ecosystem increasingly vulnerable to floods. Using nature-based solutions, this process will rebuild marsh peat naturally over time, restoring the health and natural function of the marsh and allowing it to keep pace with sea level rise. The grant

follows on the heels of several milestones in 2020, including an April launch of restoration work at the 85-acre Old Town Hill parcel in Newbury, and the start of permitting work for three parcels in Newbury, Essex, and Ipswich. A second year of restoration work began in April 2021 at Old Town Hill and is anticipated to begin next at the Crane Wildlife Refuge in August 2021. Visit the Trustees’ On the Coast website for more information on the project, at thetrustees.org/coast.

SUMMER 2021

OUT AND ABOUT

Arbor Day, April 30, 2021 at Gov. Oliver Ames Estate, Easton The trees at the Ames Estate are important historic, scenic, and ecological assets. A major program of care and renewal has been underway to maintain this remarkable landscape and to rejuvenate the tree collection. Through the generous donations of members of the Massachusetts Arborists Association during their 2021 Arbor Day of Service, historic specimen trees were pruned, fertilized, and treated to reduce pests and improve health and vigor. Storm-damaged trees, trees that are past their normal lifespan, or those with structural deficiencies that pose impending threats to visitor safety were removed. Replanting was accomplished with a diverse selection of specimen trees and evergreens for screening. Center photo: Trustees Acting President & CEO Jocelyn Forbush uses an Ames shovel to break ground on the project. Pictured, front row, from left: Easton Select Board Member Jennifer Stacy, Easton Shovel Town Cultural District Chair Carolyn Cole, Forbush, Trustees Board Member David Croll, and Fred Ames, representing the Ames family; along with representatives of several of the participating arborist companies. We are extremely grateful to the MAA Day of Service committee and the more than 100 volunteers from the following companies who helped us in our mission to protect and care for our special places: Arborway Tree Care (Hyde Park), Bark Busters Inc. (Weston), Barrett Tree Service East (Medford), Bartlett/Herfurth (Lyndeborough, NH), Bigelow Nursery (Northboro), C&S Insurance, Cambridge Landscape (Cambridge), City of Boston (Boston), Duffy (Rochester), Foti Tree (Lexington), GB Knowles (Fairhaven), Greg Mosman (Watertown), Harrison McPhee (Millis), Horticare Tree Preservation (Holbrook), Hunt Landscape (Milton), Lueders (Needham), Maltby (Stoughton), Michael S. Coffin Landscape (Hopkinton), Olde Colonial (Westwood), Ray Rose (Wrentham), Regal Tree & Shrub (Easton), Reilly Tree (Plainville), Select Horticulture (Lancaster), Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst (West Hatfield), Tompkins (Little Compton, RI), Tree Tech (Foxboro), and Weston Nurseries (Hopkinton).

ALL PHOTOS ©JARED CHARNEY PHOTOGRAPHY

CONTENTS

Bartholomew’s Cobble, a natural wonder

Protecting Nantucket landscapes

Programs are back and better than ever

Summer programs and events, statewide

Unique in Nature

Rallying for the Refuge

ON THE COVER: TULLY LAKE CAMPGROUND, ROYALSTON. © TRUSTEES

THE TRUSTEES

Summer Spectacular

Things To Do

©SHUN LIANG PHOTOGRAPHY

Dear Members: I want to thank you for your support and passion for our mission—as we have all faced challenges that required us to be vigilant, reflective, and resilient throughout this last year. Now, as we begin to emerge from the darkness of the pandemic into the bright and warm days of summer ahead, please join us in celebrating all that nature has to offer across this great state of ours. From Nantucket to the Berkshires, The Trustees provides opportunities and experiences for you, your family, friends, and community to enjoy the natural world around you. It’s been this way for 75 years at Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield where Members and visitors see breathtaking panoramic views and explore the most diverse mix of fern species in the Northeast throughout the property. We hope you’ll make a trip there this summer to marvel at all it has to offer as it reaches three-quarters of a century in Trustees’ care. At the other end of the state, we’ve recently partnered with the Nantucket Conservation Foundation at Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge to raise awareness about the effects of sea level rise due to climate change on our coast, and advance beach assessments and resilient design concepts to keep this treasure available for generations to come. This is an extension of all we do as an organization to preserve our properties up and down the coast that face significant risks from storms, flooding, erosion, and loss of habitat.

Our programming is coming to life all across the state. We’ve got picnics and concerts at a number of properties, gardening and art-making workshops, cooking classes, guided group hikes, and many of our historic houses are opening again with tours and advance online passes—all with your continued health and safety in mind. We will follow and adapt to any changing Covid guidelines as we do everything we can to keep you safe when you join us for activities. We are very excited to start rolling out new outdoor adventures this summer with guided hikes at some of our reservations where we don’t typically have programs. In this issue, you’ll learn about those and the Trustees’ focus on creating a variety of thrilling new experiences for the whole family. And, you’ll find a guide to the best Trustees places to get out on the water for a new perspective of the world around you. There’s no shortage of ways to get out and explore nature this summer. Whether you are participating in our CSA shares, have enrolled your child in one of our camps, are taking part in a new kayak adventure, or simply taking a walk through a wooded trail for some peaceful moments, we hope you enjoy all that our special places have to offer as we celebrate a joyous new season of life together. Warm regards,

Jocelyn Forbush Acting President & CEO

Designed for and with the community

On view this Summer

Creating new outdoor experiences

See the world from a canoe or kayak

From Pier to Park

Art & Exhibitions

More Ways to Play

On the Water Front

Statewide Map Where to put in and paddle

SUMMER 2021

Unique in

Nature

75 years in Trustees’ care, Bartholomew’s Cobble is an enduring ecological wonder

4 THE THETRUSTEES TRUSTEES

BARTHOLOMEW’S COBBLE

BY JEFF HARDER Off Route 7 in Sheffield, flush against the Connecticut border and a few miles from the New York state line, it’s as though the entire ecology of the Berkshires has been compressed to fewer than 400 acres. Bouquets of wildflowers bloom from pitch-black soil. Ferns cling to high-rising bedrock. The first-gear currents of the Housatonic River snake through the landscape, mirroring back sheer ledges of bedrock. From a thousand feet up on a hill, a Rockwellian panorama of fields, villages, and mountains unfurls—a glamor shot in every season. Welcome to Bartholomew’s Cobble, a place possessing the same essence it had when The Trustees acquired the property 75 years ago. It’s still a low-key place with sparsely trafficked trails. It’s still a hodgepodge of habitats: forests, fields, wetlands, rivers and streams, hosting remarkable populations of rare woodland flowers, trees, butterflies, and birds. It’s still greater than the sum of its many, multifaceted parts. “From a natural perspective,” says Brian Cruey, Trustees’ Director of the Southern Berkshires Portfolio, “you have just about everything that the region has to offer right in the southwestern corner of Massachusetts.” Located right next door to the Ashley House, Bartholomew’s Cobble—named for the family who farmed the property’s fields into the 20th century, and the knobs of rock rising at the core of the landscape—has long drawn birders, botanists,

and naturalists from far and wide. Locals like S. Waldo Bailey and Morgan Bulkeley sang its praises and cataloged its plants and animals. The Trustees kept tabs on Bartholomew’s Cobble for years and, in 1946, raised funds to secure and protect the property in perpetuity. (Subsequently, Bailey became the property’s first warden.) Purchases and gifts added acreage to the property—just last year, Trustees purchased 28 adjacent acres—and its renown grew alongside its physical size. Fifty years ago, in October 1971, the National Park Service designated Bartholomew’s Cobble a National Natural Landmark, the only Trustees reservation with that distinction.

Ecological Wonder

The allure of Bartholomew’s Cobble is inextricable from its biodiversity: the landscape is home to more than 30 state-listed plant, reptile, and butterfly species; raptors, woodpeckers, and bobolinks soar above and nest in the meadows; and every spring, a riot of diminutive, fast-fading wildflowers—ephemerals—builds to a Mother’s Day crescendo. Those knobs of rock are an important influence on that biodiversity. Bands of limestone and marble, protected from erosion by bands of quartzite, slowly leech into the nutrientrich earth. That unique geology boosts soil pH—contrasting the acidic soil found throughout much of the Commonwealth— and supports an uncommon array of plants.

©EVELYN GARVEY PHOTOGRAPHY

SUMMER SUMMER 2021 2021

©THADDEUS B. KUBIS

“Bartholomew’s Cobble has a lot of calciphiles, or limestone-loving plants, and some of them will just grow right out of the bedrock,” says Julie Richburg, Trustees’ Lead Ecologist for Inland Natural Resources. “They find little crevices in the cobbles themselves, and while it looks like they’re just kind of hanging there and not growing in soil at all, they’re finding little bits of it within these rocks.” Maidenhair spleenwort, purple stemmed cliffbrake, and more than 40 other species of ferns have been cataloged across the property, a diversity heralded by the National Natural Landmark designation as significant for a property of this size—one of the largest varieties of ferns in North America.

Taking It In

Experiencing the property begins with parking your car and tying your laces. The half-mile Ledges Trail departs from the visitor’s center, circumnavigates the cobbles, winds along the river, and offers glimpses out into the grasslands—a good starting point, especially when under tight time constraints. Ledges Trail branches off onto the Bailey and Spero Trails, which trace the banks of the Housatonic through floodplain forests and past a massive cottonwood tree. Down at the southernmost end of the property, the perfect coda lies at the top of Hurlburt’s Hill. The Tractor Path cuts two-thirds of a mile through forest and

6 THE THETRUSTEES TRUSTEES

fields on a gentle ascent to 1,000 feet. (The aptly named Tulip Tree Trail, which leads to a regionally rare example of the namesake tree, is accessible just past the halfway point.) The 270-degree view from the top of Hurlburt’s Hill frames an incredible scene: the ridges of Monument Mountain, the Taconics in Vermont, views to Albany and the Housatonic Valley.

influence of history: segments that had been heavily hayed are struggling, Julie says, while canopies are filling in places that saw lesser impacts. “Where we’ve had a lighter touch on the land, it’s been easier to bring it back to what it had been previously.” And though agriculture continues around Bartholomew’s Cobble today, the ecological well-being of Bartholomew’s Cobble is a shared community interest. Trustees works with the farmers who harvest hay from the adjacent fields to preserve precious breeding habitat for grassland birds. “They cut their hay later in the season, which reduces the quality, but they’re willing to do this because they love this land and they are so invested in the property,” Julie says. “It’s this community spirit, where everybody participates in what needs to be done to maintain this special place.”

The Human Touch

Once you’ve seen it for yourself, it’s easy to understand why Bartholomew’s Cobble has so many people working toward its sustainability. Twenty-seven years ago, Ann Riou turned her affection into action by volunteering there; in 2010, her sister Helen Macy, joined her. In those decades of regular weekly effort, they’ve maintained trails, cleared brush, tended gardens, uprooted all manner of invasive species, built bog bridges, and much more. “I love the rock ledges and the flow of the Housatonic River through the property, and the fields and woods give a nice variety of scenery,” Helen says. “We still enjoy every Thursday—and sometimes other days—helping out and making the Cobble a better place for all.” Less than a decade ago, the property underwent a major restoration of its floodplain forests. In 2013, Trustees planted 1,700 trees across ten acres that had once been plowed for agriculture. The aftermath reveals the

©R. CHEEK

This summer, there’s much in the offing: guided hikes, bird walks, and weekend staffing at the visitor’s center. But Bartholomew’s Cobble remains, above all, a place to wander and experience according to your own whims. “For the most part, people come here because of the solace of the woods and the trails,” Brian says. “It’s a serene place to bird watch, to look for different plant varieties, to hike and to connect with nature.” Even after 75 years, some things never change. Jeff Harder is a freelance writer and editor who lives in New England.

©EVELYN GARVEY PHOTOGRAPHY

COASTAL UPDATE

On the wild outer banks of Nantucket, Coskata-Coatue-Haulover Wildlife Refuge* juts out into the Atlantic, forming Great Point—the island’s northernmost tip—and wrapping back around as the protective barrier beach for Nantucket Harbor. Its 1,452 acres account for approximately five percent of the town’s total landmass.

by CHRISTINE BOYNTON TRUSTEES STAFF

Rallying for the Refuge Coordinated efforts to protect beloved Nantucket landscapes

©ABOVE SUMMIT

SUMMER 2021

©ABOVE SUMMIT

Three entities own the vast majority of these acres, forming a large wildlife refuge system encompassing four parcels: The Trustees’ Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge (916 acres); The Haulover (104 acres) and Coatue Wildlife Refuge (390 acres), both held by the Nantucket Conservation Foundation (NCF); and the Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge at Great Point (42 acres), which is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Several small lots scattered throughout the Refuge are in private hands. Formed by retreating glaciers, which left a variety of mixed sediments in their wake, the island is primarily made up of coarse stratified deposit (mixed sediment characteristic of bog and marsh areas) and moraine deposits. Sandy beach sediment and dune deposits account for most of the island’s

coastline, including the Refuge. This landscape is unstable and highly vulnerable to wave action and large storm events, and is one of Nantucket’s most exposed beaches to sea level rise and storm flooding and erosion. While being a popular place for oversand excursions, fishing, boating, and other recreational pursuits, the Refuge is foremost a wild and remote barrier beach. It provides vital habitats for many animal and plant species, including piping plovers, American oystercatchers, least terns, blackcrowned night herons, great and snowy egrets, dwarf cedars, and a rare cactus. It also boasts a unique scalloped edge along the harborside—one of only a few cuspate spit formations in the world. “The Refuge is a barrier beach that

provides not only globally significant habitat and miles of oceanfront access for thousands of visitors annually, but also affords wave attenuation and storm protection to the harbor,” says Tom O’Shea, Trustees Managing Director of Resources and Planning. “Looking ahead to the future, one of the biggest concerns for this area are storm breaches—the ocean cutting a channel through its natural barrier. We have also heard concerns from others about sedimentation impacting the harbor and diminishing eelgrass beds.”

Stormy Future Though historically there has been a fairly even balance of erosion and accretion (i.e., build up) of sand on either side of the peninsulas (see diagram, below) resulting in little net loss of sand, Trustees is anticipating accelerated

TOP: The scalloped southern edge of Coatue Beach is made up of six regularly spaced cuspate spits—wave-induced projections of a beach into a lagoon—that jut out into Nantucket Harbor. BOTTOM: Over a 127-year period, the beach at Coskata-Coatue has experienced a minimal net loss of sand. As a dynamic coastal barrier beach system, it has generally migrated westward over the last century, but Trustees is anticipating accelerated erosion and potential breaches in the coming years from climate change-driven sea level rise and stronger storms.

* While not an actual place name, for the purposes of this program, Trustees and Nantucket Conservation Foundation are using this name to indicate their combined refuge properties (as outlined above.)

THE TRUSTEES

erosion from climate change-driven sea level rise and stronger storms. Taking the brunt of strong winds and storm tides are the north shore and the east-facing ocean beach of the Refuge, which occasionally overwash at the narrowest areas. “In the future these events may occur more often,” according to Duncan FitzGerald, marine geologist and professor at Boston University, “as climate change models indicate that warming of our oceans will cause an increase in storm frequency and magnitude. Worsening this scenario are recent studies that suggest hurricanes will have a greater tendency to move northward along the East Coast and that these storms will be moving more slowly, thereby creating higher storm surges and larger waves.”

Living Laboratory To confront these challenges and identify solutions, Trustees and the NCF have partnered to use the jointly owned and managed Refuge and its diverse acreage as a “living laboratory.” Under a three-year phased adaptation project, the team is working to identify resilient intervention methods and adaptation strategies that can maintain beach access and sustain habitat and barrier beach integrity. “The Trustees has been a partner of Nantucket Conservation Foundation for many years, and we are thrilled to expand our collaborative efforts to identify creative solutions to be more resilient against sea level rise,” says Cormac Collier, NCF President & CEO. Preliminary work has so far identified four areas likely to breach, which, if left without intervention, could threaten habitats, close off access to significant portions of the Refuge, and turn Great Point and the Lighthouse into an island of its own. Taking into account the exposure and dynamic nature of this barrier beach, the project plan acknowledges that actions to protect the valuable area will be balanced with long-term options for habitat protection,

resiliency to erosion, and ensuring public access and use. While some of the erosion may be unavoidable, nature-based solutions such as dune restoration and beach nourishment along trails could help to stabilize these areas to protect access to Great Point and the lighthouse, although some re-routing of trails may be necessary.

Phased Approach For the first phase of this grant-funded project, launched in early 2021, Trustees and NCF are developing a volunteer-led beach profiling monitoring system, designing initial beach resiliency concepts to bolster the Refuge’s resilience for the next 10-20 years, establishing a partnership to conduct a coastal wave and sediment study, and setting the stage for potential longer term projects. The beach profiling system, already in place at Trustees’ Crane Beach in Ipswich (Special Places, Summer 2019), will provide a better understanding of how the beach footprint changes with seasons, storms, and tides. Phase I also includes production of podcast episodes and a 360-degree panorama video tour, to broadly communicate and illustrate both the beauty and challenges unique to this special place. The second project phase will see implementation of coastal wave sediment studies and resilience intervention work as well as the establishment of a coastal resilience fund, followed by robust community outreach, education, and engagement in the final phase. “We are so grateful for our partners and for the support of our members, donors, and friends, which help us prioritize vital projects such as this,” adds O’Shea. “We know the time to act is now, to prepare these beautiful, much-beloved places for a future that is not so far away. The joint management of this Refuge provides us with a unique opportunity to partner with NCF—the largest landowner on-island—on this work as we share our unique expertise and experiences and move forward together.”

©ABOVE SUMMIT

Coskata-Coatue is one of the only places you can find the rare eastern prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa)—protected by the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act—in the Commonwealth.

The Nantucket project joins several other Trustees coastal initiatives underway including publication of the second annual State of the Coast report this summer—focused on Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and the Elizabeth Islands—and a new grant-funded postgraduate internship position to examine the historical shoreline changes on CoskataCoatue and project future changes. To learn more about the Trustees’ coastal vision and ongoing work, visit thetrustees.org/ coast.

©ABOVE SUMMIT

SUMMER 2021

©TRUSTEES

Summer

Spectacular

Programs are back and better than ever!

Summer is on! Trustees is more than thrilled to be able to bring back most of our popular summer programs—and we have expanded our offerings in many areas at the same time. We have new hiking and outdoor adventure programs to explore our special places, dozens of picnics, concerts, and garden programs, and so much more, all highlighted in our Things-To-Do calendar

on the following pages. There are hundreds of programs, far more than we can list in these pages, so please be sure to check our website at thetrustees.org/things-to-do to see everything we have to offer, as well as for schedule details, registration, and advance ticket sales. Pre-registration or ticket purchases are required for Trustees programs and events.

©XXX

Our top priority is always to ensure the safety of our visitors and staff. As of press time, following the latest update to the Governor’s orders, we are no longer requiring participants to wear face masks outdoors, if vaccinated. For large group outdoor events, such as picnic concerts, festivals, and Biergartens, attendance will be limited to 2,000 people—we’ll ensure that our guests can spread out in a safe way, and face masks will not be required for participants who are vaccinated. Face masks are still being required for indoor spaces, such as galleries, classrooms, and retail stores.

Warm Breezes, Cool Tunes In the spirit of the famous song, this summer Trustees reservations come alive with the sounds of music! There are concerts and picnics and picnic concerts, at many popular properties, from Castle Hill in Ipswich to Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens in North Andover, to the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, and Naumkeag in Stockbridge. And a special summer residency brings Bostonbased Session Americana and Ali McGuirk to four reservations over the next few months. The Things-To-Do calendar lists them all, but new dates are still being added—check the website for the latest. CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

THE TRUSTEES

©THADDEUS B. KUBIS

SUMMER 2021

July | August | September

THINGS TO DO

©J. DELORENZO

WITH A PICNIC What better way to spend a leisurely summer afternoon or evening? Grab your blanket or lawn chairs and bring the family out to picnic at one of these beautiful Trustees landscapes. We’ve got great food and music, barnyard animals, games for the whole family, craft brews, and so much more. Visit thetrustees.org/picnics for an updated list of options and schedules. AL FRESCO FRIDAYS AT BIRD PARK FRIDAYS, JUL 9-30 | 5-8PM Francis William Bird Park, Walpole

Kick off your weekend enjoying delicious food & drink al fresco at beautiful Bird Park!

©TRUSTEES

SUNSET PICNIC IN THE GARDEN

SUNDAY SUNSET FIRE PITS AT POWISSET FARM

Enjoy a picnic and performance in the spectacular Long Hill gardens, featuring music, poetry, and theatre with Newburyport-based Theatre in The Open.

NOTCH TRAVELING BIERGARTEN AT CASTLE HILL

SATURDAYS, JUL 10 & AUG 28 | 6-8PM | Long Hill, Beverly

SUNDAYS, JUL 11–AUG 29 | 6-8PM | Powisset Farm, Dover SUNDAYS, JUL 25, SEP 12, SEP 19 | 12NOON-4PM Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich

WINTER HILL BREWERY & SCOTT BROS BARBECUE AT DECORDOVA

SUMMER BEER GARDEN AT APPLETON FARMS

SUNDAYS, JUL 11, AUG 8, SEP 19 | 12NOON-5:30PM deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln

SATURDAY, AUG 21 | 12NOON-4PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich

Enjoy a classic beer garden experience with live music in our 30-acre Sculpture Park.

Raise a glass to the end of summer!

NOTCH OKTOBERFEST AT STEVENS-COOLIDGE SATURDAY, SEP 25 | 12NOON-7PM Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, North Andover

Dust off your lederhosen for the 3rd annual Oktoberfest with Notch Brewing! Classic German fare, desserts, and cold session beer for sale will greet you, along with the musical talents of an authentic German band in the beautiful gardens!

FARMHOUSE WOOD-FIRED AT APPLETON FARMS

©TRUSTEES

THURSDAYS & FRIDAYS, THROUGH SEP 24 | 4-7PM SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS, THROUGH SEP 26 | 12NOON-6PM | Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich

SUMMER SATURDAYS AT THE FARM

SATURDAYS, JUL 10–AUG 28 | 12NOON-1:30PM, 1:30-3PM & 3-4:30PM | Powisset Farm, Dover Settle in for a laid-back farm vibe picnic, with farm-fresh food, live music, barnyard animals, StoryWalks and scavenger hunts, wine and craft beer, and more.

Bring your lawn chairs and picnic blankets for a perfect wood-fired dining experience amidst the idyllic beauty of Appleton Farms. Local, seasonal, and farm-produced menu changes weekly.

SUNSET PICNICS AT WEIR RIVER FARM THURSDAYS, THROUGH OCT 7 | 5-8:30PM Weir River Farm, Hingham Pack your picnic blanket and join us for live music, local craft brews, food trucks, and the most amazing views of sunset over the Boston skyline! Advance tickets recommended. Sponsored by Rockland Trust.

REGISTER TODAY! thetrustees.org/things-to-do Use your member code (above your name on your member card) to qualify for member discounts. Program details subject to change. For up-to-date event information, or to search for events in your area, at a specific property, by type or by date, click on Things To Do at thetrustees.org.

New this summer, Trustees’ Outdoor Adventures bring a variety of hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking explorations to some of our favorite undiscovered properties across the state. Led by experienced guides, these programs are designed to lead you on new adventures into natural spaces at times and locations you might not otherwise try on your own. Listed here are the July hikes; check thetrustees.org/adventures for all programs throughout the summer.

ON THE WATER FULL MOON PADDLE & CAMPFIRE FRIDAY, JUL 23 | 8-9:30PM

Long Point Wildlife Refuge, West Tisbury

THE CRANE ESTATE, IPSWICH & ESSEX

Guided group paddles in and around the Crane Estate, including historic Fox Creek and the protected waters of the Crane Wildlife Refuge. Trip options, offered on a variety of days and times, are:

ON THE TRAIL

Kayak Adventures on Castle Neck River Choate Island Kayak and Hiking Adventure Kayak Historic Fox Creek Sunset Kayak in the Crane Wildlife Refuge

BIRDS OF SUMMER ADULT HIKE

SATURDAY, JUL 10 | 7-9AM | Copicut Woods, Fall River

GUIDED HIKE: DOANE’S FALLS AND CODDINGS MEADOW SATURDAY, JUL 10 | 9-11AM Tully Lake Campground, Royalston

SLOCUM AT SUNSET HIKE FOR ADULTS SUNDAY, JUL 11 | 7-8:30PM Slocum’s River Reserve, Dartmouth

FIRST LIGHT HIKE FOR ADULTS

WEDNESDAY, JUL 14 | 5-7AM | Pegan Hill, Dover & Natick

AFTER WORK HIKE AT MOOSE HILL

WEDNESDAY, JUL 14 | 5:30-7PM | Moose Hill Farm, Sharon

GUIDED HIKE ALONG TULLY RIVER TO LONG POND SATURDAY, JUL 17 | 9-11AM Tully Lake Campground, Royalston

for the kiddos FAMILY FUN SUMMER HIKE

SATURDAY, JUL 10 | 9-11AM | Lyman Reserve, Buzzards Bay

SIGNS OF SUMMER FAMILY HIKE SATURDAY, JUL 17 | 10AM-12NOON

Doyle Community Park & Center, Leominster

TRUSTEES TREKKER FAMILY HIKE AT APPLETON SATURDAYS, JUL 17 & 31 | 4-5PM Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich

KIDS FIRST EXPLORER HIKE

SATURDAYS, JUL 24 & 31 | 10-11:30AM Moose Hill Farm, Sharon

FAST-PACED FITNESS HIKE FOR ADULTS

MONDAY, JUL 19 | 9-10:30AM | Noanet Woodlands, Dover

COPICUT WOODS HISTORY HIKE

WEDNESDAY, JUL 21 | 9-11AM | Copicut Woods, Fall River

SUNRISE HIKE AT NORRIS

WEDNESDAY, JUL 28 | 5:30-7AM Norris Reservation, Norwell THURSDAY, JUL 29 | 7-8:30PM | Jewell Hill, Ashburnham

FULL MOON HIKES

Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich | FRIDAY, JUL 23 Doyle Community Park & Center, Leominster | FRIDAY, JUL 23 World’s End, Hingham | FRIDAY, JUL 23

©K. GLASS

SUNSET HIKE AT JEWELL HILL

There are many more hikes than we can list! Be sure to check thetrustees.org/ things-to-do for more Trustees Trekker family hikes, owl prowls, birding expeditions, moonlight meanderings, and explorer hikes for kids.

Summer Highlights &2021 Special Events A glimpse at just a few of the hundreds of things to do at our special places across the state this season. Visit thetrustees.org/things-to-do to see all of our programs, get the latest updates, find more information and, for events that require them, get tickets. We hope to see you at one of our reservations soon!

Outdoor Adventures Experienced guides lead unique adventures at some of our favorite undiscovered properties. Hikes include: Try something new, like a Sunrise Hike, a Fast-Paced Fitness Hike, or a Sunset or Full Moon Hike, at a variety of our South Shore, South Coast, Metro West, and Central MA reservations this summer. Dozens of adventures are planned; for schedule and more information, visit thetrustees.org/adventures ©D.POWELL

Nature Play & Adventure Hikes These hikes are all about the kids. Mom and dad are just along for the ride. Kid-friendly games, explorations, play, and leisurely hikes. Thursdays through Mondays, Apr 22–May 17 Wednesday, Aug 18 | 10-11:30AM Slocum’s River Reserve, Dartmouth Wednesday, Aug 25 | 10AM-12Noon Rocky Woods, Medfield ©TRUSTEES

25 Things To Do Before You’re 12½ Create your own adventures! Get a little dirty, learn something new, and have a blast outside with this handy Trustees Adventure Journal for kids. Journals are provided to participants of our family hiking programs, and are also available at Trustees gift shops (for a small fee); or view and download the journal at thetrustees.org/25things ©TRUSTEES

CraneOutdoors: Kayak Adventures Guided group paddles in and around the Crane Estate, including historic Fox Creek and the protected waters of the Crane Wildlife Refuge. Come try them all! The Crane Estate, Ipswich & Essex See thetrustees.org/craneoutdoors for schedule, tickets, and more information. ©TRUSTEES

Long Hill Lecture Series Informative and inspiring talks by noted garden experts; at the event tent within our new pergola. Andrew Keys (Jul 17), Karen Bussolini (Aug 27), Bill Noble (Sep 25), and Page Dickey (Oct 16). See next page for times and titles, and visit thetrustees.org/longhill for more information and to register. Long Hill, Beverly Pictured: Karen Bussolini ©COURTESY OF KAREN BUSSOLINI

Sunset Sessions: A Trustees Residency with Session Americana and Ali McGuirk Join us for a special live music residency! Incredible live music in beautiful, iconic outdoor locations. Thursdays, 6:30-8:30PM Jul 15 | Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Aug 19 | Weir River Farm, Hingham Sep 23 | Long Hill, Beverly Oct 21 | Fruitlands Museum, Harvard ©COURTESY OF SESSION AMERICANA

Date Nights Our special places at sunset makes for the perfect romantic evening with someone special. Friday & Saturdays, through Sep 18 | 6-8PM Naumkeag, Stockbridge Fridays, Sep 3-24 | 5:30-7:30PM deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln Fridays, Jul 30 & Aug 13 | 6-8PM Powisset Farm, Dover ©M.HEALEY

Nature: A Walking Play TigerLion Arts’ critically-acclaimed outdoor walking play Nature returns to Trustees’ special places. Explore humankind’s relationship to nature through the eyes of two of America’s greatest environmental voices and friends, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Limited Run 11 performances at each of three locations: Friday-Sunday, Aug 27-29 & Saturday-Monday, Sep 4-6 Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Friday-Sunday, Sep 10-12 & Thursday-Sunday, Sep 16-19 Appleton Farms, Hamilton & Ipswich Friday-Sunday, Sep 24-26 & Thursday, Sep 30-Sunday, Oct 3 Francis William Bird Park, Walpole Schedule subject to change. For showtimes, tickets, including exclusive pre-sale opportunities for Members, and more information, visit: thetrustees.org/natureplay ©W. TOWNSON

IN THE GARDEN Some gardens flaunt their knowledge of geometry. Some wish you to know how much work was involved. Some verge on the wild at heart. Experience them all through our wide variety of garden programs and tours this summer, which can be found at thetrustees.org/gardens. Here’s just a sampler of what’s available: LONG HILL LECTURE SERIES

Crane Estate, Ipswich

©KRISTA PHOTOGRAPHY

Long Hill, Beverly

GARDEN TOURS

Informative and inspiring talks by noted garden experts; at the event tent within our new pergola. Visit thetrustees.org/ longhill for more information and to register.

Guided and self-guided tours through Trustees’ beautiful and expansive gardens. Schedule varies by property. Visit thetrustees.org/gardens for details and reservations.

SATURDAY, JUL 17 | 4-5PM

Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich Long Hill, Beverly Naumkeag, Stockbridge Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, North Andover

Andrew Keys, You Can Grow Better! Underused Plants for Northeast Gardens

FRIDAY, AUG 27 | 6-7PM

Karen Bussolini, Designing with Plenty for Pollinators

SATURDAY, SEP 25 | 4-5PM

Bill Noble, Spirit of Place: The Making of a New England Garden

SATURDAY, OCT 16 | 4-5PM

Page Dickey, Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again

STEVENS-COOLIDGE GARDEN WORKSHOPS

Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, North Andover

Tour the new Stevens-Coolidge and join us for these hands-on events in our gardens and brand-new indoor workshop space.

THURSDAY, JUL 22 & SUNDAY, AUG 22 | 10AM-12NOON ©GROSS & DALEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Garden Tour & Tea Making

SATURDAY, AUG 28 | 10AM-12NOON Fields of Zinnia Centerpiece Workshop

THURSDAYS, SEP 2-23 | 4-6PM

Botanical Watercolors in the Gardens

SATURDAY, SEP 11 | 10AM-12NOON

Container Gardening with Susan Nock, Thistle

for the kiddos GARGANTUAN GARDEN: EXPLORATION OF CONTEMPORARY NATURE ART Naumkeag, Stockbridge

THE ART OF GARDENING AT CHANTICLEER

SATURDAY, SEP 18 | 2PM | Naumkeag, Stockbridge

We host Chanticleer’s Executive Director and Head Gardener Bill Thomas for a presentation on “The Art of Gardening at Chanticleer’. This visual tour and behind-the-scenes look at what the Washington Post calls “one of the most interesting and edgy public gardens in America.” Followed by a cocktail reception and book signing in the garden.

3-day dropoff program for kids 6-10, with Wild Child Outdoors.

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY, AUG 2-5 | 10AM-12NOON Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, North Andover

GARDEN EXPLORERS Themed explorations into the natural world around us, for kids 3-8.

Miniature Gardens | SATURDAY, AUG 7 | 11AM-12NOON

Long Hill, Beverly

Woodland Creatures | SATURDAY & SUNDAY, SEP 4 & 5

11AM-12NOON | Long Hill, Beverly

WITH THE BAND Enjoy a huge selection of family-friendly picnic concerts at many of our idyllic landscapes throughout the season. Visit thetrustees.org/ concerts for details and tickets. ©ABOVE SUMMIT

BLUES AT BRADLEY ALL SUMMER LONG!

THURSDAYS, JUL 22, AUG 26, SEP 23, OCT 28 | 4-6PM Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton Curated by guitarist/songwriter Peter “Hi-Fi” Ward, these picnic concerts will feature Peter, his bands, and noted guest performers like the Blues All-Stars and more.

SUMMER PICNIC CONCERTS AT STEVENS-COOLIDGE

FRIDAYS | 5:30-8PM | Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, North Andover

CASTLE HILL PICNIC CONCERTS

THURSDAYS | 7-9PM | Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich

NAUMKEAG AT NIGHT

THURSDAYS, JUL 15, AUG 19 & SEP 16 | 5-8PM

SUMMER CONCERTS AT FRUITLANDS

THURSDAY EVENINGS | Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

Naumkeag, Stockbridge Live music for all ages in this summer concert series with the best views in the Berkshires!

SUNSET SESSIONS: A TRUSTEES RESIDENCY WITH SESSION AMERICANA AND ALI MCGUIRK THURSDAYS | 6:30-8:30PM

Boston-based Session Americana is a rock band in a tea cup, or possibly a folk band in a whiskey bottle. This collective of talented musicians craft a musical experience unlike any other. They’ll be joined by Ali McGuirk, described as “one of the most exciting musicians and singers in Boston” [Provincetown Magazine] Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton | JUL 15 Weir River Farm, Hingham | AUG 19 Long Hill, Beverly | SEP 23 Fruitlands Museum, Harvard | OCT 21

Erin McKeown

DECORDOVA SUMMER PERFORMANCE SERIES

THURSDAYS | STARTING AT 6PM | deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln Celebrate a wider range of cultures and perspectives with this new series, featuring world-renowned artistic performers presented in an all-ages, outdoor, community format. Zaira Meneses and Friends | JUL 8 The Kevin Harris Project | JUL 22 Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band | JUL 29 ©JO CHATTMAN

Dar Williams

©TOM MOORE

Schedule as of press time; check the website for full list of dates and performers.

Long Hill, Beverly

©COCO MCCABE

HISTORIC DOORS OPEN AGAIN Many of Trustees’ historic spaces have recently reopened, and more are coming this summer! Built from the Colonial Era through the Modern Movement, our historic homes represent architecture, design, and history that spans more than 300 years. With a series of creative exhibitions and fresh visitor experiences, these spaces animate history, provoke conversation, and stimulate new thinking while reinterpreting our cultural past. Visit thetrustees.org/ historicspaces for details on openings, hours, tickets, and more. THE GREAT HOUSE AT CASTLE HILL

TUESDAYS-SUNDAYS, THROUGH OCT 31 The Crane Estate, 290 Argilla Road, Ipswich

FRUITLANDS MUSEUM

Fruitlands Farmhouse & Shaker Gallery 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard

LONG HILL

576 Essex Street, Beverly

NAUMKEAG

5 Prospect Hill Road, Stockbridge

THE OLD MANSE

269 Monument Street, Concord

STEVENS-COOLIDGE HOUSE & GARDENS 153 Chickering Road, North Andover Opens in July

Explore limitless sides to outside.

CMY

A life outside is fundamental to a life well lived. NEW ENGLAND

Are you up for the challenge? Join our free monthly hiking challenge to hike Trustees properties. ©TRUSTEES

See how much you can explore! hiketrustees.org PROGRAM REFUNDS/CANCELLATIONS: In the event that a program is cancelled due to severe weather, low enrollment, or other circumstances, we will notify you as soon as possible by email and issue you a full refund within 14 days of the cancellation. If you cannot attend a program as planned, contact the Trustees property 7 days prior to the start of the program to receive a full refund. Refunds will not be granted for registration cancellations placed fewer than 7 days before the start of the program. There are no refunds for missed classes. The Trustees reserves the right to change program locations, schedules, or instructors when necessary. Note: Summer Camps and our inns and campgrounds each have separate cancellation policies.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

Wander, Explore, Hike If you’re into adventure… Experience some of our favorite undiscovered reservations across the state with our new Outdoor Adventures program, full of hikes (and soon kayaking, mountain biking, and more) led by experienced guides at times and locations you might not otherwise try on your own. We’re starting this summer at properties along the South Coast, in the Charles River Valley, and Central MA, but look for the program to expand across the state in the coming months. Whatever your adventure pleasure, we’ve got you covered, with fitness hikes, sunrise, after work, and sunset hikes, family hikes, dog hikes, dune hikes, and even grandparents grand hikes! Then take your adventures to another level with even more hiking programs, like our Full Moon Hikes each month at World’s End in Hingham and Appleton Farms in Hamilton & Ipswich, and Full Moon Tours at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln. Lace up!

©TRUSTEES

Farmstead Story Hours to Preschool Farm Explorers and Afternoon Adventure Series. And Powisset Farm in Dover will ease you back into the fall routine with a Children’s Afterschool Program in September. See you on the farm!

To Your Wellbeing We might not have admitted it to ourselves previously, but the pandemic has certainly shined a light on how important it is to take care of our own wellbeing. And you can certainly do just that with Trustees this summer! Try Yoga in the Gardens or Under the Elm at Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens in North Andover, Yoga With a View at Naumkeag in Stockbridge, Balance Your Body, Improve Your Mind at Mytoi on Chappaquiddick Island, Forest Bathing at Long Hill in Beverly, or Evening Yoga at World’s End in Hingham. Nature Journaling or Birding at Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield will help soothe the soul, too, and provide great ways to see this special place (and you can read about it on pages 4-6.)

For the Kids

Art Galore

Trustees farms are ready to welcome the kiddos with a variety of programs to introduce chidren to the sights and sounds (and yes, the smells) of farm life this summer. The animals await your visit at Open Barnyard at Weir River Farm in Hingham or Barnyard Buddies at The Farm Institute on Martha’s Vineyard. Appleton Farm’s popular programs are back in full swing, from

Bring your art-making skills outdoors or learn new ones with one of our many art programs this summer. With our beautiful flora and fauna as your inspiration, try Botanical Illustrations at Naumkeag in Stockbridge, Botanical Watercolors at Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens in North Andover, Watercolors and Wildflowers at Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield, or

Sketching the Farm at Appleton Farms in Hamilton & Ipswich or Weir River Farm in Hingham. There are Plein Art Painting Workshops at our museums, and Fruitlands also has Weekly Loom Weaving Tutorials and other fiber art programs to try. And if flowers are your particular fancy, Naumkeag has a Floral Arranging Workshop and StevensCoolidge offers a Fields of Zinnia Centerpiece Workshop. Come art! Whatever your summer pleasure, Trustees has a program for you. Explore all we have to offer on the pages of our calendar or at thetrustees.org/things-to-do, and sign up today. Bring your family, join your friends, and meet new friends. Try a new reservation or a new experience—there’s no better time than the summer, and no better summer than the one we’re in!

©TRUSTEES

SUMMER 2021

BOSTON WATERFRONT INITIATIVE

From Pier to Park

by CHRISTINE BOYNTON TRUSTEES STAFF

Creating innovative, resilient open space with and for the local community

As reported in the Winter 2020 issue of Special Places, The Trustees was recently granted official site designation by the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Board for a new park along the waterfront in East Boston. Along with design firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Trustees is pleased to have advanced to the next phase of work by releasing a first design draft for the planned Piers Park III—which will transform a dilapidated and long-abandoned pier into a park for the residents of East Boston, a community with, historically, less access to open space than other Boston neighborhoods. The design draft represents the launching point for what will be an ongoing and iterative design process involving the local community. Including elements that would enable visitors to access and interact with the harbor and enjoy both

active and passive activities, the initial design for the sloping grassy landform comprises a picnic grove, kayak launch, and a variety of natural features such as tide pools, native plantings, and salt marsh. The Trustees vision is to create an accessible and resilient park that is a welcoming community resource for the neighborhoods that surround it. Publication of the first design draft followed months of community meetings where the Trustees’ Boston Waterfront Initiative team introduced the park concept and encouraged participation of East Boston residents and businesses in the design process. To date, more than 600 people have provided survey responses, and multiple public gatherings have been hosted in both English and Spanish. Ongoing efforts will encourage local residents and the general

public to submit comments, suggestions, and questions to help inform the next draft of the design, through additional public gatherings and outreach scheduled through the summer. Trustees is also expanding its resources in this underserved community, through the hiring of a Community Outreach Coordinator to interface with local individuals and organizations, and by bringing its ‘farm-to-neighborhood’ Mobile Farmers Market program to East Boston for the first time this year. Iterative designs for Piers Park III will continue throughout 2021 and will ultimately include sharing of ideas for, and gathering feedback on activities and programming possibilities. The design is available for review and public comment at thetrustees.org/ onewaterfront.

COURTESY OF MICHAEL VAN VALKENBURGH ASSOCIATES, INC.

An initial draft design for the future Piers Park III in East Boston. The East Boston site—currently an abandoned pier adjacent to Piers Park I and the future Piers Park II—is being transformed into a welcoming waterfront destination by The Trustees with site developer designation from the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport).

THE TRUSTEES

ON VIEW

ART & EXHIBITIONS

DECORDOVA SCULPTURE PARK AND MUSEUM 51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln

Jeffrey Gibson, INFINITE INDIGENOUS QUEER LOVE, 2020, Acrylic on canvas, glass beads and artificial sinew inset into wood frame. 63 7/8 × 35 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist and Sikkema Jenkins and Co. Image: Jason Wyche

JEFFREY GIBSON: BECAUSE ONCE YOU ENTER MY HOUSE, IT BECOMES OUR HOUSE through June 2022 A large-scale sculpture by renowned artist Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi ChoctawCherokee) is currently on view in the deCordova Sculpture Park. An homage to pre-Columbian architecture, the installation expresses a corrective to a nostalgic view of indigeneity and serves as a platform to question what a monument is and how it can function. The title comes from the lyrics of “Can You Feel It” by Mr. Fingers (Larry Heard), a song Gibson associates with nightclubs that have provided haven and community, especially for queer people and people of color. The ziggurat form references the earthen architecture of the ancient Mississippian city of Cahokia, which flourished in the 7th through 14th centuries, well before European contact. The installation will be adorned with phrases advocating for Indigenous space and culture, and wheatpasted posters co-created by Gibson and artists Eric-Paul Riege (Diné), Luzene Hill (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), and Dana Claxton (Hunkpapa Lakota).

Brenda Garand (French Canadian, English, Abenaki): Northern Cross (detail), 2016, steel, beaver stick, Hawthorn, wire, roofing felt paper, porcupine quills, silk, wool, 32” x 36” x 23”. Courtesy of the artist.

Visit thetrustees.org/jeffreygibson to see a full slate of events around the installation this summer. This project was originally commissioned by Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City. VIA Art Fund is the commissioning sponsor.

JEFFREY GIBSON: INFINITE INDIGENOUS QUEER LOVE Opening October 16, 2021 A solo exhibition of work by Jeffrey Gibson will open in deCordova’s indoor galleries this fall. The exhibition title implies an expansive celebratory anthem for LGBTQ and Native American identities. The show features a series of massive 12-foot tall hanging fringe cube sculptures designed in radiant colors. The fringe—typically an ornamental feature of Indigenous ceremonial dress—is transformed into primary volumetric shapes. These vivid, mysterious, monolithic forms will dominate the gallery, posing an exploration into queer abstraction, a merging of hard-edge shapes and soft, fluid materiality. FRUITLANDS MUSEUM 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard

the installation illuminates the relationship between past and present. The Fruitlands Farmhouse and the Shaker Office are now open, through guided tours only. Timed tickets are required for all exhibits and building tours: thetrustees.org/fruitlands. WEIR RIVER FARM 140 Turkey Hill Lane, Hingham

POLLY THAYER STARR: SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY through June 2022 Set into the landscape at Weir River Farm, home of 20th-century Massachusetts artist Polly Thayer Starr, visitors will be able to explore her artwork and to see the landscape through her eyes. Throughout the farm and on its trails, exploration stations and occasional unexpected surprises provide visitors of all ages the opportunity to use imagination and observation to explore nature and celebrate the artist’s remarkable 75-year artistic legacy. Information at: thetrustees.org/exhibit/discovery.

ECHOES IN TIME: NEW INTERPRETATIONS OF THE FRUITLANDS MUSEUM COLLECTION

Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute): Protect Our Elders, 2020, Digital illustration, image courtesy of the artist.

through December 6, 2021 Echoes in Time honors the creative continuity of Indigenous artists and their communities. Recently made paintings, prints, baskets, sculptures, video, and personal objects appear in conversation with the museum’s historic objects—made in the 19th and early-20th centuries by mostly unidentified individuals. By juxtaposing the Fruitlands collections with named contemporary artists,

Polly Thayer Starr: Weir River Farm view, c.1970, Watercolor, Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust | 1991.574

SUMMER 2021

TRUSTEES PEOPLE

more ways to NORRIS RES

ERVATION, N

ORWELL

play

THE TRUSTEES

ROCKY WOODS, MEDFIELD

By designing exciting, educational programs and experiences, Jen Klein is helping new audiences build a lifelong love of the world outside.

Q&A

Jen Klein, Director of Outdoor Experience

A: Growing up in Detroit, I’d spend summers at my grandmother’s house in the city. She started a community garden back in the 70s, and I would spend hours a day in that garden learning about life cycles of plants and how composting works, watching birds and squirrels, finding worms and bugs—that sticks with me to this day. I think that’s why I’m especially passionate about how we connect urban audiences to nature: so many people, like me, didn’t grow up on a farm or have many acres in our backyard.

a roving hiking program where outdoor educators lead guided hikes at reservations that might not be as well known as our more traditionally programmed properties. We’re starting those hikes in the Charles River Valley, South Shore, and South Coast regions. I’m also thinking about more ways that we can bring the Trustees experience to communities and audiences that we do not currently serve, and to meet people where they are.

Q: What formative experiences in the outdoors led you where you are today?

Q: You mentioned people rediscovering the outdoors or connecting with nature for the first time. How do you think about sustaining this present moment over the long run?

Q: How did you first discover The Trustees? A: When my husband and I moved to New England from metro Detroit 13 years ago, the first places we visited were Copicut Woods, Rocky Narrows, and Cormier Woods. What initially drew us to Trustees properties was our dog. We were looking for places to hike where our dog was welcome—now we have two, both vizslas. When I joined The Trustees last year, I spent three months visiting as many properties as I could: 60 in 90 days.

will depend on the property and its existing landscape. During the pandemic we’ve seen more people on our properties than ever before, a lot of them are new to nature, and a lot of families don’t necessarily feel safe letting their kids wander or play in the woods. These nature play and adventure spaces represent a stepping stone: structured, safe environments where parents don’t feel like their kids are going to get covered in poison ivy, yet kids can feel a sense of adventure and risk—which is critical for their growth and development— and experience magical moments that help create a sense of identity with nature.

COPICUT WOODS, FALL RIVER

Q: What does the role of Director of Outdoor Experience entail, and what projects do you have in the works?

Q: Tell me about a longer-term project: the nature and adventure play spaces.

A: I oversee all things related to engaging people outdoors on our properties. Even Trustees museums and cultural and historic sites—places you might not think of as “nature properties”—still have an outdoor component to them, like a walking path or a hiking trail. I’ve been thinking about what other opportunities we can offer and building infrastructure to make them a reality. This summer, we’re launching Outdoor Adventures,

A: By summer 2022, we’re hoping to open a flagship nature and adventure play space. It’s not a traditional playground: it blends into the landscape and mimics the natural environment, inviting kids to have openended and unstructured play, and use their imaginations in ways they might have naturally done 40 years ago. It might include intentionally placed logs for kids to climb, bridges, a tree swing—what it looks like

A: My ultimate goal—and a goal of The Trustees—is to build an ecologically literate population. I spent five years working as an educator in a public school system, and I don’t see nature and education as separate: nature needs to be a part of everything we do. We’re at a juncture in history where issues like climate change and losses in biodiversity have coincided with people becoming more disconnected from nature, and we have an opportunity to reach new people and hold on to them by creating fun, positive experiences that they’ll want to come back to again and again. Then it becomes a habit of mind, where you help people develop how they see themselves in relation to the landscape, and then we can imagine a future with a regional, national, and global populace that’s connected to and civically engaged around nature. I’m so proud to work for an organization that’s committed to having that impact.

SUMMER 2021

On the

EXPLORING BY KAYAK AND CANOE PROVIDES NEW ADVENTURES AND PERSPECTIVES

Water Front A After retiring seven years ago, Trustees Member Jeff Eustace began paddling the Charles River, setting out around 5:30AM to soak in the solitude. “That’s when you see things,” says Eustace, who generally paddles from May through November. “The beavers and muskrats are out and birds are feeding. It’s quiet and there’s not a lot of wind, so you can steer and focus on what there is to see.” If you’ve never explored Trustees properties by kayak, paddleboard, or canoe, it’s time to take the plunge this summer. Paddling is good exercise: use correct technique and you’ll get a great core workout. And across the state, dozens of rivers, ponds, and salt waterways offer novel, scenic perspectives on the Trustees portfolio of special places. “[Paddling] is a very centering experience,” says Shannon Hurley, The Trustees’ Coastal Engagement Manager for The Islands. “You’re seeing wildlife up close and in person, which allows you to become one with nature and one with yourself.”

Further downstream lies Bridge Island Meadows in Millis, a hidden sanctuary of scenic wetlands and uplands, only reachable when Bogastow Brook flows into South End Pond. Next comes Medfield Meadow Lots, three freshwater marshlands only visible by boat. From there, the river meanders past the 50-foot granite cliff walls of Rocky Narrows in Sherborn. Further east lies Peters Reservation in Dover, where the property’s designed plantings and red pines are visible from the river. Finally comes Charles River Peninsula in Needham, a restored grassland field surrounded on three sides by the river. Although none of Trustees’ Charles

THE TRUSTEES

BARTHOLOMEW’S COBBLE SHEFFIELD

©TRUSTEES

The Charles River, which links together seven Trustees reservations, is a natural starting point. Putting in upstream and heading east toward Boston, you’ll first encounter Cedariver in Millis, a riverside farm with trails, woodlands, and fields. Next, you’ll come upon Shattuck Reservation in Medfield, where the woodland landscape opens into wetlands. “The area is full of different vegetation, beavers, and blue heron,” says Mike Francis, The Trustees’ Stewardship Manager of Charles River Valley Properties. “Shattuck Reservation abuts Noon Hill and [the two] have six miles of trails, so you could go for a hike and get back into your boat.” 24

River reservations has its own boat launch, public access points abound (see map on pages 26-27). Nearby, at Rocky Woods in Medfield, fouracre Chickering Pond is a small, beginnerfriendly entry point for paddling. “The water is calm and protected on all sides,” says Francis. “You can see frogs along the shoreline and, if you’re lucky, a turtle or river otter passing through.” While you can’t bring your own boat, the visitor center does rent kayaks and canoes.

CHARLES RIVER PENINSULA NEEDHAM

THE CHARLES

PHOTO COURTESY @JEFFER47

BY VICTORIA ABBOTT RICCARDI

CRANE WILDLIFE REFUGE ESSEX

PADDLING POINTERS

©TRUSTEES

CAPE POGE WILDLIFE REFUGE CHAPPAQUIDDICK

back in time,” says McCauley. Another guided paddle explores Fox Creek, winding from a boat dock in Essex Bay through a circa 1820 manmade tidewater canal to the site of the historic Robinson’s Boatyard.

THE VINEYARD

©T.KATES

THE CRANE ESTATE

In Ipswich, Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate offers guided paddles for up to 15 people, says Carole McCauley, Engagement Manager for the Crane Estate. “We bring in professional kayak guides, who talk about the history of the bay, the Crane Estate, and the wildlife you’re seeing in the environment.” One popular excursion involves circling Round Island, Long Island, and Choate Island, where everyone disembarks and hikes to the hilltop for sweeping views over the estuary’s islands and the historic buildings on them. “Seeing these old structures on these old landscapes feels like you’ve stepped

On Martha’s Vineyard, Trustees offers daily kayak rentals for members and nonmembers at Long Point Wildlife Refuge, along with bimonthly, members-only sunset and fullmoon tours. A must-paddle destination is Long Cove Pond, a freshwater oasis filled with lily pads, snapping turtles, and frogs along the shore. “It’s a very leisurely experience and people don’t realize how long the pond is,” says Hurley. “It’s easy to get lost in the raw beauty of the environment.” Meanwhile, Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge offers a range of public and private kayak tours, as well as self-guided tours in rented kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes for Trustees members only. Whether you’re paddling solo or on a tour, depart from Dike Bridge and head into the salt marsh to avoid wind and waves. “The salt marsh is a nursery for crustaceans, fish, and birds, and overhead you can see osprey, our favorite residents,” says Hurley. “As you paddle through the channel that connects Poucha Pond to Cape Poge Bay, you see yellow and white sea sponge, oystercatchers, and white egrets in the marsh.”

For paddling information, go to each reservation’s page on the Trustees website. All Trustees rentals include paddles and life jackets. Consider bringing your own water, snack, and protective gear, such as sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, and a long-sleeve shirt. For self-guided paddles, be sure to check the weather before you go. For kayaking on the Charles River, Francis and Eustace recommend the Charles River Watershed Association’s (CRWA) Charles River Canoe and Kayak Guide—a detailed flip map available to purchase on CRWA’s website, crwa.org. Eustace also likes The Charles River: Exploring Nature and History on Foot and by Canoe by Ron McAdow (Bliss Publishing Co., 2000).

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a day-one beginner, there are ample opportunities to explore Trustees properties by paddle. And if you have any apprehensions about getting started, take it from Eustace: paddling has a gentle learning curve. “You don’t have to be an athlete or wellcoordinated,” he says. “You just need to be able to stand up and sit down.” Victoria Abbott Riccardi is a freelance travel, culture, and food writer, and author of Untangling My Chopsticks: A Culinary Sojourn in Kyoto (Broadway) from Newton.

SUMMER 2021

Paddle Power!

gle this summer— an t en er ff di a om fr ns io at Explore Trustees reserv

Tully Lake Campground

Mountain Meadow Preserve

ROYALSTON Ri v er

Bear Swamp

Chesterfield Gorge Petticoat Hill

Glendale Falls Naumkeag The Mission House

Goose Pond Reservation Tyringham Cobble McLennan Reservation

Monument Mountain

Ashintully Gardens

Swift River Reservation

Quabbin Reservoir

Little Tom Mountain Land of Providence

Dinosaur Footprints

Questing

Worcester

Peaked Mountain

RESERVATIONS IN THE CHARLES RIVER VALLEY

Quinebaug Woods

Bartholomew’s Cobble

Springfield

Dexter Drumlin

Chestnut Hill Farm

Rock House Reservation

Dry Hill Ashley House

Mount Warner

C on n e c t i cu t

Chapel Brook

Bryant Homestead

Bullitt Reservation

Notchview

Jewell Hill

Doyle Community Park & Center Bear’s Den Elliott Laurel Farandnear Redemption Rock North Common Fruitlands Meadow Museum

Paddle along the mighty Housatonic River in Sheffield for a dramatic view of this National Natural Landmark and watch for the occasional cow slipping into the water for a cooling dip along Corbin’s Neck. Best access point is at the Sheffield Covered Bridge boat launch on Covered Bridge Lane.

Jacobs Hill Doane’s Falls

Cormier Woods

Tantiusques

Pegan Hill, Dover & Natick Peters Reservation, Dover

Charles River Peninsula, Needham

Chase Woodlands, Dover

Noanet Woodlands, Dover

Rocky Narrows, Sherborn

Powisset Farm, Dover

Medfield Meadow Lots, Medfield

Rocky Woods

Shattuck Reservation, Medfield

MEDFIELD

Rocky Woods, Medfield

Bridge Island Meadows, Millis

Fork Factory Brook, Medfield

Cedariver, Millis

Medfield Rhododendrons, Medfield Noon Hill, Medfield

Rent a kayak or canoe from the Visitor’s Center (Saturdays 8AM-6PM and Sundays 8AM-12Noon) and paddle around Chickering Pond, the largest of the reservation’s five man-made ponds. Keep an eye out for bullfrogs and painted turtles.

SHEFFIELD

Field Farm

Bartholomew’s Cobble

Royalston Falls

Explore Tully River or the isles and inlets of the 200-acre Tully Lake in Royalston. You can launch your boat at the Boat Ramp or Tully River Canoe Launch. Note: Canoes and kayaks at Tully Lake Campground are reserved for campers during summer months and all weekends; check for availability at other times.

Reservations along the Charles River Cedariver

Shattuck Reservation

Bridge Island Meadows

MILLIS

MEDFIELD

MILLIS

MEDFIELD

Consider strolling around this bucolic 55-acre former farm before getting on the Charles River at the nearby canoe/kayak landing owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Overlooking the Charles, this 245-acre forested former pasture has a wet meadow and red maple swamp. Access the river via several put-in spots in Medfield.

This 80-acre hideaway is accessible only by boat, via Bogastow Brook when the water level is high enough. Treecovered knolls, tall grasses, and the surrounding floodplain reward determined paddlers.

Comprising three freshwater marshlands, Pratt Meadow, Perry Meadow, and Hinsdale Meadow, this reservation can be seen only by boat.

THE TRUSTEES

Medfield Meadow Lots

in a canoe or kayak, or even by SUP. There’s so much more to see by boat on the rivers, lakes, ponds, brooks, and estuaries that pass by and through many of our properties. Here’s a few of the best. Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate

Appleton Farms Grass Rides Appleton Farms R. Old Town Hill ack Greenwood Farm Hamlin Reservation Stavros Reservation The Crane Estate: Castle Hill Weir Hill Halibut Point Reservation Stevens-Coolidge Pine & The Crane Estate: Crane Beach House & Gardens Hemlock The Crane Estate: Crane Wildlife Refuge Charles W. Knoll Mount Ann Park

Ward Reservation Ravenswood Park Moraine Coolidge Reservation Long Hill Farm Agassiz Rock Malcolm Preserve Misery Islands The Old Manse Crowninshield Island Mary Cummings Gerry Island Park Massachusetts Bay deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

ESSEX

rrim

Explore the refuge’s seven islands in the Essex River Estuary—Choate, Long, Dean, Dilly, Pine, Patterson, and Round—and the vibrant habitats of the surrounding Great Marsh. (Note: The kayak launch for the refuge is through rentals only.)

Ch a r l e s

Boston Community Gardens & Parks City Natives

Boston

Pierce Reservation

World’s End Weir River Farm

Gov. Hutchinson’s Field

Bradley Estate Signal Hill

Whitney & Thayer Woods Norris Reservation Two Mile Farm

Dunes’ Edge Campground

Moose Hill Farm

©T.KATES

Gov. Ames Estate

Long Point Wildlife Refuge Holmes Reservation

Francis William Bird Park

CAPE POGE WILDLIFE REFUGE CHAPPAQUIDDICK

East Over: Hales Brook & Sippican River Tract y

Mashpee River Reservation

Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge CHAPPAQUIDDICK

Cornell Farm

Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens

Lowell Holly

Westport Town Farm

Lyman Reserve

East Over Reservation

Take in a self-guided tour of Long Cove Pond, an elongated tear-drop-shaped body of freshwater filled with wildlife, including swans. Kayaks and paddleboards can be rented in July and August. Or join one of the bi-monthly sunset and full-moon guided kayak tours.

Cape Cod Bay

Copicut Woods

WEST TISBURY

Rent a canoe, paddleboard, or kayak and explore Poucha Pond or Cape Poge Bay—on your own or sign up for a public or private guided kayak tour.

Nantucket Sound

Slocum’s River Reserve

Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge The Brickyard Menemsha Hills

Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge

Mytoi Wasque

Long Point Wildlife Norton Point Refuge Beach The FARM Institute

For more on these reservations and other paddling options and opportunities this summer, visit thetrustees.org/paddle.

Rocky Narrows

Peters Reservation

Charles River Peninsula

SHERBORN

DOVER

NEEDHAM

This swath of woodlands in Sherborn abuts the Town Forest and overlooks a pastoral section of the Charles, as it meanders quietly through ancient cliff walls and steeply wooded hillsides.

Savor the trails and understory plantings laid out by famed landscape architect Fletcher Steele before slipping your boat into the Charles at the boat launch on Bridge Street.

Glide by this restored open grassland field surrounded on three sides by the Charles River. You can launch your boat at Red Wing Bay in Needham, a stateowned boat launch.

©VECTEEZY.COM

SUMMER 2021

ICYMI #THETRUSTEES

You tag us. We

you!

If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees. —Hal Borland

find magic in the moment Living on a 100-acre farm near Bartholomew’s Cobble (see page 4), writer and naturalist Hal Borland (1900-1978) described exploring the woods and fields there in a series of editorials for the New York Times and the Berkshire Eagle that were later compiled into two books. Described by Edwin Way Teale as “a breath of fresh country air,” Borland’s books painted an accurate and telling portrait of rural New England life and of its natural landscapes.

THE TRUSTEES

Share our Special Places!

S S S A S A P P O O G G G O GO PA A GGOOPPAAP S SS SS SS es Trustees teTruste s u r T T r u s es Trust tees

Trusteeeses

EL Y LEVEL EVFA G et G et L Y L I M IL M A Ad S S FAD ion IT A M etDMGA OutsidOu T G et I in admissLEVEL D on M t M e e d ADMIT IT D lu AS FAMILY e tside AGDA c in A A included in admissi 8 1 S F IA derY T A nIL uTw M n d children under 18 A M an re s IT d S ult il ad OTutside o h S c F Outside G et FA e L Tw ndY a IL adid M VE18Lincluded in admission sch ults ltdA L uM IL adults wo adultsOuots under adan L E YdeELVand ildTwo re n un EEVchildren and Two Tw Outside

r 18 included o adults and childr chen ildund ren er un18 in admission derinc 18lud edudined admission incl in admet stees.org issiru g on th r thetr .o s

e uste t etruste th tethetrustees .org treuss.o rg thethru esrg .ore stees.o g

Expires Expires: :

Expires:

Did you know? GO Passes provide access for those who might not otherwise be able to enjoy Trustees reservations. Your purchase of a GO Pass book affords patrons and employees of nonprofit organizations free or reduced admission to Trustees special places.

The Trustees is Massachusetts’ largest, and the nation’s first, conservation and preservation nonprofit. We are supported by members, friends, and donors. Explore 121 amazing places across Massachusetts, from beaches, farms and woodlands, to historic homes, museums, urban gardens, and more.

Jocelyn Forbush Acting President & CEO Paul Leech Chief, Finance & Administration Matthew Montgomery Chief, Marketing & Audience Development Christine Morin Chief, Places & Engagement Edward Wilson, Chief, Development & Strategic Partnerships

EDITORIAL

Wayne Wilkins Director, Brand & Content Editor

Gina Janovitz Graphic Designer

Expires:

Buy a book of 50 or 100 passes, starting at $200, for your local library, religious group, community group, or other favorite nonprofit organization today!

For details, email: gopass@thetrustees.org

The Barbara Erickson Land Conservation Fund

We invite your input, letters, and suggestions. Please send them to: Special Places | The Trustees 200 High Street, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02110 tel 978.921.1944 email marketing@thetrustees.org For information about becoming a member please contact us at 978.921.1944, email us at membership@thetrustees.org, or visit our website at www.thetrustees.org. Special Places, Summer 2021. Volume 29, Issue Number 2. Special Places (ISSN 1087-5026) is published quarterly and distributed to members and donors of The Trustees of Reservations. Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.

Jeff Harder Contributing Editor Chris Costello Senior Graphic Designer

Expires:

Printed by Universal Wilde, an environmentally responsible printer in Massachusetts that strives to minimize waste, maximize recycling, and exceed environmental standards.

Honoring the memory and legacy of Barbara Erickson, Trustees President & CEO from 2012-2021, gifts to this new fund will fulfill her dream of endowing the protection and preservation of important reservations that might otherwise be out of The Trustees’ reach. Help us carry on Barbara’s work. Every dollar commitment to the fund will be matched 1:1, including planned gifts. When you include a bequest intent in your estate plan or establish a life-income gift, we can immediately release the matching amount to the fund. For information and to make a gift, visit thetrustees.org/barbara

#thetrustees | A big Thank You to our Instagram followers who posted these summer photos, including @kathrynwiest (Gerry Island),

@gotsarah (Appleton Farms), @jenniferi.22 (Fruitlands Museum), @timmyg68 (Dexter Drumlin), @mymindslefteye (Naumkeag), @thatdogscully (Moose Hill Farm), @katiathemick (Jacobs Hill/Tully Trail), and on the back cover, @vintagetheresaakathegaff (Pegan Hill). Keep ‘em coming!

SUMMER 2021 29

THE TRUSTEES

200 High Street, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02110-3044

WHERE WONDER HAPPENS Pegan Hill, Natick & Dover @vintagetheresaakathegaff

thetrustees.org