Hiking the East Quabbin Trails in the Rain

Though the weather outlook for the entire day was “iffy,” those of us who signed up to hike today decided yesterday evening that it was a “go.”  The instructions were to meet at 8 am at Gate 37 in Petersham, then we would carpool to our starting point at Gate 43.  I left my house around 7 am, to allow myself time to get lost and then get back on track, but because I spent a lot of time with Google maps yesterday, I had no problem finding the location, obscure as it is (it’s at the end of a one-lane mostly dirt road).  Then eventually, after some car-hopping and convoy driving, twelve of us hardy souls gathered at Gate 43, and we set off, heading mostly north.

This was the second scheduled Quabbin hike (the first took us from Lookout Tower to Gate 43); we intended to hike about ten miles to where we left the cars.  For the first few miles, we walked mostly on asphalt pavement.  This may sound incongruous, but remember that the Quabbin Watershed is known as the “Accidental Wilderness.”  Not so long ago, this area was farmland; up until 1938, hundreds of people lived in the four small towns of Dana, Prescott, Enfield, and Greenwich, which were dismantled to create the Reservoir.  Today, the 24,529 acre reservoir is surrounded by 54,686 acres of watershed land.  The DCR’s “Fast Facts” about the Quabbin cover geography, soils, forest, and wildlife.  I was interested to learn that

At least 27 species listed as “special concern”  in Massachusetts occur on Quabbin, including mammals, reptiles and amphibians (such as spotted and wood turtles, Jefferson salamander), and many birds (such as American bittern and bald eagle).

The Quabbin is treasured by anglers for its freshwater fishing, and our route took us past a popular boat mooring area.  At this point Pottapaug Pond was to our right, to the east, as we walked to the west of Pottapaug Hill, which rises to 921 feet.  After about a mile or so, the trail led us down to the water, where we stopped to look at some of the Quabbin islands.  By this time, the rain had started coming down, and I decided to put on my rain jacket (I carried a full set of rain gear in my pack).  Thus somewhat protected, we turned toward to the northeast and headed for Dana.

For some reason, I had thought that all the towns were under water, but of course, that is not the case.  Another few miles of walking brought us to the old town center, where there are no buildings any more, but historical markers indicate where some of the main structures stood.  Here, at Dana Common, the group took stock, and because it continued to pour, we decided we should cut short our hike and return to the cars at Gate 40.

When the rain slackened a bit, I ate some of my snacks, then took off my shoes and wrung the water out of my socks.  As we walked northeast, again on asphalt, we heard thunder and saw the lightning, and felt that we had made the right decision.  By noon, we had reached Gate 40; the carpools were quick and efficient, and soon enough I picked up my car at Gate 37.

We’ll be back in September, to continue our walk around the East Quabbin.  I’m already looking forward to it.

Biodiversity at Wendemuth Meadow

One of the East Quabbin Land Trust twentieth anniversary events that I was most looking forward to was the BioBlitz scheduled for today at the newly-purchased Wendemuth Meadow property on Bates Street in North Brookfield.  A  bioblitz is “an intensive one-day survey of biodiversity in a specific area,” explained Nate Grady, Service Learning Coordinator for the EQLT.  He added, “This is an especially neat activity, as it brings all levels of outdoor enthusiasts — from trained naturalists to people who just like to explore and get a little dirty  — together for the common goal of finding and identifying as many creatures as possible.”  Sunny but not at all humid, the day did not disappoint!

By 7 am, I arrived at the old barn, a fifteen minute walk from my house, where the birding team, headed by Jeff Smith, was already in place. Equipped with guidebooks and binoculars, we set out on a loop around the perimeter of the property.  Over the course of a few hours, we recorded around two dozen different species.  When we returned to the barn, a second group had started inventorying species near the brook which runs through the property. They are not as familiar to the average person as birds and mammals, but fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and arachnids are all around us, and we included as many of these orders as we could find in our inventory.  Caren Caljouw, EQLT Stewardship Coordinator, is a trained botanist, and I was thrilled to follow her around as she discovered and identified for us a number of interesting or uncommon species of plants, in addition to a few invasives which we ought to remove.

By shortly after noon, most of the groups had wrapped up their work.  At that point, we all gathered in the barn to share our findings and enjoy a potluck lunch.  In addition to the bird species I mentioned earlier, the property certainly hosts deer and rabbits, which of course are not uncommon in this area.  We didn’t see turtles or snakes, though I wouldn’t be surprised to find them living here.  If I were to pick my personal “find of the day,” I would mention a few: the bobolinks, the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly, the dragonflies, the Canada burnet, and the orchids hidden near the cattails.

To put the Wendemuth Meadow property in a larger perspective, consider that Massachusetts is now heavily forested.  A news article in the Boston Globe from about a year ago includes a statement from David Foster, director of the Harvard Forest, who says, “The forest recovery is especially breathtaking. New England is a supreme example of forest comeback.’’  This change has been beneficial for wildlife that thrive in forested regions, including many species of birds.  However, the birds that require open grassland are not faring as well.  According to the Mass Audubon 2013 State of the Birds report:

A coinciding decline in breeding grassland and shrubland birds has become particularly apparent, with species including the Eastern Meadowlark, American Kestrel and Savannah Sparrow essentially ‘blinking out’ across the state.

In addition, according to BioMap2, a joint effort of the Massachusetts NHESP and the Nature Conservancy, “wetlands are extremely important components of the Massachusetts landscape; however they are limited in extent, covering . . . less than 10% of the state.”  While our 30-acre parcel is unlikely to harbor any endangered species, as a freshwater wetland, it still serves critical ecosystem functions.

I am proud to support this conservation effort, as we are protecting an agricultural meadowland and wetland complex, a type of ecosystem that is increasingly rare in Massachusetts.