Sudbury Valley TrusteesConservation, Collaboration, and Community since 1953

By Erin Snook, SVT-Americorps Community Outreach Coordinator

The goals for the Great Turtle Search were: 1) to reach out to local communities and involve neighbors in conservation by providing an active learning opportunity, and 2) to survey common and rare turtles living in the Desert Natural Area (including SVT's General Federation of Women's Clubs of Massachusetts Memorial Forest in Sudbury and Marlborough) to gain a general sense of turtle presence.  

        From April to June, we conducted 15 formal turtle surveys that brought over 130 volunteers into the Desert Natural Area.  With advice from turtle experts, we focused our search on areas where we thought we were most likely to find turtles.  On most of the surveys, volunteers were able to find turtles, especially when they were held on warm, sunny mornings.  The majority of the turtles seen were painted turtles (Chrysemys picta).  The official count on painted sightings (those recorded on data sheets by survey leaders) is 16, but we know from anecdotal accounts that the number was much higher; probably closer to 50.  The occasional snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentine) was also seen and several turtle nest sites were documented in sandy areas.  There is a video of a nesting snapping turtle on Nature Sightings.

Download the final report and maps from SVT's Invasive Plant Species Mapping of the Desert Natural Area (updated March 2011)

SVT endeavors to maximize the biological and ecological value of its properties. In some cases this requires active habitat restoration. Designing and enacting a management plan for a successful restoration requires an initial assessment of current conditions. The cover story of our June 2009 newsletter focused on restoring biological diversity at the Desert Natural Area, 900 acres of conserved lands in Marlborough and Sudbury, and the location of SVT’s Memorial Forest. One of the important surveys that we are conducting is locating and mapping invasive plant species. 

The call of the whip-poor-will is one of the magical sounds that you can hear on an evening walk in June through the Desert Natural Area.  On an early morning foray, you may hear the ethereal flute of the wood thrush and the cu-cu-cooing of the black-billed cuckoo.  Other biological treasures include high quality vernal pools with blue-spotted salamanders and wood frogs, pure streams that support native brook trout, and secretive wood and box turtles. 

The 900-acre Desert Natural Area straddles the City of Marlborough and the Town of Sudbury.  SVT’s 220-acre General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Massachusetts Memorial Forest is at the heart of this area.  The Women’s Federation donated the property to SVT in 1999.  White pine-oak forests, pitch pine- scrub oak barrens, red maple swamps and open marshes create a rich mosaic of habitats.  The site is historically known as “the Desert” due to the predominance of well-drained sandy soils.

In July, Sudbury Valley Trustees and our partners released thousands of purple-loosestrife-eating beetles to six wetlands in our watershed:  French’s Meadow in Concord, Lincoln conservation land, Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury, Hop Brook marshes at SVT’s Memorial Forest in Sudbury, and Jericho Hill in Marlborough.  Many volunteers assisted throughout the project – from digging up loosestrife rootballs to raising loosestrife and beetles, to releasing beetles and conducting monitoring.  Partners involved in the project include the Town of Lincoln, US Fish & Wildlife Service Eastern Refuge complex, Concord Land Conservation Trust, Fay School, and Marlborough High School.

Gowing’s Swamp, named by Thoreau for it’s landowner in the mid-1850’s, is an 8.9 acre acidic wetland complex located in a protected, glaciated hollow on the eastern side of a glacial kame known as Revolutionary Ridge.  A kettlehole bog, at the southern end of the wetland, contains specialized plant communities that are locally rare in Southern New England.  The natural area provides habitat for a diverse range of wildlife.  “Unlike any other bog in New England, Gowing’s Swamp found its way into American literature by virtue of significant passages in Thoreau’s Journal”, says botanist Ray Angelo, and has been visited and studied regularly over the last 160 years by Concord naturalists, literary and historical scholars, and has been the subject of ongoing scientific studies. Over the years, it has also served as an outdoor classroom for local schools, community groups, and environmental organizations.

For the first time in 4 years of annual pulling, we have finally seen significant progress in reducing garlic mustard and increasing native plant flora abundance.  This year, eight volunteers assisted at the annual “pull.”  For the first time since control was initiated, we were able to remove all of the flowering (second year) garlic mustard.  The effort is not over; we will have to go back again for the next few years to continue to pull out the new plants that germinate and second year flowering plants.  Garlic mustard is a biennial which means that the

The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) is threatening the integrity of our forests.  This non-native pest is damaging many of our native hardwood trees in the greater Worcester area.  There is currently a massive effort to remove and destroy all infected trees within a large quarantine area around Worcester.  There is a distinct possibility that ALB has escaped out of this quarantine zone.  Please learn how to identify the tell-tale signs of ALB and be sure to look for them on trees in your backyard, neighborhood and the natural areas you visit.
 

Sudbury Valley Trustees has been working with the Town of Concord's Natural Resource Commission through the Concord Wildlife Passages Task Force to monitor wildlife use of underpasses beneath Route 2 in Concord.

The mission of the task force is to monitor wildlife use of the four wildlife underpasses installed by MassHighway along Route 2 in Concord. To evaluate the effectiveness of the underpasses in providing safe passage for wildlife under Route 2 and to implement measures to increase the effectiveness when possible. To recruit and manage volunteer participation in these efforts. To facilitate communication between town and state government departments pertaining to wildlife passages.

This year marks a significant achievement in the effort to improve wildlife habitat and reduce invasive plants at the Turenne Wildlife Habitat. This reservation contains 18 acres of woodland and meadow located on Oak Hill in Southborough. After walking through an oak-hickory forest with dramatic rock outcrops, the visitor passes through a native plant bird garden and is then treated to a spectacular view of Wachusett Mountain in the distance. 

The original gift of land included an old tennis court which had been stripped of asphalt and left to grow wild. Beginning in 1995, the site was transformed into a native plant bird garden through the efforts of neighbors, volunteers, the local gardening club, and SVT staff. The garden was planted with native wildflowers and shrubs that attract birds and butterflies.

Laura Mattei and Marta Hersek recently led a vernal pool exploration at Greenways Conservation Area in Wayland. Families spent the afternoon learning about vernal pools and the local wildlife that depend on them. Take a look at our activities schedule for more opportunities like this.