What’s Happening on the Land
We wanted to share a few of our recent projects with you!
A few weeks ago our Director of Land Stewardship Kelly Barber lead volunteers on a three-day meadow support project on a property off of Commerce Road in Barnstable. The priority focus was to remove the woody species in the field - primarily cedar saplings. As all meadows naturally want to become forest, ongoing management such as removing woody species is needed. The majority of the cedar saplings were shallow-rooted, and simply needed to be loosened with a shovel or other sturdy tool, and then pulled. Others had a stronger hold and needed to be cut below the ground surface to avoid resprouting. All saplings were put into the truck and transported to another area onsite to be burned.
More will need to be removed, but good headway was made. “There is no shortage of cedars in that field, but we made a good dent and will continue the work in the future as needed,” shared Kelly. “This could not have been done without the combined efforts of all involved.”
Coming up, we will be establishing trails in the Lowell Park Woodlands which BLT acquired in 2016 with support from the Cotuit community and the Town and Water District.
Below is a map showing the existing trails and the proposed additions to offer a 0.5 mile loop trail through the woodlands and access from Lowell Ave and Putnam Ave for those walking in. The main loop trail follows a gradual grade, avoiding steep terrain while maintaining a buffer from Putnam Ave and nearby neighbors. We also plan to install labels for native plants, shrubs, and trees present along the trail for an additional learning opportunity throughout the year.
As the protection of this land was a grand community effort, we wanted to share this plan with the community and invite those that wish to be involved in implementation. We have projects scheduled towards the end of May in order to get this project complete by the start of the Cape League season. Massachusetts COVID-19 regulations somewhat limit our capacity to host volunteers, but we want to welcome those that wish to be involved to the best of our ability. Anyone that wishes to be included in the trail building project or other land stewardship projects can contact Kelly Barber at kelly@blt.org or by calling her at 508-771-2585 x102.
