[SEMCO] AMC's Southeast Massachusetts Chapter Recognizes Myles Standish State Forest as “Critical Treasure”

[goddessjay at aol.com]

May 20, 2009





 

 

Appalachian Mountain Club’s Southeast Massachusetts Chapter  Recognizes Myles Standish State Forest 
as “Critical Treasure”

 

 

The Appalachian Mountain Club’s Southeast Massachusetts (AMC-SEM) Chapter on Saturday, June 6,  in conjunction with National Trails Day, will help raise awareness for the recreational and ecological resources at Myles Standish State Forest, the largest publicly-owned recreation area in southeastern Massachusetts (MA). The AMC-SEM Chapter in partnership with the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Friends of Myles Standish State Forest, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) will offer a variety of special events at Myles Standish that day, including family-friendly nature walks, hikes, field trips, presentations, and trail work.  All events are free and open to the public. 

 

Recognized as a “Critical Treasure” for its unique recreational and historic values, Myles Standish is located between the southern sections of Plymouth and Carver, MA. Several ecologically significant coastal plain "kettle" ponds are scattered throughout the State Forest , which is also one of the largest contiguous pitch pine/scrub oak communities north of Long Island . 

 

A Critical Treasure is defined as any forest, park, reservation, or recreation area with significant values for open space preservation, outdoor recreation, watershed protection, or special plant and wildlife habitat that is actively threatened. Areas with
 iconic natural, recreational, historic, or other intrinsic values such as Myles Standish that merit a higher level of stewardship also qualify.

 

The AMC-SEM Chapter partners with DCR managers, stewardship groups, and others to identify and highlight Critical Treasures in MA and advocate for their increased protection and sound management, which includes improving the State’s overall capacity to manage its parks and forests.  

  

Schedule of Events: 



·         9:30 A.M.— Trail Work Begins



·         10:00-11:30 A.M.— Healthy Heart Trail 3-mile hike with Amy Wilmot (DCR)



·         10:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M.— 7-mile hike with Barbara Leland (AMC) and Ellie MacPherson (AMC)



·         12:00-1:00 P.M.— Picnic lunch (bring lunch)



·         1:00-3:00 P.M.— Nature walk, Plants of Myles Standish with Irina Kadis (Arnold Arboretum)



·         1:00-3:00 P.M.— Forest Management field trip with Bob Bale (TNC) and Paul Gregory (DCR Forester)

 

Details of Events:

 

Trail work with the SEM-AMC trail crew
Join the AMC-SEM Chapter trail crew for a morning of trail maintenance on the Bentley Loop Trail. There will be work for all ages and skill levels. Please register with Lou Sikorsky (508-678-3984, hikinglou at charter.net) or Bill Ruel (508
-838-3841, camperbill at yahoo.com).
 
Healthy Heart walk with Amy Wilmot
Join Amy Wilmot, DCR Interpretive Specialist, on a 3-mile Healthy Heart walk around the East Head Reservoir. This is a DCR initiative to encourage people to use recreation as a way to maintain good health. The East Head Reservoir Trail has been designated as one of the Healthy Heart Trails in the DCR reservations. This is a family-friendly walk and will take 1.5 to 2 hours. Meet at the Myles Standish headquarters parking lot at 10:00 A.M. Please bring water and wear long pants and sturdy shoes. 


Hike the East Head Reservoir Trail and Bentley Loop with Barbara Leland & Ellie MacPherson
Join Barbara Leland and Ellie MacPherson on an approximately 7-mile hike through Myles Standish. Meet at the headquarters parking lot at 10:00 A.M. Bring water, lunch, sturdy shoes or boots. There will be a brief talk about the critical treasures event prior to the hike.
 
“Steel and Fire,” forest management at Myles Standish with Paul Gregory and Bob Bale
Join DCR Forester Paul Gregory and TNC Fire Manager Bob Bale for an up-close look at current pitch pine-scrub oak community management practices in Myles Standish. Visit a section of the forest that recently underwent a mechanical fuel reduction and another location recently treated with prescribed fire. Discuss the natural history of the Plymouth Pine Barrens and the benefits of mechanical and burning treatments to this globally rare plant community. Meet at the parking lot by Myles Standi
sh headquarters on Cranberry Road at 1:00 P.M. for this 2-hour field trip. Participants will carpool to the first site on paved roads. Transportation for participants without four-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicles necessary for travel to the second site can be accommodated. 
 


Myles Standish Plant Sampler with Irina Kadis

Walk along the shores of the East Head Reservoir in Myles Standish with Irina Kadis from the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University . The walk will offer an introduction to native shrubs, trees, and herbaceous plants, with a focus on flowering shrubs in the heath family (ericaceous). Frequent stops will allow particpants to take a closer look at plants along the trail, learn how to recognize them, and practice telling one from another. Meet at 1:00 p.m. at the headquarters parking lot and plan for a 2-hour walk.  Please wear sturdy footwear and long pants. Don’t forget water and insect repellent to protect from ticks.  

 

***

Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club (www.outdoors.org) is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the nation. With 90,000 members in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region. The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment. 



***

 

The AMC-SEM 
(www.amcsem.org), founded in 1976, draws its members from a geographical area south of Boston , including Cape Cod and the Islands . Currently the chapter has over 3,400 members, including families and individuals. The chapter publishes a quarterly newsletter, “The Southeast Breeze,” which lists many chapter-led activities such as hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, cross-country skiing, trail work, and other special programs. Chapter activities are also available through AMC’s online Trip Planner at http://trips.outdoors.org 

 

###

 

 
Contacts:

 

Fred Yost, Conservation Chair

AMC-SEM Chapter

508-699-9305

conservation at amcsem.org

 

Joanne M. Jarzobski, Conservation Vice-Chair

AMC-SEM Chapter

508-212-4427 

conservationvicechair at amcsem.org

 


Contacts:

 

Fred Yost, Conservation Chair

AMC-SEM Chapter

508-699-9305

conservation at amcsem.org

 

Joanne M. Jarzobski, Conservation Vice-Chair

AMC-SEM Chapter

508-212-4427 

conservationvicechair at amcsem.org

 





-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.whoi.edu/pipermail/semco/attachments/20090520/bd58d512/attachment-0001.htm