TRIP REPORT: Sutherland Woods, Lexington, MA

Sutherland was a playground/recreation area and was converted to Conservation Land, probably during the same period as Willard's Woods.  On the satellite image, you can see a big road on the bottom - this is Route 2.  The interchange is the Route 4/225 exit to Lexington. Sutherland forms the border with Arlington.  At the top end is a playground area including a ball field.  At the S bottom of the area is a MA State Highway facility with a large radio tower.  There is a cliff overlooking Route 2 protected by a fence.


Parking: Most of the Lexington Conservation areas have no parking lots.  There really isn't much on Sutherland Street.  Probably best to park on Aerial street or on Tarbell Avenue (and walk in from the W side).

Friends of Willard's Woods Google Group

Friends of Willard's Woods

Visit this group

TRIP REPORT: Chiesa Farm, Lexington, MA

Directions:  This place is near Willard's Woods.   Turn off Adams street at Hathaway.  Instead of turning right at Brent Road, continue down Hathaway and turn left at Sedge Road.  Sedge Road is the access road for the Diamond School.  Park at the end of the school near the loading dock.  There is new trail there under development.  Or park just before the baseball diamond near a large storage container.  

There is an unmarked trail across the street. It is also possible to walk from behind the Pilgrim Congregational Church, 55 Coolidge Avenue over the Chiesa property. 

Most of the land is still occupied as a horse farm, but there are some nice views looking S to the horse farm section.

Looking at the satellite view above, you are limited to the three fields NW of the green tree marker (one looks like a picture frame, one is shaped like NH, and the other smaller one consist of trees surrounded by a path).  

The whole area is 23 acres, but it looks like you can only go in about 10. Stone fences divide the fields and there is a gate into the horse farm.  

The fields are mowed.  Your dog might want to run around the plots.  Unless the horse farm goes away (not likely anytime soon), this place is too small to be of much interest to dog walkers.  If the horse farm were gone and if there were a parking lot right off Adams, this could be a fabulous dog area.

TRIP REPORT: Burlington Landlocked Forest, Burlington, MA

The Burlington Landlocked Forest (BLLF) is a very large area (almost 300 acres) that borders on Lexington.  In the view above, the big road at the bottom is Route 95, while the big one coming in from the N is Route 3.  The forest borders Route 3 and Turning Mill Road in Lexington.  It is not a conservation area and dogs are permitted off leash.  There are lots of mountain bikes some accompanied by running dogs, especially along the utility right-of-way (in the picture above, this is a light colored green strip running approximately horizontally).  There are about 6 miles of trails, with a very nice trail in the woods that is about a mile long.  The Friends of the Burlington Landlocked Forest have a website.


The land is designated as surplus municipal open space that Burlington owns.  It does however, enjoy some protection under Article 97. The utility right of way runs into Paint Mine, a Lexington Conservation area S of Turning Mill Road. The Town of Burlington seemed to be intent on flipping it, in hopes of making it a biotech research park.  So far no deal has been reached, so the prospect of chemical factories or BSL-4 level laboratories is speculative.

One of the disadvantages of the BLLF is that it is next to Route 3.  Above is a view of Route 3 you are likely see on the E side of the trails.  However, it is quite far away and down a steep cliff so your dogs are unlikely to run down to it.  If they are squirrel crazy or afflicted with wanderlust, maybe you shouldn't come here.

TRIP REPORT: The Grove, Marlborough MA

I read somewhere that The Grove, a conservation area in Marlborough is an unleashed area for dogs.  The town bylaws of Marlborough seem to say that dogs must be leashed at all times, but there were many people with their dogs off leash.  

This is a great place, especially if your dog knows how to swim.  People can't swim here (the Fort Meadow Reservoir) since the water is untested, but dogs can since sanitation is not currently on any dog agendas.

You go N up Route 85 (Bolton Street) from the town center for a couple of miles passing over the south part of the Reservoir and stop at the parking area on the right just over the edge of it. 

Walk along the lake for about about a half a mile to an excellent beach and field (see the Google Earth view above).

Teenagers have brought their blanket for a fun tryst. Unlike Willard's Woods, there is a trash barrel at the lake, about a half-mile from the entrance.  There is also a handy bench for the weary traveler.

Vandalism

The new signs and rules brochures at Willard's Woods  have been vandalized a number of times recently.  This is not surprising since a large majority of the population do not like the new rules.  The abutters act like they own the Woods and would like it closed to dogs.  The dog walkers would like it operated under the bylaws of the town for dogs rather than some arbitrary and capricious restrictions.

Vandalism and graffiti have been around since ancient times and are a common sign of dissatisfaction. Here is some from Pompeii.

More recently, from Bolivia.

On a more high tech note, roadway traffic hazard signs have an easy to hack interface.  There was a spate of such incidents after a how-to description was posted:

In 2008, graffiti was spray-painted on the houses of both senators and four house members in Minnesota..  Here is the damage at former senator Norm Coleman's house. Psalm 2 warns the "kings of the earth" against incurring God's wrath:

The sign put up by the ConCom was made of metal and affixed with screws.  Whoever took it down simply tin-snipped it off, ignoring the screws.

Bad News : Dead Crows in Woods

From Leslie Goldberg (reported to the ConCom)
Just wanted to report to you that there is a dead crow in Willard's Woods, in the pine forest just past the meadow. Coming from Brent Road, it is on the right of the path about halfway between the meadow and where the pine forests ends. (At least, that is where it was this afternoon but of course it might be disturbed by a dog or other animal).

There have been some reports that this is the 2nd dead crow seen in the Woods in the last two weeks, but I can not confirm that.

I am aware that the Board of Health wants to test these animals for West Nile and EEE, so I thought I should alert you.