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Salem Woods

Salem Woods is one of the last remaining large parcels of conservation land within the City of Salem. At one time Salem Woods was a common woodlot for the city. Over time, development has whittled away the original much larger forest. The remaining 129 acres of forest and wetlands support a diverse array of plants…… Continue reading Salem Woods

Wilmington Town Forest

History: Based on it’s poor quality, thin soils and stone walls, historians believe the Town Forest was used as Pasture during the 18th and 19th centuries. It is likely that timber was harvested from this area in the late 19th century to produce charcoal for the ironworks that existed near the Shawsheen River from the…… Continue reading Wilmington Town Forest

Stage Fort Park (Half Moon and Cressy’s beach)

Stage Fort Park in Gloucester is a 60 acre historic park owned and operated by the City of Gloucester. The park was used by Gloucester’s first settlers to set up fishing stages, platforms used to salt and dry fish. The city maintains a paid municipal lot, restrooms, a playground, tennis courts, baseball field, basketball court…… Continue reading Stage Fort Park (Half Moon and Cressy’s beach)

Devereux Beach

Overview Devereux Beach is a 3/4 mile long public cobble/sandy beach that lies along a tombolo connecting Marblehead Neck to the mainland. The tombolo is formed by ocean waves which are split by the leading edge of Marblehead Neck and meet on the trailing edge, dropping cobbles and gravel to form the causeway. Lifeguards are…… Continue reading Devereux Beach

Preston Beach and Beach Bluff Park

Overview This is a small sandy beach on the Marblehead/Swampscott town line. Highlights include Flirtation (Pig) rock which is often the destination of geology field trips. Flirtation rock includes large volcanic dikes and xenoliths. Numerous tide pools can be found in the depressions of the rock which harbor hermit crabs, periwinkles and a variety of…… Continue reading Preston Beach and Beach Bluff Park

Rocky Shores / Rocky Intertidal Zone and Tidepools on the North Shore of Massachusetts

Caution: The rocks of the intertidal are often covered with very slippery algae. Use caution and supervise small children. Hermit Crab at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester Northern Rock Barnacles at Preston Beach in Marblehead. Dogwhelk at Halibut Point State Park. Limpet at Halibut Point State Park. Orange-Striped Green Anemone and anurida maritima at Halibut…… Continue reading Rocky Shores / Rocky Intertidal Zone and Tidepools on the North Shore of Massachusetts

Salt Marshes on the North Shore of Massachusetts

Overview The North Shore is home to the largest continuous salt marsh in New England. The Great Marsh runs from Cape Ann into New Hampshire and covers over 20,000 acres. Further South, the 600 acre Rumney Marsh Reservation fringes the mouth of the Saugus River on the border of Revere and Saugus. Salt Marshes form…… Continue reading Salt Marshes on the North Shore of Massachusetts

Bedrock Geology of the North Shore / Northeastern Massachusetts

Exotic New England The bedrock under the North Shore is exotic. More precisely it is part of an exotic terrane, meaning that our bedrock has not always been part of North America. It’s origins lie off what is now the Northern coasts of Africa and South America from a time when the two continents were…… Continue reading Bedrock Geology of the North Shore / Northeastern Massachusetts

Glacial History of the North Shore / Northeastern Massachusetts

Around two-and-a-half million years ago, just East of Hudson Bay in Canada, it began to snow. While snow in Canada is not particularly unusual, this snow didn’t melt in the Summer. At least, it didn’t melt as quickly as it fell during the Winter. As the snow built up over hundreds of years, it began…… Continue reading Glacial History of the North Shore / Northeastern Massachusetts

Thacher Island

Maps Thacher Island Trail Guide Vintage postcard of Thacher Island Overview Thacher Island (originally ‘Thacher’s Woe’) is named for Anthony Thacher who, along with his wife, were the sole survivors of a shipwreck on August 14th, 1635 which claimed the lives of 21 people including Thacher’s children. The original Twin Lights of Thacher were built…… Continue reading Thacher Island

Hunsley Hills Conservation Area

In the 1800s Hunsley Hill was owned by George Fred Carleton and was logged to provide timbers to Dodge’s Sawmill. Hunsley Hill was purchased and protected in 2001 by the Town of Rowley. Hunsley is a Glacial Drumlin. At 157 feet, it is one of five hilltops in Rowley that define the landscape.

Mazurenko Farm Conservation Area / Carter Hill

Excerpts from the North Andover Open Space Plan : “The Mazurenko Farm Conservation Area was purchased by the Town of North Andover from the Mazurenko Family in December 1988. Carter Hill was purchased by the town in 2001 using ‘Community Preservation Act’ funds. Both properties are important to the protection of North Andover’s sole water…… Continue reading Mazurenko Farm Conservation Area / Carter Hill

Harold Parker State Forest

The majority of the park lies 20 miles north of Boston within the boundaries of Andover and North Andover with smaller portions inside the boundaries of North Reading and Middleton. Several parcels of land that make up Harold Parker are disconnected from the main portion of the park. The largest of these are the Woodchuck…… Continue reading Harold Parker State Forest

Middlesex Fells Reservation

View of the Boston skyline from Pine Hill The Middlesex Fells Reservation began in 1892 when Ms. Fannie Tudor donated the Viginia Woods to the Trustees of Reservations in memory of her daughter who had died in Paris. In 1893, At the urging of local resident Elizur Wright, landscape architect Charles Eliot and urban planner…… Continue reading Middlesex Fells Reservation

Breakheart Reservation

The Breakheart Reservation consists of 652 acres owned and stewarded by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The Reservation is home to two lakes, Silver Lake (aka Upper Pond) and Pearce Lake (aka Lower Pond). A portion of the Saugus river winds through the eastern edge of the Reservation. Notes on Breakheart Reservation History…… Continue reading Breakheart Reservation

Halibut Point State Park / Halibut Point Reservation

Halibut Point State Park owned by the State of Massachusetts and Halibut Point Reservation owned by the Trustees of Reservations make up this 67 acres of scenic rocky headland in Rockport Massachusetts. The State Park is home to the former Babson Farm Quarry where Cape Ann granite was quarried from the early 19th century until…… Continue reading Halibut Point State Park / Halibut Point Reservation

Baldpate Pond State Park

Freshwater Fish Consumption Advisories for Baldpate Pond: Hazard – Mercury All fish Children younger than 12 years of age, pregnant women, women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, and nursing mothers should not eat any fish from this water body. The general public should limit consumption of non-affected fish from this waterbody to two…… Continue reading Baldpate Pond State Park