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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
Kira LaFosse-Baker, Engagement Site Manager at Rocky Woods, stops at a fork in the wooded trail. Around her, children look left and right as she procures a trail map. LaFosse-Baker points to the map, then to a yellow spray-painted dot on the side of a tree. The kids' eyes widen as they put two and two together, then begin walking down the left path as their guide smiles approvingly.
This is Wilderness Kids, and some light orienteering is only part of the program. Today's session at Rocky Woods, a 491-acre nature reservation in Medfield, will involve a half-mile loop around Echo Pond. The pond's biggest attraction? It is home to a population of beavers.
LaFosse-Baker is preparing her audience for what is to come.
"They chew on lots and lots of tree with their big, strong teeth. They chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew until the tree falls down," she tells the captivated children. "And then they drag it into the water. And they make a big den in the water. And they can live under the water and on top of there. Pretty cool, huh?"
The kids nod in agreement as they continue walking the trail, their senses overloaded by Echo Pond's flora and fauna. They pull small plastic nets and glass jars out of their backpacks, scanning the path for curiosities as they go. As the hike continues, LaFosse-Baker's calls of "What'd you guys find?" become more and more frequent while the little explorers process their surroundings.
Stumps of trees that have been felled by beavers, still bearing the tooth-marks of their broad-tailed lumberjacks.
Dragonflies that look like they could have flown out of the Cretaceous.
Jumping fish that send ripples across the water.
A massive beaver lodge that stands guard over the pond.
For over an hour, the kids let their imaginations run wild as they walk through the unspoiled wilderness. Finally, the children, some of whom were filled with trepidation when they entered the woods, exit with a measure of calm. They have conquered the Echo Pond loop. They have learned about the pond and its inhabitants. Now, they will return to the lodge for storytime.
"I started this program to try to get kids outside and enjoying nature - having a respect for it so that hopefully, someday, they grow up wanting to protect it like we do at The Trustees," says LaFosse-Baker as a line of children heads down a short cut out of the woods. "It's an awesome way to get them to have some fun and maybe get a couple of scrapes and bruises, but all for a good cause."
