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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
"This is sort of a hidden place," Molly Ladd said as she calmly escorted a legion of leashed dogs into the back of her SUV. "Not many people know about it." Ms. Ladd, a visitor from Brighton, was one of a small handful of people who had stopped by Charles River Peninsula for a late morning walk. The 30 acre nature preserve, managed by The Trustees of Reservations and located on Fisher Street, epitomizes what a "hidden place" ought to be - serene, inspiringly beautiful, and relatively unpeopled.
Just don't mistake "unpeopled" for "unpopulated." The raised open meadow jutting into a bend of the Charles is the seasonal home to a number of birds you won't typically find in your backyard, some of which have migrated to this idyllic stretch of Needham from as far south as Argentina.
"Bobolinks, meadowlarks… that's what we maintain the fields there for. They require that open habitat to live in," says Mike Francis, Stewardship Manager for The Trustees. The preserve is also home to a number of nesting boxes, staffed by local volunteers, which serve as lodging for daredevil tree swallows and striking eastern bluebirds. "Tree swallows are great and they're really fun to watch," Francis adds about the aerial acrobats whose mid-air twists and turns could make even the most seasoned fighter pilot blush.
As it turns out, this is a perfect time to see the avian visitors in action as they gather nesting materials and settle in for the breeding season. "The birds," Francis says, "are busy at what they do this time of year."
That's not to suggest that this is the reserve's high-water mark, though. Francis is quick to point out that one of the Peninsula's most unique drawing points is its ability to show "seasonal changes in kind of an open setting." Among the coming attractions as the summer approaches are the monarch butterflies who will rely on the Peninsula's milkweed plants to lay their eggs.
The Trustees are hoping for more visitors on foot in addition to those on the wing. With Charles River Peninsula's spring summer residents on the return, count Francis and his colleagues among those who'd like to see the reserve shake its "hidden" status. "Walk through it and really get closer to nature," he encourages, reflecting on Massachusetts' tradition of conservationists that reaches back to Emerson and Thoreau.
"It's better for healthy, active, and green communities, which is in the fabric of the Commonwealth."
The Trustees is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2016, and will be hosting both large and small events across the state. You can find out more (and even download a GPS-enabled smartphone app) at www.thetrustees.org.
Stephen Press is a correspondent at Hometown Weekly. He can be reached at news@hometownweekly.net.
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