Author: Debbie Shadd

CCT t-shirts and notecards make great gifts

Katy & Maryanne @ CFM 2015CCT t-shirts and notecards were a big hit at the Cohasset Farmer’s Markets this summer.

We still have a limited supply and they make great gifts!

 

If you are interested in making a purchase, please complete the form below. We will contact you as soon as possible.

 

 

The t-shirts are 100% cotton, white only. The CCT logo is featured on the right shoulder. Katie is wearing one in the photo.

T-shirts are available in sizes S-M-L-XL. Small is suitable for children but we only have a few in stock. Cost: $5.00 each

 

 

 

 

Each set of 4 notecards contains one each of 4 color photographs of CCT properties. From left to right below: Bassing Beach, Churchill Conservation Area, Pegram Preserve and Remick Salt Marsh. Blank inside. Envelopes included. Cost: $5.00 per set

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The CCT Hits 49!

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Property-Map-2015In 2016 the CCT will have been conserving and preserving land in and around Cohasset for 49 years! The Trust’s holdings* include over 167 acres of shoreline along Cohasset Harbor, the Gulf River, the Atlantic Ocean, Lily Pond, Straits Pond and Bound Brook, as well as upland forest, meadowlands and wetlands in Cohasset, Scituate and Hull.

Our newest property, Wheelwright Highlands, has not been added to the map at this time. It is located between Andrus Island and the Churchill Conservation Area.

You can help us protect the beauty of Cohasset for future generations with financial donations or by gifts of land. Please consider including the CCT in your estate planing, putting a conservation restriction on your property, or making a financial contribution to support our efforts. Our work would not be possible without your help!

Click on the map for a larger view.

Learn more about our properties by visiting our website.

*Holdings includes property the Trust owns outright, or on which it holds a conservation restriction. The Trust has also contributed to the purchase of lands by the Town of Cohasset.

 

No Dumping, Please!

Sumner Smith signAs you were driving around Town this year you may have noticed green signs with the CCT logo popping up at various locations from Jerusalem Road to Beechwood Street.

These signs mark CCT properties. Many ask “No dumping please”.

While it may be tempting to dispose of yard waste on undeveloped lots, it is unsightly and may impede access onto the property. Help us protect our lands by taking your leaves, grass cuttings and brush to the Transfer Facility. The leaves and grass cuttings form a mountain that decomposes into a mulch that you can haul away in the spring for your planting beds.

155 people turned a walk in the woods into a treasure hunt!

Quest 2015CCT’s first-ever Quest, Trees of Great Brewster Woods, was included in the 2015 South Shore Quests handbook. The Quest Season runs every year from April 15 to November 15.

Director Katie Holden coordinated with South Shore Quests, mapping out and determining the clues for our Quest.

When Katie collected the treasure box at the end of the season, we were very excited to learn 155 individuals had participated during the 2015 Quest Season.

Quests start at a marked beginning point and include several clues hidden along the way. The last clue of each quest is a box containing a small guest book, a stamp pad, a rubber stamp, and answers to questions asked by curious Questers. Once the box is found, participants stamp the back page of their Quest book (as proof of accomplishment), and may write or stamp in the guest book.

CCT at the CFM

CCT-CFM booth 2015This summer the CCT could be found at the Cohasset Farmers Market where we met many old friends and made many new ones.

It was a wonderful experience to be a part of the Market Community and we  look forward to seeing you on the Common again next summer.

The Trail Guide & Map to Great Brewster Woods, the Quest Book, as well as our t-shirts and notecards were very popular. There is a limited supply of t-shirts and notecards available and they make great gifts. Click here to order.

Katy & Maryanne @ CFM 2015

CCT Director Katie Holden on the right and Volunteer Maryanne Wetherald at the CCT booth this summer.

 

Our Newest Property: Wheelwright Highlands

Views on way to Andrus Island IMG_5758The CCT is pleased to announce that local resident, Dustin (Dusty) Wheelwright, donated 4.51 acres of upland and marsh off Beechwood Street to the CCT in September 2015.  

This property creates a connection between our Churchill Conservation Area and Andrus Island properties, and also abuts Town-owned land. Together, these parcels protect a continuous stretch of upland and wetlands in the area between Beechwood Street and Lily Pond. (see map below)

An existing trail on Wheelwright Highlands offers a view over the marsh and connects to an old stone wall which provides a way over the marsh to Andrus Island. The stone wall dates from when the existing marshes were used as agricultural meadows before the dam was built on Beechwood Street.

There is currently no access to the property from a public way.  

Wheelwright Area Map (with labels)

Leaves of Three, Let it Be

This year the CCT found it impossible to keep the trails at Great Brewster Woods and Ingram Park free from poison ivy. The invasive plant flourished during the summer months making it hard to avoid when walking the trails.

As a solution, we contracted with Peter Barron of Pesky Pete’s Poison Ivy Removal to eradicate the nuisance plant.

No chemicals were used in the removal and damage to surrounding plants was minimal. The poison ivy was physically removed by loosening the dirt and pulling out the roots. The work is guaranteed for 1 year.

Students Use GIS Tools to Map Ingram Park

Jack Buckley students @ Ingram 2015

Cohasset High School teacher Jack Buckley visited our Ingram Park property with his Community Service class. The students looked for clues to the property’s history, like its old stone walls and an old foundation.

In September the Cohasset Board of Selectmen signed the Conservation Restriction for the Ingram Park property. A CR is required because Community Preservation Act money partially funded the purchase.

The CR was then sent to DCR (MA Department of Conservation & Recreation) and is awaiting State approval.

Mapping of the property is a component of the CR, and once again, the CCT is partnering with Cohasset High School teacher Jack Buckley’s Community Service class. The students will be using online mapping tools to develop maps of the property with links to other information.

Tree Removal at Great Brewster Woods

Debbie & Dick chips GBW 2015

CCT President Debbie Shadd and Director Dick Avery spread wood chips at the trailhead to Great Brewster Woods.

In late June, an abutter notified the Trust that a wind storm had knocked down a tree located at the trail head at Great Brewster Woods.

The fallen tree was lying across the path and partially blocking the abutter’s driveway.

The blockage was removed but subsequent evaluation of the area showed that a number of trees in that area were dead or dying and should be removed for safety.

The CCT then contracted with a professional tree removal company and a number of trees were felled and chipped.

spreading chips Ingram 2015

CCT Directors, Dick Avery, Charlie Higginson, Steve Brown and Katie Holden, and local environmentalist Rich Silvia spread wood chips at Ingram Park.

The chips were spread at the Great Brewster Woods trailhead to improve the entrance for visitors and abutters. Some of the chips were transported to Ingram Park and spread at the entrance near the big sign.

This is an instance where the CCT needed to contract major work but the smaller work was done by Directors.

Click on links below for PDFs of GBW trail map and guide.

Trail Map to Great Brewster Woods & Dean’s Meadow

Trail Guide to Great Brewster Woods & Dean’s Meadow

Eagle Scout Project to connect trails at Ingram Park

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CCT Directors Katie Holden & Dick Avery enjoy the view from a ledge in Ingram Park. The view overlooks the Vedanta Center property.

Thus far the CCT has benefited from 3 Eagle Scout Projects to map and construct a walking trail in Ingram Park.

  • Robbie Hillman and team started the first trail from Norman Todd Road that included steps down from the road level and a lengthy board walk across the wet areas and a brook  and continued to the first stone wall.
  • Kevin Mack and team broke a trail starting near the new houses up to the rock that overlooks the Vedanta Center property and added a bench there for rest and relaxation.
  • Adam Benson and team built and installed the kiosk plus extended Robbie’s trail beyond the stone wall to form a loop encompassing views of rock formations, the Greenbush rail line, and an old cellar hole.
  • photo 1Now, George Bryan plans to break a trail that connects Adam’s loop to Kevin’s overlook. He will also put up trail markers and signs showing how to get back to the street.

This work should be done before the snow falls this season. When complete a network of trails will provide access to this natural resource area of 27.4 acres off Norman Todd Road between the railroad tracks and the Vedanta Center.

Click on the map for a larger view.