Charlie Wyman, Land Protection Specialist
Sanctuary Director Doug Williams and I recently inspected a pending addition to our Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Norfolk. The seven-acre parcel is being given by the developer of an adjacent subdivision that the Planning Board approved under Norfolk’s new Open Space Subdivision rules, which provide developers with flexibility on some design standards in return for protection of some of the property as open space. In this case, seven acres of oak upland abutting the sanctuary are being transferred to Mass Audubon ownership, including part of the glacial esker that winds through the eastern part of the sanctuary. This new addition increases the size of the contiguous protected forest around Bristol Pond and helps to secure a wildlife corridor between the sanctuary and the town’s Lind Farm across Marshall Street. The developer will construct a trail through the parcel for us, probably in the spring.
With the transfer imminent, Doug and I walked the boundaries, checked the condition of the property, and located and took pictures of the boundary monuments (like the hard-to-see concrete bound in the center of the photo). After the closing, one of us will return with Lindsey Sarquilla, our Land Information System Assistant, who will record locations with our GPS receiver and enter the details into our database. Our land managers will then have web access to this data (as well as copies of the deeds and plans) to help them monitor our boundaries and manage the property going forward.
The final documents are now being reviewed and signed. It may take a month before one of them gets the necessary state approval, but hopefully by Halloween we’ll be on record.
Stony Brook Sanctuary Director, Doug Williams, at the boundary marker of the 7-acre property that will become part of the Sanctuary.
