Stewardship
Stewardship of the Trust land today requires new vigilance and new considerations given the challenges it faces. We now have an expert plan to meet those challenges.
The Mass Audubon Restoration and Stewardship Plan Is Complete
A Plan Is Now In Place
We are thrilled to share Mass Audubon’s Stewardship Plan for the Squam Rock Land Trust with you, the Trust’s shareholders!
We are very fortunate that Audubon offered us the opportunity to partner with them in this endeavor. We now have a comprehensive plan to guide conservation and management priorities and projects going forward.
The plan provides a rich, multi-faceted view of the property. It will serve as an invaluable guide to the science and stewardship of the land and water resources of the SRLT in the face of environmental threats including loss of biodiversity and climate change. Plan recommendations focus on actions to benefit both the health of the property and the continued enjoyment and safety of shareholders. They include directives for:
Invasive species management
Wildlife enhancements
Path placement and management
Plant strategy for climate resilience and increasing biodiversity
Audubon’s Bill Giezentanner, a trail expert, has also produced a Trail Plan for us. (December 2023) Scroll down to learn more.
Mass Audubon’s Process
Mass Audubon began their process by undergoing a study of the Land Trust property. Their observations and research served as a foundation for the resulting plan recommendations. We were impressed by the the rigor and richness of their assessment, which is included in the final plan.
Audubon’s assessment went beyond the Audubon team who observed the property first hand. Audubon drew from multiple sources and studies which were undertaken over time, across years and seasons. They represent the conclusions of dozens of scientists. Sources include: MassGIS Coastal Natural Communities, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, The Heritage Program’s BioMap2 Gloucester town report, The BioMap2 Project, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, The Ecological Landscape Association, MassGIS Open Space Data, Cornell’s e-bird Hotspot data, and many others.
Meeting Our Goals
At the outset, we established these agreed principles for the land management plan with Audubon, which are reflected in their recommendations:
Restore undermined habitats while sustaining robust human use of the property
Improve the resiliency and ecological health of SRLT to safeguard it for the future
Increase biodiversity in line with responsible ecological practices
Incorporate compliance with federal and state laws that protect vulnerable ecosystems
Community Plan Activation
Our next step - the successful and cost-effective activation of the expert Plan - will rely in significant part on our community. We will look to shareholders to help implement key recommendations and comply with related use guidelines.
A shareholder hands-on approach will help save the Trust’s resources and may limit stress on the land from initial remediation. We know that some of the work needed can be accomplished by volunteer efforts. Successful projects to date include invasive removal and plant mapping.
Every shareholder can be a steward of the SRLT! The trustees are looking forward to engaging all of you to help preserve this treasured property for today and tomorrow.
SRLT TRAIL PLAN
Mass Audubon conducted an extensive trail system assessment for SRLT in 2023. They’ve now provided us with a Comprehensive Trail Strategy & Implementation plan, which we’re proud to publish here.
The goal was to create a safe trail network that facilitates enjoyment of the property while protecting the land. The trail plan addresses the most urgent problems we have including erosion, overly steep sections of existing trails, and trail widening. (Erosion washes away our precious topsoil; eroded trails and overly steep trails undermine trail safety for shareholders.) The plan also revises trail routes that are too close to regulated wetland areas and buffer zones.
A group of volunteer shareholders and the trustees began work begin work on the upper portion of the trail that begins at Squam Rock in December 2023. Audubon’s Bill Giezentanner designed the new route and supervised the crew’s work. Bill is the primary author of the overarching restoration and management plan and the trail plan. He has a specialty in trail design and execution, having designed dozens of trails on Audubon properties.
Audubon’s Bill Giezentanner in action at SRLT. Bill trained a group of SRLT volunteers on how to create safe, sustainable trails.
We’ve closed the upper portion of the former Squam Rock trail and opened the new one! Please help us break in the new trail by using it, and allow the old one to return to a natural state. Work will continue in January, 2024. If you are interested in helping, please let us know.
The new upper portion of the Squam Rock Trail. A winding, carefully graded trail prevents undue erosion and provides safer egress downhill.
Monarch Butterfly
Our Population is Critical
Monarch butterflies have declined 85% in the last wo decades. The migrating populations are less than half the size they need to be to avoid extinction. The eastern monarch population (which we host) comprises over 90% of the global monarch population. Consequently, the health of this population is critical to the species’ survival. Monarchs are experiencing stress from multiple sources, including the decline of milkweed.
Milkweed is the required host plant for monarchs as the only food source that supports their growing caterpillars. (larvae) This spring we had at least two milkweed stands in the pasture, which we fenced off for protection. We were excited this summer when a third stand appeared in part of the grassland we refrained from mowing this year. We will continue to protect and grow our patches by appropriately routing paths and carefully choosing areas for mowing.
You can help the Monarch by protecting any Milkweed you have on your property and/or planting it in your garden. The bigger the patch the better. Let your friends know, and honor the pathways on the SRLT property. This year we have seen more Monarchs, including some still in the pasture in early November - a bit late to start their migration!
Overwintering in Mexico
Monarchs in Eastern North America have a second home in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. Monarchs in Western North America overwinter in California. “Our” eastern population of North America’s monarchs overwinters in the same 11 to 12 mountain areas in the States of Mexico and Michoacan from October to late March.
Tagging a Monarch?
Did you know a Monarch butterfly can be tagged? Check out this piece from our local radio station WBUR to learn more:
https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/09/12/monarch-butterfly-migration-massachusetts
Seagrass: The Lungs of the Sea
Seagrass is a flowering saltwater plant that lives in subtidal coastal waters and grows in beds or meadows that can reach miles in size.It offers costal protection by slowing down wave action and stabilizing sediment, and also acts as a vital carbon sink, absorbing and storing twice as much carbon as tropical forests. The carbon is stored in sediments for thousands of years, helping to mitigate climate change. One square meter of seagrass produces up to 10 liters of oxygen a day, which is why it is called “The Lungs of the Sea.” Seagrass also provides habitat and food for marine life.
In recent years, Seagrass populations have been severely damaged by pollution, disease, anchoring and speedboats.
Some conservation groups are taking an active approach to combatting seagrass decline through local restoration efforts that enhance or restore beds. Scientists from Boston University, the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program, and Merrimack Valley Planning Commission have identified LighthouseBeach as a possible site for the restoration of the bed of Zostera marina, the seagrass off our shore, commonly known as Eelgrass.
Currently we have a fragmented and decreasing population. See the infographics below for more information and how you can help protect Seagrass starting today.
Conservation in Action
Endangered Species
To acknowledge Endangered species, we are highlighting two species that SRLT is working to protect. If there are species you would like to see highlighted in the future, please let us know.