Category Archives: Environment

Heritage Landscape Atlas

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By chance I heard about a workshop scheduled for today on the use of the online Heritage Landscape Atlas, so I signed up (even though technically, it wasn’t intended for ordinary people like me).  A group of us met for about two hours this afternoon in a training room at the DCR office in West Boylston.  At check-in, we were each given a packet of material and then everyone took a seat in front of a workstation.  Hosting the workshop was a full contingent of staff from the DCR, including Patrice Kish, Wendy Pearl, Jessica Rowcroft, and David Kimball.

I wasn’t all that familiar with the Heritage Landscape Inventory program, though I knew about it when it was happening.  Basically, the Commonwealth asked communities to identify heritage landscapes, or “special places that help define the character of a community and reflects its past,”  and between 2001 and 2009, 108 cities and towns compiled data on what makes them unique.  Along with other communities in the East Quabbin/Western Worcester region of Central Mass, North Brookfield participated in this program to inventory our natural and cultural resources and plan for their preservation.

Developed in partnership with MassGIS, the Office of Geographic Information, the Heritage Landscape Atlas is an interactive web-based map for exploring these landscapes.  Since I love maps and don’t usually have trouble navigating webpages, I was eager to test the site (it was in beta until today).  You can try it yourself:  point your browser to the site and start clicking away! You don’t need to download any additional software in order to use the tool.

Here’s what I learned about my town:

  • Our partner was the Central Mass Regional Planning Commission, based in Worcester
  • 14.7% of our land area is permanently protected open space
  • We have identified 69 heritage landscapes, of which 9 are priority landscapes
  • 3 are agricultural: Brookfield Orchards, Kiminski Farm, Bates Farm area
  • 2 are civic: Downtown District, Bates Observatory
  • 2 are natural: Coy’s Brook Corridor, Five Mile River Corridotr
  • 2 are recreational open space: Brook’s Pond, Lake Lashaway
  • Our town has not enacted the CPA

As you can see, there is a wealth of information available on this website, including the Reconnaissance Reports, which probably all contain detailed lists of preservation and planning resources.  The conclusion to our report suggests that the top three priorities for our town are  to (1) establish a Recreation Commission, (2) Adopt an Open Space Residential Development Zone, and (3) Adopt a Demolition Delay by-law.  So it seems to me that we’ve made a good start, and whether or not we choose to implement the plans is up to us.

Greater Worcester Land Trust and African Animals

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I’ve done some volunteer work for the Greater Worcester Land Trust over the past few years, so I received an invitation to the 2011 Annual Meeting, which was held at the Trust headquarters at 4 Ash Street in Worcester, starting at 4:30 this afternoon.  The Trust is entering its 25th year as a Land Trust; they own over 550 acres outright and hold a Conservation Restriction on over 800 additional acres.  All told, the Turst has had a hand in saving 2000 acres of land in Worcester County.

After welcoming the group, President Allen Fletcher asked for the Treasurer’s Report and the Nominating Committee Report, followed by a report from Executive Director Colin Novick.  I had my notebook with me and scribbled frantically as Colin talked, but there was just too much that the Trust accomplished in the past year, and insofar as I don’t want inaccuracies creeping into this post, I won’t attempt a summary.  I will note that the GWLT website is much improved, and you can get a sense of the scope of the work undertaken by the Trust by browsing through the site.

The guest speaker this evening was Mark Blazis, who has an impressive resume, which includes serving as an outdoor columnist for the Telegram and Gazette, heading the Auburn Bird Banding Research Center, and leading photographic safaris to Africa.  Though he has traveled extensively, the African continent retains a special place in his affections, and with his wife Helen he has photographed some of its most spectacular sights, with emphasis on birds and large mammals.

Here are some of his notes on African animals:

  • The wildebeest migration is a year-round phenomenon, which takes the form of a clockwise loop from the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania to Kenya and then back again
  • The Mara River crossing is one of the most dramatic moments in the migration of the 1.5 million wildebeest and 300,000 zebras and other antelope
  • The procession across the Mara is led by zebras, who need fresh grass to survive
  • Crocodiles lie in wait at the River, waiting to feed on the animals who die crossing
  • The hippopotamus is one of the most dangerous of the African animals
  • Lions have heard the sounds of Range Rover vehicles since the day they were born, so they do not consider human beings a threat
  • Vultures are like the custodial crews of Africa and are necessary for a healthy ecosystem
  • The wild dog is the best African hunter; if their kill rate is analogous to a batting average, it would be something like .800 or .900
  • Cheetahs are elegant predators who have a preference for gazelles
  • A mother giraffe is very protective of her baby and might come undone if it’s killed
  • Leopards are so solitary that they only tolerate another member of the species in order to mate
  • Elephants revere their matriarchs
  • The Spotted Hyena is a fascinating social animal; generally larger than the male, the female has a pseudo-penis and is dominant in the clan
  • The Black Rhino is so endangered that very few people on safari see them

Now more than ever, I want to visit Africa and see these marvelous sights for myself!