Beharrell Land
This 0.28-acre parcel is located off Commonwealth Avenue near Warner’s Pond in West Concord. It was donated by Reed and Helen Beharrel in 1963. The property is surrounded by Town of Concord-owned land on three sides and private residences on its east side. In 2007, the Land Trust signed a mutually beneficial memorandum of understanding with the Town of Concord regarding access to the parcel. The Town gave access across its strip of land from Commonwealth Avenue to the Land Trust, and the Land Trust gave access across its parcel to the Warner’s Pond dam, which the Town operates and maintains, for emergency vehicular access by the Town. There are no trails on this land.
Blancke Land
In 2006, Shirley and Timothy Blancke donated 1.69 acres off Annursnac Hill. This property consists of a hillside covered by mature oaks, white and black birches, and white pines, with lowbush blueberry underneath. The land falls steeply from the west side of Annursnac Hill Road to more level land at the foot of the slope. It is part of the watershed of a vernal pool just past the western property line. There are no trails on this land but it is near the Town’s Annursnac Hill and Baptist Brook Conservation Land.
Buttrick Land
3.67 acres off Hugh Cargill Road were purchased in 1977 and 1978. This land is contiguous to the Land Trust’s Chamberlin Woods property that is part of the Estabrook Woods, which comprises 1,700 acres of open space in Concord and the neighboring town of Carlisle. There are no trails on the Buttrick Land.
Elm Brook
Richard W. Spaulding donated this 39.7-acre property of significant stream and wildlife corridor along Elm Brook in 2001. Open meadows, a mixed pine and hardwood woodland running up the side of Pine Hill, and the wetlands and flood plain of Elm Brook provide a variety of habitats. This land provides one of the few remaining connections between the large area of woods and fields to the south and another large area of undeveloped open space owned by the Town and Massport to the north. A trail leads north into the property from Virginia Road, and dead-ends at the airport and at the wetlands of Elm Brook.
Hartwell Meadow
Hartwell Meadow has been farmed since the late 1600’s and was part of a productive farming area in northwest Concord from the 17th to the 20th century. Under Land Trust ownership since 2017, Hartwell Meadow is currently hayed by Carlisle farmer Mark Duffy. More than 30 years ago, while farming in New Hampshire, Duffy answered an ad by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in a dairy magazine that put out a call for a farmer. Duffy and his family now run Great Brook Farm in neighboring Carlisle. Great Brook Farm is a State Park and part of the Cabot Co-operative (Agri-Mark), and Duffy is on the board of directors. The farm currently has approximately 200 cows, including Holstein milkers, calves, bred heifers and one bull. Each milking cow produces over 80 pounds of milk per day. The original farm had a tie-stall barn where cows were tethered and hand-milked. Over ten years ago, through the benefits of a stimulus package, Duffy installed the first robotic milker in Massachusetts. Visitors to the park enjoy a modern, state-of-the-art, dairy farm experience – and a scoop of ice cream at the seasonal farm stand.
Nutrition is critical to the cows’ health and production. Duffy has a nutritionist who blends a special diet for the cows, a mix of cut grass (haylage), chopped corn plants (silage), apple pomace, brewer’s grain from breweries, canola by-product, cornmeal, and minerals. The corn provides energy and the grass provides protein. While there are 80 tillable acres within the state park, Duffy farms more than 250 acres outside the park at five sites in surrounding towns, including Hartwell Meadow. At Hartwell Meadow, Duffy harvests grass for the feed, generally cutting the grass three to four times a season using a no-till method when reseeding is needed.
J & E Company Land
0.15 acres of land along the Sudbury River were donated in 1969. This property is located off Elm Street and protects 52 feet of riparian habitat. There is no trail at this property.
Kazmaier Land
Located on Elm Street, the 17.5-acre Kazmaier land consists of actively-farmed fields. The property was donated to the Land Trust in 1979-1981 by Patricia and Richard “Dick” Kazmaier. It was their expressed wish that the land “continue its farming use as long as reasonably possible.” Today, Eric Nelson of Cucurbit Farm in Acton continues to fulfill that desire.
Of interest, Kazmaier was a halfback, kicker, and quarterback for the Princeton University Tigers and was awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1951. Although he was drafted in 1952 by the National Football League, Kazmaier opted to go to Harvard Business School and eventually founded an investment firm in Concord.
Kingman Land
In 1982, 1.7 acres were donated and acquired by the Land Trust from Helen Kingman. This property lies on the north side of Heath’s Bridge Road where it intersects with Sudbury Road. There is a short trail that leads from the road to the Sudbury River. The Kingman Land protects 210 feet of riparian wetland.
Kraetzer Land
From 1973 to 1977, the Land Trust obtained 2.3 acres through purchase and donation by Eugene and Martha Kaetzer. The property is located on the south side of Heath’s Bridge Road where it intersects Sudbury Road. This land is part of a larger conservation corridor that buffers the Sudbury River along this stretch of the river. There is no trail at this property.
Rustino Land
Rustino Land is a 4-acre parcel located off Lindsay Pond Road where Spencer Brook widens. The land was donated in 1999 by Abele Rustino. It adds to the total area of protected land in the Spencer Brook corridor. There is no trail at this property.
Scout Island and Schevill Land
2.7 acres known as Scout or Brooks Island were donated by Edwin D. Brooks Jr. He gave the island in memory of his wife, Thoedora Brooks, and good friend, Frank Lowell in 1981. Both honorees loved Fairhaven Bay. Located in the bay across from Wright Woods, the island is small and accessible only by boat. By permission only, the Land Trust may permit overnight camping by scouting troops. Troop leaders should contact the Land Trust office for more information.
In 1990, Barbara and William Schevill, who lived on the “mainland” across from Scout Island, donated 9.6 acres to provide a natural, wooded background to the island and the bay. Barbara Schevill was born in 1909 and summered here as a child. She treasured her and her siblings’ visits to Scout Island and the feelings of remoteness associated with it. Barbara and her husband were eminent scientists at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University (MCZ). She was the curator of mammals at the MCZ and instrumental in establishing the Concord Field Station that helped preserve Estabrook Woods. The Schevills intended their gift to expand and insure the protection of Scout Island. They wanted the boat channel to fill in over time and not to be used to provide access from the mainland. Furthermore, there were to be no walkways or trails from the mainland to the island in order to preserve its feeling of remoteness.
Smith and Martin Land
The 8.5-acre Smith/Martin Land was donated to the Land Trust by Maude Smith and Helen Martin in 1970. The wooded property links Park Lane to the Assabet River. This property protects about 0.18 miles of riparian wetlands. A short, neighborhood trail leads north into the property from Park Lane, and dead-ends along the river.