Page 106 - Middleborough 2024 Town Report

CONSERVATION
Commission
Trail Tale Signs
All conservation lands continue to be extremely popular
and have had a large increase of visitors, the most noted of
which are Pratt Farm Conservation Area, Picone Farm,
Oliver Estate Conservation Area, Morgan Property, Otis
Pratt Conservation Area, Hinkley-Shaw Town Forest, and
Nemasket River Village. Trails were heavily used for
walking, running, and biking, and the properties utilized
for a variety of other recreational activities such as bird
watching, fishing, gardening, and interpretive programs.
A special thank-you to volunteers Rich Picone Jr., Dave
Edwards, Scott Bradley, Fran Cass, the Dunphily family,
Patricia Stagliola, and Dianne Little for assisting staf with
trail monitoring and maintenance.
At Pratt Farm, Cub Scout Pack 64, the Samuel Fuller
School, and OUTfit Get Outside enjoyed their events again
this year. The conservation department and library also
co-sponsored a very popular Trail Tale, where children
walk page to page along a trail to read the story. Property
and trail maintenance continues to be extensive, as is the
ongoing monitoring and management of the increase in
beaver activity and their efects on the landscape and
culverts. We wish to thank the Department of Public
Works for their help with the culverts and debris
removal, and Middleborough High School teacher Tony
Chiuppi and students for repairing the barn doors.
Community Garden Plots
Picone Farm saw numerous improvements made to
accommodate the public, including the creation of
Community Gardens (17 spots used this first year), a new
trail connecting to the adjacent Oliver property, a new
parking lot, signage, a kiosk, and trail maps. Other
additions include the installation of ‘you-are-here maps’
across Picone and Oliver, a children’s Trail Tale, and a
variety of fruit trees planted. We also had a great turnout
for the open house conducted for the public in
September. We would like to thank Outback Engineering
for helping with the design of the parking lot, and Byrne
Sand & Gravel for their generous donation
of construction material.
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