Beals Preserve Parking Area Closed For Remediation
As of February 2026, the Beals Preserve parking area on Main Street is closed for remediation as required by the Conservation Restriction on the property. Visitors who wish to enter Beals Preserve from Main Street can park at the intersection of Northborough Road and Main Street (Route 30) and walk over, skirting the fenced-in area. The parking area has been a wonderful addition but right now needs some TLC. In the future, there will be seasonal closures to protect the remediation. Watch our Facebook page and this website for updates.
Visitors can also access Beals Preserve from Hickory Road, and Red Gate Lane.
Bog Bridge Project Started at Beals Preserve
The short hiking path at the lower end of the lower meadow at Beals Preserve can get quite wet during the winter and spring months. Board members Larry and Eileen Samberg installed one of three planned 8-ft bog bridges in mid-November 2025.
Tree Work at Beals Preserve Pond
On Saturday, November 8, 2025, volunteer Hewitt Heiserman, and SOLF trustee Debbie Costine spent a few hours cutting up and moving felled dead trees next to the “ice pond“ at Beals Preserve. All wood will remain on the property to allow nature to do what it does. Some of the shorter lengths were arranged in a somewhat creative fashion. Pictures and commentary by Debbie Costine.
Mushroom Walk at Beals Preserve
On October 19, 2025, the Southborough Open Land Foundation sponsored a 2-hour mushroom walk and talk at SOLF’s Beals Preserve. Jonathan Kranz, a mushroom enthusiast, former park ranger (Boston Harbor Islands), and current vice president of the Boston Mycological Club, led twenty plus participants, covering the basics of mushroom habitat, identification, and ecology. Participants closely examined rotting logs on the grounds and peered up into dead trees and learned so much. You can read about Jonathan Kranz at https://www.kranzcom.com/mushroom-walks-and-talks/. Pictures by Debbie Costine.
Bow Hunting Season October 6 – December 31, 2025
Two permits for bow hunting deer have been issued for Beals Preserve and Lynbrook Hollow. There is no hunting allowed on Sundays. These hunters are very experienced and have been hunting at these two properties for years. They will not be near any trails on Beals Preserve. Visitors are encouraged to wear some blaze orange. If you have any questions, contact us at info@solf.org.
Art on the Trails Closing
Art on the Trails at Beals Preserve had a very successful closing day on Sunday, September 14, 2025. Attendees, accompanied by artists and poets, were treated to poetry readings at each art piece. SOLF thanks director Catherine Webber, the artists, and the poets for a wonderful season of Art on the Trails.
SOLF Receives NRCS Grant
The Southborough Open Land Foundation is excited to announce that we received a grant in April of 2025 from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to partially fund the development of a Forest Management Plan for the Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve. This diverse and vital ecosystem—comprising meadows, woodlands, wetlands, trails, and a serene pond—is open to the public for exploration and enjoyment.
As stewards of this beautiful property, we have a responsibility to maintain healthy meadows, promote wildlife habitat, and support a resilient forest ecosystem. The Forest Management Plan will provide us with expert guidance on enhancing tree vigor, improving overall forest health, and setting long-term conservation goals to ensure the Preserve remains a thriving natural resource for generations to come.
We are working with Tom Ashton, a certified forester from Woodsman Inc., to develop this comprehensive plan. We hope to organize an educational walk with Tom, allowing him to share his forest management expertise with our community. If you spot someone wearing an orange vest on the property, it’s likely Tom conducting assessments for the plan.
New Gate Installed at Beals Preserve
In July 2025, a new gate was installed at Beals Preserve at the Route 30 end of Old Farm Lane (the path between Route 30 and Red Gate Lane), replacing the old, creaky, hard to manage one. This entrance to the property is used primarily by authorized vehicles but is an access point for visitors who park at the Trustees of the Reservations Chestnut Hill Farm trails parking area and walk down to Main Street. Walkers do not have to open the gate as there is space around both sides. Note that the access is via a shared driveway and that there is no visitor parking. Please be respectful of our neighbor.
Art on the Trails at Beals Preserve through Sep 14
The Southborough Open Land Foundation invites the general public to visit Beals Preserve through September 14 to view Art on the Trails installations. The Elaine and Phillip Beals Preserve is located on Main Street in Southborough, Massachusetts.
Download a map of the installations here.
To learn more about this event, visit https://artonthetrails.com/.
Art Juror Madeleine Lord said of the selection process, “The works selected for this year’s Art on the Trails will hopefully give visitors a startle, a smile, and a pause to enjoy their placement in the landscape. Some are made from wood, so their return to a woodland trail is like a makeover reveal. Other works are composed of materials with origins completely foreign to nature, yet they combine like exotic tourists.”
Debbie Costine, Trustee of the Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF), said, “ Southborough Open Land Foundation(SOLF) welcomes the ninth annual Art on the Trails. We hope that all those who visit the Beals Preserve will enjoy the interpretations of “Number 9”—this year’s theme. A walk in a natural setting often slows us down to see, listen, and appreciate with more awareness.”
Thirteen projects will be exhibited this year. Artists participating are Sarah Alexander, Wandering Mind Studio,(Sutton, MA), Paul Angiolillo (Weston, MA), Clark Barnhart (Worcester, MA), Lisa Barthelson (Rutland, MA), Shawndavid Berry (Newport, RI), Pam Bonaguide (Wayland, MA), Chelsea Bradway (Southborough, MA), Trish Dehls (Woodstock, CT), Denise Johnson and the students of Margaret Neary Elementary School (Southborough, MA), Rebecca Long (Stow, MA), Julie Nussbaum (Cambridge, MA), Charles Smith (Jefferson NH), and Lee Williams (Shaftbury, VT).
In addition to the installations, the program will include poetry written in response to the work and will be juried by poet Maura Snell. A prize-winning poem will be selected from submissions by award-winning poet Fred Gerhard.
In addition to the installations, the program will include poetry written in response to the work and will be juried by poet Maura Snell. A prize-winning poem will be selected from submissions by award-winning poet Fred Gerhard.
Art on the Trails 2025 at Beals Preserve
The Southborough Open Land Foundation invites the general public to visit Beals Preserve on Saturday, June 14, from 10 am to 5 pm to watch artists install their work for the 9th annual Art on the Trails. The Elaine and Phillip Beals Preserve is located on Main Street in Southborough, Massachusetts.
This year’s theme is Number 9. A juried exhibition of sculptural installations will be on view beginning June 14th and closing on September 14th. The exhibition is juried by Sculptor Madeleine Lord of Dudley, MA.
Art Juror Madeleine Lord said of the selection process, “The works selected for this year’s Art on the Trails will hopefully give visitors a startle, a smile, and a pause to enjoy their placement in the landscape. Some are made from wood, so their return to a woodland trail is like a makeover reveal. Other works are composed of materials with origins completely foreign to nature, yet they combine like exotic tourists.”
Debbie Costine, Trustee of the Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF), said, “ Southborough Open Land Foundation(SOLF) welcomes the ninth annual Art on the Trails. We hope that all those who visit the Beals Preserve will enjoy the interpretations of “Number 9”—this year’s theme. A walk in a natural setting often slows us down to see, listen, and appreciate with more awareness.”
Thirteen projects will be exhibited this year. Artists participating are Sarah Alexander, Wandering Mind Studio,(Sutton, MA), Paul Angiolillo (Weston, MA), Clark Barnhart (Worcester, MA), Lisa Barthelson (Rutland, MA), Shawndavid Berry (Newport, RI), Pam Bonaguide (Wayland, MA), Chelsea Bradway (Southborough, MA), Trish Dehls (Woodstock, CT), Denise Johnson and the students of Margaret Neary Elementary School (Southborough, MA), Rebecca Long (Stow, MA), Julie Nussbaum (Cambridge, MA), Charles Smith (Jefferson NH), and Lee Williams (Shaftbury, VT).
In addition to the installations, the program will include poetry written in response to the work and will be juried by poet Maura Snell. A prize-winning poem will be selected from submissions by award-winning poet Fred Gerhard.
In addition to the installations, the program will include poetry written in response to the work and will be juried by poet Maura Snell. A prize-winning poem will be selected from submissions by award-winning poet Fred Gerhard.
To learn more about this event and download a map, visit https://artonthetrails.com/.
Our Partners
We are honored to have the generous support from the following organizations:
Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) is a private land trust founded in 1988. The all-volunteer organization with over 300 local members and a board of 14 trustees, reserves and protects open space in Southborough, Massachusetts. SOLF manages 191 acres of open space as well as sponsoring a variety of nature-based recreational and educational activities in cooperation with the Southborough Gardeners, Arts Center at Southborough, Southborough Extended Day, Boy and Girl Scouts, Southborough Recreation, and other organizations including walks, plant lectures, trail maintenance, field trips for school children, snowshoe clinics, art shows, and Earth Day clean-ups. SOLF also collaborates with the Town of Southborough, other land trusts, and state and federal agencies to conserve open space and promote biodiversity.
Southborough Community Fund
The Southborough Community Fund (SCF) promotes a spirit of philanthropic giving to fund the critical needs and the wonderful wants of Southborough citizens. Established in 2014 by local residents as a fund of the Foundation for MetroWest, the SCF is a source of financial support, as well as a convening mechanism to foster innovation and collaboration across the townspeople and the organizations designed to benefit them. By providing opportunities in the areas of Family Support, Arts, Culture, and Environment, the Fund enables residents to make an immediate impact in their community. Additional funding comes from the Southborough Cultural Arts Council, Jennifer Juliano, Middlesex Savings Bank, Root to Rise Pilates, and Fay School.
SWCA Environmental Consultants Volunteer at Beals Preserve
SWCA Environmental Consultants members replaced 4 water bars near the Red Gate Lane entrance on Old Farm Lane at Beals Preserve today, as part of their “Gives Back” program where SWCA employees receive eight hours of paid time off each year to volunteer for events or for projects such as ours. Thank you SWCA! Other volunteers included Larry and Eileen Samberg, Vince Valvo, and Lawrence Spezzano.
Beals Preserve Seeding Project on Old Farm Lane
A section of Beals Preserve Old Farm Lane (the main walking path) has been loamed and seeded. Please do not walk on it and please keep your pets off. There is now a hard gravel path alongside that you can walk, as well as the grass on the edge of the loamed area. Thank you.
Important: Construction Project at Beals Preserve Sunday, Sep 29
Please note that a major project on Old Farm Lane at Beals Preserve will start on Sunday, September 29 and last through at least Tuesday, October 1. To address the spring and early summer wet area that starts about two hundred feet south of the kiosk, the trail will be improved. If you park at Main Street, please use the Meadow Trail to get access the rest of the property (after crossing the bridge and walking to the kiosk, turn right to go up the Meadow Trail), and use the Lone Wolf Trail from the Upper Meadow to access the rest of Old Farm Lane, and the Riding Ring and Hickory Trails.
Click on the image to view a larger image.
Picnic Table at the Main Street Field
Thanks to the Bancroft Family of Southborough, visitors to the Beals Preserve will now be able to enjoy our new Picnic table! The children gave half their profits of a yard sale to SOLF! (the parents also chipped in.)
Hickory Trail Re-route on August 22, 2024
PLEASE NOTE: At Beals Preserve, The Hickory Trail from the Hickory Road cul-de-sac to the split in the trail has been re-routed. The old trail, which had eroded badly, has been blocked off. The trail will be blazed soon, but should be easy to follow.
Hickory Bridge Replaced July 2024
Over the course of 3 days, July 23 – July 25, 2024, Trustee Larry Samberg and volunteers Vincent Valvo and Colby Chase, with assistance from “go-fer” Trustee Eileen Samberg, demolished and replaced the bridge on one of the Hickory Trail segments. A hearty “well-done” to the crew.
Art on the Trails 2024 at Beals Preserve
Southborough Open Land Foundation, in collaboration with Southborough Artist Catherine Weber, is pleased to present the 8th Annual Art On the Trails in the summer of 2024 on Beals Preserve. The art juror will be the amazing Marie Craig of Fountain Street Gallery. The call for art opens February 15. The installations will be on site from June 15 to September 15.
The 2024 Art on the Trails program is themed Legacy. It is dedicated to the memory of Whitney Beals, who passed away in September 2023. Whit was the President of the Southborough Open Land Foundation and dedicated his life to land conservation and forestry. As a child, the land across the street from his house, now Beals Preserve, was his playground. While he was well educated, he would attest that he was educated by and in the Forest. In his honor, we invite artists to consider the legacy that he and his family have left for the town of Southborough and propose art installations that support this theme. Visit the Art on the Trails website.
Scout Troop 92 Installs Bluebird Boxes at Beals Preserve
Local Scout Troop 92 has taken on a community service project in collaboration with the Southborough Open Land Foundation. (SOLF) Using a design created specifically for bluebirds, the scouts, under the leadership of Kevin Tyson and George Harris, carefully constructed four nest boxes and installed them at Beals Preserve. These boxes will help support the declining populations of bluebirds. SOLF THANKS THE SCOUTS OF TROOP 92!
Birding walk on April 27 – Beals Preserve
On Saturday, April 27, SOLF hosted a birding walk at Beals Preserve. Eleven people attended the Earth Day Birding Walk at Beals Preserve. Unfortunately the presenter was unable to make it at the last minute, so trustees Sally Watters and Debbie Costine led a walk featuring some property history (like “fox hunts”) as well as some botany and using “Merlin” to identify all the audible birds in the vicinity.
Beals Preserve Maintenance & Restoration
SOLF is undergoing some significant property restoration at the Beals Preserve. This includes the creation of a comprehensive management plan by “Conservation Works” that will include ecological resiliency. Our visitors have already noticed the beginning that has also created some pretty muddy areas in the process! We appreciate your patience!
Recently, Pete Westover from Conservation Works toured the property with Trustees Sally Watters, Debbie Costine, and Eileen Samberg. Also present were Freddie Gillespie Chair of the town’s Open Space Preservation Commission and SOLF Supporter and volunteer Kevin Sanford.
Photo by Debbie Costine
Riding Ring Circle Reclaimed at Beals Preserve
In the early 1900s, Margaret Leland, daughter of Bostonian Samuel Carr, and her husband Charles Leland owned Chestnut Hill Farm and what is now known as Beals Preserve. The preserve was almost devoid of trees and was pasture land. A riding ring was built for the Leland family for horse riding practice.
The riding ring circle has now been brushed and is walk-able, with the old riding ring fencing and logs to mark the way.
Riding Ring then and now.
Winter 2024 Work at Beals Preserve
SOLF’s Beals Preserve is getting some valuable maintenance done thanks to the generosity of SOLF supporter Kevin Sanford and his brother Mike. Kevin has a long-time love of both the Beals Preserve and the Beals family. He promised his friend Whitney Beals, who died this past September 14 that he would take care of the fall mowing, but his enthusiasm is now providing so much more! Thank you Kevin, so much!
Work has continued all through January and into February, with assistance from some SOLF trustees and Scott Mooney Tree Service. In addition to fields being mowed, some damaged trees were removed, and a significant amount of unsightly brush was removed to reveal the the beautiful stone walls.
Maintenance can take its temporary toll, and there are some sections of the trails with tractor treads and mud. This spring, when the ground has dried out, those areas will be smoothed out and repaired. We realize it can be an inconvenience for now, but please bear with us.
We are working with a view towards positive conservation and land management, and preserving a mix of habitat and levels of growth is best for the area, compared to a single wooded forest.
Rock wall along Old Farm Lane
Old Farm Lane, looking north
Path between the two meadows, looking towards Old Farm Lane
View from Upper Meadow, looking north
Beals Preserve Chronolog Project
Announcing our new citizen science tool, Chronolog, a photo stand for our visitors to take pictures from the Upper Meadow (near the Lone Wolf trail) looking north towards Main Street (Route 30). The stand is right by our new beautiful bench built and installed by Cassie Melo for her Eagle Scout project. You, the visitor, take a picture and email it to the Chronolog site, helping to produce a time lapse set of photos all taken from the same spot over time and seasons. Let the fun begin! You will receive a confirmation with a Chronolog link for the Beals Preserve time lapse photos. Learn more at https://solf.org/beals-preserve-chronolog-project/.
The Chronolog project is co-sponsored by SOLF and SWCA Environmental Consultants.
Remembering Whitney Beals
We are sad to share that accomplished conservationist Whit Beals passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, on September 14. His long career included work with the Connecticut DEP, the Roaring Brook Nature Center, the Nature Conservancy in Maryland and Boston, the Town of Wayland, Sudbury Valley Trustees, and the New England Forestry Foundation, from which he retired in 2019. He served as an MLTC Board member from 2011-2021, and was a current member of MLTC’s Conservation Advisory Council. He also served as President of the Southborough Open Land Foundation and was a member of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s Water Supply Citizens Advisory Committee for over 30 years. He was also the architect behind preservation of his family’s land – Chestnut Hill Farm in Southborough. In addition, Whit recently finalized a donation of 550 acres of beautifully managed forestland in Ashburnham to New England Forestry Foundation’s Pooled Timber Income Fund. The donation ensures the property will continue to be managed for forest products as it has been since 1920 and Whit’s two sons, as the designated beneficiaries, will receive a lifetime income stream from the Fund. Whit’s wisdom, positivity and support will be sorely missed. Arrangements are pending. (Taken from Mass Land Trust Coalition Newsletter.)
Whit’s Obituary from Short & Rowe Funeral Home ©2023
You can read a copy of Whit’s obituary here on our website
or follow this link to Short & Rowe Funeral Home.
Dedication of The Whit Beals Garden at Beals Preserve
On September 23, 2023, Freddie Gillespie, Chair of the Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission, and Sally Watters, Southborough Open Land Foundation Trustee, honored Whitney Beals’ dedication and life passion for open space by renaming the pollination garden at Beals Preserve to The Whit Beals Garden – Biodiversity Through Pollination. Whit devoted much effort in recent years to help make this garden become a reality.
Garden Talk and Plant Sale and Honoring Whitney Beals – September 23
On September 23, from 10 am – 12 noon, there will be a Garden Talk and Plant Sale at the Native Pollination Preservation Garden at Beals Preserve. Parking is available at the small SOLF parking area off Main Street and across the street at the intersection of Northborough Road and Main Street. Additional parking is available at the Trustees of the Reservations hiking trails lot (not the farm store lot) on Chestnut Hill Road.
The Whit Beals Garden – Biodiversity Through Pollination. Please join us at 11:00 am as we honor Whitney Beals’ dedication and life passion for open space. Freddie Gillespie Chair of the Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission and Sally Watters, Southborough Open Land Foundation Trustee, will announce the new name of the garden to honor Whit who devoted much effort in recent years to help make this garden become a reality.
Read about the history of the garden here. The garden is an OSPC project in partnership with SOLF.
Beals Preserve Preservation Garden Tour on June 24
On June 24, Freddie Gillespie, Chair of Southborough’s Open Space Preservation Commission (OSPC), gave a tour and talk about the Beals Preserve Pollination Preservation Garden. The tour and talk covered the challenges and benefits of pollination preservation activities in old meadows. The morning’s drizzle did not keep a nice crowd from coming to hear Freddie and to buy plants.
Local vendors sold plants exclusively from Dr. Gegear’s list for at-risk pollinators.
The garden is a partnership project of the OSPC and the Southborough Open Land
Foundation and was established in 2022.
Granite Benches Installed at Beals Preserve
Beals Preserve now has 2 granite benches, in addition to the wood benches built by Cassie Melo for her Eagle Scout project. SOLF trustees Brett Peters arranged for delivery to the property and then prepared the ground and set the legs. Trustees Whit Beals with his trusty tractor, Brett Peters, and Larry Samberg worked to get the benches in place on the legs. One bench is under the tree by the kiosk and the other is by the Pollinator Garden on the Main Street Field side of the property. Well done!
New Benches for Our Visitors at Beals Preserve
Thanks to Cassie Melo and her Eagle Scout project, visitors to The Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve can now take advantage of two beautiful oak benches on which they can relax and enjoy the scenery. Cassie, a member of Troop #823, along with some help from her father, John Melo, built and then on April 9 transported the two benches to the Beals Preserve Main Street parking lot. Trustee Whit Beals and his gator transported the benches to the placement sites. One of the benches is across from the Lone Wolf Trail entrance in the Upper Meadow. The second is along the Riding Ring Trail, on the right, under some pine trees. Congratulations to Cassie on a job well done!
The first set of pictures was a walk with Cassie to determine placement in the Upper Meadow.
April 9, 2023 – Installation Day.
Beals Preserve Saturday Work Day April 15, 2023
Saturday morning trail work by SOLF Trustees and volunteers has begun again! There’s always work to do from sprucing up our entrances to clearing and keeping invasives at bay and trails clear, for our first day, April 15, it was volunteer Kathryn Korostoff and Trustee Debbie Costine, doing what they enjoy: cutting, clearing and chatting. [Pictures by Trustee Debbie Costine]
Cub Scout Pack 1 Service Projects at Beals Preserve and Templeman
On Sunday, November 20, Cub Scout Pack 1 learned about and practiced trail maintenance at two of our properties, Beals Preserve and Templeman Woods.
The older Cub Scouts and their parents worked with Board members Brett Peters and Larry Samberg at Templeman Woods-Watkins Woods off Rt. 85 by the Mass Pike overpass. With some hard work, they improved trail conditions through addition of new trail markers, clearing limbs and other trail blockages, enhancing trail sight lines, and cleaning up trash and litter from the area. Big thanks to the Scouts and parents who stepped up to help out!
The younger Cub Scouts and their parents worked with Board members Whit Beals, Debbie Costine, Lawrence Spezzano, and Eileen Samberg at Beals Preserve, starting at the Red Gate entrance. The Scouts learned about the importance of water bars to channel water off the trail, and helped clear them. Then the group walked down the trail to the Riding Ring junction, where they learned about invasives, pulled bittersweet and small buckthorn and burning bush saplings, watched and helped Whit Beals use a “puller bear” to pull larger buckthorn and burning bush saplings out by their roots. Big thanks to the Scouts and parents!
History Walk by Whit Beals on October 16, 2022
Whitney Beals, president of the Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF), led a group of about sixteen on a history walk at the Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve on Sunday, October 16 , 2022.
In the 1950s, Whit’s family purchased land on both Chestnut Hill north of route 30 and what is now the Beals Preserve south of route 30. You can read his entertaining and educational talk, describing the land purchase, the conservation restrictions to save the land from development, the history of the ice pond, and plans to maintain the trails, the forest, and the meadows.
You can read a transcript of his talk here.
Beals Preserve Main Street Field Parking Area
We are happy to announce that there is now a small parking area at the Beals Preserve Main Street Field on Route 30. The entrance to the parking area is on the south side of Main Street, between two stone pillars, east of Northborough Road and west of Chestnut Hill Road. Pull into the fenced area (it is currently grass, but will likely be layered with wood chips), and park perpendicular to the road at the stone wall, to the right of the sign post. Walk down the field through the opening in the fence to the lane and then across the bridge over the Wachusett channel.
Beals Preserve Clean-up on September 11, 2022
SOLF trustees and volunteers worked for a few hours Saturday morning September 11 to spruce up the primary entrance of the Beals Preserve: around the kiosk and bridge on the old farm lane that goes down from Main Street. We did this to properly welcome and accommodate the visitors attending the closing and poetry reading of the annual Art on the Trails on September 12.
Tree work on Beals Preserve
A visitor to Beals Preserve noted a tree was down across the Hickory Trail. On Saturday, August 13, Whit Beals, Larry Samberg, Eileen Samberg, and Kathryn Korostoff worked together to clear the trail, using chain saws and lopper. The group also cleared some low hanging branches at other spots on the trail.
Pollination Preservation Garden Planting at Beals Preserve – September 2022
Freddie Gillespie, chair of the Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission, has been recruiting volunteers to install a Pollination Preservation Garden at SOLF’s Beals Preserve. Preliminary work was done last summer and fall. After poison ivy control work and garden prep in June, volunteers did a major planting on July 16–17.
Volunteers did another major planting on Saturday, July 23, in spite of the heat wave. Volunteers, including SOLF Board Members Sally Watters, Debbie Costine, Larry Samberg, Eileen Samberg, and SOLF volunteers Brett Peters and Kathryn Korostoff, started early at 8 am and worked to almost 12 noon. Great job, everyone!
Volunteers worked again on Saturday, July 30, taking the project close to completion. And more work was done on Saturday, August 6.
The Pollination Preservation Garden is getting a lot of love from Freddie Gillespie and her volunteers. Here is how it looks on September 14, 2022.
Clean-up at Beals Preserve Is Ongoing
Board members and volunteers have been meeting at the Beals Preserve kiosk on Saturdays at 10 am to do invasive clean-up, remove overgrowth from valuable trees and shrubs, and reveal the stone wall along the lane. Please join us! Follow us on Facebook for the next dates or email us at info@solf.org. Bring sturdy gloves, loppers, etc.
Debbie Costine, on Saturday, May 14, once again rounded up volunteers to work at Beals Preserve, continuing cleanup around the kiosk area and under the large juniper. Volunteers were Erin Flowers, Lawrence Spezzano, and Eileen Samberg. Debbie pointed out horsetail (equisetum) “spreading its wings”. About to move some brush, we discovered a bird’s nest with eggs, likely song sparrow, so we left the brush until the brood hatches and flies away.
Another successful cleanup day on Saturday, May 7. Whitney Beals, on his tractor, worked on the area by the kiosk and the old horse fence, removing a number of invasive honeysuckle shrubs and buckthorn saplings, and along with Eileen Samberg, freed the fence. Meanwhile Kathryn Korostoff and Debbie Costine pruned a silky dogwood, removing the overgrowth encroaching on the lane, and revealing more of the wall.
On April 30, Debbie Costine and Brett Peters cleared some of the wall, removing multiflora rose and bittersweet.
On April 16, Debbie Costine and Kathryn Korostoff (Native Plant Gardens of Southborough) were able to spend a couple of hours clearing invasives from one of the posts and gates near the kiosk.
Ongoing Saturday morning trail-work continues at Beals Preserve. On April 9, SOLF Trustees Debbie Costine and Eileen Samberg, and volunteer Brett Peters cleared out around an impressive High Bush Blueberry along the Old Farm Lane to feature its beautiful colors and structure. See the “before” (with Eileen and Brett) and after. Looking forward to seeing it bloom and berry. Next work day, April 16.
Earth Day Walk at Beals Preserve on April 22
As part of the town-wide Planet Palooza Earth Celebration, SOLF sponsored “A Walk Back in Time” on April 22 at 11am at Beals Preserve – a review of the history of the Beals Preserve use since 1900. Participants met at the Pollinator Preservation Garden in the Main Street Field at Beals Preserve for a brief overview of the new pollinator garden before heading out for the history & nature walk. Kathryn Korostoff and Freddie Gillespie gave the garden presentation, and Whitney Beals gave a engrossing talk about the agricultural use and acquisition of the fields that became Beals Preserve.
SOLF Spring Clean-up Has Begun
On Saturday, April 2, trustees Eileen Samberg, Lawrence Spezzano, and I met up with SOLF volunteer Brett Peters to begin what we plan to be weekly sessions of trail work and invasive plant clean-up at our properties, starting at The Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve. SOLF president Whitney Beals came by to give his thoughts on possible priority areas, like the old farm lane through the middle of the preserve for starters. There are some native shrubs we will save and feature: especially high bush blueberry, elderberry and silky dogwood.
We accomplished an impressive amount of clearing in the vicinity of the kiosk. (see before and after photos) Once we started, it was hard to stop — digging in to the oriental bittersweet, japanese honeysuckle, and very thorny Multiflora rose. Eileen had appeared first thing with new information beautifully designed and laminated to put in the kiosk. She had replaced the plexiglass in the doors previously after discovering some “projectile” holes of some sort.
We found our new volunteer Brett to be enthusiastic energetic and amiable, ready to dive into physical work as a break from sitting long hours at his desk.
The prior Saturday, new volunteer Meghan Ackley, (also energetic and enthusiastic), Eileen, and I tackled some of the nasty and highly invasive Japanese barberry encroaching the trail further up on the old farm lane.
It is truly heart-warming to see this progress! We are looking forward to continued productive Saturday mornings!
Next session: Saturday, April 9, 10:00 am meeting at the kiosk. We welcome help! Please email us at info@solf.org if you are interested in helping to maintain our signature property for everyone’s enjoyment. Bring sturdy gloves, loppers etc. (cancelled in the event of rain).
Debbie Costine SOLF Vice President
Invasive Plants Removal at Beals Preserve
In November 2021, volunteer Brett Peters and an additional volunteer cleared invasive plants from the bridge leading to the main section of Beals Preserve. A job well done!
Sights in Southborough: Beals Preserve
Watch a video by Southborough Access Media, Sights in Southborough: Beals Preserve. Thank you Southborough Access Media.
Some Images from Beals Preserve
