Beals Preserve Blog – Southborough Open Land Foundation

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Category: Beals Preserve Blog