Willow Brook Farm Preserve - North and South Rivers Watershed Association

Wildlands Trust - Willow Brook Farm Preserve, 99 Barker St, Pembroke, MA 02359, USA

https://wildlandstrust.org/willow-brook-farm

Owned By: Wildlands Trust

Pembroke’s Willow Brook Farm Preserve is 167 acres of upland and wetlands. Located at the confluence of Pudding and Herring Brooks, it is owned by the Wildlands Trust, and features 3 miles of walking trails plus an observation platform with an unspoiled view of the 2,000-acre Herring Brook valley. The area is renowned as one of the most diverse inland natural areas in Southeastern Massachusetts. The views change with the seasons. This is definitely a place that rewards repeat visits. Contiguous with Misty Meadows Conservation Area.

Renovations are underway at Willow Brook Farm, which may result in temporary trail closures. For up-to-date information and real time trail conditions, visit wildlandstrust.org/trails

Features

Willow Brook Farm is actually a collection of smaller properties purchased by, or donated to, the Wildlands Trust between 1997 and 2005. They include Willow Brook Farm itself (73 acres, 1997); Fleetwood Farm (20 acres, 1997); Gillette-Sherman Preserve (7 acres, 1998); Lower Neck Preserve (40 acres, 1999); Missing Link Preserve (24 acres, 2002); and Slavin Preserve (3.2 acres, 2005) Donors include Burton Sherman & Bob Gillette, Sharon Slavin, and several private/anonymous individuals and families. Willow Brook Farm itself was the Wildlands Trust’s first-ever land purchase.

This land is within the region of the Massachusett (or Massachuseuk) Native American tribe. Prior to European contact, the Mattakeeset band of the Massachusett lived for thousands of years in the North River watershed. Their village included most of today’s Pembroke and Hanson. The word “Mattakeeset” means “place of many fish.” To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag shares information on its website.

Trail Description

Look for the informational kiosk near the property entrance. A combination of cart paths, boardwalks, and narrow trails lead through freshwater swamp, mature forest, and open fields. Stone walls serve as a reminder of the area’s agricultural past.

One of Willow Brook Farm’s best features is the tall observation tower that offers a fantastic view of the Herring Brook Valley. Many of the property’s trails form intersecting loops. The Todd Trail features two boardwalks and an up-close view of Pudding Brook, plus access to a spur trail that leads to Pembroke’s Misty Meadows Conservation Area.

Habitats and Wildlife

Abundant wildlife make their home here in the Herring Brook Valley. Even though it is 11 river miles upstream from the ocean, the freshwater marsh has water levels that rise and fall with the tides. More than 2,000 acres of undeveloped land and freshwater swamp provide an ideal habitat for mammals, amphibians, and birds — both common species and also those deemed “at risk” by Partners In Flight.

In the spring, this is a great place to observe migrating species such as warblers (various types), ruffed grouse, woodcock, indigo bunting and great blue heron. Listen for the hoots of owls. You might spy a river otter, spotted turtle, beaver, coyote, or deer. And be sure to look for the Allegheny Mound Ants! They create mounds up to 1 foot high and 3 feet wide, which are hard to miss in the open meadow. Just don’t get too close — they bite!

In addition to the pine, oak, maple, and other common species of trees, look for the much-more-rare grove of ironwood on the property.

Pudding Brook flows through Willow Brook Farm, emptying into Herring Brook. Herring Brook rises from Furnace Pond in Pembroke, and flows through the town for a few miles before it merges with the Indian Head River, to form the North River, at a place called The Crotch. The North River flows for 12 miles through Pembroke, Hanover, Norwell, Marshfield, and Scituate to the Atlantic Ocean at Fourth Cliff.