The Hanover Annual Town Meeting is Monday May 3, 2021 at 7:00pm at the Hanover High School. The NSRWA is supporting funding for a Conservation Restriction for the Sylvester Field (Article 22) and Article 24 which will provide funding for extending the Rockland Rail Trail. See the feasibility study here.
Please support Article 22 to aid in the effort to save the 20 acre historic Sylvester Field, one of Hanover’s most beloved and iconic landscapes. Situated along Washington Street in a historically rich part of Hanover known as “Four Corners”, the Sylvester Field is one of Hanover’s most visible and appreciated landscapes.
Sylvester Field supports numerous common wildlife species and many rare species, including Eastern box turtle and several species of ground-nesting birds. The property also includes 660 feet of frontage on Third Herring Brook, an important North River tributary. Protecting this land will protect the Third Herring Brook and provide public access to it!
Sylvester Field is the centerpiece of a larger expanse once owned by William Barstow, believed to be the first European settler in the area in the mid-17th century when Hanover was part of the Town of Scituate. Mr. Barstow’s pursuits included land surveying, shipbuilding, constructing the first bridge across the nearby North River, and serving as the proprietor of an “ordinary”—a tavern that served meals at a fixed price.
The Town of Hanover is a project partner, and at the next Town Meeting in May will seek to approve $250,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to purchase a Conservation Restriction (“CR”) on the Sylvester Field. The Town-held CR over the Field will allow for a range of passive recreational activities such as hiking and cross-country skiing and will include provisions allowing for a trailhead parking area. The CR will also allow for habitat management, improvement, and restoration, as well as the maintenance of the stone wall that is such a prominent feature of its road
frontage.
The Wildlands Trust will be the holder of the land and responsible for its long-term maintenance. The Wildlands Trust, the regional land trust for southeastern Massachusetts, will manage the field as a conservation resource and leave it open to the public for passive recreation.
Please support Article 22 to aid in the effort to save the 20 acre historic Sylvester Field.