Striar Conservancy

Human History of Wildlands: The Taunton River Watershed

Striar Snake River Preserve in Taunton. A project is underway to improve public access at this preserve.

By Skip Stuck, Key Volunteer

Those of you who have been following our "Human History of Wildlands" series know that the approach so far has been to tackle one preserve or one community at a time and to dig as deeply into that story as historical resources allow. However, when I started researching the history of Wildlands Trust’s Great River Preserve in Bridgewater, it occurred to me that there was a different kind of story here, not just of one preserve, but of an entire region—namely, the Taunton River watershed. Here, I take a broader look at this 500-square-mile area, one within which Wildlands Trust and its partners protect a variety of landscapes that are important as individual parcels but carry even greater significance in the context of their shared history. In upcoming entries to this series, we will zoom back in to the stories of individual preserves in the watershed, like Great River Preserve, Striar Conservancy in Halifax, and Wyman North Fork Conservation Area in Bridgewater. Today, we will take this broader view.  

A watershed is a land area within which all rainfall and snowmelt funnels into the same place. A raindrop in Foxborough, even if it’s 15 miles from the headwaters of the Taunton River, will eventually work its way down smaller streams or in groundwater to the Taunton and empty into Mount Hope Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. So, the point where that raindrop first splashed down in Foxborough is part of the Taunton River watershed. 

The map below will help convey the size of the Taunton River watershed and its importance to Wildlands’ work. Of the 57 cities and towns that Wildlands Trust serves, 30 lie at least partially within the Taunton River watershed, which encompasses 562 square miles across Southeastern Massachusetts. Wildlands protects over 2,150 acres of land in the Taunton River watershed through outright ownership, Conservation Restrictions, and deed restrictions.

The Taunton River watershed is home to geographical and historical features that exist nowhere else in Massachusetts. It features the longest undammed coastal waterway in the state. This is in part because it drops only 20 feet from its source in Bridgewater to its mouth in Fall River, curbing its power generation potential. The Taunton River is tidal up to the City of Taunton, meaning it contains salt and brackish water for about half of its length. 

The watershed is home to over 500,000 people across 43 towns and cities, covering portions of three counties. Despite the dense settlement around it, the Taunton River is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River. The region is also home to the largest freshwater swamp in southern New England, the nearly 17,000-acre Hockomock Swamp. 

These features and many others play important roles in the area's human history. Now, let’s move back in time. 

Pre-history 

As the glaciers receded between 12,000 and 13,000 years ago, they left a landscape scraped and scoured, with piles of rocks, rubble, moraines, eskers, and other geological features. Across central Southeastern Massachusetts, a large moraine created a debris dam that prevented melting glacial water from draining into the ocean. The result was Glacial Lake Taunton, which spanned 54 square miles and plunged 130 feet deep. The lake lasted for about 300 years before the dam broke.  

Glacial Lake Taunton. From “Understanding Geological History when Selecting Trenchless Installation Methods” by Haley & Aldrich.

When the dam finally breached, the rushing water spread a mix of gravel and mud across the watershed area, building the foundation for some of the richest forests and farming soils in Southeastern Massachusetts. It also created today's Taunton River and its many tributaries.  

People soon arrived. We know a good deal more about the pre-European history of the Taunton River watershed than of much of the rest of Southeastern Massachusetts. In fact, some of the oldest archeological evidence of human habitation in New England comes from digs, finds, and studies in Bridgewater, Middleborough, and the "Titicut" site, dating back more than 9,000 years. The watershed was heavily populated for the time. Several area names survive. Cohannet, Tetequet, Titiquet were all used by the resident Wampanoag Tribe to describe the river and its valley.  

The flat, slow-flowing river also became a major route for Native Americans to trade and move seasonally to productive hunting and fishing areas. The 72-mile Wampanoag Canoe Passage was a well-traveled route that allowed relatively easy passage between Cape Cod Bay and Narragansett Bay via the North River and the Taunton River. The passage has been restored and cleared in some areas and can be followed today.  

Along the route, Natives likely passed through the Hockomock Swamp, derived from "Hobomock," the deity tied to death and disease, but also to the spirits of ancestors. It was also an area favored as a sanctuary and for its rich game and hunting resources. 

European Settlement 

After 1620, the English settlers of the Plymouth Colony soon moved west and found that the Taunton River area held great promise. Good soil. Easy river travel. And while the main river's current was too slow to produce power for mills, tributaries such as the Town, Matfield, Winnetuxet, Nemasket, and Three Mile Rivers all tumbled into the valley with sufficient energy to provide waterpower and to support the largest spring runs of alewives and river herring in the state. 

The watershed was initially part of the "Duxbury Purchase," but settlement soon created towns such as Taunton in 1637 and Bridgewater in 1645, and ultimately Plymouth and Bristol Counties. Farms thrived upriver, while ironworks and shipbuilding made Taunton a growing city. Eventually, Taunton earned the name "the Silver City" due to its reputation for silversmithing and jewelry making. 

As with nearly all of Southeastern Massachusetts, and much of New England, this prosperity was not to continue without setbacks. The most notorious one was King Phillip's War from 1675 to 1676. Initially good relations between European colonists and the Wampanoag Tribe and its chief Massasoit, crucial to the Plymouth Colony's early survival, had in two generations deteriorated into war. The Tribe, led by Massasoit's son Metacomet (who chose the name King Philip), was feeling taken advantage of by the colonists. A revolt ensued, and the Taunton River area, especially Hockomock Swamp, was its epicenter. While the hostilities eventually reached all of New England and upstate New York, the Plymouth Colony and adjacent Rhode Island bore the brunt of the fighting. Whereas the colonists feared and avoided the swamp, the Natives found safety and sanctuary there. In fact, the war only ended when the colonists finally entered the swamp and routed Metacomet and his people. In the end, King Phillip's War was the costliest in terms of property destruction and death—to both colonists and Natives—in all of colonial America. 

The Taunton River passes through the forests of Wyman North Fork Conservation Area in Bridgewater. In 2024, Wildlands acquired an additional 90 acres directly across the river from Wyman North Fork, further protecting this section of the Taunton River corridor less than two miles from its headwaters.

After the war, colonial prosperity resumed, and towns grew and flourished. Many attempts to drain Hockomock Swamp ensued, but each ultimately failed. The swamp served as a natural "sponge," absorbing water and preventing the kinds of floods that periodically disrupted life on many nearby rivers. Indeed, failures to drain the swamp substantially contributed to the Taunton River’s wild and pristine state today. Similarly, the Taunton’s incapacity for waterpower has benefited the watershed’s ecological health, as it kept the river undammed, free-running, and surrounded by forest and farmland. Thanks to its unique natural characteristics that stifled colonial industrialism, the Taunton River is now a federally designated National Wild and Scenic River.  

Today, the Taunton River watershed is home to many wonderful nature preserves. Wildlands Trust, MassWildlife, the Taunton River Watershed Alliance, and its cities and towns work together to protect this special place. Great River Preserve, Wyman North Fork Conservation Area, Striar Conservancy, Brockton Audubon Preserve, and soon Striar Snake River Preserve in Taunton are some of the Wildlands properties where you can see the results for yourself. 

To learn more, please see our website at wildlandstrust.org and visit some of our preserves in the Taunton River watershed.

Striar Conservancy in Halifax is located on the bank of the Winnetuxet River, a tributary of the Taunton River.

Learn More

Resources for this article include: 

Thanks to Thomas Patti for his editing and encouragement, to Owen Grey for his mapping assistance, and to Tess Goldmann for her analysis of Wildlands’ holdings in the Taunton River watershed.

If you have photographs, historical documents, or maps related to the history of the Taunton River watershed, we want to see them! Please send any information to communications@wildlandstrust.org

Hunting Season Safety

Updated: October 2024

Hunting season is back upon us this fall in Massachusetts! Wildlands Trust has four properties that permit hunting during this time:

Hunting is prohibited on all other Wildlands Trust properties.

Still, boundaries can be confusing and hunters sometimes cross into prohibited areas unknowingly. Please be mindful when you are out in the woods this year, wherever it is that you like to hike, run, or ride. The best way to protect yourself is to wear blaze orange like our staff does!

While hunters are required to wear blaze orange during certain seasons, Mass Wildlife recommends that all outdoor users who are in the woods during hunting season wear blaze orange clothing as a precaution, and that pets wear an orange vest or bandana for visibility.

You can learn more at mass.gov/topics/hunting.

Have a great fall, and stay safe!

Volunteer Spotlight: Rob MacDonald

When and how did you first learn about Wildlands Trust? 

I believe I first learned about Wildlands Trust through the Willow Brook Preserve in Pembroke.   It’s pretty close to my house and one day, while driving down Route 14, I spotted the entrance.  Eventually I stopped by and explored it with a walk through the property. 

How did you discover the Adopt-A-Preserve (AAP) program?

We [Rob and his wife] had been members of Wildlands Trust before the AAP program existed and had been involved with volunteer work at Wildlands through some of your workdays. Eventually I heard about the AAP program from someone I knew who was working at [Wildlands]. They informed me that Erik [Boyer] was looking for volunteer help with the AAP program. 

Rob MacDonald (far right) poses with other volunteers at Brockton Nature Festival.

Rob MacDonald (far right) poses with other volunteers at Brockton Nature Festival.

How many years have you been a part of AAP? 

Well, I was first involved with Wildlands Trust in about 1999 when I participated in a corporate workday at Willow Brook Preserve. This was an organized community service event with Bank Boston employees where we burned brush and removed invasive species to clear out the meadow habitat near the beginning of the trail system. Once AAP was created in 2014 and I heard about it, I joined shortly thereafter. 

What Wildlands properties have you “adopted”? 

Striar Conservancy in Halifax and Tucker Preserve/the Indian Head River loop, which goes through Pembroke, Hanson, Hanover, Plymouth County land, and private property. 

What is your favorite thing to do while out on monitoring visits? 

Photography. I am always looking for shots of birds while on my monitoring visits. And then, during the spring when vernal pools are active, I like to look for amphibians to photograph. Typically, I bring out a long-lens camera for pictures of birds and a macro-lens for taking close-up pictures of fungi and amphibians. 

What are some highlights for you along the Indian Head River Trail (IHRT) loop? 

The bluff in Tucker preserve where the trail cuts through a hemlock grove opposite of the tack factory along the river is a nice section of trail. I also really like the babbling stream you encounter towards the back side of Tucker. It’s one of several spots that remind me of New Hampshire. I also really like the section of trail that cuts through Rocky Run, which is beautiful town of Hanson conservation land. 

What have been your favorite wildlife sightings at Striar and Tucker? 

River otter, which I’ve encountered at both Tucker and Striar. I recently saw one at Tucker, along the Indian Head River, soon upon entering Tucker from Pembroke Conservation land. The otter was resting on the ice on the river, eating a fish that it had caught. 

When I saw an otter at Striar, I was looking out at a bend in the Winnetuxet River. I heard a bark and the otter slipped into the river behind me. I suspect it was voicing a warning signal to another otter somewhere in front of me. In terms of exciting bird sightings, I‘ve seen a wide variety of birds including barred owls, yellow cuckoos, ovenbirds, wood ducks and a palm warbler at Striar.

What is the most memorable experience you have had while at a Wildlands property? 

At Striar, I have done vernal pool walks where participants come out at night to explore what they can find in the pools. Kids and adults alike get extremely excited about the chance to dip their hands into the pools to see what they find. Many people would not normally go on hikes at night on their own so the opportunity is unique and exciting for that reason too. 

What is your favorite thing about AAP? 

The monitoring visits present you with an opportunity to pay greater attention to the place you are in. I definitely focus more on the details of the surroundings than I would on a hike. My responsibilities as an AAP member makes me much more attentive while out on a preserve. }

What is it like being a part of the volunteer hike leader program?

On several occasions, people have come to one of these Wildlands Trust hikes and mention that they were sometimes hesitant to go out and hike in the woods alone. These organized group hikes gave them the opportunity to get out in a group atmosphere and enjoy exploring the varied Wildlands Trust preserves. So being part of a program that affords these folks, who might no otherwise get out into the woods, is pretty nice. 

Are there any nature preserves in the region that you like to visit outside of the ones you adopt? 

Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area, a 1,638 acre MassWildlife-managed preserve that stretches through Hanson and Halifax is my favorite. The preserve is a habitat for beavers, otters, and many different species of birds. Burrage Pond’s landscape includes dormant cranberry bogs. Some of these ex-cranberry bog areas have remained open to develop into grassland habitats and others have been flooded to allow for habitat for aquatic birds. The management area also includes an interesting floodplain habitat along Stump Brook River that supports Atlantic white cedar and eastern hemlock trees. 

I know you have visited for these trails for many years. Have you seen the area change over the years?

I’ve been walking the trails along the Indian Head River for at least 25 years. As for changes, the Hanover section of trail has become more formalized is now a well-marked trail. Also, on the western section of the trail loop, where you cross the bridge on State Street in Hanson, the trail used to be difficult to find because it was completely unmarked. That entrance has now been opened up and is much easier to find. Overall, the trail system has become more formalized and clearer while maintaining the same peaceful and wild feeling I got hiking these trails 25 years ago.  

As a resident of Hanson, how do you think the community can benefit from a natural resource like the Indian Head River Trail? 

The Indian Head River trail system presents Hanson community members with a beautiful hike along the Indian Head River through Rocky Run Conservation Area, a showcase example of protected, natural, town of Hanson conservation land.

Enhancing the Region Through Conservation

As a regional land trust, Wildlands Trust’s work throughout the South Shore benefits the fabric of our communities in many different ways.

What's Up With Wetlands?

By Roxey Lay, Membership and Communications Coordinator

EPA map displaying coastal wetlands and how far inland they extend (click to enlarge).

Swamps, marshes, bogs, and fens; all ecosystems defined by various sub-types and characteristics with one thing in common: they are all wetlands. World Wetlands Day was February 2, marking the date the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in 1971 and raising awareness of wetlands and their vital role to our planet. Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to adopt wetland protection laws during the 1960s; however, since the Colonial Period, roughly one-third of the state’s wetlands have been destroyed[1]. According to the EPA, “wetlands in coastal watersheds are experiencing disproportionate losses compared to wetlands in the rest of the country, making them particularly important areas for protection”[2]. Wildlands’ work to protect undeveloped land throughout the region includes the protection of wetlands. In fact, nearly all of the properties in Wildlands’ portfolio contain some type of wetland and provide habitat for many different species throughout the region; some of which are rare or endangered, such as the eastern box turtle and northern red-bellied cooter.

Drone view of Raven Brook in Middleborough.

Recently, I spoke with Brad Holmes, manager of Environmental Consulting & Restoration, LLC (ECR) to learn about what wetlands are and how they impact Southeastern Massachusetts. Located in Plymouth, ECR specializes in wetland consulting, permitting and restoration, and Brad, a professional wetland scientist (PWS), has worked with Wildlands at Great River Preserve and most recently, on the ecological restoration project along the shore of Halfway Pond. Read on to learn about wetlands and their significance to our region:

 
What is a wetland?

A wetland is an area where groundwater is located at or near the surface and where the vegetative community is dominated by plants adapted to live in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands often border on creeks, rivers, streams, ponds, lakes etc., but may also be isolated. Wetlands are [determined] by assessing three specific site conditions that include vegetation, soil, and hydrology. By definition, a wetland must include 2 of 3 conditions: a dominance of wetland vegetation, hydric soils, and/or hydrological conditions.

What is a wetland scientist?

A Professional Wetland Scientist is an individual that has been certified by the Society of Wetland Scientists based on academic and work experience in wetland science. As a PWS we work to assess and manage wetland resource areas throughout Massachusetts. Our work includes field delineation of wetlands based on specific environmental conditions (i.e. vegetation, soils & hydrology) as well as designing and permitting projects through the applicable local, state and federal regulatory authorities.

In addition to your work as a PWS, you are certified by the MA Arborists Association as an arborist, how does this influence your approach to your work?

As an MA Certified Arborist, I approach projects with a special consideration towards the care of trees, specifically when designing wetland restoration or wetland replication projects. 

North River in Marshfield.

What are the benefits of wetlands?

Wetlands provide benefits to landowners and the public, [including] protection of public and private water supply, protection of groundwater supply, flood control, storm damage prevention, prevention of pollution, protection of fisheries and protection of wildlife habitat.

Why is important to protect them?

Wetlands act as a first line of defense for floodwater from storms. They also act as a filter to pollutants in our water supply. They [also] provide a specific habitat that many wildlife and fish need to survive.

Do wetlands have any significance to Southeastern Massachusetts?

There are many extensive wetland systems within Southeastern Massachusetts. For instance, the North River system in Scituate, Marshfield, Norwell, and Pembroke. Also consider the Taunton River system, the extensive freshwater ponds and the 250+ miles of coastline in Massachusetts.

It is important for property owners and the general public to be aware of the wetlands in their community and where they can seek guidance in protecting the wetland resource areas.


What is the current state of wetlands in this region? Are they threatened? If so, what can people do to help?

Wetlands in Massachusetts are protected by the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and associated Wetland Regulations. [These] spell out specific performance standards for work within or nearby (buffer zone) wetland resource areas. It is important for property owners and the general public to be aware of the wetlands in their community and where they can seek guidance in protecting the wetland resource areas. Many towns in Massachusetts have a local Conservation Commission that works to protect the resource areas in their community.

What do you think the future of wetlands is?

Wetlands will be protected. The next task is protecting more land buffering wetlands, which is the current struggle.

Wetlands at Striar Conservancy, Halifax

Want to learn more about wetlands and whether there are any near your home? Talk to your local Conservation Commission, go to the State’s website on wetlands, or, if there is a Wildlands property near you, ask us what type of wetland is on the property and how you can help in maintaining its integrity for the benefit of your town and the animals that rely on its habitat. I’d like to thank Brad for taking the time to answer my questions and providing some great insight on the importance of wetlands and their impact on our region.