North Common Meadow
Encyclopedia
North Common Meadow is a 25 acres (10.1 ha) open space preserve in the town of Petersham, Massachusetts
. The property, part of a larger, contiguous area of protected open space including Harvard Forest
and The Trustees of Reservations' Brooks Woodland Preserve
, is maintained as grassland in keeping with the town's rural character.
The preserve, acquired in 1975 by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations
, is suitable for hiking, horseback riding, picnicing, and cross country skiing; it is also maintained as habitat for ground nesting birds such as the bobolink
, red-winged blackbird
, and eastern meadowlark
.
Access to North Common Meadow is located off Massachusetts Route 32 and East Street in Petersham center.
, placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.
Petersham, Massachusetts
Petersham is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,234 at the 2010 census. Petersham is home to a considerable amount of conservation land, including the Quabbin Reservation, Harvard Forest, the Swift River Reservation, and Federated Women's Club State...
. The property, part of a larger, contiguous area of protected open space including Harvard Forest
Harvard Forest
Harvard Forest is an ecological research area of owned and managed by Harvard University and located in Petersham, Massachusetts. The property, in operation since 1907, includes one of North America's oldest managed forests, educational and research facilities, a museum, and recreation trails...
and The Trustees of Reservations' Brooks Woodland Preserve
Brooks Woodland Preserve
The Brooks Woodland Preserve is a open space preserve located in Petersham, Massachusetts. The property, named after industrialist and dipolomat James Willson Brooks, is managed by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations and offers of trails and primitive woods...
, is maintained as grassland in keeping with the town's rural character.
The preserve, acquired in 1975 by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest regional land trust in the world and has 100,000 dues-paying members...
, is suitable for hiking, horseback riding, picnicing, and cross country skiing; it is also maintained as habitat for ground nesting birds such as the bobolink
Bobolink
The Bobolink is a small New World blackbird and the only member of genus Dolichonyx.-Description:Adults are 16–18 cm long with short finch-like bills. They weigh about . Adult males are mostly black, although they do display creamy napes, and white scapulars, lower backs and rumps...
, red-winged blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird
The Red-winged Blackbird is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras, and...
, and eastern meadowlark
Eastern Meadowlark
The Eastern Meadowlark, Sturnella magna, is a medium-sized icterid bird, very similar in appearance to the Western Meadowlark. It occurs from eastern North America to South America, where it is also most widespread in the east.-Description:...
.
Access to North Common Meadow is located off Massachusetts Route 32 and East Street in Petersham center.
History
The property was formerly pasture land; later, it was part of the golf course of the Nichewaug Inn. It was given to the Trustees of Reservations by an anonymous donor. North Common Meadow is part of the Petersham Common Historic DistrictPetersham Common Historic District
Petersham Common Historic District is a historic district on MA 32/122 in Petersham, Massachusetts.The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982; it includes the rural downtown of Petersham and the North Common Meadow....
, placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1982.