Effort underway to protect historic Sylvester Field in Four Corners

Dear fellow Hanoverians:

Wildlands Trust, the regional land trust for southeastern Massachusetts,
has announced a fundraising effort to preserve the 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.

Wildlands Trust has entered into a “Purchase and Sales” agreement to
acquire the field from the estate of Clayton Robinson, the late owner who
passed away in March 2020. Wildlands Trust will manage the field as a
conservation resource and leave it open to the public for passive
recreation.

Sylvester Field has a wide range of aesthetic, agricultural, ecological,
and historical attributes. It has been in some type of agricultural use
since early colonial times; recently, its productive soils have supported
the harvesting of hay, and for several decades in the mid-twentieth
century, the roaming of Hornstra Farm cows. 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.

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.

“We have a one-time opportunity to preserve the field,” said Karen
Grey, Wildlands Trust President. “This is our first fundraising effort
in Hanover, and we couldn’t imagine a more compelling project to become
involved with,” said Grey.

A committee of Hanover residents is helping to lead the local fundraising
with Wildlands Trust. Members of the committee include Caleb Estabrooks,
Peter Finnegan, Marilyn Hartney, Dan Jones, Maura Longueil, Anne and Tim
Porter, Hal Thomas, Peter and Paula Tyack, Sandra Moll, Cindy Newton and
Julie Traggorth.

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.

Wildlands Trust needs to raise $150,000 in private funds by May 15th to
ensure that they can close on the Field by the specified closing date of
June 30. They have a generous match opportunity for gifts $5,000 and
under. Please visit www.wildlandstrust.org if you would like more
information about the Wildlands Trust. Please consider a donation; the
donation page is found here:
http://atotw.com/maillist/lt.php?tid=i1+7MDUuOBmOHeFHamF3KtP8RQ050W+JiNy9ufdqJv5oqLt7nDPIRqoN783ZLADJ
. For more information, please contact schamberlain@wildlandstrust.org .

For “Around Town on the Web”,
Cathy H-B


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