On July 23, a crowd of some 50 people assembled on Moritz Forest Conservation Land, formerly known as “Wetherbee Woods,” to celebrate the grand opening of the trail system on this newly preserved conservation land.
They were joined by the stars of the show, “Phil” and “Kent”, a pair of Randall oxen owned by Natalie and Norm Delorey, former owners of the property. The attendees were entranced by these beautiful and docile beasts, and were treated to a demonstration of how the team worked easily to Norm’s commands..
After traveling partway up the new trail, a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony was held, hosted by Town Manager John Mangiaratti. Mangiaratti thanked the various groups that made the land acquisition possible, including the Town of Acton voters who approved the purchase using Community Preservation funds; the Acton Conservation Trust (ACT) who initiated and promoted the project and conducted a fundraising campaign; and the Sudbury Valley Trustees (SVT), who have agreed to hold the perpetual conservation restriction on the land. He also gave a nod to Ian Bergemann, who wrote the successful proposal to the Commonwealth LAND (Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity) grant program.
Select Board Member Alissa Nicol spoke for the Board and noted that adding these 33 acres to the adjacent Wetherbee Conservation land created a “Hundred Acre Wood,” an allusion to the fictional setting of A.A. Milne’s “Winnie-The-Pooh” stories. Susan Mitchell-Hardt of the Acton Conservation Trust thanked all for the hard work of making the sale happen, and Meredith Houghton of SVT added her congratulations to ACT as well as the Town. Houghton also pointed out that this property completes the preservation of a natural corridor along the Nashoba Brook, now running from Brook Street to the Concord border and following the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
Lastly, Henry Lease, from the office of State Representative Simon Cataldo, presented a legislative citation from the House of Representatives to the Town of Acton recognizing the importance of this acquisition. He also cited the important role paid by a $500,000 LAND (Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity) grant from the Commonwealth. After the remarks, conservation agent Olivia Barksdale cut the ribbon.
After the speeches, the group proceeded up the trail and were treated to the newly created 0.9 mile trail, going past several vernal pools and old farm roads. The Deloreys led Phil and Kent, their oxen, on a parallel path through the woods – showing how farm animals were part of the earlier landscape.
Susan Mitchell-Hardt is the president of the Acton Conservation Trust.