Covered Bridge #3 LbNA #54585 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jul 10, 2010 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Pepperell |
| County: | Middlesex |
| State: | Massachusetts |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Planted by: | MrPink  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | grammyandgrumpy |
| Last found: | May 24, 2011 |
| Status: | FFFr |
| Last edited: | Jul 10, 2010 |
This box is under repair and will be updated when replanted.
This is the third in a series of four boxes to commemorate Pepperell's charming covered bridge.
Skill level: EASY. Short walk on easy trail with little vertical climb.
Time Needed: Less than 30 minutes
Some information about Heald Orchard:
This 80-acre town-owned property was once a working apple orchard and still grows apples, although it is no longer maintained as such. Feel free to try some apple, but please be careful of the trees. You can walk along grass lanes through the orchard, check out the frog pond and look for turtles, and then follow other paths through the woods to a small, sandy opening on the back side of Heald Pond. You can connect to the Jeff Smith Trail as well.
The orchard is past its prime for commercial fruit production; however, it still provides many benefits to the community, including water quality protection, wildlife habitat and recreation. The orchard landscape has been slowly reverting to early successional habitat. In the ever-changing landscape of succession, grasslands are overtaken by woody species developing into shrublands; tree species then spread seed and succeed into forest. Early successional habitat is declining in our region due to urbanization. Managing early successional habitat and diversity of landscape is becoming increasingly important for wildlife. The property is now being maintained as a mosaic of orchard, grassland and early forest habitats through active and passive management techniques. Approximately 18 of the acres of apple trees have been cut to create a grassland habitat for the benefit of wildlife. (This project is funded through a grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program.)
Birds at the Orchard:
Many grassland and early successional birds use this rich habitat for breeding, while other birds nest nearby and forage in the orchard. The Pepperell birding community has compiled an extensive list of birds found in the orchard. Birds with declining population trends are birds of conservation concern. An extensive summary of birds observed in the orchard may be found at the town's website. Some of the birds of conservation concern in the orchard are as follows:
- Baltimore oriole
- Black-billed cuckoo
- Blue-winged warbler
- Chimney swift
- Northern parula
- Osprey
- Red shouldered hawk
- Savannah sparrow
- Scarlet tanager
Recreational Uses:
- Hiking (easy)
- Jogging
- Mountain Biking
- Cross-country skiing
- Apple picking
- Horseback riding
- Dog walking
Trail Map:
http://www.town.pepperell.ma.us/conservation/downloads/Pepperell_TrailMap_Map1.jpg
Very Basic Trail Map:
http://www.town.pepperell.ma.us/conservation/downloads/OrchardTrailMap.pdf
Directions: Find your way to the blinking light the corner of Main St. (Rt 113) and Park St. in Pepperell. You'll see the gray Town Hall building and a white churgh at this corner. Heald street is next to the church across from the grave yard. Go about 1.5 miles on Heald St. heading west and away from Pepperell Town Hall. The orchard will be on your left. Traveling in this direction, you will pass one entrance to the orchard before noticing the main entrance, which is on the western side of the Orchard. Look for the metal gate there. Park on the side of the road, next to, but not blocking the gate.
Clues: Walk past the metal gate and notice the trail head sign on your immediate left. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the trail map there. It's a hard place to get lost in. Walking in for only a few minutes you will come to a very tiny pond on your right. Take some time to enjoy the pond, you are nearly at your destination. Past the pond, about 50 yards up, there is a clump of trees in an intersection of several trails. Keeping these trees on your left, walking almost past them, you will see three white birch trees. At the base of the third one toward the back, you will find Covered Bridge #3. Please take care to fully hide and completely cover the box when you rehide it, as this spot may be more visible in fall and winter. Although this box is a quick find, take some time to walk around and explore the orchard including the areas around the larger Heald Pond toward the west. Note: Some of the trails at the far east side of the orchard have a lot of poison ivy present so it's recommended you stay on main trails in that area.
This is the third in a series of four boxes to commemorate Pepperell's charming covered bridge.
Skill level: EASY. Short walk on easy trail with little vertical climb.
Time Needed: Less than 30 minutes
Some information about Heald Orchard:
This 80-acre town-owned property was once a working apple orchard and still grows apples, although it is no longer maintained as such. Feel free to try some apple, but please be careful of the trees. You can walk along grass lanes through the orchard, check out the frog pond and look for turtles, and then follow other paths through the woods to a small, sandy opening on the back side of Heald Pond. You can connect to the Jeff Smith Trail as well.
The orchard is past its prime for commercial fruit production; however, it still provides many benefits to the community, including water quality protection, wildlife habitat and recreation. The orchard landscape has been slowly reverting to early successional habitat. In the ever-changing landscape of succession, grasslands are overtaken by woody species developing into shrublands; tree species then spread seed and succeed into forest. Early successional habitat is declining in our region due to urbanization. Managing early successional habitat and diversity of landscape is becoming increasingly important for wildlife. The property is now being maintained as a mosaic of orchard, grassland and early forest habitats through active and passive management techniques. Approximately 18 of the acres of apple trees have been cut to create a grassland habitat for the benefit of wildlife. (This project is funded through a grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program.)
Birds at the Orchard:
Many grassland and early successional birds use this rich habitat for breeding, while other birds nest nearby and forage in the orchard. The Pepperell birding community has compiled an extensive list of birds found in the orchard. Birds with declining population trends are birds of conservation concern. An extensive summary of birds observed in the orchard may be found at the town's website. Some of the birds of conservation concern in the orchard are as follows:
- Baltimore oriole
- Black-billed cuckoo
- Blue-winged warbler
- Chimney swift
- Northern parula
- Osprey
- Red shouldered hawk
- Savannah sparrow
- Scarlet tanager
Recreational Uses:
- Hiking (easy)
- Jogging
- Mountain Biking
- Cross-country skiing
- Apple picking
- Horseback riding
- Dog walking
Trail Map:
http://www.town.pepperell.ma.us/conservation/downloads/Pepperell_TrailMap_Map1.jpg
Very Basic Trail Map:
http://www.town.pepperell.ma.us/conservation/downloads/OrchardTrailMap.pdf
Directions: Find your way to the blinking light the corner of Main St. (Rt 113) and Park St. in Pepperell. You'll see the gray Town Hall building and a white churgh at this corner. Heald street is next to the church across from the grave yard. Go about 1.5 miles on Heald St. heading west and away from Pepperell Town Hall. The orchard will be on your left. Traveling in this direction, you will pass one entrance to the orchard before noticing the main entrance, which is on the western side of the Orchard. Look for the metal gate there. Park on the side of the road, next to, but not blocking the gate.
Clues: Walk past the metal gate and notice the trail head sign on your immediate left. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the trail map there. It's a hard place to get lost in. Walking in for only a few minutes you will come to a very tiny pond on your right. Take some time to enjoy the pond, you are nearly at your destination. Past the pond, about 50 yards up, there is a clump of trees in an intersection of several trails. Keeping these trees on your left, walking almost past them, you will see three white birch trees. At the base of the third one toward the back, you will find Covered Bridge #3. Please take care to fully hide and completely cover the box when you rehide it, as this spot may be more visible in fall and winter. Although this box is a quick find, take some time to walk around and explore the orchard including the areas around the larger Heald Pond toward the west. Note: Some of the trails at the far east side of the orchard have a lot of poison ivy present so it's recommended you stay on main trails in that area.