Additional Wildlife Sanctuaries in Greater Boston
Mass Audubon’s wildlife sanctuary network in Greater Boston includes 9 properties. Of these, 7 are ready to be explored with marked trails, maps, and signage. At Boston Nature Center (Mattapan), Blue Hills Trailside Museum (Milton), Habitat Education Center (Belmont), Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary (Natick), Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary (Lincoln), and the Museum of American Bird Art (Canton) you will also find nature centers with naturalists to help inform your experience. You can also visit Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary (Hopkinton).
The other 3 wildlife sanctuaries (listed below) are conserved lands that provide valuable habitats, are ecologically managed, and regularly monitored but not yet "prepared for the public" to visit. We are working to prepare more of our wildlife sanctuaries for public visitation and we will update these pages as as marked trails, parking areas, maps, and signage are provided at these sites.
Brewster's Woods Wildlife Sanctuary, Concord
131 acres
Location
Brewster’s Woods Wildlife Sanctuary is situated along the banks of the Concord River, bordered to the west by Monument Street and to the south by Ball’s Hill Road and the October Farm Riverfront conservation property (Town of Concord / Concord Land Conservation Trust). The property was formerly part of the country homestead of William Brewster (1851-1919), an early leader in American ornithology, curator at Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, and the first President of Mass Audubon. The property includes a private residence used for Mass Audubon staff housing.
Conservation Features
The site is predominantly forested with extensive wetlands on the eastern side and smaller wetlands throughout. Two sizeable meadows provide some open habitat in addition to lawns near the buildings. The floodplain forest along the Concord River is the most significant natural community found on the property. A wetland impoundment area was apparently created by William Brewster to provide habitat for ducks and other water birds.
Nearby Places to Explore
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary (Lincoln)
Farrar Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, Lincoln
16 acres
Location
Farrar Pond Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in a residential area, bordered to the north by Route 117 (South Great Road) and to the south by Farrar Pond. The property includes a private residence used for Mass Audubon staff housing, but a public walking trail through the wildlife sanctuary connects with trails in town and other nearby conservation lands.
Conservation Features
Most of the wildlife sanctuary consists of upland forest with a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees. Although the habitat types present at Farrar Pond are not rare, the mixed forest is of relatively high quality, having few non-native species present and closely resembling oak-hemlock-white pine natural community type as described by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
Nearby Places to Explore
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary (Lincoln)
Weld Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, Dedham
13 acres
Location
Weld Pond Wildlife Sanctuary is bordered to the west by the I-95/Route 128 corridor, to the east and south by Weld Pond, and to the north by private residences. It is approximately 300 feet south of the 213-acre Wilson Mountain Reservation, owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Conservation Features
The wildlife sanctuary is entirely forested. The forest cover is largely dominated by native oaks, although scattered white pines are present in the eastern portions of the wildlife sanctuary. Except for along the western and northern boundaries of the wildlife sanctuary few non-native plants are present. It serves as an island of largely undisturbed wildlife habitat within the densely developed I-95/Route 128 beltway.
Nearby Places to Explore
Boston Nature Center (Mattapan) • Blue Hills Trailside Museum (Milton) • Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary (Natick) • Museum of American Bird Art (Canton) • Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary (Sharon)