Ecological assessment for Indigenous Lands
CLIENT | Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band
LOCATION | Sunderland and Leverett, MA
DATE | 2024
CW has been privileged to work with Indigenous groups in Massachusetts on land issues over the past several years. Recently, the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band (Cheryll Holley, sonsq), engaged CW to carry out a 1-1/2 year ecological assessment of two significant properties near the Connecticut River. W.D.Cowls, Inc, conveyed the first 500 acres consisting of three parcels on Mount Toby in Sunderland and Leverett, to the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band in 2024. Plans for conveying a second 500 acres on Joshua Hill and part of Leverett Pond in Leverett are in the works. The inventories included wildlife and breeding bird surveys and examinations of vernal pools, ponds, forests, geology, human history, and other land characteristics. The Band is developing long-range plans to conduct traditional stewardship on both lands, and a Nipmuc work crew has been collecting additional land information to supplement CW’s reports.
Services Provided
Detailed surveys and mapping of wildlife and plant species present on the specific properties, including the following:
- Canopy and understory trees, shrubs, and ground cover flora
- Wildlife habitat features including cavity trees, coarse woody debris, seeps, banks, dens
- Bird surveys – breeding, migratory, resident, and overwintering birds
- Snakes, turtles, amphibians
- Butterflies and odonates
- Large and small mammals
Evaluations of plant and wildlife habitat including consideration of large and small scale vegetative structure and composition, presence or absence of localized habitat features (for example cavity trees, seeps, rock dens, and sphagnum wetlands) and connectivity to surrounding lands.
Prescribing and recommending appropriate measures for the management of fields, early successional areas, forests, and wetlands.
Locating and documenting populations of exotic invasives, recommending control procedures, and conducting follow-up assessment of populations.
Documenting rare plant and animal species incorporating field work and Natural Heritage and Endangered Species records.
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- Presenting information in public forums about various land protection means and programs, when they are best used, how to obtain tax and survey information, and other details to improve organizational capacity for conservation.
- Conducting guided walks through local natural areas and other properties of interest, focusing on wildlife, flora, birds, forest conditions, and habitat variations.
- Developing and running training sessions on many conservation topics, including:
- Vernal pools
- Animal tracking
- Forest stewardship
- Local flora, birds, and wildlife
We’re here to make conservation work for you!
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