Bridge Island Meadows

Bridge Island Meadows is an inaccessible 80-acre nature reserve owned by The Trustees of Reservations on the floodplains of the upper Charles River in Millis, Massachusetts. [http://www.boston.com/realestate/community/articles/2007/08/05/millis/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Real+Estate] "Boston Globe" Community Snapshot: Millis (August 5, 2007)] [http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/283_bridge_island_meadows.cfm] Trustees of Reservations: Bridge Island Meadows] The property was a 1974 gift from Dr. and Mrs. John D. Constable to the Trustees of Reservations.

Description

This wooded upland rises to the east above the floodplains of the Charles River where the intermittent waters of Bogastow Brook enter South End Pond. Lower terrain around this point is wetland, making access to Bridge Island Meadows extremely difficult. [http://www.visit-massachusetts.com/current_category.1197/current_advcategory.1143/companies_list_region.html?Advertiser_Region=3-9&region_page=metrowestboston] Paddling in MetroWest Boston] [ [http://www.paddlermagazine.com/issues/1998_5/destinations.html] "Paddler Magazine" 1998: "Canoeing Massachusetts's Waterways on the Lands of the Trustees of Reservations"]

Because it is surrounded by wetlands and is accessible only by boat, Bridge Island Meadows is a "private favorite of intrepid paddlers." [ [http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200705/sea.asp] Sierra Club International: Ten urban escapes, just a paddle stroke away] The town of Millis offers three canoe launch points into the Charles River near this eighty acre greenspace. One can approach the property by paddling a kayak or other small, maneuverable boat up the Charles River and turning west near the Medfield State Hospital up a small stream that leads to South End Pond. The passage to South End Pond through Bogastow Brook is even more challenging as it is a small, intermittent tributary that is thick with vegetation.

Boat landing is made made very difficult by the grasses and other plants that grow tall and thick but, according to the Trustees of Reservations, a "successful journey is rewarded by bushwhacking to a 130-foot tree-covered knoll at the south end of the Reservation offering glimpses of the surrounding floodplain." This isolated place is also of interest to birdwatchers. [ [http://www.virtualbirder.com/bmail/massbird/200804/13/index.html] Birding the upper Charles River, Medfield/Sherborn/Millis (virtualbirder.com)] [ [http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Mail/MassBird/267307] Massachussetts Birds:Birding the upper Charles River (surfbirds.com)]

The reservation is "open" all year, sunrise to sundown.

Upper Charles River Valley

The Trustees of Reservations protection on Bridge Island Meadows in its untamed state is a part of a collaborative effort between municipalities, non-profit organizations, and individuals committed to the "protection of the natural beauty and environmental value of the Upper Charles River Valley" From its source in Hopkinton, Massachusetts until it flows into Boston Harbor, the eighty-five mile long waterway is "one of the most beautiful and accessible of America's urban rivers."

Instituted in 2007, the annual “Summer in the Valley” photography contest sponsored by the Trustees of Reservations is open to photos taken at Bridge Island Meadows or any of fourteen other designated Trustees of Reservations properties in the Charles River Valley. The winners of the second annual contest (for which the deadline is 21 September 2008) will have their entries displayed in the public libraries of Dover and Medfield. [ [http://www.stellar-info.fr/latestnews.php?newslink=http://www.wickedlocal.com/needham/news/x853542743/Briefs-Aug-21] "Needham Times" (Tue Aug 19, 2008)] [ [http://www.bostoncentral.com/events/auditions/p5357.php] Boston Central, "Summer in the Valley Photo Contest"]

References

External Links

* [http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/283_bridge_island_meadows.cfm The Trustees of Reservations: Bridge Island Meadows]