About Exploring Hop Brook Forest with Kestrel Land Trust
Last fall, the Valley heard the great news that Kestrel and The Trustees partnered to permanently conserve more than 2,000 acres of wild forest in the West Quabbin Region. These forests, previously owned by W.D. Cowls, are now named the Sarah Cowls Forest at Pelham Hills (1,094 acres of forest in Pelham and Shutesbury) and the Hop Brook Forest in Belchertown. This 1,050-acre forest adds to the 800+ acres that Kestrel has previously conserved with Belchertown.
This fall we are delighted to begin introducing you to these new places, starting at Hop Brook Forest with a guided hike on Saturday, November 14, 9:00-11:00 AM. We’ll be led in this exploration by Lee Halasz, Kestrel’s Conservation Manager, starting at Holland Glen Forest and then up into the new Hop Brook Forest and beyond, to Upper Gulf Forest.
During this moderately challenging loop hike, you’ll be immersed in the natural beauty of this forest, which includes the Hop Brook ravine with views of a series of waterfalls. With Lee—a marvelous birder and amateur naturalist—as your guide, you’ll enjoy some nature observations, and you’ll learn a bit about how landscape-scale conservation works.
Forests work best when they are ecologically connected. In Massachusetts, individual land parcels tend to be small, so there are many landowners to work with in order to protect large cores of land and to connect those cores across the landscape. As we walk through a variety of abutting conservation lands, you will hear more about the land protection projects that occurred in order to conserve this large swath of forested land.
NOTE: This 4-mile hike includes uneven terrain and some steep climbs, and is therefore not suitable for all abilities.
Registration required
Hosted by the Kestrel Land Trust and offered with sliding scale pricing
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