Rock House Reservation

Rock House Reservation
Open Space Preserve
Rock shelter
Location	West Brookfield, Massachusetts

Biome	Ledges, Oak-hickory forest, wetlands

Founded	1993
Management	The Trustees of Reservations

Area	135-acre

Website: Rock House Reservation

The Rock House Reservation is a 196-acre (79 ha) open space preserve located in West Brookfield, Massachusetts. The property, acquired in 1993 by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations, is named for a natural rock shelter once used as a winter camp by Native Americans.Its location near two, long Native American footpaths suggests that it may also have been a trail camp and meeting place.

The Rock House Reservation is located off Massachusetts Route 9 and offers 3 miles (4.8 km) of hiking trails, an interpretive center, a butterfly garden, and scenic vistas. Boulder strewn Carter Pond occupies the center of the property. The reservation is open to hiking, picnicking, and cross country skiing. Horseback riding and mountain biking are allowed on certain parts of the property.

History

During the last ice age when the southern movement of the Wisconsin Glacier transformed the landscape producing unique rock formations and outcroppings. Today two glacially formed outcroppings are still present on the property. These formations are known as Balance Rock and the Rock House Shelter. After the ice age, archaeologists believe Native Americans used the Rock House Shelter as a winter camp, trail camp and/or meeting place.

In the mid 17th century, the forests of West Brookfield were cleared by colonists for farming. In 1866, pastures around the Rock House were added to a 281-acre farm on Ragged Hill Road owned by William Adams whose family would tend the land for more than 125 years. During the first two decades of the 20th Century, Rock House was a popular stop on the "Copper Line", an electric trolley that ran between West Brookfield and Ware.

Visitors came to picnic in the abandoned pastures and explore this historic Native American landmark. Later the area was used as a country retreat by Arthur Carter, a family descendant of the Adams who owned the land since the mid-1800s. Arthur built a small cabin in 1930, today’s Trailside Museum, and created Carter Pond by building an earthen dam. The property was gifted to The Trustees of Reservations in 1993.

It is located next to the birthplace of suffragist Lucy Stone.

Ownership History

The Rock House Reservation was an anonymous gift, with endowment, in 1993 in memory of William Adams. Additional land was then purchased in 2002. The Rock House Reservation began with the gift of a conservation restriction to The Trustees of Reservations by an anonymous donor in 1977 followed by a donation of the fee interest in 1993, in memory of William Adams. The reservation was expanded by 58 acres in 2002 with the addition of 50 acres on the Reservation’s western border, which had been acquired from John Cregan and Donald Richards, and an additional 8 acres, west of the Cregan and Richards parcel, from Maurice Labbe.

Natural Resources

The Rock House reservation is located in the Lower Worcester Plateau/Eastern Connecticut Upland Ecoregion. Elevations at the Rock House range between 600 feet near its lowest elevation to more than 1,020 feet at its highest which makes up nearly the full range of elevation for the ecoregion. Rock outcrops and large surface boulders are common, and most are covered with lichens and ferns. The outcrop that gives the Reservation its name is among the largest and most dramatic.

Post agricultural second-growth mixed forest and conifer plantations cover much of the eastern half of the Reservation while an oak dominated forest, possibly containing primary forest, covers the western half. Carter’s Pond is a primary scenic feature near the center of the property. The two and a half acre pond is very shallow and was created in the 1920s or 1930s. A power line also bisects the Reservation creating early successional habitat. Several intermittent streams flow through the property, flowing south towards Route 9 and the Ware River. Woodland vernal pools are uncommon.

Carter Pond

Carter Pond is a relatively shallow pond, with an area of about 2.5 acres and a watershed of about 8 acres. The pond has a healthy riparian zone (characterized by woody trees and shrubs) and healthy shoreline vegetation (characterized by sedges, grasses, rushes). Both of these areas provide important habitat for dragonflies, damselflies, mammals and amphibians.

The pond has an average depth of 1 meter and soft substrate that is characterized by inorganic sediment and undecomposed organic matter. Sunlight reaches the bottom of the substrate 40% of the time. The pond has a healthy pH and alkalinity, low levels of nitrates, phosphates and dissolved oxygen and high levels of suspended solids. Biologically, there is a high diversity of macroinvertebrate and fish populations but a low diversity and of submerged and floating aquatic plants.

It is unusual that Carter Pond has a low diversity of submerged aquatic plants, because shallow ponds usually have plants growing from shore to shore. In the case of Carter Pond, plant growth and reproduction might be limited by low levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrient deficiencies may be caused by the pond’s small pond-to-watershed ratio and/or lack of nutrient inflow from an upstream source. In addition, it is possible that the spring that feeds Carter Pond is nutrient-poor, although additional water quality testing will be needed to confirm or disprove this theory.

Carter Pond’s low abundance of aquatic plants may be contributing to another problem the pond is experiencing: low dissolved oxygen. This is because dissolved oxygen often enters the water as a byproduct of aquatic-plant photosynthesis. Thus, low numbers of aquatic plants can limit the amount of dissolved oxygen that enters the water. Lack of aeration due to stagnant water and/or warm water temperatures could also contribute to the low levels of dissolved oxygen in Carter Pond.

Carter Pond is also experiencing high levels of inorganic sediment in the water column. A visual observation of sediment deposition on the north bank suggests that sediment might be eroding into the pond from the north shore after heavy rains. This deposition could be a problem because it limits transparency, decreases benthic habitat diversity, and builds up on the bottom of the pond.

Carter Pond is also dealing with a build-up of organic matter, such as leaves and sticks, on the bottom of the pond. It is currently unclear why this accumulation is greater than decay, but it could be a result of low pond turnover rates, low numbers of decomposer in the benthic environments, or low dissolved oxygen

Threats to Natural Resources

Erosion poses a major threat to this property along many of the trail. One of the trails most affected is the Fire Road, which is prone to erosion, which causes sediment to be deposited into Carter Pond. These deposits cause the siltation of the pond due which is impacts the aquatic ecosystem and could result in the eventual filling in of the pond. Recent repairs have helped to address erosion but anticipated impacts from climate change will make erosion on ongoing issue. Trail erosion is likely to increase because of recent intense thunder and rain storms, which have increased erosion.

Invasive plants are present but control efforts funded by the Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) over the past few years have helped control these species to the point that routine management should address future control needs. Knapweed is spreading along the power lines.

Deer also pose a threat to the natural resources at the reservation. When deer numbers are high, browsing pressures can impact forest regeneration and plant species composition. Current browsing pressures at Rock House do not appear to be obvious which could be due to surrounding lands and part of the Reservation which have been open to hunting.

Recreation

The property is open year round, sunrise to sunset, for hiking, horseback riding, cross country skiing, and hunting (in season). Hunting is only permitted on the part of the property which lies west of the Outer Loop. Fishing is strictly prohibited. Dogs are allowed, but must be kept under voice control or on a leash. Mountain Bikes and Horseback Riders are permitted on the fire road only. The reservation offers more than 3 miles of trails and throughout the property and has moderate hiking which can be strenuous in places.

References

Rock House Reservation. The Trustees of Reservations. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
Rock House. West Brookfield Historical Commission. Retrieved December 8, 2008.

External links

Protected areas of Massachusetts

Federal

National Historical Parks	Adams Blackstone River Valley Boston Lowell Minute Man New Bedford Whaling

National Historic Sites	Boston African American Frederick Law Olmsted John Fitzgerald Kennedy Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters Salem Maritime Saugus Iron Works Springfield Armory

Other National Park Service Units	Appalachian National Scenic Trail Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area Cape Cod National Seashore

National Wildlife Refuges	Assabet River Great Meadows Mashpee Massasoit Monomoy Nantucket Nomans Land Oxbow Parker River Silvio O. Conte Thacher Island

Other	Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve West Hill Dam (USACE)

State Parks

Parks	Alewife Brook Ames Nowell Ashland Bash Bish Falls Blackstone River and Canal Heritage Borderland Boston Harbor Islands Bradley Palmer C. M. Gardner Callahan Castle Island State Park Chicopee Memorial City Square Clarksburg Cochituate Connecticut River Greenway Demarest Lloyd Dighton Rock Dunn Ellisville Harbor Fall River Heritage Gardner Heritage Great Brook Farm Halibut Point Hampton Ponds Holyoke Heritage Hopkinton Lake Lorraine Lake Wyola Lawrence Heritage Lowell Heritage Lynn Heritage Massasoit Maudslay Moore Mount Holyoke Range Natural Bridge Nickerson Pearl Hill Pilgrim Quinsigamond Robinson Roxbury Heritage Rutland Skinner South Cape Beach Wahconah Falls Webb Memorial Wells Western Gateway Heritage Whitehall Wompatuck

Reservations	Beaver Brook Belle Isle Marsh Blue Hills Breakheart Charles River Chestnut Hill Cutler Dorchester Shores Elm Bank Fort Phoenix Hammond Pond Hemlock Gorge Horseneck Beach Jug End Lynn Shore Middlesex Fells Mount Everett Mount Greylock Mount Sugarloaf Mount Tom Myles Standish Mystic River Nahant Beach Nantasket Beach Nasketucket Bay Neponset River Pope John Paul II Purgatory Chasm Quincy Quarries Quincy Shore Revere Beach Rumney Marsh Salisbury Beach Sandy Point Scusset Beach Stony Brook Upper Charles River Wachusett Mountain Walden Pond West Island Weymouth Wilson Mountain

Other	Appalachian Trail Ashuwillticook Rail Trail Cape Cod Rail Trail Fort Revere Lake Dennison Recreation Area Lower Neponset River Trail Nashua River Rail Trail Norwottuck Rail Trail Quabbin Reservoir Southwest Corridor Park Squantum Point Park Streeter Point Recreation Area Sudbury Reservoir Wachusett Reservoir Ware River Watershed Area

State Forests

Wildlife Management Areas

Wildlife Management Areas	Agawam Lake Agawam Mill Pond Ashby Ashfield Hawley Attitash Ayer Game Farm Baddacook Pond Bakers Pond Bay Circuit Trail Bearse Pond Becket Bennett Birch Hill Black Brook Blackstone / West River Bolton Flats Boxboro Station Brayton Point Salt Marsh Breakneck Brook Brewer Brook Bullock Ledge Burrage Pond Canoe River Catamount Chalet Chase Garden Creek Salt Marsh Childs River Chockalog Swamp Church Homestead Clapps Pond Clinton Bluff Concord River Connecticut River Cook Pond Copicut Coy Hill Crane Pond Cummington Cusky Pond Dartmoor Farm Darwin Scott Memorial Day Mountain Deerfield River Dogfish Bar Beach Coastal Dolomite Ledges Dunstable Brook E. Kent Swift Eagle Island East Mountain Eastham Salt Marsh Elbow Meadow English Salt Marsh Eugene D. Moran Facing Rock Fairfield Brook Farmington River Fish Brook Fisherville Pond Fisk Forestdale Lot Fisk Meadows Five Mile River Flagg Swamp Flint Pond Four Chimneys Fox Den Fox Island Salt Marsh Frances A. Crane Freetown Swamp George L. Darey Housatonic Valley Glen Echo Lake Gosnold Grassy Pond (Dennis) Grassy Pond (Plymouth) Green River (Franklin County) Green River (Berkshire County) Greenfield River Halfway Pond Hamilton Hancock Harlow / Cooks Pond Haskell Swamp Hauk Swamp Hawksnest State Park Hawley Head Of The Plains Herman Covey High Ridge Hinsdale Flats Hiram H. Fox Hockomock Swamp Hog Pond Lot Honey Pot Hoosatonic River Hoosic River Hop Brook Housatonic River Hubbard Brook Hunting Hills Hyannis Ponds Ipswich River John J. Kelly Joint Base Cape Cod Jug End Fen Jug End Kampoosa Fen Katama Plains Knops Pond Konkapot River Lackey Pond Lake Lorraine Lake Rohunta Lake Snipatuit Lake Warner Lanesboro Lawrence Brook Lawrence Pond Lot Leadmine Leyden Lilly Pond Little Alum Pond Long Sought For Pond Maple Hill Maple Springs Martha Deering Martin H. Burns Mascuppic Lake Mashpee Pine Barrens Mashpee Pond Lot Mashpee River Mckinstry Brook Meetinghouse Swamp Merrill Pond Miacomet Heath Mill River Millers River Mine Brook Montague Plains Montague Moose Brook Moose Brook Moose Hill Mossy Pond Mount Watatic Reservation Mt. Esther Mt. Toby Highlands Mt. Toby Mt. Tom Muddy Brook Muddy Pond Mulpus Brook Nashua River Natty Brook Nemasket River Nissitissit River Noquochoke Nordeen Marsh North Brookfield North Shore Salt Marsh Northboro Oakham Olivers Pond Orange Otis Packard Pond Palmer Pantry Brook Pauchaug Brook Peru Peterson Swamp Phillipston Podunk Marsh Poland Brook Popple Camp Popponesset Beach Poutwater Pond Powell Brook Prince River Provincetown Route 6 Corridor Purchade Brook Quaboag Quacumquasit Quag Pond Bog Quashnet River Quashnet Woods State Reservation Quinapoxet River Quinsigamond Marsh Quisset Raccoon Hill Rainbow Beach Red Brook Richardson Robbins Pond Rochester Rocky Gutter Rowe Salisbury Salt Marsh Salisbury Salt Marsh Sandwich Game Farm Sandy Pond Satan's Kingdom Savage Hill Savoy Sawmill River Scorton Creek Coastal SE Mass Bioreserve Sevenmile River Shattuck Brook Sheperds Island Shubael Pond Sibley Brook Sly Pond South Barrier Beach South Meadow Pond South Shore Salt Marsh South Triangle Pond Southampton Southwick Spectacle Pond Springhill Lot Sputtermill Pond Squannacook River Stafford Hill Sudbury River Sunderland Islands Taconic Mountain Taunton River Taunton River Tekoa Mountain Thad Ellis Thayer Pond Three Mile Pond Townsend Townsend Hill Trapfall Brook Triangle Pond Tully Brook Tully Mountain Tully River Wakeby Pond Wales Walnut Hill Ware River Warwick Wendell West Meadows Westboro Westfield River Westfield Weymouth Back River Whately Great Swamp Whately Ponds Whately Wilbraham Game Farm William Forward Williams River Williamsburg Winimusset Wolf Swamp

Wildlife Sanctuaries	Billingsgate Island Carr Island E. Howe Forbush Egg Rock Grace A. Robson J.C. Phillips Knight Penikese Island Ram Island (Salisbury) Ram Island (Mattapoisett) Susan B. Minns Tarpaulin Cove Watatic Mountain

The Nature Conservancy

Black Pond Bog Boat Meadow Francis Newhall Woods Grassy Pond Greene Swamp Halfway Pond Island Hawley Bog Hockomock Swamp Hoft Farm Homer-Watcha Preserve Katama Plains McElwain-Olsen Miacomet Moors Reed Brook Drury Sandy Neck David H. Smith Preserve and Fire Trail Stacy Mountain Tatkon

Trustees of Reservations

Audubon Society Wildlife Sanctuaries

Arcadia Broad Meadow Brook Broadmoor Daniel Webster Drumlin Farm High Ledges Ipswich River Moose Hill North River Pleasant Valley Stony Brook Wachussett Meadow Wellfleet Bay

Other

Concord Land Conservation Trust Harvard Forest Lincoln Land Conservation Trust Lloyd Center for the Environment Lynn Woods Reservation Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary

Category
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Commons

Coordinates: 42°16′11.0″N 72°11′49.9″W / 42.269722°N 72.197194°W / 42.269722; -72.197194

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