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Vol. 3, No. 2
Friday, May 10, 2002
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Welcome to the Dolan Pond News, a publication of Friends of Dolan Pond, a local organization that promotes the protection and preservation of the Dolan Pond Conservation Area in West Newton, MA. This rather loose organization has a website, www.dolanpond.org and an email address, "info@dolapond.org". If you are interested in the organization, please contact Ted Kuklinski at 617-969-6222, write to Friends of Dolan Pond, 24 Henshaw Terrace, West Newton, MA 02465, or send email to info@dolanpond.org. If you wish to be removed, simply reply to this email with the word remove in the subject or body of the reply.
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There was a meeting of the CDBG West Newton Advisory Committee on Thursday evening, April 18th at the Newton Community Service Center. One of the main topics was the status of the Dolan Pond project funded by CDBG for new walkways and improvements. The meeting was attended by a number of residents from the Dolan Pond neighborhood. The following account was provided by Dee Spiro, the CDBG planner for West Newton. For questions about the meeting or the Dolan Pond project, please contact Dee at (617) 552-7136 x 118 or at dspiro@ci.newton.ma.us.
"Bob Davis Sr. raised the issue of the brook that runs to Larking Road and whether it should be cleaned out. Discussion centered on whether cleaning out the brook would lower the water levels in the ponds and mosquito control. Helen Heyn suggested that the attendees call David Henley at East Middlesex Mosquito Control as this issue is overseen by the Health Department. Dee updated everyone that 9 bids were received and that the contract has been awarded to Liberty Siteworks, who had the lowest price for the base job and alternate #1 (observation deck at Dolan Pond). Once the contract is signed, work can begin. We're hoping for a start date on the construction sometime in May. Dee updated the group that the actual width of the observation deck at Quinn Pond will be six feet instead of five in order to better accommodate people in wheelchairs. She also told the group that the stabilized stonedust color they selected may not be available but that a similar one (if available) will be used instead."
There may be a meeting this summer to get an update on progress at Dolan Pond and the other CDBG funded projects.
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On an early April Sunday morning, I had the opportunity to go traipsing in the ponds of the Dolan Pond Conservation area with Jonathan Regosin, a doctoral candidate at Tufts and our local vernal pool expert. Vernal pools are not stream fed, have no fish, and may dry up but on the other hand host a number of creatures not found in other environments. He had expressed an interest in seeing what sort of creatures could be found in the ponds. Wearing high waders and equipped with a net and bucket, he traversed the four ponds. He found a large number of tadpoles in Dolan Pond. AT first, he thought that they might be Wood Frogs (which are a strong indicator of vernal pools) but after consulting some references, believed them to be American Toad tadpoles. These are the tiny toads that may be found on the paths (particularly near Dolan Pond) in June. He found a Green Frog tadpole in Quinn Pond. Banana Pond is the deepest of the ponds and Jon thought this might be very suitable habitat for salamanders with the overhanging tree branches dipping in the water. He may come back again another time to search for egg masses. We took some pictures, with the goal of eventually getting the ponds certified as vernal pools. This could afford some additional protection to them.
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In the last issue we reported the early presence of Wood Ducks at Dolan and Quinn Ponds. On May 8, while looking out over Dolan Pond on the very handy stump path overlook (built by the environmental science camp last summer), it was a great delight to see Mother Wood Duck followed by 12 or 13 little Wood Duck chicks. Believe me they are very hard to count. The female Wood Duck is brownish with a very distinctive comet shaped white eye ring. She also tends to move her neck forward and backward. The chicks follow her closely and if one gets left behind it is amusing to see it run across the water to catch up with the group.
I think it is most likely that they nested in the house to the left of the Dolan Pond overlook. Upon inspection, some of the other houses are in need of some repair and maintenance. One of the ones at Quinn Pond had actually fallen down. The group has been seen more often in the recesses of Dolan Pond but this morning they traversed Banana Pond and made their way over to Quinn Pond. There is a real danger of predation by other creatures, in particular a snapping turtle. Two years ago, a successful brood was decimated by some predator. I would be interested in hearing any counts of the chicks over the next few weeks.
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May is the big season of bird migration at Dolan Pond. Birds on their way north often look for good resting stops along the way and Dolan Pond provides food, cover, and water. Birds such as warblers fly at night and land in the morning to regain their strength. They may stay over for a day or several days depending on the weather conditions. Going north, they tend to travel when the wind is blowing from the southwest. Cold and rainy weather or north winds tend to keep them in place.
Since Tuesday, the following warblers have been noted: Yellow Warbler and Common Yellowthroat (resident), Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler (beautiful orange head), and Northern Waterthrush (actually a warbler, not a thrush). We had Palm Warblers earlier in the season. In addition there was a Blue-headed Vireo (formerly know as the Solitary Vireo). Thrushes included a Veery and a wonderful singing Wood Thrush. We have Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, and several Baltimore Orioles. The loud and resident Carolina Wrens have recently been joined by House Wrens. The garrulous Gray Catbirds are quite numerous this year as always. There are more to be noted and over the next two weeks many more migrants may be expected. Any walk through Dolan Pond is bound to be interesting.
Recently a muskrat was noted swimming across Quinn Pond. Listen for the banjo pluck sound of the Green Frog at Dolan Pond and watch for the Painted Turtle sunning on the tire at the far end. If you see anything interesting, you are encouraged to report it. You can do so by simply replying to this email or calling Ted Kuklinski (d/e 617-969-6222). I will be at Dolan Pond on Saturday morning (May 11) at 8 am near the Webster Park entrance. Anyone is welcome to join me for a short informal bird walk through the area. So go take a walk at Dolan Pond soon! There are always surprises to be found if you just listen and watch.
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If you like nature walks, you may be interested in participating in one of the free walks sponsored by the Newton Conservators. Take a look at the list below. Of note is one on Sunday, Mother's Day at Nahanton Park on the other side of Newton led by Haynes Miller, an excellent bird leader. You may see him also sometimes in the morning scouting out Dolan Pond.
The following are remaining free walks in the Spring walk series sponsored by the Newton Conservators, Newton's open space advocacy organization. For more information on these and other Newton Conservators events, please contact Peter Kastner (617-244-6094, cpkastner@rcn.com) or visit www.newtonconservators.org.
The mix of woodlands, wetlands and meadows along the Charles River migration route make Nahanton a wonderful place for spring birding. Enter the park at the Nahanton St. entrance next to the river and meet at the Nature Center. Parking is available inside the park. Trip leader is Haynes Miller (617-527-0918, hrm@math.mit.edu) an experienced birder. Bring binoculars if you have them.
Created in the 19th century naturalistic style pioneered by Mr. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Newton Cemetery is beautifully landscaped. Join Doug Dickson (617-969-8661), past Conservators president and a member of Newton's Tree Commission, to view the specimen trees that have been planted there. Charles Maynard's grave will also be identified and his life's work discussed (see next item). Meet by the administration building just inside the main entrance on Walnut Street.
In celebration of the life of Newton naturalist Charles Maynard, we will take a walk through the Flowed Meadow Conservation Area which connects a large area of open space that runs along the Charles River from Commonwealth Ave. to Newton's recently capped landfill. It offers wetlands, uplands, small kettles and grassy edge habitats that are attractive to warblers, thrushes and other spring migrants. Join Conservator and long-time birder Ted Kuklinski (617-332-7753, dolanpond@aol.com) in a morning walk to find them! Meet at the far end of the Auburndale Park ("the Cove") parking lot on West Pine Street (off Freeman, off Lexington Ave.) Visit the the Jackson Homestead's current exhibit on naturalist Charles Maynard at 527 Washington Street, 617-552-7238.
Join us for this third annual weekend series of nature walks as we explore and catalog the diversity of living creatures in Newton as part of Massachusetts Biodiversity Days. The focus this year will be at Cold Spring Park including Dan Perlman's event below. In addition to bugs, there will be sessions devoted to birds, vernal pools, and plants and trees. If you would like to know more about the birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, bugs, butterflies, flowers, trees, or mushrooms of Newton, please consider participating. Contact Ted Kuklinski (617-969-6222, dolanpond@aol.com) for further informationor visit www.newtonconservators.org/biodiversity.htm.
Come explore the diversity of creatures that inhabit the leaf litter that covers the forest floor. Using shaker bags and boxes, you can search for millipedes, centipedes, sow bugs, snails, springtails, worms, nematodes, ants, beetles, and other creatures. With luck, you will find glowing firefly larvae and tiny but fierce pseudo-scorpions. Trip leader Dan Perlman (969-3047) taught conservation biology at Harvard for nine years and has created "Conserving Earth's Biodiversity", a CD-ROM, with Prof. E.O. Wilson of Harvard. Meet at Old Cold Spring Park, at the road that comes into the park from Dunklee Road. Ideal for kids and their families.
Newton's two aqueducts are of growing community interest, and Newton and the MWRA have recently begun working to plan their future as a more accessible open space. Explore the Sudbury & Cochituate Aqueducts, which run through rarely visited pinewoods and meadows. Meet in the parking lot of the Waban MBTA Station. Trip Leader: Peter Kastner (617-244-6094, cpkastner@rcn.com).
This walk will introduce you to the lower Charles River basin and its magnificent walkway with overlooks that the MDC completed just over a year ago. Meet in Watertown Square at the stone MDC pillars on Galen Street. Parking is available at the nearby MDC parking lot off Pleasant St. in Watertown, next to the Sasaki Landscape Office sign and MDC pool. Trip leader: Peter Kastner (244-6094, cpkastner@rcn.com).
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This newsletter is primarily published and distributed by email. If you wish to receive the newsletter or request to discontinue receiving the newsletter by email, please contact us as above. It is also posted in paper form on clipboards at the major entrances to the area. If you have any information, material, photos, poems, writings, etc. concerning Dolan Pond that you would like to share, please send them along. Please forward the email version along to anyone you know who might be interested in receiving it or ask them to send us an email to join our subscription list. Hope to see you at Dolan Pond soon!
Contents | Dolan Pond News | Home
Contents | Dolan Pond News | Home
Hope to see you at Dolan Pond soon!