Myles Standish State Forest

Myles Standish State Forest
Massachusetts State Forest
Named for: Myles Standish
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Plymouth
Towns Carver, Plymouth
Elevation 144 ft (44 m) [1]
Coordinates 41°51′23″N 70°40′32″W / 41.85639°N 70.67556°W / 41.85639; -70.67556Coordinates: 41°51′23″N 70°40′32″W / 41.85639°N 70.67556°W / 41.85639; -70.67556
Area 12,029 acres (4,868 ha) [2]
Established Unspecified
Management Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
 - Park Headquarters Cranberry Road, Carver
 - coordinates 41°50′21″N 70°41′28″W / 41.83917°N 70.69111°W / 41.83917; -70.69111
Location in Massachusetts
Website: Myles Standish State Forest
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Myles Standish State Forest.

Myles Standish State Forest is state forest located in the towns of Plymouth and Carver in southeastern Massachusetts, approximately 45 miles (70 km) south of Boston. It is the largest publicly owned recreation area in this part of Massachusetts and is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).[3]

Description

The forest is part of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion and consists largely of pitch pine and scrub oak forests—at 26 square miles (67 km2), one of the largest such forests north of Long Island. The forest surrounds 16 lakes and ponds, including several ecologically significant coastal kettle ponds. The Plymouth red-bellied turtle, an endangered species population found only in this area, exists in about twenty of the ponds of the state forest and the adjacent Massasoit National Wildlife Refuge.

Activities and amenities

Recreational uses include swimming, hunting, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and picnicking. Day-use areas are found at College Pond and Fearing Pond. Hunting is allowed during the season, and two Wildlife Management Areas within the forest are stocked with game birds in October and November. In the summer, the park offers interpretive programs, such as pond shore walks and cranberry bog explorations.[3]

Trails

The forest offers fifteen miles (24 km) of paved bicycle trails, thirty-five miles (56 km) of horse trails, and thirteen miles (21 km) of hiking trails. The "Bicycle Trails of Carver" were included in the Massachusetts Department of Travel and Tourism's list of 1000 great places in Massachusetts.[4]

Camping

Camping is offered at five sites, four of which are located at ponds: Curlew Pond, Fearing Pond, Charge Pond, Barrett Pond. A portion of the Charge Pond area is set aside for equestrian camping.

Ponds

The follow table lists the ponds and recreational activities available at each in Myles Standish State Forest.[5]

Pond Name   Size
(acres)
  
Maximum
Depth
(feet)
  
Location in
forest
  
Swimming    Fishing   Boating  
Barrett 16 17 Southwest yes†† yes yes
Bumps 204EastNo AccessNo AccessNo Access
Charge 2317Southyesyesyes
Cherry 2-North-centralLALALA
College 5324Centralyes††yesyes
Curlew 4331Northwestyes††yesyes
Doctors23SoutheastNFANFANFA
East Head Reservoir8610SouthwestNPBoat Onlyyes
Fearing 2420South-centralyes††yesyes
Grassy 3-SoutheastNPNPNP
Hooper 3-North-centralNPNPNP
Little College 3-North-centralNFANFANFA
Little Widgeon 75NorthwestLALALA
Manters Hole 2-NorthwestNPNPNP
New Grassy 64SoutheastLAyesLA
New Long 236CentralNFAyesyes
Rocky 2019NorthwestNFAyesyes
Round1012CentralLALALA
Three Cornered 144CentralLALALA
Torrey 34CentralNPNPNP
Widgeon 2412NorthwestNFAyesyes

East Head Reservoir is owned by the Davison Partners. The property line is located six rods (99 feet) from the high-water mark around the Reservoir. ††Public swimming area was posted for elevated bacteria levels during the 2010 swimming season. yes = FORMAL ACCESS is available for recreational activity. NFA = Recreational activity is permitted, but NO FORMAL ACCESS is available. LA = LIMITED ACCESS for low impact recreational use is permitted, sensitive pond shore habitat. NP = Recreational access NOT PERMITTED, habitat protection area.

Scouting

Cachalot Scout Reservation, a Boy Scout camp, encompasses 880 acres (360 ha) surrounding Five Mile Pond adjacent to Myles Standish State Forest.[6] Camp Squanto is also located within Myles Standish State Forest[7] as is Camp Wind-in-the-Pines, a girl scout camp.[8]

Prison

A state correctional facility, MCI - Plymouth, is also located in Myles Standish State Forest.[9]

In the news

On May 14, 1977, according to the Plymouth Police Department records, Eric H. Anderson Jr. murdered Ruth Masters (née Ruth Rydberg) while she was riding her bike alone on an isolated trail in the park. He was later found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in Maine State Prison in Warren, Maine.[10]

References

  1. "Myles Standish State Forest". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "2012 Acreage Listing" (PDF). Department of Conservation and Recreation. April 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Myles Standish State Forest". MassParks. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  4. Great Places in Massachusetts Commission (July 12, 2010). "1,000 places to visit in Massachusetts". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  5. Myles Standish Planning Unit, Resource Management Plan (PDF), Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2011, p. 17
  6. "Camp Cachalot". Boy Scouts of America, Narragansett Council. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  7. "Camp Squanto". Old Colony Council. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  8. "Camp Wind-in-the-Pines". Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  9. "MCI-Plymouth". Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  10. Ellement, John (November 11, 2003). "Man guilty in 1977 murder". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 17, 2009.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, September 19, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.