As we head into summer with a renewed sense of hope and desire to explore, we invite you to celebrate Great Outdoors Month by discovering the diverse natural resources of Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area.
National Trails Day, a day of service and advocacy for hometown trails, is held annually on the first Saturday in June. Try out a new trail or find a volunteer opportunity by looking up your local land trust or trails group.
June is also National Rivers Month! Did you know that six rivers within the Heritage Area have received the federal designation of Wild & Scenic? Sections of them run through the region’s three National Wildlife Refuges (Assabet River, Great Meadows, Oxbow). Each offers unique opportunities for walking, paddling, and wildlife viewing.
However you choose to experience the great outdoors this month, we hope you will take a moment to reflect and give thanks to those who have worked, and are working, to protect and steward these lands for future generations to enjoy.
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A Closer Look—Jeffrey P. Smith + Beaver Brook Association
Born and raised outside of Boston, Jeffrey Poole Smith (1902-1988) spent many summers as a boy visiting family at Buttonwood Farm in rural Hollis, New Hampshire. After inheriting the property from his aunt Marion Nichols at the age of 21, he moved to Hollis and devoted the next four decades of his life to dairy farming. In retirement, he pursued his passion for conservation, horticulture, and civic service.
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Troubled by the rapid population growth in Hollis and surrounding communities, Jeff resolved to act. In 1964, he and his cousin Hollis P. Nichols established Beaver Brook Association as a nonprofit land conservation and environmental education organization. What started with Nichols’ donation of eighteen acres grew nearly a hundredfold over fifteen years as the two negotiated 86 land transactions, including the addition of 200 acres of Jeff’s land.
Today, Beaver Brook is one of the largest land trusts and nature-based education centers in southern New Hampshire and neighboring Massachusetts, encompassing nearly 2,200 acres. It features 35 miles of trails and 13 themed gardens, and offers public programming that enriches the lives of thousands of children and adults each year.
Jeff helped the Town of Hollis establish the first municipal conservation commission in New Hampshire, which petitioned the Governor in 1966 to stop the pollution of the Nashua River. The commission went on to encourage Massachusetts conservation commissions along the Nashua to do the same.
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Programs, Collections & Sites to Explore |
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Freedom's Way National Heritage Area
94 Jackson Rd, Ste 311, Devens, MA 01434
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Freedom's Way National Heritage Area is managed by
Freedom's Way Heritage Association, Inc., a 501(c)3
non-profit organization that works in partnership with the
National Park Service to promote the regional identity of
45 communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Freedom's Way National Heritage Area
94 Jackson Road, Suite 311, Devens, MA 01434
Copyright © 2020. All Rights Reserved.
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