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City wins grant to spruce up urban wild on Roslindale/Hyde Park line

Mayor Walsh's office reports the city has won a $250,000 federal grant to add climbing areas and trail markers and restore wetlands in the Sherrin Woods Urban Wild..

In the 1980s, Boston used another federal grant to buy the 24-acre woodland, which sits along the Northeast Corridor train tracks between Dale Street in Roslindale and Austin and Marston streets in Hyde Park.

Among the work the money will pay for: Two climbing areas at a prominent outcropping called Pine Rock. In a statement, Boston Parks and Recreation Commissioner Christopher Cook added:

For the first time, the City will formally invest in new trails and trailheads to improve its access and usability by the public, create a signage and wayfinding system to encourage users to explore the extensive trail system and install seating at scenic overlooks.

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Comments

I didn't even realize the Hancock Woods had a smaller, separately named woods abutting it. How do you access this area? Where is the entrance, off what road?

Also, it looks like the Leatherbee Woods are owned and run by the Trustees, a non-profit, as opposed to the city.

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It is owned by the city but it part of a Land Trust. It was managed by Boston Natural Areas Network which merged into The Trustees of Reservations. So it falls between the cracks. It very hard to find it referenced anywhere. It is no longer listed by the city.
https://www.boston.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/urban-wilds-west...

Hancock Woods is owned by the state since 1996 and is managed by DCR. It is actually two separate sites. There is a small parking lot by Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates for the first site.

And next to both is Blakeley Hoar Sanctuary which is owned by the city of Brookline. It is managed by Brookline's Conservation Commission. There is a nice boardwalk through the wetlands. The best place to park it by the Baker School and go down back,
http://www.brooklinegreenspace.org/pdf/Hoar.pdf
http://www.brooklinema.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Nature-Sanctuarie...

I think combined you have over 110 acres. The best way to find Leatherbee is to enter through the Hoar Sanctuary

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n/t

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I think that the DCR owns Hancock Woods. Leatherbee Woods was bought by the Boston Natural Areas Fund in their early days when they thought owning might be the best way to preserve urban wilds. We changed our name from Fund to Network after we learned that advocacy for government purchase could protect more land for less NGO money. BNAN was taken over by The Trustees in 2014. As a member the BNAN Board at the time, and a volunteer working with BNAN on dropped greenway and urban wilds activities, I do not consider that takeover to have been friendly.

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You should contact Brookline.

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Why Brookline if it is in Boston?

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Is Mahty going to do something bold? Something that's not a softball? Something that matters and inspires?
I was excited for a new chapter of Boston following Menino's service. Some new ideas and life being breathes into the city to lead us forward. So far.... YAWN!
Oh wait. There's GE. And this tax breaks. Next!

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Those of us who actually live near this area are pretty happy about this.

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Well, there is one big change that many will consider wonderful; adding 23,000 more housing units than Menino. What the heck, the Walsh wants to turn the the beautiful, friendly southwest suburban-like neighbors into the city. I bet people who grew up here, or moved into the neighborhoods, because they enjoy open space, yards and driveways. Imagine the whole of Boston creating 53,000 more housing units? I can't and it won't be to my liking.

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As one who has been running on the trails in this urban wild, I hope they smooth out the paths. There are rocks and roots popping out of the ground all over. One hot and humid day, I put my foot down in front of a rock, and momentum being what it is I ended up on the ground with blood coming (oozing, not squirting) from under my knee. My cleanup option was to either use water from my bottle or do nothing and drink said water. Again, it was hot and humid, so only a small cleanup, and yes, I did run the rest of the way home.

Anyway, it is a great spot, so I will be glad that it will be spruced up, regardless of my hopes.

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For God's sake please just get us a nice coffee shop and some decent take out places first. Make hyde park great again!

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There's some foot traffic, but not much. The streets are used more by locals. Putting it inside the urban wild will just create trash.

They could put one on the other side of the tracks on Providence Street, but still, only the people who work there woud patronize. Perhaps one a block further, at the strip mall on Hyde Park Ave, but there already is a Dunkin Donuts there.

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I didnt mean in that location. How about coffee or good take out in cleary square.

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