Expand your ken of our local ecosystems.

• Improve your wildlife identification skills.
• Record our local fauna and flora diversity.
• Check out Signal Hill, the Trustees of Reservations’ latest land acquisition.

What to bring: Enthusiasm (bug repellent, sun block, a hat and a camera are optional)

How to get there: Take I-95/Rt. 128 exit 13 onto University Avenue. Proceed through large industrial park to traffic light at Canton St. Turn left on Canton St., cross Neponset River and take immediate right onto University Rd. Proceed through office park. Park on right just before the last building.

Signal Hill is a hidden gem offering a unique natural experience, all the more worthy for being situated within a swath of surburban development. This 150-acre property of woods, wetlands, and open fields features a modest 188-foot summit with outsized views of Great Blue Hill. Signal Hill also boasts substantial frontage on the Neponset River, with canoe and kayak access. The property offers a glimpse into the region’s ancient history, having served as a seasonal habitation for paleo-Americans who settled what would become the Neponset River Valley as the last glacier retreated. The reservation, situated as it is between the Blue Hills and the Neponset River Valley, attracts a variety of hawks riding thermal drafts, as well as songbirds that find shelter and nesting places within the woods and wet areas. The river habitat is home to frogs, turtles, and other amphibians.

Fees: Free to all.
Notes:
Telephone: 781-784-2986
E-mail: lauenstein@comcast.net