Saturday, September 15, 2007

Mastodon

Stamp carved by Dale End Farm
Box planted by Mim

Driving directions can be found here


The Carlstrom II Forest is managed by The New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF). NEFF is dedicated to providing for the conservation and ecologically sound management of privately owned forestlands in New England, throughout the Americas and beyond.

This mission encompasses:

* Educating landowners, foresters, forest products industries, and the general public about the benefits of forest stewardship and multi-generational forestland planning.
* Permanently protecting forests through gifts and acquisitions of land for the benefit of future generations.
* Actively managing Foundation lands as demonstration and educational forests.
* Conservation, through sustainable yield forestry, of a working landscape that supports economic welfare and quality of life.
* Supporting the development and implementation of forest policy and forest practices that encourage and sustain private ownership.

NEFF is today recognized as a leader in conserving working forests, educating the public about forestry, and assisting landowners in the long-term protection and sustainable management of their properties. NEFF is “green certified” under Forest Stewardship Council guidelines. NEFF manages 128 demonstration forests, totaling more than 23,000 acres. NEFF also holds 116 conservation easements protecting 1,136,000 acres. NEFF participates in a variety of forest policy discussions and activities that affect landowners and property managers in New England.

For more info: http://www.newenglandforestry.org/



**Bring your own ink**

1 hour, hilly

Northborough's Mastodon

A rich strike in mastodon teeth took place in Northboro in 1884 when the hired hands of farmer William U. Maynard were digging a drainage ditch in a hayfield and clunked against some teeth fifteen times larger than that of a horse or cow. The teeth were pronounced to be the authentic remains of Mastodon americanus by Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. Intensified digging revealed no more teeth, but a brown human skull eighteen feet away. Rumors of an early folktale about a murdered traveling man appeared, and the Clinton Courant asked pointed questions: "Did the man kill the mastodon, or did the mastodon kill the man? If the man first killed the beast, what destroyed the man? If the beast first killed the man, what destroyed the beast?, or was it an “affair of honor,” fatal to both biped and quadruped? Did either slip in that Northboro pasture, fall, strike a Northboro boulder and break his neck in an attempt to annihilate his adversary—and if so, who and which?” Harvard ruled that the skull was that of an Indian female, not long in the peat and of no association with the mastodon.

Clues
Finding the trail head is the trickiest part of this hunt. The trail head is on the North side of Main Street in Northborough, about 0.4 miles west of Davis Rd, Northborough and about 0.5 miles east of Spring Street in Shrewsbury. There is a large kiosk- looking sign there, set at the tree line, that says "New England Forestry Foundation Carlstrom II Forest." There is no obvious parking area. Pull up onto the grass in front of the sign.

Facing the sign, the trail entrance is about 25 steps to the left. You’ll be following the blue dots on the Jubilee Trail. This trail loops through a diverse hardwood forest that is characteristic of central New England. Some trees, representative of different varieties, have been identified. Go left up the hill to start the loop. (Black Oak) Cross the dirt road and reenter the woods at the blue dot. (Pignut Hickory) Eventually a stone wall will come up on your left which you will parallel for a while until the path veers to the right. You’ll cross a log bridge and climb up a rocky path, and continue going gradually up (White Oak), up ( Black Birch), up. At a level spot there will be a large rock outcropping on the right. Continue going up and further, on the right, you’ll see a glacial erratic, a 3-4 foot rounded boulder, sitting on some vertically striated rock.

Now start to go down hill. Enjoy walking down hill while you can. After a while spy a red barn to the left, over the stone wall and through the trees. Further on there will be a weathered lean-to on the left. Cross the road, reentering the woods at the blue dot. In a while you’ll be walking along a ledge with its drop-off to your left. Start walking back up hill, still along the ledge. Pass the rock in the path that has 2 blue dots painted on it. When you come to the second blue dot on a tree, pull out your compass and look north. See the 3-trunked oak tree with the nice rectangular rock at its base? Look on the far side where the tree meets the rock. Enjoy a seat as you stamp in. Please make sure to tuck the box in well with leaves when you’re done.

Continue on the trail in the direction you were going, following the blue dots, (Sugar Maple) to finish the loop and return to your car.

If you'd like to join a fun group of Grateful Letterboxers, click here.
As with all of our letterboxes, we encourage feedback so that letterboxers will enjoy the hunts, and not get frustrated by poorly written clues or unintended hazards.


NOTE: Before you set out you must read and agree to the Waiver of Responsibility and Disclaimer.

1 comment:

Claude said...

Watch out for the crazed rooster that lurks in the area!