About the Property

Horse Meadows Knoll sits adjacent to the Horse Meadows Reservoir, which is now a beautiful naturalized pond. The property is forested with a mixture of hardwood species, white pine, and hemlock, and it provides habitat for multiple endangered species.

The Harvard Conservation Trust (HCT) and SVT worked together to protect this land. HCT owns the land, and SVT holds a conservation restriction. SVT manages the land and worked with HCT to create hiking trails that offer beautiful views of the reservoir and its associated wetlands.

Learn more about how SVT and HCT worked together to protect this property

Features of Note

• This drumlin-shaped knoll rises about 140 feet above the parking area.
• Old cart paths and the driveway to a house that once sat on the knoll contribute to the trail system.
• The rich soils on the lower slope near Sherry Road host some unusual plants for our area, including American basswood. Wild columbine grows on some of the rock ledges.
• The headwaters of Elizabeth Brook, a main tributary of the Assabet River, are partially located on the property
• Beaver are active at the pond and along the stream that meanders through the property.
• Look for their lodge in the center of the pond as you walk along the trail.
• Scarlet tanagers, eastern wood-pewees, and other birds of the deep forest find essential habitat here. Great blue herons nest in the treetops above the pond.