About the Area

The Greater Callahan area spans about 20-square miles at the intersection of Framingham, Marlborough, Southborough, and Sudbury. The area is known for its rural landscapes and scenic farmlands.

The 800-acre Callahan State Park sits at the core of the region and includes seven miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and dog walking. The state park is surrounded by other conserved lands owned by the four municipalities as well as by nonprofit organizations such as Sudbury Valley Trustees and the Boy Scouts.

In 2000, representatives of the four communities, SVT, and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) were concerned that increasing development pressure could change the character of the area.

Together, we created a Greater Callahan Plan to identify additional parcels that should be prioritized for protection: lands with important wildlife habitats, healthy plants, and clean water.

Since then, approximately 450 additional acres in the region have been protected. But many beautiful landscapes and important wildlife habitats remain unprotected, and new development projects continue to threaten these natural areas.

SVT frequently works with the state, the four municipalities, private landowners, and other conservation partners to protect land in the Greater Callahan area. Current projects include Chickatawbut Woods in Framingham and the O’Donnell Property in Marlborough.

The following map shows many of the properties that SVT and the other project partners have conserved in the Greater Callahan area. The numbered properties are identifed below the map.

SVT Projects

Click the links to learn more and find trail maps for these properties.

SVT Reservations

• Baiting Brook-Welch (1)
• Henry's Hill and Wayside Forest (2)
• Hop Brook Natural Area (3)
• Memorial Forest (18)

SVT Conservation Restrictions

• Baiting Brook Meadow Farm (4)
• Nobscot Scout Reservation (5) (co-held with the Town of Sudbury)

Project Assistance

• Bay Circuit Trail (managed by the Bay Circuit Alliance and AMC)
• Wittenborg Woods (owned by the City of Framingham) (6) 

Other Conservation Lands

Department of Conservation and Recreation, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

• Callahan State Park (7)
• Marlborough-Sudbury State Forest (8)
• Hultman and Weston Aqueducts (9 - crossing Edgell Road in Framingham)
• Manages 124 acres of Nobscot Hill in Framingham
• Manages hundreds of acres on the east side of Sudbury Reservoir in Marlborough and Southborough (10)

City of Framingham

• Wittenborg Woods (including the former Snow Property) (6)
• Brimstone Property (conservation restriction) (11)

City of Marlborough

• Desert Conservation Land (12)
• Marlborough City Forest (13)

Town of Sudbury

• Hop Brook Marsh Conservation Land (14)
• Mahoney Property (17)
• Tippling Rock/Weisblatt Property (15) 
• Nobscot Scout Reservation (16)