Metacomet Land Trust's hike series returns this fall with two more dates: Saturday, September 19, and Saturday, October 17. Both hikes begin at 8:30 a.m. at White Barn Farm on Route 1A (431 South St., Wrentham).

The route travels from the farm through recently protected farmland to adjacent town land, with options for a climb up Knuckup Hill and/or a loop around Trout Pond. Hikes run about an hour and end back at the farmstand, where breakfast is available for purchase from The Kitchen at White Barn.

The Metacomet Land Trust is a regional nonprofit organization that works to protect open space and natural resources in 15 south-central Massachusetts communities, including Wrentham.

Kelly Phelan, a Metacomet board member who organizes the hikes, said a recent outing turned up native plants including spicebush, sassafras, cinnamon fern, poison ivy, and white pine, along with invasive honeysuckle. Everyone is invited to join in.

Land now fully conserved

The hikes cross land that Wrentham voters voted to help protect at this spring's Town Meeting. According to Lisa Mosczynski, president of Metacomet Land Trust, that vote has since translated into permanent protection for the property.

Metacomet purchased two lots on Beach Street outright, with help from the town. A conservation restriction on that land is now held by Wrentham's Conservation Commission.

Separately, the town helped Metacomet purchase a conservation restriction on the White Barn Farm property itself. That restriction is co-held by the Conservation Commission and Metacomet Land Trust.

Mosczynski said finalizing both restrictions required signatures from three town bodies: the Conservation Commission, the Select Board, and the Community Preservation Commission. Both restrictions have now been recorded at the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, meaning the protections are permanent and will stay with the land regardless of future ownership.

Mosczynski said funding for the projects also included a state Forest Reserves grant and Mass Audubon's 30x30 Catalyst Fund.

Beyond Wrentham

Metacomet has applied a similar approach elsewhere. In Upton, the town had taken a 105-acre property known as Forest Heights for back taxes. Working with the Sudbury Valley Trustees, Metacomet helped permanently protect the land through a combination of private fundraising and a state grant. Because Upton already owned the property, Mosczynski said Community Preservation Commission funds could not be used for that project, unlike in Wrentham. The conservation restriction on the Upton land is co-held by Metacomet and the Sudbury Valley Trustees.

Metacomet has also brought on a new Community Engagement Coordinator through TerraCorps, an AmeriCorps program that places service members with land trusts and conservation groups across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Mosczynski said the coordinator, expected to start in early September, will help spread the word that Metacomet can assist other towns in protecting forests, farmland, and open space, following the models used in Wrentham and Upton. The TerraCorps program also supports stewardship work, such as trail maintenance and invasive species control, along with a garden program that provides fresh food to people in need.

For more information, visit metacometlandtrust.org.