North Hill Marsh

The Eastern Greenbelt is one of the largest contiguous portions of open space in Duxbury.  This property includes 1,000 acres of woodland and 100 acres of wetland.  This greenbelt is made up of several different parcels owned by several different public and private groups.  The Conservation Commission of Duxbury occupies the peripheral area surrounding Massachusetts Audubon's Sanctuary.  This area includes the Knapp Town Forest (the town oldest holding), the Waiting Hill Preserve (bought for aquifer protection in 1986), four town well sites (Mayflower I, II and Tremont I, II) and the North Hill acreage (land that had been farmed for 300 years, part of which is now the current North Hill Country Club).  This area stretches from Tinkertown almost to West Street and from the area behind Town Hall almost to Lincoln Street.

Room to Rejoice — Our Largest Open Space

North Hill Marsh, primarily a wildlife sanctuary, offers an alluring gauntlet of walking trails with sweeping water views, observation decks from which to spot herons, hawks, owls and water fowl beneath the quiet majesty to tall white pines.  North Hill Marsh is easy to find and offers the most extensive trails in the town.  The Pond Loop, which circles North Hill Marsh, provides delightful pond, cranberry bog and woodland views.  A section of the trail on the east-side of the marsh is part of the historic 1623 Green Harbor Trail between Plymouth and Marshfield.  From the parking lot, on the north side of Mayflower Street., the loop around the marsh is a brisk hour's hike.

Fredrick B. Knapp Town Forest

The Town Forest is an 80-acre stand of tall pines that lies along Mayflower St. about a half mile beyond the transfer station. In the 1880's Fredrick B. Knapp, Head Master of the Powder Point School for Boys, mathematician and conservationist, urged the town to set aside the land for town forest.  The town purchased land in August of 1929.  The land was named the Frederick B. Knapp Town Forest in 1933 as a memorial to Mr. Knapp who had served the town in many capacities for over 50 years.

The Knapp Town Forest is easily distinguishable from other North Hill areas because the white pines stand tall and orderly, forming a quiet, majestic canopy and allow for little undergrowth, just as Knapp, an early champion of forest fire prevention and Town Forester, had planned.

Waiting Hill Preserve

In 1986, following the Conservation Commissions recommendation, town meeting members approved the purchase of 120 acres in the North Hill area for aquifer protection.  The acreage was named Waiting Hill after the tallest point in the vicinity.  Waiting Hill, standing at 140ft, is the second highest hill in Duxbury after Captain's Hill (180ft) on Standish Shore.  In Duxbury's sailing ship days, residents used to climb Waiting Hill to search the eastern horizon, waiting expectantly, for the first sight of homeward-bound ships.  This view is now obscured by forest.

North Hill Country Club

The third largest section of town owned land, once the North Hill farm, was bought in 1977.  Part of it is leased to the operators of the North Hill Country Club.  The North Hill Country Club is a nine-hole golf course.  It is administered under the jurisdiction of the town Recreation Director, with the advice of the North Hill Golf Committee.  The golf course was built on farmland known for its fertility since the seventeenth century.  At that time some North Hill land was "beaver meadow," fields which were left open after beavers had gnawed the undergrowth.  The North Hill lands were cultivated in parcels of varying size and in the twentieth century, the Merry family ran a dairy farm there.

Massachusetts Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary

The Massachusetts Audubon Society's North Hill Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary forms the heart of the greenbelt.  The marsh itself was created when local farmers dammed a brook to supply their farms with water. There was also the site for a sawmill.   In the 1920's a group of local sportsmen bought the property for duck hunting.  Fifty years later, Ed Kelley, Stewart Woodward and Joe Lund, trustees of the North Hill Marsh Trust, deeded the marsh and contiguous upland to Massachusetts Audubon.

The North Hill Marsh Sanctuary, 90 acres of reservoir and marsh and 30 of upland, was Mass. Audubons first acquisition on the South Shore.  Audubon's holdings are maintained by the Society with a helping hand from the Duxbury Conservation Commission's Administrator.

Mass. Audubon maintains its forest in a natural state, allowing underbrush to grow and fallen trees to remain as shelter for birds and small mammals.  The forest includes white pines, pitch pines, several oaks, and red maples growing in areas close to wetlands.

In 1940, a second dam was built and the water level of the marsh rose.  This is why today we see so many dead trees.  These dead trees provide excellent waterfowl habitat.

The sanctuary at North Hill Marsh includes upland, fresh water marshland and several vernal pools with a variety of plant and animal life.  Small and larger mammals include mice, mink, chipmunks, both red and grey squirrels, muskrat, opossum, raccoon, otter, coyotes and white-tailed deer.  Reptiles, amphibian, birds and insects all thrive in the marshy area.  Snapping and painted, as well as the more rare spotted and box turtles can be see in the wooded and shore areas.  

In the spring and summer, dragonflies, damselflies and other insects can be seen darting around.  Frogs and salamanders can be seen in the vernal pools.  Birders can spot black-crowned night herons, great blue herons, great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, and osprey flying over the marsh.  A strong representation of waterfowl including a variety of ducks and geese can be see feeding among the trees in the marsh.  These trees provide excellent cover for loafing, feeding and breeding.   During fall migrations, as many as 200 wood ducks and 100 ring necked ducks will gather in the pond.  In addition, yearly, about 100 pair of tree swallows inhabit the nesting boxes Audubon places throughout the marsh.  Because these quick birds eat flying insects, they are a natural solution to help abate the mosquito population.