Located in Waccabuc, the Frederick P. Rose Preserve is another “Ambassador Preserve” for our organization. WLT embarked on two major projects at the Frederick P. Rose Preserve during the summer of 2014 thanks to generous grants from Sandra Priest Rose, as well as Adam R. Rose and Peter R. McQuillan. The first project included the creation of a Watershed Forest Management Plan conducted by Jim Nordgren at JN Land Trust Services which focused on inventorying the ecological communities at the Preserve and making recommendations for their thoughtful management, with an emphasis on biodiversity and water quality. The second project was conducted by WLT’s Plant Ecology intern, Kristen Gamboa, who identified invasive plants such as burning bush, Japanese barberry, multiflora rose, and stilt grass in key management areas of the Frederick P. Rose Preserve and planned for their removal. Invasive plants are universally recognized as a challenge to the management of biodiversity – they crowd out other plant life and put extreme pressure on native plants and animals. During her study, Ms. Gamboa cataloged 34 unique areas within the Frederick P. Rose Preserve as “hotspots” of invasive plants.

These two projects informed the Frederick P. Rose Preserve Habitat Enhancement Initiative, which will:

• Restore the 1 ½ acre Blueberry Orchard just north of the Brady Farm Trail, home to more than 50 large highbush blueberry plants, as well as many other native shrubs. This shrubland represents a declining habitat across the northeast that is needed for ‘shrubland birds’ and the New England Cottontail.
• Maintain the preserve’s 2-acre meadow as a habitat for pollinating insects and meadow birds. Open meadows are also declining in our area.
• Reclaim the Brady Farm Trail by removing 200’ of encroaching invasive shrubs (Japanese barberry and multiflora rose). This work will allow preserve visitors to better enjoy the trail.

This work is currently underway and will take place through 2015. Both the blueberry orchard and the meadow are located on or near the Frederick P. Rose Preserve’s southern most trail and are among its highlights – preserve visitors will want to see them. Visitors to the blueberry orchard in August will be rewarded by a handful of plump blueberries.