Friends of the North 40

Development

Testing the Former Landfill

A portion of the North 40 was leased from Wellesley College and used by the Town of Wellesley from 1955 through 1960 as a municipal landfill.

ASTM PHASE I ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT NORTH 40 - Haley & Aldrich: By 2006 the subject site is completely wooded with the exception of the community gardens and a small landscaped area around the on-site residence.

See more environmental reports on the Town of Wellesley North 40 Site Assessment Information Page.

Land Use Ideas from Public Visioning Sessions Leading up to Purchase

Purchase and Sale Agreement Between Wellesley College and Town of Wellesley

Article 6 Permitted Exceptions: Future Development Conditions

6.02 (a.) The Buyer will maintain in perpetuity no less than fifty percent (50%) of the total Property area as open space, which may include playing fields, wooded areas, paths and trails and other active and/or passive recreational areas and facilities. For the purposes hereof, the term “open space” may also include conservation land, forested land, recreation land, agriculture land, corridor parks and amenities such as small parks, green buffers along roadways, undeveloped land with particular conservation or recreation interest, or any open area that is owned by an agency or organization dedicated to conservation. Without limiting the foregoing, that portion of the Property that lies between Route 135 and the Cochituate Aqueduct (as each of the same currently exists) will remain in a wooded and natural condition, provided that this requirement will not be deemed to restrict periodic clearing of invasive vegetation and other care and maintenance measures that are consistent with sound forestry management practices;

(Note: The six acres located between Route 135 and the aqueduct will count towards the 50% open space requirement. Note also that open space can mean playing fields, and facilities to support the fields, such as bathrooms and parking lots.)

News:

The North 40 was purchased in part with $10 million dollars of funding from the CPA. The Community Preservation Committee has proposed the acreage to be under deed restriction to the Select Board. Watch the discussion from the November 14 Select Board meeting starting at 1hour 26minutes.

The Wellesley Trails Committee submitted a Statement on Protecting the North 40 to Town Boards. Read it here:

Trails Committee Statement on Protecting[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [219.9 KB]

Ribbon Cutting at the Vernal Pool

The skies cleared for a beautiful ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the boardwalk at the North 40 Vernal Pool, which provides both access and protection to this important resource.

Selectman Jack Morgan and NRC Director Brandon Schmitt addressed the large crowd in attendance, and lead volunteer Bill Giezentanner had the honor of cutting the ribbon. The boardwalk was funded by the Community Preservation Act (CPA), and built with over 500 hours of volunteer labor.

See the video about the boardwalk here.