Wernick Farm

Box Turtle

Donor : Purchased by DNRT from Reva Newfield and family

Acreage : 62

Location : North Albro Ave. (off N. Hixville Road) | View Google Map

Year Acquired : 2014

Access Point : Two parking lots located on North Albro Ave., 1/2 mile in from N. Hixville Road (see directions below).  Please note:  North Albro Ave. is a single-lane dirt/gravel road that crosses private land on its way to Wernick Farm. Please respect our neighbors, drive slowly, and watch for oncoming cars.  Closed from sunset to sunrise.  Road will not be plowed in winter.

Volunteer Steward(s) : Tom & Carol Matthews

Trail Map (pdf)


Description

Wernick Farm is a 62­-acre jewel with a variety of habitats that connect the present to the agricultural past of this unique property. DNRT purchased the farm in 2014 from Reva Newfield and her four children, who wanted to preserve it for all to enjoy. The farm had been owned by Reva’s parents, Norman and Charlotte Wernick, since 1956. The blueberry bushes and other significant features still found on the farm were started by the Wernicks, who were dedicated caretakers of the land.

The Reserve includes lands designated by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage Program as “Critical Natural Landscape” and is proximate to the nearly 14,000-acre Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve.

Throughout Wernick Farm there are vestiges of life in an earlier time. Wooded uplands give way to remnant agricultural fields. A series of three spring-fed ponds once used for irrigation provides a place for quiet reflection. Glacial features suggest an ancient past.

Six marked trails wind through the property highlighting different cultural and ecological elements of this once working farm.


Directions

From I-195 take exit 11, Reed Road, north. Follow Reed Road for 2 miles until it turns into N. Hixville Road. Follow for 1.3 miles and N. Albro Avenue will be on the left. The parking lots are approximately 1/2 mile down N. Albro Ave, a dirt and gravel woods road.