Resource Management Plan

Stony Brook Reservation

Including Camp Meigs Playground; Colella Field and Playground; DeSantis Park; Mother Brook Reservation; Weider Playground; and the Dedham, Enneking, and Turtle Pond parkways.

City of Boston and Town of Dedham

Division of Urban Parks and Recreation

South Region

Stony Brook Reservation, which was established in 1894, is one of the first five reservations acquired by the Metropolitan Parks Commission.  It constitutes the largest forested open space in the City of Boston, and offers an exceptional trail network as well as a variety of athletic fields and recreation facilities.  As one of the original Metropolitan Reservations, Stony Brook is regarded as special and highly significant in terms of its historic, natural, and recreational resources.

Project Summary

This Resource Management Plan (RMP) identifies eleven management goals and several management recommendations for Stony Brook Reservation and its associated properties.  Priority recommendations focus on stabilizing and improving existing infrastructure, decreasing future maintenance costs, and improving recreation facilities.

The RMP designates Turtle Pond and the adjacent forests and wetlands east of the Enneking Parkway as “Zone 1,” the most restrictive of the Land Stewardship Zoning categories applied to DCR properties.  This area was designated as Zone 1 to protect known habitat of a State-endangered species of wildife.  Mother Brook Reservation, at its junction with the Charles River, has also been designated Zone 1.  This designation was made because the area falls within Rare Species of Wetland Wildlife, as identified by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.  Several of the RMP’s recommendations address the conservation of rare species and their habitats, as well as a variety of other natural resources.

A public comment period on this RMP ran from February 20 – March 28, 2008; an associated public meeting was held on March 11.  This RMP was submitted to DCR’s Stewardship Council on May 15, 2008, and was adopted by the Council on August 7, 2008.

For further information about the ongoing management and maintenance of these properties, implementation of the RMP, or ways to get involved, please contact:

DCR Urban Parks West District Manager

Kevin Hollenbeck

(617) 333-7405

kevin.hollenbeck@state.ma.us