Towns: Middleborough
Acreage: 411
Wildlife Management Zone: 11
Waterfowl Zone: Central
Description
This property consists of mixed upland forest and red maple swamp in the Town of Middleborough. Common vegetation on the property include white pine, red oak, eastern hemlock, American holly, red maple, sweet pepperbush, and common greenbrier, with a wide variety of upland and wetland herbaceous plants and grasses.
Location, access, & parking
The WMA is accessible via roadside parking along the marked frontage on the south side of Miller Street between Highland and Old Miller Streets, however, safe parking along this roadway is very limited. There are a few old woods roads and trails located on the property resulting from historic timber harvesting operations that visitors can use to walk into the WMA. See WMA map.
Note: WMAs are intentionally wild, visitors will find natural landscapes rather than maintained trails.
Hunting & fishing opportunities
Black Brook WMA provides good hunting opportunities for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and eastern coyote. Trapping opportunities are numerous for most furbearers.
Black Brook and Millers Neck Brook flow through the WMA and provide some warmwater fishing opportunities. Access, both by foot and by canoe or kayak, may be challenging due to vegetation along and within the streams.
Wildlife viewing & other features
The area supports a large variety of wildlife. An alluvial red maple swamp, an uncommon type of natural community, runs alongside Black Brook. Gypsywort, an Endangered plant listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, grows in several spots along the brook as well. Eastern Box Turtles, listed as Species of Special Concern, can be found in the upland portions of the WMA.
Regulations
About Wildlife Management Areas
MassWildlife owns and manages over 220,000 acres of land to conserve fish and wildlife habitats and provide access for outdoor recreation. All WMAs are open to hunting, fishing, trapping, and other outdoor recreation activities. Visit the MassWildlife Lands Viewer for an interactive map of MassWildlife properties.
You can support land protection in Massachusetts. Contributions to the Wildlands Fund help pay for the cost of acquiring wildlife habitat. Learn more about the Wildlands Fund.