Cascading Waters can be found at 135 Olean Street on the eastern edge of Worcester's northwest parklands, the Cascades. The Cascades are 350 acres of park and conservation lands along the borders of Worcester, Paxton, and Holden, Massachusetts. Home to countless species of plants and animals, the Cascades are open to passive recreation year-round.

Friday, February 06, 2009

Land Protection

Today was one of those days.

The die was cast, and we now await the outcome.

The White Oak Land Conservation Society, the Holden Conservation Commission, and the Greater Worcester Land Trust collaborated to submit a grant to expand the wildlife corridor and passive recreation corridor that make up the area stretching across Leicester, Paxton, Holden, and Worcester's NW corner.

This specific effort focuses on a 53 acre area north of Cook's Pond.

It boasts upland harwood forest, wetlands, stream corridors, stone walls, trails, and a proximity to other open spaces.

Moose, bear, and deer have been seen there.

It also benefits from state designations as a BioCore Supporting Landscape, and contains a sliver of Zone B water supply land.

What is hard to remember, from time to time, is that it all comes down to a deadline at a particular time on a particular day in a 9th floor office in Boston to get the wheels turning on a large grant for acquisition.

Today was such a day.

3 p.m. was such a time.

The run to spend 12 minutes in Boston and return, not even yet hoping of what could be, but purely focused toner cartridges running out, required packages delayed, a need for toll money, and a fearful wonderment of what traffic might throw in the way with each passing bend.

And yet, despite every conceivable obstacle, and innumerable unknown ones, once again, we threw the die.

Light a candle kids.

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