Donker Farm is Conserved!!!

DONKER FARM

At last, the paperwork has been recorded and the deal is done!
Donker Farm is Worcester's newest conservation area!

The Donker Family, and in particular Elisabeth, has made Worcester's future a different and more excellent place, as the last farm in Worcester is now put aside and taken from the pool of potentially developable lands to remain as our tie to Worcester's deep roots as an agricultural community, even as the City works out what comes next in our post industrial mix of where we live, where we work, and how we spend our time.

Today is a remarkable day, and it is well worth stopping for just a second to contemplate there being sheep, geese, and chickens in our midst, right here in the second largest city in New England, and they are not in a zoo, but are happily ambling about the old farmhouse, as they have been doing for generations.

For land conservation geeks, it is also worth noting the Donker Farm is directly contiguous to the Conservation Area known as Cook's Pond, which runs between Olean Street and Tory Fort Lane, to its west, To the west of Cook's Pond is Cascading Waters, Cascades Park, Cascades East, Cascades West, Boynton Park, Muir Meadow, Southwick Pond, and Southwick Brook. Looking in another direction, to the north: Donker Farm is also directly contiguous to the Cooks Brook Conservation Area that runs up to and across Moreland Green Drive, right to the very cusp of Brigham Road. This is not just the last farm in Worcester, it is also a critical link in a beltway of of forest and conservation land. Just ask the deer, the coywolves, the turkeys, and all manner of critter that use this wildlife corridor.


Trailhead Conditions at 7:00 a.m. at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 49.3 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 58% and steady;
Pressure is 29.50" of Hg and steady;
The air is stirring but there is no reading on the anemometer;
The skies are clear and sunny with high altitude clouds;
The Cascades are flowing, albeit modestly;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is HIGH.


The National Weather Service Forecast:

Increasing clouds, with a high near 65. North wind around 7 mph.