Facilities

Amenities

• Size: Conservation Area - 26.03 acres (owned by the Town of Brookline); Reservation ­- 33.34 acres (owned by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation)
• Protection: Article 97
• Precinct: 15
• Inventory Date: November 5, 2004, revised February 1, 2005
• Vicinity: Surrounded by single-family neighborhoods, Skyline Park, and the former town landfill

Location & Amenities

The Lost Pond Conservation Area is located in the extreme southwest corner of Brookline. It is bounded by the town's Transfer Station area, the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) Lost Pond reservation, and the Kennard Park and Conservation Area in Newton.

This 30-acre tract of natural, undeveloped land adjoins the Kennard Park and Conservation Areas in Newton and the state's 30-acre Lost Pond Reservation. Together, these properties contain over 100 acres of open woodland, rocky outcrops, marsh, bog and stream. A network of trails interconnects these conservation properties.

Quaking Bog

Lost Pond, a "kettle hole," has developed into a quaking bog on its northern edge. This is one of the most interesting and unusual types of wetlands found in New England. Peat bogs, which often develop in deep glacial lakes, are formed by the gradual decomposition of plant material in highly acidic, poorly drained areas. This peat forms a floating mat over the water and provides a base for acid-tolerant vegetation, which grows in from the edge of the pond. When this mat is walked on, there is a sense of the land "quaking." Peat may accumulate in deposits 20 to 40 feet deep.

Bogs provide naturalists with excellent data on the ecological history of an area. The underlying peat preserves pollen fossils from the plants that have grown there over the last 10,000 to 15,000 years. Bogs often exhibit very clear belts or zones of vegetation, which change as one moves from the water's edge to the upland. In fact, an aerial photograph of the area reveals a distinct ridge, which was formed by glacial action. This is the dividing line between the uplands and the wetlands and between plants typical of the bog environment and that of the upland.

The Lost Pond Reservation, owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, property lies adjacent to Lost Pond Conservation Area. The pond is located on the reservation property.

Activities

The sanctuary is used for wetland protection, conservation of wildlife habitat, environmental education, and passive exploration, such as bird-watching and nature walks.

Park History

In 1915, Frederick Kennard diverted the Lost Pond drainage to South Meadow Brook. In 1945 the town acquired the land. It was used for the town's incinerator and landfill site from 1952 to 1975. It has since been used as a transfer station. Subsequent leaching from the landfill site near the pond caused deterioration of water quality.

The town transferred a section of the land to the Conservation Commission in 1982. Two citizens bought the reservation property and donated it to the state.

Deed / Title / Restrictions

No information located in 2003 research.

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