Richard Gelpke, author and retired professor of Earth and Geographic Sciences at University of Massachusetts Boston, gave a presentation on the past 75 years of soil and water conservation in Middlesex County.

1. 1
Middlesex Conservation District
75 (+1) Years serving the County–
since 1947
Presented by Richard Gelpke, Fmr Supervisor
For the MCD—July 17, 2023 Annual Mtg, Boxboro

4. Outline
--What are Conservation Districts?
--The board
--What we do--programs
--Agriculture & land use in Massachusetts
--Agriculture & land use in Middlesex County
--Three Middlesex County Communities
--Ashby
--Concord
--Framingham & Natick

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The mission of the Middlesex Conservation
District---
Put conservation practices
on the land
using partners
on voluntary basis

6. The MCD partners with the
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS--USDA)
the ‘old’ Soil Conservation Service (to 1994)
(space & office equip
referral services & tech assist)
Ma Exec Off Energy & Env Affairs
support administ, education efforts
pilot programs
NRCS Dist Conservationist—Bob Purcell
Land occupiers in county
Elected to the Board

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5
2
2
4 1
1
3
4
3
4 1
3
2
4
5 3
1
1
1
3 1
1
Cambridge
1
3
Number of
Supervisors by Towns (58 listed)
County
Office
Locations

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Soil Survey for Middlesex County Completed in 1988On line
Working with NRCS to Establish Conservation
Practices on the Land thru Cooperative
Agreements with Partners
Public money on private land?
Conservation Education: Seminars, Workshops, Newsletters and
Presentations
Sudbury-Assabet-Concord (SuAsCo) Watershed Project- Initiated in 1955
Baiting Brook Watershed Project Initiated 1956 Urban flooding
Annual Plant and Tree Sales (First Plant Sale 1962)
Camp Paul (A 12-acre tract of land in Chelmsford)
Model Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Bylaw
Envirothon
(Created in 1979 by Pennsylvania Soil & Water Conservation Districts, the
Envirothon was brought to Massachusetts in 1987 )

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Programs…
Soils—workshops
healthy Soils Initiative
Work with Co farmers on cooperative
programs with NRCS
Tracks requests from ‘land occupiers’—
farmers, municipalities and others
Environmental Quality Incentives Program
(NRCS)

13. 1925
1988-
update
2009
available on-line

14. NRCS & CD’s involved in wide range of issues beyond soils
--open space & resource planning
--subdivision review, erosion & sediment control
--wildlife & fisheries habitat
--urban forestry & farming
--environmental education
In the 1990s Farm Bills altered the CD-NRCS relationship
--formerly land assist requests came thru the Districts
--now applications directly to NRCS
Formerly some budget support from the state
--none for many years
--2017 some funding from the state

16. The Plan as
presented
to the Board

17. The Plan as
presented
to the Board

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Mass Population 1900-2022
0
1000000
2000000
3000000
4000000
5000000
6000000
7000000
8000000
Year
Population
1900 1950 2020

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Petersham decrease of ⅔ forested land 1831-1865
1870 farm census--thousands of small farms were out
of production-- New England reported
400,000 acres of reduction in improved land.
1855 note to Middlesex Agricultural Society
“hay fields were so depleted that they would
scarcely support cattle”
1830-80% of Mass land
cleared of trees for agriculture
Timeline for Mass Agriculture

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Farm Census of 1900-1920 indicated New
England lost 35,324 farms
New England population increased 32%
increasingly competitive products from the West
poorly located and uneconomic New England
farms to leave production
Primarily due to the Dust Bowl-1935 the Soil
Conservation Service, now the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) was created

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The Beginning of the Environmental Movement-
the last 100 hundred years there has been
a noted gradual increase in temperature.
One direct result is the new hardiness zone
map for the state
The Pandemic, Supply Chains and Food Supply-

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Harvard Forest Dioramas
(Petersham,
Massachusetts)

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Pre-settlement forest
Early Settler Clears
homestead 1740
Height of land clearing
1830

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Farm Abandonment 1850
Old Field White
Pine 1910
White Pine to
Hardwoods--
1915

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Vigorously growing
hardwoods 1930
The Modern Forest

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Middlesex County ranks 6th (of 14) in the state
for the percent of Massachusetts farms…
Only Worcester, Franklin, Hampshire,
Plymouth & Bristol have more farms.

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31. $ value/acre
% change 2020-2021

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Massachusetts
USDA Ag Census
every 5 years

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1
2
3
3

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Mass Agriculture Summary
• mainly comprises of many small family farms
• MA farmers face developmental pressure and
rising costs
• Direct sales to consumers account for a large
proportion of overall sales
• Succession planning is an important
consideration for aging farmers
• Off -farm income is important for farm financial
stability

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Middlesex County
land use

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A look at three Middlesex County
towns over time that the MCD has
been serving the county…
Ashby (center)
Concord (Nine Acre Corner)
Framingham-Natick
(Shoppers World-Natick Mall)

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Town Populations
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Population
Ashby
Concord
Natick
Framingham
The 2020 populations:
—Natick (~37K) & Framingham (72K) combine to ~100K
Concord = 18K--Ashby ~ 3000 inhabitants

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5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Ashby Concord Fram-
Natick
Develop
Open
Forest
Wet
Other
2017

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Ashby
Inc 1767
24 Sq M
Pop 3200

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Ashby is located in far
northwestern Middlesex
County, on the New
Hampshire state line—it
is decidedly rural in
nature.

46. 48
2017

47. 49
Ashby Town Center
1952 1992

48. 50
Ashby Town Center
2022-Google

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Concord
1635
26 Sq M
Pop 18,500
Nine Acre Corner

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Concord is located in central part of
the county. South of Concord center
is the area known as ‘nine acre
corner’ . It is at the junction of SR
117 & Sudbury Road—an important
agricultural area still surrounded by
large lot expensive homes..

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1950

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1952 1992

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Part of the
Maynard soil
Survey sheet (of the
1988 Survey)
Showing the
Nine Acre Corner
area
223B—Scio very fine sandy loam, 3 to 8
percent slopes This very deep, gently
sloping, moderately well drained soil is
in shallow depressions on plains and on
tops of stream terraces.
Most areas …cropland or abandoned cropland…
well suited to cultivated crops and …pasture. The
seasonal high water table…management concern
…may delay planting or harvesting. … suited for
most forage grasses. Conservation tillage,
contour farming, cover crops, and diversions help
to control erosion

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Development pressures—Ag Pres Restrictions

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Framingham & Natick

57. 59
Framingham
Natick

59. Golden Triangle 2023 (MS Bing)
C
C

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Framingham & Natick Massachusetts
Area known as the “Golden Triangle--
Shoppers World & adjacent Natick Mall
Center of the MetroWest region of the state
Framingham is a city --inc 1700
25 square miles
population 72,362 Density 2,889.39/sq mi
Natick is a town –inc 1781
16 Square miles
population 37,006 Density 2,450.7/sq m

61. 63
1940
Framingham
Natick

62. 64
1951-2
Rt 9

63. 66
2017
Framingham & Natick averaged
2017 definitions changed for ‘urban’

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Baiting Brook project
Framingham Mass
The Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (PL-
566) authorizes NRCS to help local organizations and
units of government plan and implement watershed
projects. PL-566 watershed projects are locally led to
solve natural and human resource problems in
watersheds up to 250,000 acres (less than 400 square
miles).
Watershed Planning is done in cooperation with the
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
This is often part of Public Law 83-566 (as amended) -
Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (1954)
projects. PL-566 projects are initiated by local
communities through the districts

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Baiting Brook Watershed

66. Upper Baiting Brook flows thru dense suburban, Framingham