Taggart Land Acquisition Project
Assessor’s Map and Parcel(s): 5.A - 14
Acres: 38.5
Acquired: In 2020, the Town of Bolton purchased the Taggart Forestland. This was accomplished through support from the LAND grant which paid for 38.5 acres to be placed under the care and custody of the conservation commission. The additional 4.5 acres is land banked for town use ONLY, not to be sold.
Features: The topography also helps with flooding, creating small temporary pools of water in certain areas, this avoids runoff into Forbush Mill Road. Mountain laurels can be found in many places on the property. One location you can observe them is a few feet off of the trail leading to the old Lancaster Railroad. Another place is adjacent to the trail by the state property near the pond. Mountain laurels are special in the way that they thrive in shaded areas. You can recognize them by their beautiful flowers, they can grow to about 20 – 40 ft high. They have white or a shade of pink with purple details on the inside of their bowl-like flowers. The Still River on the north side of the property is a tributary of the Nashua River and is classified as a Cold Water Fishery containing trout. Another special aspect of this property is that it has wetlands surrounding its perimeter which contain species like skunk cabbage and many different types of ferns. Wetlands act as a nature-based solutions to combat impacts from climate change by storing significant amoutns of carbon through their charateristics of low elevation and slow decomposition. At the center of the parcel is a vernal pool inside a kettle hole where there are wood frogs, spotted salamanders, beetles and damselflies. Nearby, a short distance south along Forbush Mill Road, is a bench near the site of the former Morse Sawmill where a waterfall pours over a dam. The stream was harnessed to provide power at this point. In fact three, mills are known to have existed along this stream and the site was known as “The Sawmill Brook Mill”. No record of any of them exists after 1831.
Access: Parking is located at the roadside of Forbush Mill Road. Parking is also located at the Forbush Mill Fields. (A trail proposal is in progress to connect the two properties)
Trails: HERE
Regulations for Use of Conservation Land
It is the intent and policy of the Conservation Commission that conservation land be maintained in a natural state. Some areas where appropriate the commission establishes trails to allow for passive recreational use. Any alteration to a Conservation property or trail by persons other than the Commission's authorized agents shall require the prior written permission of the Commission. The Conservation Land Rules and Regulations shall be adhered to at all times. Inclusive of the Dogs on Conservation Land Rules and Regulations. You may find these regulations on our town website or by clicking HERE.
Adopted 12/21/2010
The maps and data displayed on this site are for reference and planning purposes only. The Town of Bolton assumes no legal responsibility for the information contained herein. The items specified above are restrictions specific to the conservation property. They are included for transparency purposes only. They do not give anyone the right to alter conservation property. That is ONLY the authority of the conservation commission or its authorized agents.
Ribbon Cutting Event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQO0kfXjAV4
About the Parcel:
Significance to the Town of Bolton and Reasons for Acquisition