White Cedar Preserve was acquired in partnership with the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Town of Rochester Conservation Commission and was made possible by funding from the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program, the State of Massachusetts Conservation Partnership Program, and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. It is located at the intersection of Walnut Plain Road and Estabrook Way. (For those using GPS, enter “1 Estabrook Way”.)
The 83-acre parcel is very diverse, varied terrain: upland to wetland, and home to a white cedar bog. You can walk the trail in either direction from field to wooded pathways, heading toward a large bog of white cedar. The trail winds through white pine and deciduous trees, including swamp birch, black tupelo, and red maple. There is a break in the trail due to swampy conditions. However, on drier days you may reach the often muddy, but beautiful terrain of the cedar swamp stands. (Walking time is 15-30 minutes.) Watch for the endangered Hessel’s Hairstreak butterfly, whose larvae feed exclusively on Atlantic White Cedar. You may find leatherleaf, waterwillow, sheep laurel, cranberry, sundew, purple pitcher, sedge, hemlock, beech, as well as holly. Be on the lookout for deer as well, as deer trails wind through the parcel.