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The Malcolm Preserve and the Trustees of Reservations

The Trustees of Reservations own the eleven-acre Malcolm Preserve, which lies at the northern edge of Estabrook Woods in Carlisle and Concord. In the interest of providing access for all to this natural landscape, 1285 feet of wheelchair-accessible trail made of hard-packed, crushed stone winds through a portion of the meadow and forest. Other hiking trails connect the Malcolm Preserve with the Two Rod Road trail that leads into historic Estabrook Woods and more than 1,300 acres of conservation land, including a 572-acre research and educational forest owned by Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology. The Trustees tell me their new web site for the Malcolm Preserve is <http://www.thetrustees.org/malcolmpreserve.cfm>. Check it out.

The Malcolm Preserve is also part of an expanding greenway adjoining a 23-acre parcel and the 34-acre tract called the Davis Conservation Corridor, both owned by the Town of Carlisle. Additionally, The Trustees and the Carlisle Conservation Foundation co-own a conservation restriction on 44 acres of adjacent land. The reservation may serve as a new model for cooperative land stewardship. It is the first Trustees' reservation to be both co-owned AND co-managed in partnership with another conservation organization.

The Malcolm Preserve was once part of a 38-acre tract owned and farmed by Arthur and Mary Malcolm and their sons, Allan and Wilbur. The Malcolms raised fruit crops such as raspberries, apples, peaches, pears, and, most notably, strawberries. Neighbors and local residents were often called upon to help pick the bountiful fields of strawberries during the height of the season. The Malcolms owned this property from 1911 until Allan's death in 1992.

The Trustees of Reservations have also been helpful in other aspects of Estabrook protection. In 1996, The Trustees provided key assistance in the $1.5 million purchase by the U.S. Forest Service of a permanent Forest Legacy Easement on 73 acres of Pippin Tree Farm in Concord at the southern boundary of historic Estabrook Woods. The Trustees also acquired other conservation restrictions totaling over 300 acres of land in Estabrook Woods in Concord and Carlisle, which facilitated Harvard University's permanent protection of its 672-acre property at the core of Estabrook Woods. (Notes by TTOR.)

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