In 2011, Wildlands Trust acquired 126 acres of vacant land on the western boundary of the city of Brockton through a transfer from the Brockton Audubon Society. Brockton Audubon Society was founded in 1919 by a group of residents concerned with the mission to protect birds and stimulate interest in nature study. Over time, active membership dwindled, and the two remaining trustees asked Wildlands Trust to accept the donation of the Brockton Audubon conservation land and assume responsibility for the stewardship of this property. Wildlands retained the name Brockton Audubon Preserve to honor the group that spent nearly one hundred years conserving the land.

Evidence of the agricultural history of this area is found in the stone walls, trees scarred by barbed wire, and old farm roads that are visible throughout the preserve. Once cleared for pasture, the forest has reestablished itself through the natural process of succession over the last century, with most of its trees estimated to be under 50 years old. Thousands of years earlier, at the end of the last ice age, glaciers retreating northward deposited large boulders called glacial erratics on the landscape. One noteworthy erratic, located where the Main Loop Trail intersects with the West Elm Connector Trail in the center of the preserve, stands 20 feet tall!

Today, Brockton Audubon Preserve serves as a natural sanctuary in the City of Brockton, providing wide-ranging benefits for people and wildlife alike. Although a relatively small preserve, Brockton Audubon boasts about 2 miles of well-established trails through a variety of habitats, from towering pines to red maple swamps and shrublands. There is even a certified vernal pool, a seasonal wetland critical for the survival and reproduction of many amphibians and invertebrates. The preserve’s generally flat topography with boardwalks over its wetlands makes exploration relatively easy, even for new trail users. 

For those looking for additional adventure, a quick walk from the end of the West Elm Connector Trail down West Elm Street Extension provides a link to more trails at the City of Brockton’s Stone Farm Conservation Area, a preserve restored by Wildlands Trust in 2019. Brockton Audubon Preserve’s location, between the Stone Farm Conservation Area and Easton’s Dorchester Brook Wildlife Management Area, places it in the center of a combined 300-acre wildlife corridor. Large areas of conserved land located near densely populated areas, such as this one, provide important habitats to support the survival of terrestrial and avian species alike.