By Richard B. Primack
“How little there is on an ordinary map! How little, I mean, that concerns the walker and lover of nature.” Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.
Bare Pond, a large vernal pool in the Webster Woods in Newton, has many unique features, including being a spring breeding site for yellow spotted salamanders. Inspiring a “Save the Salamanders” rallying cry, this species helped generate public support for Newton to acquire the land containing the pond from Boston College.
I decided to examine the pond more carefully and systematically over the past 8 months. Even though I have enjoyed and investigated the Webster Woods for more than 60 years, I wondered if I had missed secrets the pond may be hiding. What would a detailed study of Bare Pond reveal to me?
Using a measuring tape, compass, and flagging, I began my observations by mapping the outline of the water around Bare Pond on graph paper.
Map 1: The map drawn with measuring tape and compass.
The whole wetland is irregularly shaped (like a dragon flying south, if you use your imagination). The pond’s open water covers about 44% of the wetland, and is about 61 yards long and 30 yards wide.
Kris Cafaro was able to convert my messy pencil drawing into a colorful map with special features highlighted, such as a water-filled, rock-edged slot adjacent to a rock overlook, a peninsula that constricts the swamp in the south, and a 19th century stone wall that forms the southwest border of the pond.
Map 2: A map using a computer file and drawing tools.
Further refinements led to a final map with even more features included, such as paths and the bench.
Map 3: The final map with additional features added.
Using the map as a starting point, I made many other observations which I used to write an article about Bare Pond for the Newton Conservators newsletter: LINK
