Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

Natick Rec. and Parks & Camp Arrowhead hiring for summer

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Natick Recreation and Parks is looking to fill summer jobs from Memorial Beach attendant to lifeguards to counselors at Woodtrail Camp, and more.

Dug Pond, Natick
Memorial Beach attendant is just one of the jobs Natick Rec and Parks is trying to fill this summer.

You can find a full list of available Natick Recreation and Parks department job opportunities here, along with information on where to send applications.

In addition, Camp Arrowhead, sponsored by the Natick Recreation and Parks Department with the Parents Association of the Handicapped, Inc. is seeking 1:1 aides. The volunteer position is open to students entering 9th grade or 14 years or older by the end of summer 2021. The camp is located on Lake Cochituate and serves children and adults with special needs. Applications here.

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Check out Natick Report’s summer camps page, your handy guide to everything about summer camps in Natick and beyond. From sports to arts, to music and more, you’ll find listings for over 75 camps.

Fran's Flowers, Framingham
London Harness
Linden Square, Wellesley

Springtime in Natick

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We’ve been out and about, marveling over the prettiness that is a Natick spring. We feel wrapped in freshness every time we step out the front door.

Gazebo, Natick Common
Gazebo, Natick Common

 

Shaw Park, South Natick
Shaw Park, South Natick

 

Bacon Free Library, Natick
Bacon Free Library, Natick

 

Park Street Ice Cream, Natick
Park Street Ice Cream, Natick

 

south natick spring
South Natick

For more beautiful pictures, check out our Natick Instagram page. We update it several times a week with everything from iconic spots that scream out “Natick!” to unusual sights we come across (trout stocking at Dug Pond, anyone?). Don’t forget to like our Natick Insta account while you’re enjoying the pics. It makes us feel loved.

Page Waterman, Wellesley

Welcome Natick’s newest neighbors: 900 rainbow trout

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Something was fishy at Dug Pond. I was clear on the meeting spot—the Gina Donahue Boat Landing on Windsor Ave. But instead of meeting my contact from MassWildlife, in possession of 900 rainbow trout for stocking the pond, I found Natick Firefighters executing a training drill. “We’ll be here for about a half and hour,” a firefighter shrugged. “You’ll have to wait.”

Trout stocking, Dug Pond, Natick
MassWildlife technician Josh Gahagan backs a state truck loaded with 900 rainbow trout down the boat landing.

Seems like everyone needed to access the life-giving waters of Dug Pond that day. Nearby, Josh Gahagan, a technician at the Northeast District office of MassWildlife, made use of the unexpected break to have an early lunch in his truck. On the back of the truck were three tanks that each held 300 of the 12-14″ fish. The trout were making their move from the McLaughlin Hatchery in Belchertown, where they’d spent the first two years of their lives, to the roomier 48-acre Dug Pond. Presumably it will be their last home, since the pond is stocked for the enjoyment of recreational fishers.

Trout stocking, Dug Pond, Natick
About a half-dozen trout flop around in a net before they enter the pond.

MassWildlife staff is in the process of adding nearly 500,000 brook, rainbow, brown, and tiger trout into ponds, rivers, and brooks across Massachusetts. Trout-stocking duties are Gahagan’s, and other technicians’, main responsibility for the season. “We do it for about three months in the spring. This spot is perfect. I can easily back the truck in and there’s no traffic around,” the bass fisherman said, recalling the challenges of releasing fish into the Charles River from the Pleasant Street bridge in South Natick. “That’s a narrow and dangerous spot,” he said.

Trout stocking, Dug Pond, Natick
Trout stocking, Dug Pond, Natick

At last the firefighters’ drill was done and Josh backed the truck down the boat launch and a couple of feet into the water. He netted a half dozen of the trout so I could get a good look at them, then tossed them into the water. Next, it was everyone else’s turn as Josh opened up the tanks one by one. You could practically hear some of the fish shouting out, “Freedom!” as they swam off to the center of the pond. Others barely moved from the shallows, and some were even floating upside down. But Josh assured me all was well. “They’re not dead, they’re just in shock. They’ll swim away soon.”

Dug Pond will get additional trout two more times this season, anywhere between several hundred and 900 more per drop.

Trout stocking, Dug Pond, Natick

About 600,000 Brook, Brown, Rainbow, and Tiger Trout are stocked into Massachusetts waterways during spring and fall stocking each year, according to the state’s trout stocking report. Typically (but not now due to COVID), you can even visit the Belchertown hatchery for a self-guided tour to see trout in different stages of growth.

Trout stocking, Dug Pond, Natick
The sudden move has left some trout in shock, but they will adjust to their new Dug Pond home soon.

Want a shot a catching some of these Dug Pond beauties? Here’s how you can get a freshwater fishing license. Everyone 15 or older who wants to fish in Massachusetts needs one.

Want more wildlife pics? Check out Josh’s amazing Instagram feed, filled with birds, wildlife, and underwater photography from the New England region. It’s well worth following him to see and encourage his beautiful compositions of mink, seals, birds, foxes, and more.

And by the way, Natick Report has a pretty nice Insta as well. Please follow Natick Report on Instagram for a look at our wanderings around town.

By the numbers: 2021 spring trout stocking

MassWildlife will stock approximately 500,000 brook, brown, rainbow, and tiger trout this spring.

  • More than 75% of the trout will be over 12 inches
  • More than 45% of the trout will be over 14 inches
  • More than 48,000 brook trout will be over 12 inches
  • More than 48,000 brown trout will be over 12 inches
  • More than 200,000 rainbow trout will be over 14 inches
  • More than 500 brown trout and 500 brook trout will be over 18 inches
  • 1,000 brook trout will be over 14 inches
  • All 2,500 tiger trout will be over 14 inches

 

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Have we rescued a piece of South Natick’s red footbridge?

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Update 3/27/21: The owners of the bridge got in contact with us and we were able to reunite them with their bridge part. Happy ending!

We consider ourselves stewards of the Charles River, keeping a sharp eye on the area in South Natick from around Elm Bank Reservation’s Cheney Bridge to the South Natick Dam.

So when we saw a big chunk of red wood cradled in a giant tree that fell across the Charles several years ago and now collects all manner of junk, we headed over to explore. The wood was the color of picnic tables we’ve seen, but too hefty to be from one, and we haven’t seen any ships on this end of the Charles sizable enough to have ejected such flotsam.

We could be completely wrong, but suspect it can only be one thing: A piece of the iconic red footbridge that traverses the river just west of the dam along Rte. 16. The wood had traveled at least a mile, including over the South Natick Dam spillway, which has been known to snag a log or two.

According to the Natick Historical Society, the bridge was bequeathed to former property owner Daniel Sargent, who died in 1987. We’ve seen the structure referred to as the Sargent Bridge.

We last paddled under that span during an epic kayak adventure this past November, and the waterlogged hunk of wood we found looks to be of the same hue as the footbridge. We’re just glad the piece didn’t fall off while we or anyone else was going under.

south natick red bridge

Doing my best impersonation of whichever storied explorer isn’t known for evil doings, I kayaked over to the tree and dislodged the hefty 3-plus foot long and 6-inch wide/deep beam from the tree. I propped it atop the front of my vessel, doing my best to keep balanced and bring it safely to shore.

south natick red bridgesouth natick red bridge

Our find is pretty punky on one side, apparently breaking off from another piece, though one end is in great condition, with grooves intact.

Not having heard any reports of the Japanese-style bridge collapsing, I assume the wooden piece we found had plenty of backups. The privately-owned bridge connects land on one side of the river to a Grand Georgian Revival home on the other that my wife has visited for an open house.

Crossing the bridge remains on our local bucket list, and we’ll no doubt check that off at some point.

south natick red bridge

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Natick Trails Summit set for April 3

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Natick’s trails movers and shakers, including the Trails & Forest Stewardship Committee, Friends of Natick Trails, Cochituate Rail Trail Advisory Committee, as well as trails reps from other communities and regional groups, will join forces at the Natick Trails Summit. The event will be held online on April 3 from 10-noon, and you can register to get a link.

As a member of the Wellesley Trails Committee, I can vouch for the fact that communities are looking for new ones to sync up their trail systems.

natick trails summit

More: Those trails aren’t going to tidy themselves: Natick seeks stewards

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