A magnificent meadow and more: Muddy Creek Headwaters Preserve

Seeking a slice of serenity? You might need to meander around a meadow. Happily, Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) has a gorgeous grassland and a fabulous short trail with water views just waiting for your footsteps.

HCT’s Muddy Creek Headwaters Preserve offers a peaceful respite from the hurly burly of a Cape summer. We visited on a recent Friday, when the churn of traffic and rising temperatures had us looking for a break. It’s the perfect spot to land when you don’t have several hours to spend in the natural world, but still need to see the birds, admire the flowers and walk through the woods.

The parking area offered a box seat on the meadow, where a merry crowd of coreopsis cascaded down a gentle slope, interspersed with black-eyed Susans, partridge pea and butterfly weed. What a spot! Pollinators patrolled, birds sang and a gentle breeze created a splendid green wave through the field.

Those are the kind of moments when you are grateful to everyone who helped HCT acquire the 17-acre Preserve in 2017. Without a wonderful symphony of people working together, this oasis could have been subdivided and developed into 12 lots.

Before the miraculous meadow revival, an abandoned house had sat open to the weather for many years. As HCT conducted its due diligence during the project planning phase, an exterior oil heating tank was found that had been leaking for a long time.

When HCT dug into the soil searching for the leak extent, it was revealed that the oil had oozed its way 15 feet down, just six feet shy of the water table. Thankfully, the contaminated soil could be removed. It was recycled into aggregate for asphalt. Meanwhile, the groundwater for the public water supply aquifer and Pleasant Bay marine recharge was saved from oil pollution.

Connected to Pleasant Bay

A subdivision in this area would have negatively influenced water quality and wildlife habitat as well as generated more traffic and increased the demand for expensive municipal services and infrastructure. Extinguishing the subdivision septic systems in this part of the Pleasant Bay Watershed saves taxpayers money long-term by reducing the need for sewer connections.

As we walked further down the trail, the important watershed component of the Preserve became apparent. There it was: Muddy Creek. A snowy egret gracefully etched across the blue sky above the waterway, and we sat on a perfectly-placed bench, enjoying the vista. Muddy Creek flows approximately 1.5 miles from this area to Pleasant Bay, so it’s easy to see how crucial it was to preserve this land.

Sometimes, it can take a while for conservation projects to come together. The Marini family had owned this land since the 1950s. In 2003, HCT and the Marini family started exploring conservation options. Ultimately in 2016, they reached an agreement for HCT to raise the funds and purchase the land.

A successful land-saving campaign

The fundraising goal for the Muddy Creek Headwaters Project was $1.65 million. Harwich Town Meeting voters unanimously approved $500,000 in Community Preservation Act Funds, the state awarded a $400,000 Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) Grant, and Chatham Conservation Foundation donated $50,000.

Generous HCT donors then stepped up (like they always do!), with contributions ranging from $25 to six figures. In the home stretch, leadership gifts from the Wequassett Resort and anonymous donors as well as a 2-to-1 challenge gift from Neil and Anna Rasmussen and matching donations completed the ambitious land-saving campaign.

And the power of partnerships continued as the meadow was restored and a trailhead and walking trail was established. Blue Flax Design prepared and seeded the site for native grasses and wildflowers and Intelligent Irrigation made sure the meadow had sufficient water from 2017-2019. By fall 2019 the meadow was fully independent of artificial irrigation as the grasses and wildflowers adapted to the ebb and flow of natural precipitation.

HCT Boundary Quest volunteers found, mapped, and marked property boundaries and other HCT volunteers removed several truck loads of leftover debris. Moran Engineering designed the parking area and AmeriCorps put in the trail. The volunteer Chatham-Harwich Newcomers’ Woodworkers Club installed a trailhead kiosk, Eagle Scout Carl Furner, his fellow scouts, and their parents built three benches and Colin Leonard Enterprises delivered mulch and stone (Colin is a HCT Trustee).

As time and nature have worked their magic, all that hard work has blended into a seamless scene that feels like a gorgeous Impressionist painting. That’s a scene you should see for yourself on your next trip to the Muddy Creek Headwaters Preserve.

Trailhead Parking: From the stoplight intersection of Old Queen Anne Road and Route 137, drive about 150 feet east (toward Chatham) and take your immediate left onto Church Street. After approximately one-tenth of a mile, the parking area will be on your right. Or use the street address of 33 Church Street, East Harwich in your handy smartphone to find the Muddy Creek Preserve’s meadow magic.

—To see the complete lineup of HCT Trails with maps, descriptions and locations, click here.

—Sign up for HCT eNews, a great way to stay in the loop about exciting HCT events, guided walks and other interesting news.

—Your tax-deductible contributions help fulfill the mission of the Harwich Conservation Trust to preserve land that protects woods, water, wildlife and our shared quality of life. And your land-saving financial support helps us preserve beautiful properties that can become stellar trail destinations. Find out how to donate by clicking here.