On January 29, 2021, Mass Audubon received a donation of 2.73 acres of land next to its Museum of American Bird Art (MABA) in Canton, Massachusetts.

The new addition, called the Carroll property, features a lovely series of rapids, or cascades, of Pequit Brook that runs along the Main Loop Trail.  Most of the land is a vibrant red maple swamp teeming with various species of native plants and animals.

This donation of land will be added to the art museum’s existing 121-acre wildlife sanctuary, established by the bequest of Mildred Morse Allen in 1989.

If you want to see this new land yourself, take a walk on the Main Loop Trail at MABA.  When you get to the rapids at Pequit Brook, look across and you will see the maple swamp of this property. 

A Family with Deep Roots

This donation of land is thanks to the generosity of Bill Carroll and the Carroll Family, who have a long history here.

Branches of the Carroll family have owned this land and resided in Canton for several generations going back to at least the mid-1800s.  Bill has spent his entire life on the property and remembers exploring the woods and fishing in Pequit Brook as a child. 

When asked why he wanted to donate the land, Bill said that he wanted it to stay as a wetland forever, and that even though wetlands are afforded protections now, we cannot assume that development will be discouraged in wetlands in the future. 

Donating the land to Mass Audubon ensures that it can remain forever natural, and be enjoyed by generations of visitors to MABA.

It is always a pleasure to work with families that have a long history and connection with their land, and Mass Audubon is grateful and honored to be the stewards of the Carroll property. 

-Nick Rossi Land Protection Specialist