Williamstown Rural Lands

Williamstown Rural Lands Your local land trust, preserving rural lands and educating the public in Williamstown, MA, since 1986. Support Rural Lands!

Founded in 1986, Williamstown Rural Lands (WRL) has worked to preserve working landscapes, support sustainable community initiatives and encourage responsible development. WRL works with private landowners on land protection projects using a variety of methods, including conservation restriction, direct gift, and sale of partial or full interests in land to state agencies or other conservation gro

ups. Educational Programs and Events:

WRL provides hands-on environmental education for children and adults as well as year-round cultural and natural history programs for schools and visitors to Sheep Hill. Workshops, lectures and seasonal outings are offered and WRL regularly collaborates with local organizations such as the Hoosic River Watershed Association, Williamstown Elementary School, Milne Public Library, and local restaurants and artists. Visit our web site, www.rurallands.org, for a current event calendar. Sheep Hill:

The historic and charming Sheep Hill property was acquired by the WRLF in 2000 and is now its headquarters with offices, a lending library, conference room and classroom. The property features historic barns and outbuildings, exhibits, trails, a children's nature cabin and a pond rich with aquatic life, as well as stunning panoramic views from the top of its steep meadow. Sheep Hill is located about one mile south of the Williamstown rotary on Route 7. The property and farmhouse are also available for rental for small events. Supporting WRL through membership is an excellent way to sustain and shape the quality of life we enjoy. Your membership not only helps to preserve our natural resources and scenic beauty but also makes it possible for the community to take advantage of the resources WRL offers. Monetary gifts, appreciated securities, bequests, in-kind donations, and volunteering are ways you can help support WRL's work. Please contact the office for more information: (413) 458-2492 or e-mail [email protected].

Tomorrow! Join Hank Art, Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology, Emeritus, for a special guided hike along the D...
06/19/2026

Tomorrow! Join Hank Art, Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology, Emeritus, for a special guided hike along the Deer Hill Walk on the shoulders of Mount Greylock ⛰️

SATURDAY, June 20, 8 am
PARKING: Meet at Notch Road Gate Parking (pictured here) at the North Adams entrance to Mount Greylock State Reservation. Will drive together (possibly carpool) to the trailhead from there.

☘️Hank is a local expert on plant communities and their changes over time. Experience some of the oldest stands of trees in the region, including hemlock, beech, northern red oak and red spruce.

🌲A highlight will be measuring the current Massachusetts ‘champion’ (largest by volume) red spruce.

🌼Hank will speak not only about the beautiful forest communities, but also about understory plants and the occasional evidence of past human presence legible in the landscape of plants.

🥾Suggested to bring good hiking shoes/boots, hiking poles, snack and water. We aim to return to Notch Road Gate Parking by around noon.

There is still room in Rural Lands’ Art in Nature camps this summer! 🎨🌿Explore nature through art. Fueled by the beauty ...
06/12/2026

There is still room in Rural Lands’ Art in Nature camps this summer! 🎨🌿

Explore nature through art. Fueled by the beauty of nature and its many wonders, this will be a fun and exciting week made to push the boundaries of creativity while immersed in the outdoors 🐸

We will use the elements of nature as both material and inspiration for art, exploring mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and textiles 🧶

Campers will be able to explore many different art techniques while also bringing home unique, original creations! 🖼️

Visit our website (rurallands.org) to learn more and register.

06/11/2026

✨Coming up on June 27!✨

Enjoy the magic of the fireflies at Sheep Hill on a Saturday night! 💫

This annual favorite, open to all, is a good excuse for kids to stay up late, just this once. And for adults to enjoy some fun.

📚Local storyteller John Porcino will tell stories and orient us to the evening flying critters we might see. We’ll enjoy a catch-and-release firefly chase on the hill.

🍫And, yes, there will be ‘smores.

If light drizzle present, we’ll meet. Barring a thunderstorm at 7, we’re on! For questions, email [email protected]. Visit rurallands.org for more information.

06/10/2026

Happy Wild Wednesday! 🌸 Here are some flowers you can spot along local roadways right now.

🌼Roadside flowers can tolerate more difficult conditions and often thrive in disturbed areas.

Often, these flowers are invasive or introduced species, though Robin’s plantain is a native species that is plentiful along roads.

🌿Thinking about the health of local ecosystems can be confusing and scary, especially when so many invasive species abound.

Not all introduced species (nonnative to northeastern US) behave the same— some dominate habitats, crowding out native species, and thus behave as ‘invasive.’

Others that are less destructive are referred to as ‘naturalized,’ meaning they now commonly occur here and can disperse on their own.

Together, native, naturalized, and invasive species interact and affect the system in different ways.

The first step in creating a healthier environment is to become curious about it. Which is why education— about all species— is invaluable.

What’s your favorite June wildflower?

Come to our Sharpening Workshop at Sheep Hill on June 6th! This event runs from 10am - 2pm and caters to a variety of ne...
05/30/2026

Come to our Sharpening Workshop at Sheep Hill on June 6th! This event runs from 10am - 2pm and caters to a variety of needs and items.

This is a hands-on learning experience. Bring your tools and learn about sharpening safety, the different methods of sharpening, and have our local experts walk you through sharpening the tools you bring from home!

You bring: knives, shears, axes, mauls, scissors, chainsaws, or any other specialty cutting tool.

We have: Sharpening stones, files, strops, electric sharpeners, and more.

Participants will register for a one-hour time slot. Registration is required in advance so as we need to make sure each participant gets the materials and guidance they need. If you have any questions, or if the registration fee is a hinderance to your participation, please reach out to: [email protected]

05/27/2026

Happy Wild Wednesday! 🐸

Come on an underwater tour with us at Josiah’s Pond. Say hello to the wood frog tadpoles, damselflies and nymphs, eastern newts, and bullfrog polywogs.

Josiah’s pond is easily accessible from the upper parking lot at Sheep Hill. There’s a picnic table near the Nature Cabin, as well as a board walk out into the wetland.

05/14/2026

🐦‍⬛Bird walk Saturday at Sheep Hill, 3 pm! All experience levels welcome!

☘️This will precede our Annual Meeting from 4-5pm, intended especially for members, but open to everyone.

📷These birds were filmed at Sheep Hill in a span of minutes yesterday. In order, they are:

Yellow warbler
Eastern bluebird
Eastern kingbird
Least flycatcher
American robin

Our walk will focus around Josiah’s pond, where warblers and flycatchers are abundant.

In addition to these birds, we saw Baltimore oriole, common yellowthroat, eastern Phoebe, and many red-winged blackbirds yesterday!

And a speedy sharp-shinned hawk.

☘️This Wild Wednesday, celebrate an iconic spring ephemeral. Trilliums!☘️Here in the northern Berkshires, the most commo...
05/13/2026

☘️This Wild Wednesday, celebrate an iconic spring ephemeral. Trilliums!☘️

Here in the northern Berkshires, the most common wild trillium species are red trillium and painted trillium. Trilliums are a sign of healthy, high-quality soil, and in some woodland areas in Williamstown, they grow abundantly.

Red trillium flowers are slightly larger and a deep wine red with bright green leaves. Painted trillium flowers are smaller and white with a magenta ‘brushstrokes.’

Though these flowers are beautiful, do not pick them. It takes an incredible investment in energy to produce a flower, and picking them can kill the plant, which take 7-10 years to start producing flowers from seed.

Also, trilliums are stinky! Unlike other flowers, they do not produce nectar for bees. Trilliums attract insects like flies for pollination, and ants are crucial in the process of spreading their seeds.

If you’re interested in seeing trilliums locally, the Hopper basin and Berlin Road Preserve are great places to check. Painted trilliums are still abundant in Clarksburg State Park.

Where have you seen trilliums?

Address

671 Cold Spring Road
Williamstown, MA
01267

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+14134582494

Website

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