Considering Brookline's size and proximity to the City of Boston, the number, acreage, and ecological variety of Town sanctuaries is impressive. Brookline sanctuaries contain wetlands, ponds, streams, and vernal pools. These resources are distinct from parks and are valuable for holding floodwater and replenishing ground water. Since 1972, wetlands have been protected under the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act. Sanctuaries are open from dawn to dusk and are defined by passive use, please observe the conservation area rules and regulations. If you are interested in donations to the Town's nature sanctuaries please Download the Sanctuaries Guidelines For Donations PDF document.
D. Blakely Hoar Sanctuary:
As a result of the environmental concerns of a Brookline resident more than one-half century ago, Brookline has a 25-acre natural area open for public enjoyment. The Sanctuary is located in southwestern Brookline, in the Sawmill Brook floodplain, behind Westbrook Village and adjacent to the Edith C. Baker School. It abuts Boston to the southwest and is near the Newton-Brookline border.
A single trail beginning behind the Baker School tennis courts runs through the Sanctuary, enabling visitors to see a variety of vegetation and wildlife. The trail is identified by blue or yellow markings on trees.
Download the D. Blakely Hoar Sanctuary Brochure & Take a file Tour
Halls Pond Sanctuary:
Hall's Pond Sanctuary is one of only two natural ponds remaining in Brookline. Together with the adjacent Amory woods, it is the only land in North Brookline set aside for conservation purposes. The sanctuary, which is administered by the Brookline Conservation Commission, consists of the pond and it's surrounding shores and upland. The total area covers approximately 3.5 acres.
While most of the land and water within the Sanctuary have been left in a natural state, there is a formal garden that was planted shortly after the turn of the century and cultivated ever since. The Sanctuary comprises lush growth of trees, vines and bushes which provide an excellent habitat and nesting grounds for a wide variety of birds and animal life rarely found in an urban setting.
Download the Halls Pond Sanctuary Brochure & Take a file Tour
Lost Pond Sancturary:
The Lost Pond Conservation Area is located in the extreme southwest corner of Brookline. It is bounded by the Town's Transfer Station area, the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) Lost Pond reservation, and the Kennard Park and Conservation Area in Newton.
Lost Pond, a "kettle hole," has developed into a quaking bog on its northern edge. This is one of the most interesting and unusual types of wetlands found in New England. Peat bogs, which often develop in deep glacial lakes, are formed by the gradual decomposition of plant material in highly acidic, poorly drained areas. This peat forms a floating mat over the water and provides a base for acid-tolerant vegetation, which grows in from the edge of the pond. When this mat is walked on, there is a sense of the land "quaking." Peat may accumulate in deposits twenty to forty feet deep. Bogs provide naturalists with excellent data on the ecological history of an area. The underlying peat preserves pollen fossils from the plants that have grown there over the last 10,000 to 15,000 years. Bogs often exhibit very clear belts or zones of vegetation, which change as one moves from the water's edge to the upland. In fact, an erial photograph of the area reveals a distinct ridge, which was formed by glacial action. This is the dividing line between the uplands and the wetlands and between plants typical of the bog environment and that of the upland
Download the Lost Pond Brochure
