Howland Road, Assonet, Freetown, Massachusetts
External Resources
Mill Brook Bogs (formerly Freetown Swamp) WMA consists of shrub swamp, Atlantic white cedar swamp, former cranberry bogs and a large former cranberry bog reservoir, with small areas of mixed upland forest. s owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, specifically managed by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife within the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation. The WMAs primary access point is a small gravel parking area at the north end of the property on Howland Road approximately 0.10 mile east of the intersection with Rebecca Road (adjacent to where Mill Brook crosses under Howland Road).
Common vegetation on the WMA includes red maple, sweet pepperbush, highbush blueberry, leatherleaf, swamp azalea, sphagnum moss, and Atlantic white cedar, with uplands dominated by white pine, red oak, and common greenbrier. Cotton grass, sundew, and other bog plant species are also present. The property and abutting former cranberry bogs, including the former large reservoir, were likely once part of a much larger Atlantic white cedar swamp. Within the remaining cedar and shrub swamp there are several very large boulders left behind by receding glaciers that can clearly be seen in aerial photos. Visitors to the property might hear Whip-poor-wills—a state listed Special Concern species—from the uplands on the eastern side of the property.
Content from Official Website, Mill Brook Bogs Wetland Restoration Project, and Birding hotspots
