Spring Pond Woods: Maps

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Map of Open Trails

Map of Trails. Image from 'GPS Kit HD' for iPad.

Walking and cycling trails in Spring Pond Woods are shown in the map as dashed (brown, pink and blue) lines. The trail network can be found by using a GIS mapping device application, or by entry through the points indicated on the map above, also listed below...

Peabody

Spring Pond Road, Lynn Street, Sunset Drive, Longview Ave, Linden Road, Veterans Memorial Drive, Coolidge Ave, Glen Road and Cedar Grove Cemetery

Lynn

Fays Ave, Verona Street, John H. Cann Way

Salem

Cain Road, Tanglewood Lane, Barcelona Ave, Osborne Hill Drive

The data layers in 'GPS Kit HD' indicate the trails are 'Open Cycling' and 'Open Street'...

Enjoy walking, cycling, relaxation or history/ nature observing.

Historic 1899 Map of Fay Estate

This older map of the Fay Estate found at the Register of the Salem Deeds, was drawn in 1899, and has not been posted here before. This map names and defines the land of the Fay Estate, including the location of the buildings (Mansion, Carriage House, Servant's quarters, Laundry Building, Gatehouse) to which a few remain today on the Lynn side, except for the mansion. The Fay Estate grew to about 500 acres around Spring Pond, partially Lynn, Peabody and Salem Ma. Richard Fay purchased many parcels to enlarge his estate. The stone walls which line each parcel, can be seen today through wooded and wetland areas.

October 4, Flooding on Highland

Flooding on Highland Avenue seems to be an annual event. This photo, in front of Wal-mart is circulating on Facebook from this mornings floods. Commentators on facebook.com/salemmass are saying such things as: "Good bye highland ave.!", "highland ave always floods there.that's the worst so far i've seen it !!!"

On August 25, 2010, a friend shared images of the flooding which occurred here a year ago. See former photos: www.springpondwoods.com/2010/08/nature-strikes-back-flood-on-highland.html

An historical map, c1900, found on Mass GIS, shows the site of Wal-mart used to be a marsh, and the stream through the valleys connects from Spring Pond to the rear of Wal-mart's site. It is quite possible flooding happens here for a reason. Perhaps the water table rises, or the streams (draining the hills) overflows. If the top of the hill is blasted for a new Lowe's then excessive drainage will increase at a faster rate and fill the streams and former flood areas. The site around the existing Wal-mart could be blasted too, reaching further north-west into the wetlands and Surface Water Protection Areas.

An overlay of the map with current (2010) wetlands and parcel data, shows where this marsh was located.

In recent 2011 data collected from Mass GIS, The National Wetlands Inventory includes a survey of the streams from Spring Pond to the rear of Wal-mart's site. Search for layer 'NWI Wetlands Solid' in OLIVER.

Map data was extracted using the state program OLIVER

( maps.massgis.state.ma.us/map_ol/oliver.php ). Information can viewed directly online or imported into a drawing program. I use Vectorworks Designer: Architect/ Landmark/ Renderworks, after viewing the data in OLIVER, for measuring and modeling purposes.

Mass GIS Data Maps update

OLIVER, an online program available to the public to view and extract Mass GIS data, has improved with a friendlier interface. Some wetland data has increased and become more detailed than last year's data.

Using OLIVER online, as seen in this first screen shot, is The City of Peabody parcel on the Salem side, shaded in a light green. This parcel abuts Camp Lion and the Dibiasi subdivision, and was purchased by the City of Peabody to protect the water quality of Spring Pond. The wetlands, saturated soils and streams have a hydro-connection from Camp Lion, through the City of Peabody's Parcel, onto Spring Pond water supply. Only in season of a high water table and excessive rain (like the Springtime), may the streams and connecting saturated soils be seen in a short period of a day or more. There is some video footage available to share of this.

In this second map, additional resource layers are turned on to view Surface Water Protection Zones 1 and 2 surrounding the streams and Spring Pond. These zones are part of a regulated area. This is part of the watershed, where the land is drained by the streams into Spring Pond. These zones extend onto Camp Lion and the rear of Wal-mart's site (indicated in light blue shade and cross hatch). From onsite observations, it appears these zones may need to be extended to envelope entire stream systems.

In the map below, the Pine Barrens layer (shaded in olive green) is shown to indicate the areas of intense surface drainage caused from the Pine Barrens (as Leslie reminds us) where ground cover composed of pine needles flushes water at a faster rate. Onsite observations indicate there are far more pines on site than just within the boundaries of these two zones.

A new and interesting layer is provided by the National Wetlands Inventory Streams and Wetlands (NWI Streams). This survey affirms stream connection from Spring Pond to the rear of Wal-mart's site!

If you don't believe me or have time to follow the streams and saturation levels in the wet Springtime, check out Mass GIS OLIVER online: http://maps.massgis.state.ma.us/map_ol/oliver.php

Map: Lion Land Transfers

The black outline in the maps below represent land granted by Elizabeth Trumbull in 1945 to Lynn Lions members, who later created the organization Camp Lion (copy). Property which has been sold off, taken, or under a current sale agreement is shaded in pink. The 'wild woodland' remaining or to remain from this grant is approximately shown in white. Camp Lion of Lynn, Mass, Articles of Declaration state to maintain wild woodland (copy).

Previous Lion land transfers

Proposed Lion land transfers and clearing

Project: Lowe's, expanded Wal-mart, displaced campground, water tower, and basins

Map overlays using Mass GIS data and Deed plan no. 71/55. Drawn in Vectorworks Designer: Architect, Landmark, Renderworks, by yours truly.

Watershed concerns

Here is a bird's eye view from Spring Pond, looking east toward Highland Ave. The base 3d imagery is taken from Google Earth showing the topography of the high ridge, wetlands and streams downhill to Spring Pond. A light-blue color is added to highlight the wetlands and streams. Note: Videos following the stream uphill will be posted in the coming weeks.

A proposed Super Wal-mart expansion wishes to blast the ledge around the existing Walmart on Rt. 107, pushing the development further back toward the water shed. A proposed Lowe's wishes to blast the hill top, and place a building over a flowing stream and waterfall, displacing existing Camp Fire facilities.

Click on each image to view.

Raw image, unhighlighted...

Map of Fay Arboretum

M r. Fay's Arboretum was once a well known place, notable for being one of the earliest arboretums, predating Olmstead and for having trees being sighted here first in the country. People enjoyed walking the estate, admiring the vast variety of native and exotic foliage. Below is a map of the inventoried flora in the historic Fay Estate. There is more area (blank areas) to further inventory, as this is only an initial study. The love of nature and history of this hidden treasure is one of the biggest reasons why so many wish to preserve the entire area. In comparing the species of flora with historic research, this drawing reveals the hidden gem we have here in Essex County, in Lynn, Peabody and Salem, MA. I hope regional planning includes uniting these three cities to preserve this old paradise and beloved area. Three cities are connected here by the recreational wooded areas around Spring Pond.

The arboretum map will be updated on occasion, when a new inventory of flora is made.
To view, click on map, and again to zoom in. Right-click to download.

peace

Wetlands connected to Spring Pond

"A toxic dump in the rear of commercial lots is typical", a local Conservation Commissioner once said. If this is "typical", how come commercial businesses are allowed near important waterways?

A big Lowe's commercial development is proposed to be constructed uphill from Spring Pond. How much of an impact on wetlands connecting to Spring Pond, will this project have?

Studying the history of the waterways, the streams from the hills historically connect to Spring Pond. A historical map, c1900 shows just this. Today the streams appear to of grown, creating more wetland areas in the hills, with the exception of an old marsh being eliminated where Walmart now stands. The streams are low or dry now in these drought summer months, to be able to make a determination. Comparing the stream from the old map to the current map conditions, this gives concern that the proposed Lowe's lot, access road and retention pond is too near uphill from important waterways that potentially connect to Spring Pond. I hope this raises concern to not repeat the precedent costs from 1996, where the City of Peabody had to pay to clean the sludge from the Coolidge Avenue Water Treatment Plant that accumulated at the bottom of Spring Pond. Here is a map of the existing wetlands and streams, overlain with the proposed Lowe's/ Super Wal-mart development.

(Map created using the software Vectorworks Designer: Architect/ Landmark/ Renderworks, using data extracted from Mass GIS Oliver, and an image file of proposed development.)

There are many precedent environmental crimes to be concerned about. Is it safe to say, award winning systems that corporations tout about, will fail again as they have in the recent few months?

Lowe's was fined a penalty by Mass DEP in April 2010 for polluting groundwater in Pembroke: http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/press/0410lowe.htm
Lowe's developer penalized by Mass DEP in May 2010 for violation of a wetland: http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/press/0510lowe.htm
Lowe's fined $137,500 by EPA for failure to adequately control storm water run-off at 4 Mass construction sites: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/8b770facf5edf6f185257359003fb69e/24d5823b8d610b6685257382000a0ce3!OpenDocument&Start=5&Count=5&Expand=5
Lowe's fined for dumping a pesticide next to a wetland, where employees dumped 12 bottles of Ortho Diazinon concentrate behind the store. Each bottle could make 12 gallons of pesticide spray, classified as a significant spill: Ft. Wayne News-Sentinel, Oct 27 1998
In winter months, typically the sludge in dirty snow from commercial parking lots is shoveled toward the rear of lots. In this case, the sludge could be shoveled toward the downslopes. To add, one Lowe's parking lot was found to have elevated levels of PAH-benzo(a)pyrene in the asphalt: source- Austin American-Statesman, Feb. 4, 2003
Someone polluted in the rear of Walmart's lot in Salem, right here. Hope the store was informed: http://www.springpondwoods.com/2010/06/polluter-watch-dump-on-wetlands.html

Thanks to a few friends for sharing some of this info.

Peace on

Natural water flow study

This map is a study of water flow on the hillsides facing Spring Pond. This map shows red arrows indicating water flow.

This is an overlay of a drawing showing a proposed ("super") commercial development and Mass GIS data layers showing: contours, Surface Water Protection areas, and wetlands . A 3d site model was made from topographical information extracted from Mass GIS. The arrows of drainage flow as shown, was then generated from the site model created in the software program Vectorworks Designer/Architect, drawn by yours truely (K.P.). Please note, this map gives an overall idea of where rain water naturally flows down hill; the drainage arrows are based on a 120' grid.

I hope the following concerns are not ignored:

1. The drains on the Salem or Lynn side cannot handle more water flow.

2. Water that flows and naturally fills a reservoir should not be diverted down a storm drain.

3. A development should not use wetlands connecting to Spring Pond as basin.

4. New England winters- Where will the dirty snow from an enormous parking lot be shoveled, and where will the dirty snow pile up near... near the downslopes to Spring Pond? (Peabody officials, if you are listening, you have a right like the rest of the public does to speak at the Salem Planning Board Meetings, to request a hearing of your own.)

5. Chapter 91 - Spring Pond and its adjoining wetlands gives rights to all members of the public.

Map: Conservation and protection areas

Extended areas showing remaining woods:

Overlay of satellite imagery and Mass GIS data layers showing: Conservation areas, Surface Water Protection areas, Wetlands and Pine Barrens. (Orange line denotes old Fay Estate)