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Jenks Conservation Land
Jenks Conservation Land comprises 30 acres consisting primarily of a broad, sweeping meadow, once part of the apple orchards extensive throughout this area. To the west, however, the property is bisected by the MBTA commuter railroad line. Wedged between this railroad line and the Idylwilde Farm property is a 7-acre extension of the Jenks Land. Persons crossing the rail line to access this extension area should use caution, as trains no longer blow whistles. This conservation area and the nearby Guggins Brook conservation area both serve the same immediate area of West Acton, and both lie within the same aquifer protection zone. The land was purchased using town and state funds in 1975. The main entrance to the Jenks Land is from a small parking area just off Central Street. A barrier gate separates the parking area from the beginning of the access trail. A kiosk is just beyond the gate where a parcel map may be obtained. The access trail leads slightly downhill through a narrow corridor bordered with tangled shrubs and berry bushes to a concrete and stone culvert through which Fort Pond Brook flows. The shrubby area along the corridor has been partially brushed out to provide lovely views of two ponds just downstream from the culvert. A second minor entrance to the property comes into the 7-acre parcel on the westerly side of the railroad line, from private property beyond. The trail system at Jenks is a little unusual in that the main loop trail (yellow-blazed) leaves the access trail (just beyond the culvert) and re-connects to it just before it crosses the railroad line into the 7-acre extension. The loop trail is only 0.5 mile long and traverses the perimeter of the meadow/orchard. A secondary (blue-blazed) trail bisects the meadow area at its highest point, where three new apple trees have been planted. This attractive meadow is a favorite haunt for bird-watchers. Three other blue-blazed trails leave the access trail on both sides just beyond the cement culvert and lead to the brook/pond’s edge where ducks, songbirds, particularly red-winged blackbirds, and typical wetland vegetation may be observed. Some of these trails are quite rough. The Jenks meadow/orchard is bounded on the northeast by wetlands along Fort Pond Brook, which, after leaving the Jenks property, soon flows through the forward part of the Idylwilde farm field just beyond which it joins Guggins Brook. On the northwest, a high, quite massive stone wall separates the Jenks land from the Boxborough town line, beyond which are additional open farm fields. The 7-acre extension is noteworthy primarily for two vernal pools. A visitor must cross the railroad bed via a narrow path to access this southwesterly portion of the Jenks conservation area.
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