Pacy Map (PDF)
Location: West of South Acton Center, between Central Street, Tupelo Way, and Tuttle Drive
Loop trail: 0.4 mile
Acreage: 38
Terrain/Trail Conditions: Gently rolling, easy terrain
Entrances
- Cul-de-sac on Tupelo Way, off Prospect Street (Parking, Kiosk)
- Along Central Street, opposite Martin Street
The Pacy Conservation Land is tucked in between Central Street and the residential neighborhoods of Tupelo Way and Tuttle Drive. The land is bisected north to south by a mature red maple swamp that takes up about one third of the entire parcel. An unnamed feeder tributary in the middle of the swamp drains into Fort Pond Brook. A vernal pool can be seen from the southern end of the loop trail.
The eastern uplands has a single yellow loop trail with two access points. The loop offers a pedestrian connection between the commercial area near the intersection of Prospect Street and Main Street (where the Main Street parking lot for Great Hill is located) and Martin Street, for access to Jones Field and beyond. The western uplands, near Tuttle Drive, has no trails.
The uplands has the appearance of a former early 20th-century pasture land, abandoned when the surrounding areas were developed and now providing habitat for deer. There are many 40-year-old and older canopy trees—white pines, sugar maples, white ash, hickory, red oak, and other hardwoods—but almost no younger or smaller trees in the mid-story, and the understory is dominated by smaller and younger plants that have been able to grow in the shaded conditions, such as hay-scented ferns, Canada mayflower, jewelweed, barberry, and other plants that deer avoid.
The uplands has the appearance of a former early 20th-century pasture land, abandoned when the surrounding areas were developed, and now providing habitat for deer. There are many 40 year-old and older canopy trees, white pines, sugar maples, white ash, hickory, red oak and other hardwoods, but almost no younger or smaller trees in the mid-story, or saplings, and the understory is dominated by smaller and younger plants that have been able to grow in the shaded conditions, such as hay-scented ferns, May Flower, Jewel-weed, Barberry, and other plants that deer avoid.
Pacy Map (PDF)