Open Space and Recreation Plan - Town of Natick

Draft 9-16-11
form a necklace of water running from Lake Cochituate, originally called Long Pond, in the north to
Dug Pond in the south. A two-minute walk takes you from the frenetic activity of the Natick Mall to
the shores of Lake Cochituate, where fishermen, boaters and bathers peacefully co-exist in their
recreational pursuits.
The one hundred acres Hunnewell Town Forest, donated by the Hunnewell family, descends from
Walnut Hill to Route 9 at the Sunkaway. The Sassamon Trace Golf Course, on Route 27 and West
Street, abuts a large expanse of Sherborn open space and the Natick High School recreational fields.
Across West Street are Timothy Coolidge Hill and an additional ball field. A short drive south on
Rockland Street to Everett Street brings you past a cider mill and out to Route 16 across from
Audubon’s Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, where deer can be seen grazing in the early morning mist
or twilight evenings. Heading east toward South Natick village, the views to the south of the Charles
River and the large undeveloped expanses of woodlands on the opposite shore are exquisite, topped
only by the turn down past the historic Bacon library and the South Natick Dam, where the Charles
River cascades over the falls and under a historic stone arch bridge, as canoers and a variety of birds
share the water. A right on Pleasant Street brings you to Belkin Lookout Farm, a large working farm,
part of which is protected by an agricultural preservation restriction.
Northeast Natick still has a number of wooded areas, as well as several vernal pools. It has been
targeted by more recent development and its character is at risk of changing.
Numerous trails connecting these diverse areas have been and are being preserved. Building on the
trail network is an important component of promoting and protecting Natick’s landscape character.
C. Water Resources
Water bodies and wetland areas cover approximately 13.5 percent of the town's total area. A nearly
continuous chain of lakes and wetlands extends through the town, from north to south. The water
bodies comprising this chain include Lake Cochituate, Fisk Pond, Dug Pond, and the Indian Brook
drainage. This chain continues through the southern portion of Natick along the Charles River
corridor. The northeastern corner of Natick is dominated by the low-lying Sunkaway area and
Nonesuch Pond. The Sunkaway is a low area that crosses and frequently floods Route 9, and at one
time was subject to continual sinking despite the constant filling and shoring up of the area. A road
improvement project related to an expansion at Mathworks may address this problem. Many smaller
low-lying areas are scattered throughout the town.
1. Watersheds
Natick is divided in half with two watersheds: the Charles River, which drains the eastern and
southern portions of the town, and the SuAsCo (Sudbury-Assabet-Concord), which drains the
western and northern portions of town. The watershed boundaries are shown on Map 6.
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