Urban Wilds: Dorchester

OWNERSHIP

Boston Conservation Commission 

NEIGHBORHOOD

Dorchester

Description

Fernald Terrace Rock is the smallest city-owned urban wild. It is located at the corner of Fernald Terrace and Quincy Street and consists of a puddingstone outcrop surrounded by sparse cover of grass and weedy vegetation. The rock is bordered by a retaining wall along the Quincy Street sidewalk and has a rundown stairway traversing a moderate slope up to Fernald Terrace. 

OWNERSHIP

Boston Conservation Commission

NEIGHBORHOOD

Dorchester

Description

Geneva Avenue Cliffs is located at the intersection of Geneva Avenue and Bowdoin Street. The site is mostly wooded and contains a rocky ledge rising about forty feet above Bowdoin Street. Small dips and rises of topography lend interest to the site. One small area along Bowdoin Street has some fairly large oaks and maples, but the majority of the site is dominated by non-native, invasive tree species, such as tree-of-heaven and Norway maple. These trees are all small, indicating that this overgrown state has developed only in the past 15-20 years.

The site has experienced serious dumping over the years and most of the ground surface is covered with broken concrete, pavement, construction and demolition rubble, and other trash. However, the City, in partnership with NSTAR and the Geneva Avenue Working Group, has recently initiated plans to restore this site so it can serve as an important open space amenity for the Geneva/Bowdoin Street neighborhood.