Bathed in the reds, yellows, and oranges of fall, the tree-lined paths of the newly restored Mattahunt Woods showcased a complete revival last Friday (Oct. 24) from forgotten dumping ground to a place of beauty and serenity.
Sisters Elaine Mahon and Merlyn Rattray, both of Mattapan, enjoyed a stroll in the Mattahunt Woods ahead of the celebration on Friday. The restored woodlands has gone from blight to bliss in the matter of two years. Seth Daniel photos
Neighbors Nia Imani and Edna Hall take a walk down the new pathways in the Mattahunt Woods. “We’re just getting started,” noted Hall.
An 18-month restoration program was completed earlier this summer, but at the ribbon-cutting event last week, the many attendees looked on as the natural beauty of the place displayed its vibrant colors.
“We are on the map,” said Earl Faulk, a neighbor. “This is something neighbors will have to get used to because the woods were a buffer, to keep people out. When you open it up to the public, you want to make sure it’s the right people coming for the right reasons…But it’s beautiful.”
Added Mayor Wu, who was on hand to enjoy a stroll through the new pathways, “These woods are proof that living in a city doesn’t have to mean living apart from nature. The Mattahunt Woods are not just beautiful; they are necessary.”
Before its restoration, The Urban Wild, one of 29 citywide, was a mishmash of old deciduous trees and invasive species, mixed in with construction debris, old car parts and even a kitchen sink. Those conditions existed for years, according to Fatima Ali-Salaam, chair of the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council (GMNC), who recalled running through the woods as a kid when it was so overgrown that getting out without falling was an achievement.
She said there was a point several years ago when the city asked for resident input on what to do with the woods – restore them over a period of years or put them out for development? The response, she said, was decisively in favor of creating the nine-acre Wild.
Project manager Cat McCandless guided the $850,000 project through several twists and turns resulting in the removal of invasive species and trash, the creating of new organized walking paths, and the ecological return to a native New England forest – even though it’s surrounded by busy urban life.
Assisting in the restoration was the city’s new Power Corps team, which looks to train at-risk young adults in forestry and green jobs. The Power Corps team took on the Mattahunt Woods along with city contractor Parterre Ecological. Mattapan’s Davo Jefferson, executive director of Power Corps, said they would continue to use the Mattahunt Woods as a training ground for ecology and forestry.
Brian Swett, the city’s chief climate officer, noted the transformation, and said it was up to the city and neighbors to be great stewards.
Power Corps members Joda Smith, Nate, and K’seante Coachman were part of the team that helped restore the woods.
“Before this restoration, this really was not a place where people were welcome,” he said. “It was overgrown, it was a dumping ground…It was really forgotten green space in a period of decline over many, many decades.”
The Woods are open to the public daily for passive recreation from dawn to dusk, and there is a call for folks to join the new Friends of Mattahunt Woods group. A new pathway connecting the Mattahunt Elementary School is expected to be completed in the spring.
