Porcupine Hill - White Oak acquired this 50 acre parcel in 2008 through foundation grants and the help of many contributors. Located on the north side of Rt. 31 near the Holden/Paxton border, it was formerly used as a nature camp.  White Oak has established a marked trail system and parking lot.  Access is through property managed by DCR. 

North Street - White Oak's lands off North Street were acquired in the 1980s as land which had became town land by tax default. Today they function as an extension of the Trout Brook Conservation Area, which is owned by the town.  The new White Oak trail traverses these lands, and is a great way to start exploring the wild areas of Holden.  It begins on the eastern side of North Street, loops around to the north and west, and emerges 5 miles later at the North St. parking lot.  It connects with the trail system in Trout Brook.  See the trail map.

Zwiep Lot: This is a 7-acre parcel of mostly wetland, donated by Mr. & Mrs. Donald Zwiep, and is located near Ann Street and Pilgrim Drive in the Birchwood area of Holden.  A neighborhood group of members  has been active in cleaning up this parcel, and a trail is planned.

Zimmerman Lot: An 11 acre parcel was donated by the Zimmerman family.  It's locaated off Salisbury Street on Stanjoy Road and is characterized predominantly as woody swamp. 

Eagle Lake Dam - The acquisition of this dam represents one of White Oak's earliest achievements. Plans were in place in the early 1980s to drain the lake and build on it, after the dam fell into disrepair.  Through a major fund raising effort and the support of the public, this was averted, the dam repaired, and Eagle Lake remains as a destination for fishing, swimming, canoeing, ice skating and hockey.  A draw down is planned for the winter of 2003-2004 to kill off the underwater weeds which have become a problem for swimmers.  (See the story of Eagle Lake .)

South Road: White Oak was given a 12-acre parcel along the western edge of South Road in 1990 by Mr. and Mrs. George White, as part of an attempt to preserve the rural nature of this part of the road.  Several years after the donation, three other landowners on the road decided to donate conservation restrictions on their own land for the same reason. (See below)  The 12-acre parcel, while open to the public, has no trails at this time.

Salisbury Street: In 2000 the Waterman Broadcasting Corporation gave us an 8 acre parcel on Salisbury Street, which includes two vernal pools, and part of the headwaters of Poor Farm Brook. The parcel is open to the public, but has a forbidding growth of poison ivy along the wooded upland by the street, and access to the vernal pools is difficult because of intervening marsh. There are no trails.

Chapin Road: In 2004 the late Harold Henrickson gave us the balance of his 11 acre parcel, reserving a small area around the house which he subsequently sold. Part wooded and part open field, the parcel contains an extensive wooded wetland which continues along the northern boundary. It is open to the public, but White Oak should be contacted before visiting, since at present it is being treated as a wild life preserve.

These lands are preserved from development but are not open to the public, though the owners sometimes allow limited access, and our stewards review the land at least annually.

Kendall Road conservation restriction: Mr. Weyman Lundquist donated the first conservation restriction to White Oak in 1979. The property, also known as The Grove, was the site of a popular camp run by his family around the middle of the 20th century. The camp included a famous toboggan run which started on the other side of Kendall Road and ended at Eagle Lake, as well as a swimming/boating area along the shore. The highlight of this 22-acre property is a magnificent grove of pine trees on a hill overlooking the lake.  The beach is  used by snapping and painted turtles as a nesting site.   Kendall Road was named after Caleb Kendall,  who ran a saw mill and grist mill on the site of the old Jefferson Mill.

Whitney Street conservation restriction: Development rights on this 4-acre parcel were donated by the Costello/Haran family in 1997.  The land consists of fields which have been kept open continuously since the 18th century. Along with the historic Willard-Fiske house, the fields are an important feature of the landscape of this rural road.  The surrounding forested land is owned by the City of Worcester, and is off limits to the public at this time for reasons of watershed protection.

South Road conservation restrictions: The Brooks and Durham families donated the development rights on their family lands, a total of 133 acres, in 2001.  This is part of a neighborhood conservation project which is ongoing, and may eventually result in the preservation of over 250 acres along this beautiful road.  While not officially open to the public, much of the Durham land contains trails which are extension of the Appalachian Mountain Club trail system on the Holden-Worcester boundary (this trail system can be accessed from Camp Street in Worcester). At the end of 2005 the Dearborn family added to these a conservation restriction on their beautiful parcel of over 20 acres, with extensive views over the reservoirs. Not only is the land important wildlife habitat, but it also protects the Worcester water supply. This brings the total area now conserved on South Road to over 150 acres.

Sunnyside Avenue: In 2003 Nancy Wilson donated a CR on the back parcel of her land in the center of the town, which runs up a steep wooded hillside to the high school playing fields. This is the source of Glenn Spring which in the 19th. Century served as a water supply for the neighborhood, and also fed a horse trough which is now in the cemetery. It contributes to Warren Tannery Brook, which joins the Quinapoxet and runs into Wachusett Reservoir.