Marshall Pond in Hebron is dotted with rock outcroppings and tiny islands, top heavy with tall pines. Only a few rustic camps are hidden in the trees along its shore. Ten kayakers gathered there June 26 under the leadership of the Western Foothills Land Trust, to paddle across the pond and up the stream at its northern end.

The Trust holds two easements protecting 568 acres and over 7,000 feet of frontage on the Oxford shore of the 142-acre pond. The land is owned and managed by the New England Forestry Foundation.

The conservation easements were donated in 2006 by Patty Page and her niece Sandra Page, conservationists who treasured their time on the Pond. Both Patty and Sandra are now deceased.

An annual event, this year’s paddle was notable for osprey sightings in the place of last year’s sighting of a pair of eagles and a nesting loon. Candace Nelson recorded the following: cormorant, kingbird, kingfisher, osprey, oriole, great blue heron, tree swallows, turkey vulture, loon, red wing blackbird, and a common yellow throat warbler.

To learn more about the Trust or to become a volunteer, email [email protected].