Abstract
Open lands, including agricultural lands, grasslands, shrublands, non-forested wetlands, and other early successional habitats, have shown a substantial decline in New England over the past 150 years. Many open land species depending on these habitats are now in a dangerous situation. This study examines the open lands and open land species in southwest Lincoln, Massachusetts. This research answers five questions regarding Lincoln’s open lands: (1) What role does history play in creating the current landscape? (2) What are the natural communities and land use in southwest Lincoln? (3) What species depend on open lands as habitats and which parts of the open land ecosystem do the species of concern play? (4) What are some existing management regimes and conservation conflicts? (5) What are some potential management measures to conserve open lands and open land species? Recognition of the cultural, biological, and social values of these early successional habitats emphasizes that in this region of New England, open lands are predominantly artificial and intimately related to the history and interests of humans. The decreasing biodiversity in open lands and the uncertainty of management effects underscore the urgency of adopting proactive and adaptive conservation regimes.