Address: 216 West St, Hyde Park
2008 Status: Protected
2008 Condition: Intact
Site Size: 0.3 Acres
Click here for the Urban Wilds Glossary.
Description: West & Austin Streets Urban Wild represents the typical forest over outcrop landscape so prevalent in the city of Boston. A hillside of exposed Roxbury Puddingstone and Oak forest slopes upwards from the corner of West and Austin Streets, rising over 40’ to a small bald with views to the south and west. An interpretive sign describing the site stands at the street level encouraging pedestrians to investigate the site.
West & Austin Urban Wild supports an intact ecological community that provides valuable habitat for local wildlife. The forest includes Red Oak and Black Cherry in the canopy with a carpet of Sweetfern, Low Bush Blueberry, and Pennsylvania Sedge growing beneath. Cat Briar, a climbing, thorny vine makes the lower portion of the site seem a bit forbidding. However, the wild is worth exploring and the forest is quite cool in the humid summer months.
Current Use: West & Austin Urban Wild is used for passive recreation and education by community residents and local organizations. The site provides habitat for reptiles, mammals, birds, and insects.
Ward: 14
Site ID: 14-12
Site Owner: City of Boston
Access Points: Accessible from West and Austin Streets.
Visitation Hours: No hours posted.
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The sloped and forested Urban Wild rises to the west from the corner of West and Austin Streets.
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An internal view of the upland oak forest.
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