The Meadowbrook Conservation Area is located on the northern side of Swan (Seine) Pond at the end of Meadowbrook Road, off Winslow Gray Road. The area consists of brackish marsh, salt marsh, and relic Atlantic cedar swamp. A 310 foot boardwalk leads from the parking area to the shore of Swan Pond. A large expanse of phragmites yield to salt water cattails and eventually salt marsh grasses. The remnants of an ancient Atlantic white cedar stand can be seen to the east of the boardwalk. The cedars died off long ago when the ebb and flow of Swan Pond was changed due to the re-construction of the Route 28 Bridge at Parker’s River.
The seaward end of the boardwalk offers a unique vista of the surrounding area. River herring and alewives enter the pond from Parkers River and eventually climb fish ladders into Long Pond to the east for spawning. The Ospreys follow the migrating herring and nest near the pond. Striped bass and bluefish also follow the herring northward along the east coast into rivers and streams.
The changes of the seasons bring migratory waterfowl and birds to the area. One of the first signs of spring is the familiar squeal of the red-wing blackbirds who love to roost within the cattails. The first signs of fall appear when the Tupelo trees along most of the pond’s edge begin to turn crimson red.
The boardwalk is handicap accessible after a federal grant allowed the town to rebuild it in the late 1990’s.