Green Circle Podcast Ep. 4
Wigwam Pond is a 23-acre body of water in Dedham that, at first glance, seems like an obvious place for a walking path, benches, a dock to fish from—a place to experience nature. There are birds, fish, wildflowers, and a surprising sense of escape.
And yet, for decades, it has remained largely out of reach—isolated, with almost no meaningful public access. Over time, its edges have been encroached upon by development and overtaken by invasive wetland plants that now threaten the pond’s health.
But that is beginning to change.
After a two-year planning process shaped by community input, the Town of Dedham created a comprehensive roadmap—the Wigwam Pond Public Access & Recreation Plan—to restore the pond and open it to the public. In 2025, the Town made significant progress on Phase 1: improving the pond’s ecological health.
In this episode of The Green Circle, Carol Hills speaks with Dedham Conservation Agent Meredith Confrey about what comes next. The plan envisions walking paths, multiple access points, and spaces for quiet recreation—all on Town-owned land overseen by the Conservation Commission. Meredith also outlines a realistic timeline and how each phase could be funded.
But everything hinges on the first step: restoring the pond itself. Removing invasive plants that have choked off oxygen, degraded water quality, and even made the pond shallower is essential to unlocking Wigwam Pond’s future.
Video Credit: Courtesy: Town of Dedham. Drone footage of Wigwam Pond
