Thank you to everyone who participated in the ECTA – Essex Heritage Trails & Sails events over the past two weekends. Walkers and volunteers found that even on a misty morning, there is still fun to be had on the trails!
On Saturday, September 22nd, Board Member Deb Hamilton led a group of walkers on a trail walk through the Riverbend Conservation Area in West Newbury. They crossed over the Indian River to explore some of the new trails created this summer by volunteers.
On Saturday, September 29th, we had two great events to choose from! Carol Lloyd, Director of Trail Management, introduced walkers to the recently re-routed Discover Hamilton Trail. A new leg of the trail starts at Patton Park, so that walkers no longer have to start at the Hamilton Town Hall and walk along Rt 1A. The walk continued through the Pingree Reservation and Bradley Palmer State Park. Most of the group ended here after nearly 5 miles, but a few ambitious walkers continued on with Carol to complete the full loop of almost 10 miles!
Our friends at REI organized a trail work day with the staff at DCR’s Bradley Palmer State Park. We worked on the Accessible Trail, clearing overgrowth from the river side of the boardwalk. The brush, mostly invasive species such as buckthorn and bittersweet, completely blocked any views to the Ipswich River. We cleared out the invasives and left beneficial shrubs like native winterberry holly. Now everyone can enjoy a scenic view of the river, and it will be much easier for park staff to maintain regrowth in this area. Special thanks to Mayer Tree and Stihl for donating great new tools for our volunteers! To see more pictures from this event visit our Facebook Page.
