We are excited to announce that we have received a 2012 grant from REI for trail work in the Dow Brook Conservation Area in Ipswich! This $9,750 grant will be used toward re-routing of a wet, muddy trail and construction of a boardwalk through the wetland area. Thank you to our friends at REI of Reading for their support of this grant!
The Dow Brook Conservation Area was purchased by the town of Ipswich in 2003. This 34 acre parcel includes two reservoirs, the Dow Brook Reservoir and the Bull Brook Reservoir. There are two parking areas, one off of Rt. 1A and the other off of Mile Lane. Trails on this property not only provide excellent loop trails, but are also important links to the Bay Circuit Trail, which crosses through the northwest corner of the parcel. Trails on the property are accessible to hikers, runners, mountain bikers and horseback riders, and provide access to excellent birdwatching and fly fishing locations.
The trails are mostly wooded, with several stream crossings and wet areas. While the upland trails are accessible year round, the lower-lying trails are often too wet and muddy to cross. One trail in particular currently consists of an approximately 100′ section crossing directly through wetlands that is impassible for most of the year – muddy under the best of conditions and completely under water after rainy weather.
Using ECTA’s Ipswich Trail Management Plan, we will coordinate with the Ipswich Conservation Commission to launch the project. We have already walked the site with the Open Space Committee and Conservation Commission and have approval to relocate the trail and to build a new 60-foot boardwalk.
This project is scheduled for mid to late October and we will be looking for volunteers to clear the new trail and to help with boardwalk construction. Keep posted for more on these volunteer opportunities!
