west river trail work day

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Thank You Trail Volunteers!

On a warm, beautiful Saturday afternoon, at the end of October, we had our last invasive workday of the season, pulling invasives on the Riverstone Preserve. 

Here’s Eric Reinz, one of our dedicated volunteers, holding a handful of asiatic bittersweet seedlings. 

Though we are finished for the year, we plan to be back at it as soon as we can, in the spring of 2023.

We are so grateful for all the volunteers who showed up to help with this effort this year. Together, we pulled a lot of bittersweet seedlings (and some glossy buckthorn), which is a necessary and hugely important part of the management strategy following professional treatments.

Thank you, thank you!

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Riverstone Preserve Workday Saturday Sept 24

It’s time to pull invasives again! We’ve been having great crews of volunteers, and it’s so gratifying to see how much we accomplish each time. And, there is a lot more to do, so please come if you can!
When: Saturday, September 24
Where:  Meet at the southern Sibosen Trailhead on the Riverstone Preserve area of the West River Trail
When:  9 AM until 11 AM
What to bring: Work gloves, water, snack, insect repellent, sun hat, enthusiasm
What we’ll be doing: Mostly pulling oriental bittersweet seedlings, buckthorn if we see it, and perhaps other invasives. We will help you identify the plants if you haven’t done this with us before.

Please email the lowersection@westrivertrail.org with questions and to let us know you’re coming. Thanks so much!

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Trail Maintenance Work Day Saturday Sept 17

West River Trail

Volunteers needed and welcomed to join the Friends of the West River Trail Lower Section for a workday from 10 AM to 2 PM (you’re welcome even if you can’t stay that long).

We will meet at the Marina trailhead at 10 AM and walk in to the work site. The focus will be on clearing ditches and culverts before the leaves come down.
Wear boots, and bring water, work gloves and a rake or hoe if you have one.
Drinks and snacks will be provided. 

Please email lowersection@westrivertrail.org with questions or to let us know you’re coming. Thank you!

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Cancelled: Saturday, July 30 Invasives Pulling Workday

Please note that the “last Saturday of the month” invasives work day is cancelled for this month. However, if you have worked with us in the past and can identify oriental bittersweet seedlings, and you would like to go ahead on out to the Riverstone Preserve and work, please feel free to do that. We appreciate your help! We will host another invasives work day on Saturday, August 27 from 9 AM to 11. Please put that date in your calendars. Thank you!

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Trail Workday: Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are needed to help pull invasives on the Riverstone Preserve on Saturday morning, June 25, from 9 am to 11 am.

We’ll mostly be identifying and pulling the seedlings of Oriental Bittersweet. Dan Healey, our forester from Long View Forest, Inc. will not be able to be with us that day, but there will be others who can help identify the Bittersweet and some of the other invasive species that grow on the Riverstone Preserve (21 acres of land adjacent to the West River Trail).

You can walk or bike from the Marina Trailhead to the northern boundary of the Riverstone Preserve (it’s about 1 3/4 to 2 miles from the trailhead) or you can park at the Fox Farm Rd trailhead and walk or bike in from there (shorter walk).

We’ll gather where the Fox Farm access road meets the West River Trail at 9 am, so give yourself time to get to the meeting place (about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour, depending on how you’re getting there and how fast you go).  

Bring work/gardening gloves, water, a snack, insect repellant. We’ll be mostly pulling seedlings that are easy to remove. It’s satisfying work to learn to identify and keep the invasive species under control on this special piece of property. We’ll be doing this on the last Saturday morning of every month throughout the summer and fall.  

Mark the last Saturday morning of every month on your calendar for more opportunities to help with this task. Thank you and hope to see you there!

Please email lowersection@westrivertrail.org to let us know you’re coming and/or with any questions. Thank you!

Work Day Details:
West River Trail Work Day, Riverstone Preserve
Saturday June 25, 9 to 11 am (allow about 1/2 hour walk to get to meeting place)
Bring work/gardening gloves, water, a snack, insect repellant
Gather where the Fox Farm access road meets the West River Trail

Some Facts about Oriental Bittersweet, courtesy of Vermont Invasives.

Asiatic bittersweet is a deciduous, woody vine that climbs saplings and trees and can grow over 60 feet in length.

The alternate, elliptical to circular leaves are light green in color and 2-5 inches long.

Small, inconspicuous, axillary, greenish-white flowers bloom from May to early June. Oriental bittersweet closely resembles American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens). The main difference: Celastrus scandens has flowers and fruits at the terminal ends of branches; Celastrus orbiculatus has flowers scattered along the entire stem.

The small globose fruits are green when young; ripen to yellow; then split to reveal showy, scarlet berries that persist into winter.

Image courtesy of Vermont Invasives.

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Trail Work Day: Saturday May 28

Image courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation

We will be removing invasive species from The Riverstone Preserve on the last Saturday morning of every month throughout the summer and fall. Please join us to learn about invasive species and help preserve a shared natural resource. All volunteers are welcome! We’ll announce upcoming trail work days here. Stay tuned!

This coming Saturday May 28, we are seeking volunteers for a special work day.

Dan Healey, a forester from Long View Forest, Inc. will be with us, to help us identify the seedlings of Oriental Bittersweet and some of the other invasive species that grow on the Riverstone Preserve (21 acres of land adjacent to the West River Trail).

You can walk or bike in from the Marina Trailhead to the northern boundary of the Riverstone Preserve (about 1 3/4-2 miles from the trailhead) or park at the Fox Farm Rd trailhead and walk or bike in from there (shorter walk). We’ll gather where the Fox Farm access road meets the West River Trail at 10 am, to start working, so give yourself time to get to the meeting place (about 1/2 hour).  

Bring work/gardening gloves, water, a snack, insect repellant. We’ll be mostly pulling seedlings that are easy to remove. It’s satisfying work to learn to identify and keep the invasive species under control on this special piece of property. We’ll be doing this on the last Saturday morning of every month throughout the summer and fall.  

Please email lowersection@westrivertrail.org to let us know you’re coming and/or with any questions. Thank you!

Work Day Details:
West River Trail Work Day, Riverstone Preserve
Saturday May 28 10 am – 12 pm (allow about 1/2 hour walk to get to meeting place)
Bring work/gardening gloves, water, a snack, insect repellant
Gather where the Fox Farm access road meets the West River Trail

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Trail News: Trail Reroute opens!

Huge thanks to the bridge prep crew – Elia Hamilton, Jesse Wagner, Malcolm Moore, Steve Shriner and Alex Wilson – for their contribution to trail improvements! All of this work takes financial and volunteer support. To help with these ongoing efforts to improve the trail, please consider a donation to the West River Trail. We welcome your support in any way you would like to give. Sign up on the website to receive email alerts about Volunteer Work Days and other events, and/or go to our Donate page to make a donation! Thank you!

The letter below is posted on behalf of Steve Shriner, West River Trail Steering Committee. Thanks to Alex Wilson for the photos of the bridge building workshop.

The WRT trail took a new turn recently with the opening of a rerouted portion of the trail in the Riverstone Preserve. This area, known locally as the “sandy area”, suffered from erosion and silt buildup from flooding. The flow of water across the trail from an upstream ravine had become more or less permanent.

The new trail parallels the old and includes a bridge over the stream made from locally sourced locust. In addition to the efforts of our volunteer steering committee, a volunteer group of employees from Nasdaq OneReport completed the final bridge assembly and helped finish the trail. Thanks to all who supported this project!

Projects like this enhance the Trail and make it more accessible and safe for all to use. To help with these ongoing efforts, please consider a donation to the West River Trail. Donate information can be found on our Donate Tab from the home page of the West River Trail website, and by clicking here. Thanks!

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Volunteers needed to Pull Oriental Bittersweet

West River Trail, Autumn 2016

Volunteers are needed to pull Oriental Bittersweet on the Riverstone Preserve, Sunday, October 24 from 9:30 to noon. Hope you can join us!

This might be our last outing to work on removing invasive plants before the frost. It’s fun, meditative, educational, and so important for controlling these plants that can take over and weaken the trees. Our local botanist friend, Mike Duffy, will be there to help identify invasives and other interesting plants.

Special bonus! You will have an opportunity to view the interesting new interpretive trail on the Riverstone Preserve–the Sibosen Trail (Abenaki for River Stone).

Wear weather appropriate clothing. Bring work gloves, water, and a snack. We’ll meet at 9:30 at the junction of the Fox Farm Rd access trail and the West River Trail. (Just past the northern boundary of the Riverstone Preserve). For more information or to let us know you’re coming, please contact us at lowersection@westrivertrail.org. Thank you and hope to see you there!

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West River Trail Workday a Success

Many thanks to our dedicated trail workday volunteers!

Eight volunteers had a beautiful morning on the Riverstone Preserve on Sunday, September 26. The air was cool and fresh, the West River sparkling in the sunshine, and leaves were floating down. Starting at the north end, we walked the loop trail and pulled mostly Oriental Bittersweet seedlings growing along the trail edge. As we pulled, we also identified interesting plants, with the help of local botanist Mike Duffy. Having completed the interior of the loop on our work day a month ago, we worked our way beyond the south leg of the trail, finding copious amounts of bittersweet seedlings to pull. Very gratifying.

Many thanks to our volunteers: Diana Clark, Mike Duffy, Hank Lange, Eric Pofcher, Jesse Wagner, Kathleen White , and Jerelyn and Alex Wilson! Look for the announcement about our next invasives work day. All are welcome to join.

Thanks to Diana Clark for the photos.

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West River Trail Workday

Learn plant ID and pull invasives while you’re doing it!

Join local botanist Mike Duffy and volunteers on Sunday, August 29 and/or Sunday, September 26 from 9:30 to 12:30 to help manage invasive species on the Riverstone Preserve.

We will meet where the Fox Farm Access trail meets the West River Trail, then go together onto the Riverstone Preserve to continue where we left off on our last work day on August 1st.
 
It’s nice, quiet work with time for conversation and identifying invasives as well as other plant species. We will be working mostly on pulling Oriental Bittersweet seedlings, which come up easily.

Please be in touch with any questions or to let us know you’re coming at lowersection@westrivertrail.org.

Thanks and hope to see you there!