A big thanks to the fabulous crew from the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) for their good work building the new steps at the Riverstone Preserve on the lower section of West River Trail. Beautiful work!
Trail Work: VYCC & New Steps
west river trail
The Riverstone Preserve Trail Work
A huge thanks to the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps crew for their good work on the West River Trail.
Posted on behalf of Alex Wilson: A few weeks ago, it was such a nice day that I decided to bike into work on the trail. I spent a while with the VYCC crew and checking out the new trail along the river in the Preserve. The new trail along the river in the Riverstone Preserve will be a better trail for walking than biking, since it’s pretty twisty. About a thousand feet of new trail represents about a day-and-a-half of work. Work that day included raking, gathering stone, and constructing steps for the access down to the water. Also pictured is a Canada Lily from the protected part of the Preserve. It was nice to see five or six of these beautiful, branching lilies in the Riverstone Preserve.
All photos taken by Alex Wilson.
West River Trail Picnic Spot
Thanks to Malcolm Moore and Jason Cooper for clearing a fallen oak tree from the West River Trail and turning a loss into an asset. Next time you are out on the trail, at mile 3.25, halfway between the 2 trailheads, take a moment to enjoy the new hand-crafted, trail-side solid oak picnic table and stools.
West River Trail Improvements
This summer, work on the lower section of the West River Trail will greatly improve the trail.
A crew from Vermont Youth Conservation Corps will be working on the trail June 22nd through July 10th. They will be building stone steps down to the river, cutting new trails and improving drainage. Most of their work will be on the Riverstone Preserve, about 1/2 mile North of the Interstate bridge. If you are out on the trail, please stop and say hello!
In addition, there will be trail improvements through the generosity of Jason Evans Construction who will be bringing in equipment to haul and grade several tons of surface material to fill in muddy and rutted areas. This work will begin sometime after July 5th. Please be careful using the trail near this work.
A huge thanks to the VYCC Crew and to Jason Evans & Crew for the help. Enjoy the trail!
Bridge Project Trail Talk
Curious about the new I-91 bridge? Join the monthly Trail Talk this Saturday, June 13, 2015. Meet up with the PCL+FIGG Team at the West River Trail Marina Trailhead at 8 am and walk the trail to the I-91 bridge site. The talk will begin at 8:15 am.
The project’s website features up-to-date information about the bridge, construction photos, and live traffic cameras. The trail talk will be led by Caleb Linn, Project Manager for PCL (lead contractor) and William Johnson, Senior Quality Engineer for FIGG (bridge designer).
West River Railroad Poem
Do you know anything about Beulah Tinson Osgood? Jason Cooper found this poem tucked into an old book about the West River Railroad. It’s a wonderful story about one person’s experience years ago with the West River Railroad. If you know anything about the poem or the poet, please leave a comment! Thanks!
Rice Farm Road Trailhead Update
From the Friends of the West River Trail Lower Section Steering Committee:
We have been working to resolve a misunderstanding at the Rice Farm Road Trailhead area, where no trespassing signs have been posted for the last several months. We have researched the issue and recently sent letters in our effort towards resolution of the misunderstanding. We will post updates on the website as we have new information.
Feel free to email us with questions or comments at lowersection@westrivertrail.org. Thank you.
To view the letters, click on the links below.
Friends of the West River Trail Letter to Melvin Mayo 5-14-15
West River Trail Ownership Questions Legal Letter 2-11-15
West River Trail Workday on Sunday May 17th
The Lower Section of the West River Trail is in good shape and has stood up well to a hard winter! The Friends of the West River Trail will hold a Trail Workday on Sunday May 17th, from 10 am to 2 pm for some springtime maintenance.
Work will include cleaning drainage pipes and ditches, cutting low hanging trees and branches, moving stones, removing invasive plants, and if time permits, begin cutting a new trail along the river in the Riverstone Preserve.
Please join the Friends for a fun workday on the trail! Bring a camera, bring the kids, bring a friend, and meet up at the Marina trailhead at 10 am on Sunday May 17th. Wear footwear for working in mud. Bring gloves, water and snacks, and tools of your choice. We will provide shovels, rakes, mattocks, rock moving tools, hoes, a chainsaw, cutters and light refreshments.
For more information and to RSVP, please email lowersection@westrivertrail.org.
Village and Downtown Revitalization Workshop Series: Making Things Happen
Join the WRC (Windham Regional Commission) on May 6th to learn what villages and downtowns in southern Vermont have undertaken to bring renewed vitality to their communities. The Friends of the West River Trail will highlight the steps they took to revitalize the South Londonderry Depot and the West River Trail. This event will offer valuable opportunities to network with other local communities and regional and state entities.
Where: South Londonderry Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry, VT
When: Wednesday, May 6, 2015, 5:30-7:30pm
Who should attend: Individuals and groups who work on or are interested in working on village and downtown revitalization in southern Vermont.
To RSVP or for more information contact:
Susan McMahon: susan@windhamregional.org · (802) 257-4547 x114
Bill Colvin: bcolvin@bcrcvt.org · (802) 442-0713 x1
To RSVP by Doodle Poll:
http://doodle.com/cq69asube7ecmbf9
If you have any additional questions about the workshop series, please contact Susan McMahon at susan@windhamregional.org or ext 114. We look forward to seeing you at our next workshop!
(In December 2012 the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded the Bennington and Windham regions funding from the Disaster Recovery Grant program* to bring additional professional capacity to Southern Vermont to assist with economic recovery post Tropical Storm Irene. Through this grant, a major focus of the regional commissions’ work will be village and downtown revitalization and assisting municipalities with economic recovery. As part of that assistance, workshops such as this are being held.)
Misunderstanding at the Rice Farm Road Trailhead
Update from The Friends of the West River Trail Lower Section Steering Committee:
West River Trail users may have noticed the No Trespassing signs and logs blocking the parking area at the Rice Farm Road trailhead. We want you to know that the FWRT lower section steering committee is aware of this. There is a misunderstanding and we are working on a resolution. For more information, email FWRT at lowersection@westrivertrail.org and/or check the website for updates. Thank you.
THE WEST RIVER TRAIL 