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WELLESLEY TRAILS COMMITTEE
Trail News
October, 2009: Restoration and updating of the trail signs on the Cochituate Aqueduct on Washington St and on the Brook Path at State St were completed.
October, 2009: Fall guided walks were led at Carisbrooke Reservation, along the Guernsey Path, and at the Town Forest. For Kids' Trails Day we had a good turnout with 25 excited youngsters exploring nature at our 4 interactive stations along the trail and enjoying a walk in the woods.
August, 2009: The Sudbury Path was rerouted off of Wellesley Ave and now goes through the Babson College campus from Forest St to the woods trail on the west side of campus.
July, 2009: The Crosstown Trail connection betweeen Town Hall and Morton Park was modified to go around the duck pond and cross over the footbridge near Washington St.
June, 2009: On National Trails Day the Charles River Link, a new 16-mile regional trail connecting 6 towns along the Charles River to the Bay Circuit Trail, was dedicated and opened to the public. The event included a trail dedication ceremony and day-long trek to celebrate the completion of the trail.
June, 2009: Aaron Sewall led an Eagle Scout project at Carisbrooke Reservation. Troop 182 members, scout leaders, parents and volunteers built a 50-ft long bog bridge across a muddy trail section off White Oak Rd.
May 2009: Spring guided walks were held at Hemlock Gorge, Boulder Brook Reservation and Centennial Reservation.
May, 2009: An Eagle Scout project was completed at Rockridge Pond by Zac Clark. With help from Troop 156 scouts, parents and volunteers, Zac rerouted the trail and constructed a new footbridge and bog bridge to eliminate wet trail crossings.
April, 2009: The Trails Committee sponsored a Kiwanis service project at the Town Forest. Eight committee members led 22 volunteers, Kiwanians and High School Key Club members, doing maintenance on the 4.5 miles of trails and trash cleanups along Brookside Rd. and Rt. 9.
November, 2008: We ran 3 guided walks this fall: Morse Pond Trail, Guernsey Trail, and the Wellesley Grand Tour. We had an excellent turnout with a total of 63 particpants. There were 23 hikers on the Grand Tour, and 21 finished the complete 10 miles. A hardy bunch!
September, 2008: We held our second Kids' Trails Day along the Centennial Reservation Trail near MassBay Community College. 25 children accompanied by their parents enjoyed exploring nature and participating in four interactive stations: building fairy houses, bird and meadow life, building a trail shelter, and biodegradable trash.
September, 2008: The Trails Committee members, with help from the DPW, completed a trails project at Centennial Reservation. The trail crossing the brook from Bezanson Pond was rerouted to eliminate a muddy section that became hazardous in the winter when iced over.
September, 2008: Diane Hall set up a booth for the Wellesley Newcomers Activity Fair on the town hall green and provided trails information and pamphlets to new residents.
June, 2008: Wellesley High School students, Tyler Boyd and John Lansing, completed a trails project in Boulder Brook as a senior's service project. They rerouted the trail around a muddy and rocky area off Sturbridge Rd to provide easier and safer access.
June, 2008: Another record was set for the number of participants for our spring trail walks. We had 66 particpants for walks covering Lower Falls, Town Forest, Beard Trail and Boulder Brook. The Town Forest walk was a featured event for Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend.
May, 2008: Bob White gave a presentation on the Trails Network to the Sprague/Hardy Cub Scout Troop, and Miguel Lessing manned an informational booth at the Bates School.
May, 2008: Major updates were made to trail maps and pamphlets. The Wellesley Trails and Open Space map was updated to reflect changes to the trails system, and both the Wellesley Trails and Centennial Reservation pamphlets were reissued.
April, 2008: The Sudbury Path was rerouted at Olin College. It now follows the trail along the ridge in back of the sports center and skating rink and then along the pipeline adjacent to the Olin parking lot. Also, there was a minor trail reroute to include the bluebird meadow at Centennial Reservation.
April, 2008: The Trails Committee helped with Earth Day cleanups. Trash was picked up along the Charles River in Lower Falls, and with assistance of Girl Scouts and neighbors, conditions were improved around the Morses Pond beach area.
November, 2007: The Trails Committee, Selectmen, NRC and DPW, sponsored a cleanup of the Crosstown Trail between Washington and Walnut Streets along the Cochituate Aqueduct. Dumping along this section has been a serious problem and ranks as the worst problem along our 25 miles of marked trails in Wellesley. Neighbors and Friends of the Trails helped with the cleanup and filled multiple dumpsters with debris.
November, 2007: We have formed the Friends of the Trails in response to residents' interest in having a group that support the Trails Committee, but are not committee members. Members learn about the trails network and participate in events and projects.
November, 2007: To encourage kids to get out into the woods and enjoy exploring nature, we held Kids' Trails Day. Kids and their parents walked a 1/2 mile loop along the Centennial Reservation Trail where 5 interactive stations were set up: leaf identification, finding nature treasures, meadow life, trail huts, and biodegradable trash. This was a very successful event with 35 children and their parents attending.
October, 2007: This fall we ran three walks, and 50 participants enjoyed our scenic trails and explored parts of Wellesley that they had never seen before. Walks were conducted along the Boulder Brook Trail, Morses Pond Trail, and the Sudbury Path. The walk along the Sudbury Path, which goes across the 500-ft long Waban Arches, was our first guided walk on the western section of this trail.
September, 2007: To reduce road walking along Weston Road and Washington Street, the Guernsey Path has been rerouted through Wellesley College. The trail enters the Weston Road pedestrian entrance and takes a picturesque path through the campus to the vehicle entrance on Washington Street.
September, 2007: Access to the Morses Pond Beach has been recently opened, and we have rerouted the Morses Pond Trail along the beach. We have also made the Morse Pond Trail a loop trail, that returns from the lip of the sandpit through the grove of tall pines to the start of the trail where the Crosstown Trail crosses the beach access road.
June, 2007: The Centennial Reservation Trail section that descends off Maugus Hill toward MassBay Community College had become badly eroded. As an Eagle Scout project, Ben Haines closed off the old trail which went straight down the fall line and cut a new trail to provide a more gradual descent. Ben was helped by members of Troop 182, friends, and volunteers.
June, 2007: Spring walks were run at Hemlock Gorge and Morses Pond, and along the Beard Trail and Sudbury Path. We had a good turnout with 62 people joining us to explore the trails. This was the first time we ran a walk along the Sudbury Path, which started at Longfellow Pond and ended at the 28-ft globe at Babson College.
March, 2007: A new town GIS Trails Map has been completed. It is a street map that shows all of the marked trails and open space in Wellesley. The map was produced by the GIS Analysts in the Town's Network Information Systems Department. An article was published in the Townsman explaining how the trails were mapped, and WCVB TV picked up on it and ran a news spot featuring the town's GIS Manager, Mark Stockman, taking GPS data along the Brook Path.
December, 2006: A rotted-out footbridge in the Guernsey Sanctuary was replaced by Ben Zaehringer as an Eagle Scout project. Members of Troop 185 helped Ben remove the old bridge and construct a new one.
November, 2006: For our fall guided walks, we had 90 participants (a record number!) join us in exploring Wellesley's trails. We led walks along the Guernsey Path and at Boulder Brook, Morses Pond and the Town Forest.
October, 2006: A new trail guide and map pamphlet was completed for trails around Morses Pond, and it includes the Crosstown Trail along the Cochituate Aqueduct and trails in the Wellesley College North 40.
July, 2006: A new footbridge was installed on the Sudbury Path east of Cartwright Rd. This was an Eagle Scout Service Project led by Matt Bailin. Matt constructed a 16-ft footbridge over a stream with help from Troop 185 members.
June, 2006: Our spring walks were well attended, and we had 54 participants from Wellesley and surrounding towns. We conducted walks at Hemlock Gorge, Centennial Reservation (in celebration of its 25th anniversary) and the Town Forest, and we hiked the Grand Tour, a 10-mile loop through open space in the Town along our interconnecting trails.
June, 2006: Alex Hoffman, a member of Troop 182, ran an Eagle Scout Service Project at Morses Pond at the site of the old Town Beach. Alex and his crew of scouts worked on clearing invasive vegetation and improving the views along the shore line, and installed two benches. He was assisted by Mike Quinn and Cricket Vlass from the DPW.
June, 2006: Two trails project along the Sudbury Path at Babson College were completed by Zach Secrest as an Eagle Scout Service Project. A bridge was constructed over a drainage ditch and steps were installed down a steep embankment.
April, 2006: A new Wellesley Trails Map was completed showing recent route changes and 8 additional miles of marked trails. A new trail guide and map pamphlet was
released for the Town Forest, Longfellow Pond and Ollie Turner Parks. New versions of the Boulder Brook and Centennial Reservation trail pamphlets were also published showing trail changes.
January, 2006: A new trail, the Esker Trail, was marked in the Town Forest. The trail follows the steep esker along the east side of Longfellow Pond that rises 80 feet above the pond.
November, 2005: The Bates 3rd grade Brownies from the Patriot Trail Troop 3194 had a fun afternoon activity at Carisbrooke Reservation, where they spread wood chips around the granite benches and took a walk around the trail.
November, 2005: Tommy McCauley completed an Eagle Scout project at Boulder Brook Reservation. He and members of Troop 185 built a bog bridge over a wet section in the meadow and rerouted the trail below Elephant Rock to avoid another wet spot.
November, 2005: A new trail, the Sudbury Path, was developed to follow the Sudbury Aqueduct across the southern part of town. It starts at Hunnewell St. at the Needham town line, and ends at the Wellesley Research Center on Washington St.
October, 2005: We had 28 participants for our fall walks held at Boulder Brook Reservation, Morses Pond, Centennial Reservation, and along the Guernsey Path. The Morses Pond walk continues to be the favorite walk, and we had 15 walkers explore the trails and aqueduct around the pond.
October, 2005: Two trails projects were completed during the month: 1) A new trail was developed on MassBay Community College open space on Maugus Hill, and the Centennial Reservation Trail was extended 1/2-mile to include this trail, and 2) The Charles River Path was rerouted to cover more of the Town Forest, and now exits to the north onto Rt.-9 close to the ramp leading up to Cedar St.
September, 2005: The Guernsey Path was extended from the Waban Arches, along the Nehoiden Golf Course driveway and roads to the Crosstown Trail intersection at Linden St and Weston Rd.
June, 2005. Our series of guided walks for the spring included the Guernsey Path, Morses Pond, Longfellow Pond, and Carisbrooke Reservation. We had a record number of 56 participants, and 30 walkers enjoyed the Morses Pond walk held on Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend.
June, 2005. Ricky Horan, the Troop 185 Senior Patrol Leader, completed his Eagle Scout service project by building a bog bridge in the Boulder Brook Reservation meadow and rerouting a section of the trail in Rocky Ledges around a muddy, wet spot.
June, 2005. A new trail guide and map pamphlet was completed for Centennial Reservation, MassBay Community College, and Maugus Hill.
May, 2005. Two changes were made in the network trail system: 1)The Cochituate Path, which was marked with red arrows, has been eliminated, and 2) the Crosstown Trail no longer overlaps with the Brook Path, but continues westbound from Maugus Avenue along Washington Street to Forest Street, and then follows the old Cochituate Path route to Weston Road.
May, 2005. On a rainy Saturday, Felicia Richter led a Girl Scout project to improve the Beard and the Centennial Park Trails, and spread woodchips along the paths.
March, 2005. To kick off our Spring Walks, the Townsman published an article by Jane Osler, Spring Along Wellesley Trails, that gives biking and walking suggestions.
March, 2005. To focus on the many walking trails in Wellesley's open space and to emphasize the multiple neighborhood access points to trails, we initiated a project to provide trail guides and maps for our conservation lands. The town GIS Administrator, Mark Stockman, walked trails in Kelly Municipal Park, Boulder Brook Reservation, and Rocky Ledges with the town's GPS backpack, and our first trail guide and map pamphlet is now available.
March, 2005. The Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee requested the Trails Committee submit ideas for the Wellesley Comprehensive Plan. We developed a list of ten proposed projects to improve and extend our trails network, and submitted a prioritized list of projects.
January, 2005. The Townsman published an article by Jane Osler, A Trail for all Seasons, describing places to enjoy cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in Wellesley.
December, 2004. As an Eagle Scout project, Robbie Littlefield constructed a bog bridge over a wet section of the WCC Guernsey Sanctuary Trail and also rerouted another trail section around a muddy area. Robbie was helped by members of Troop 185 and friends. This project is described in a Townsman's article - Bridge over Troubled Waters - prepared by the Wellesley Conservation Council.
November, 2004. New map holders were constructed by Gary Canoni that are more weather proof and durable, and will provide additional room for trail pamphlets and fliers. Sixteen new map holders were installed on all of the town's trail map houses.
November, 2004. During the fall we sponsored and led the Boulder Brook, Beard Trail and Guernsey Walks. The Guernsey Walk was the most popular, and we had 19 walkers (a new record high number!) who explored the sanctuary trails and path to the Waban Arches. For the season we had a total of 45 participants.
August, 2004. New steps were constructed and installed by Andrew McCauley and members of Troup 185 as an Eagle Scout project. The steps go up the bank of the Sudbury Aqueduct at the temporary Fuller Brook crossing.
June, 2004. During May and June we sponsored four guided walks along Wellesley trails and 35 participants joined us in exploring our trails network. Two new walks were included in our spring schedule: Guernsey Path and Morses Pond. We concluded our spring walks by walking to the top of Rocky Ledges on National Trails Day.
May, 2004. We sponsored a trails project for the Wellesley Girl Scouts at the Guernsey Sanctuary. The scouts cleared a pathway on Wellesley Conservation Council land along Sabrina Lake from the wooded section toward the island and then spread woodchips along the new trail.
April, 2004. A new updated version of the Wellesley Trails Map was released to include all new trails developed since January, 2002. Also, the map handout was changed to a pamphlet format and now includes the trails descriptions. Copies of the new handout are available at the map houses and from the NRC office.
February, 2004. Trails Committee member Bob White gave a trails presentation and slide show at the NRC's Open Space Plan Public Workshop.
February, 2004. To prepare maps for the new Open Space Plan, Mark Stockman, Wellesley GIS Administrator, walked all the network trails with a GPS backpack to gather data on the trail routes. The routes were then plotted on the Recreation Resources Map and trail lengths were measured. As a result, the trail lengths given in the descriptions on the Trails Network web pages were changed slightly.
January, 2004. A woodland trail was marked through the Guernsey Sanctuary, which is owned by the Wellesley Conservation Council. The trail goes through 25 acres of land donated by the Guernsey family in 1961 and follows existing sanctuary trails to Sabrina Lake.
December, 2003. The Boulder Brook Reservation Trail was remarked as a loop trail over Rocky Ledges.
November, 2003. Our fall series of guided walks started with a dog walk held at Centennial Park. Walks were also conducted at Longfellow Pond and Boulder Brook Reservation. We concluded with a walk through Carisbrooke Reservation and the adjacent Weston conservation lands. Forty five walkers and ten canines participated in the walks.
October, 2003. Together with the Bay Circuit Alliance and Natick Trails, we sponsored a 16-mile trek along a proposed trail called the Charles River Link. This new trail will connect the Wellesley trails network to the Bay Circuit Trail in Medfield. We had 45 hikers on the trek from 15 towns. An article on the trek written by Jane Osler was published in the Townsman - Networking: Wellesley Trails and the Bay Circuit Alliance.
October, 2003. A new footbridge was constructed over a wet drainage section of the Charles River Path at Longfellow Pond. The bridge was built by the Boy Scouts in Troop 185. Seth Bailin planned and designed the bridge as an Eagle Scout project, and led his troop in the bridge construction and the mulching of the trail on the east side of the pond.
September, 2003. Two new footbridges were constructed at Rockridge Pond, a new trail along the north side of the pond was cleared, and a map house was installed at the parking area off Hundreds Circle. This work was completed by Andrew Kemp as an Eagle Scout project, and Andrew was helped by his troop members (Troup 185) and friends.
June 2003. We completed a series of walks along trails in our conservation lands during May and June. Guided walks were run at Longfellow Pond, Centennial Park and Boulder Brook Reservation, and a jog was held on the woodland trails around the Longfellow Pond area.
June, 2003. We developed a new trail in the northern part of town off Glen Road. A loop trail has been marked through Carisbrooke Reservation, and a map house has been placed at the end of Glen Brook Road.
June, 2003. Road widening along the access road to Town Hall required the Cochituate Path to be rerouted. The trail now runs from Morton Park along the aqueduct behind the duck pond, past the lower-level back door to Town Hall, and then follows the sidewalk down to the Post Office.
June, 2003. New steps were constructed to connect the Guernsey Path to the Sudbury Aqueduct. The steps were planned and built by Rob Allison as an Eagle Scout project, and members of his troop (Troop 156) assisted in the construction.
May, 2003. As a WHS senior class project, the graduating class cleaned up the Cochituate Path between Forest Street and Hunnewell Field.
May, 2003. The Guernsey Path was extended from Livingston Road along the Charles River to the Waban Arches.
May, 2003. The Charles River Path was rerouted between Ouellet Park and Route 9. The trail now runs along Cedar Street, then loops around the Route 9 interchange roadway to the steps going up the embankment to the bridge crossing Route 9.
May, 2003. The Wellesley Girl Scouts improved the trails at Carisbrooke Reservation. They cleared brush around two granite benches at Covati Pond, put in a new loop path to the benches, and spread wood chips along the wet sections of the trail bordering the pond.
April, 2003. The Boulder Brook trail was rerouted to the top of Rocky Ledges Reservation. The newly marked trail loops over the ledges and reconnects to the trail leading to Sturbridge Road.
November, 2002. The Cochituate Path has been shortened and partly rerouted. It now starts at the Forest Street intersection with the Crosstown Trail and ends at the Linden Street intersection with the Crosstown Trail.
November, 2002. The Trails Committee ran three guided walks and a jog from September through November to explore the trails and woodlands in town. Walks were held at Longfellow Pond, Centennial Park and Boulder Brook Reservation, and the jog covered several loop runs around the Longfellow Pond area.
November, 2002. After suffering winter damage to pavement arrow makers along the urban trail segments, we have begun converting to lamppost markers to make trail markers more durable and consistent with trail post, telephone pole and tree markings. Look for our new markers along streets that bridge our trail network through urban Wellesley.
October, 2002. We have developed a new woodland trail (Beard Trail) that starts on Grove Street at Beard Way, loops through Ridge Hill Reservation in Needham, and ends at Beebe Meadow. Wellesley Boy Scouts helped define and mark the trail. Committee member Jane Osler describes the new trail and the enjoyment of winter trail walking, cross-country skiing and snow shoeing in "Trails Committee Marks a New Trail".
October, 2002. A new woodland trail has been developed at Morses Pond. The trail runs along the beach access road to the pond, climbs across the lip of the sand pit and ends at the Cochituate Aqueduct. Wellesley Boy Scouts dug in the trail posts and marked the trail.
October, 2002. Wellesley Boy Scouts completed construction of two footbridges in Centennial Park during the fall. These bridges cross the stream above and below Bezanson Pond.
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