'Townwide Trails Team' Forming

Volunteer if you can help to improve the parks in Barrington.

An organizational meeting of volunteers who want to serve on a "Townwide Trails Team" will be held next Wednesday evening, Sept. 19.

The meeting runs from 7 to 9 pm in the Council Chamber in Town Hall.

Recent projects and hikes at Veterans Memorial Park have been the work of a partnership with the Barrington Land Conservation Trust, Town of Barrington, Barrington Conservation Commission, Barrington Preservation Society, Bayside YMCA, Boy Scouts, Friends of Legion Way, and the National Park Service's River and Trails Program, said Helen Hersh Tjader of the Barrington Land Conservaton Trust.

Now, as the second year of the National Park Service grant wraps up, said Beth Rondeau of the land trust, “We will continue our focus on work at the park and then elsewhere in town -- wherever trail and stewardship work is needed.”

A slide show will show what has been done in Veterans Park so far, and “you can learn how you can contribute to our community open spaces,” said Rondeau.

No previous experience is necessary, said Tjader. The Trails Team is seeking organizing members and partner organizations as well as trail and project volunteers “who love our community park and conservation lands,” she said.

Of course, there are other benefits of volunteering:

• Get outdoors
• Enjoy the beauty of our community
• Get some exercise
• Learn more about our local environment
• Discover or get to better know our parks and open spaces
• Make new friends
• Do something good for your community and yourself

The Town-wide Trails Team’s already has scheduled a kickoff project at Veterans Park on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 9  to 11 am. A trail entrance will be improved with the spreading of stone dust around tree roots and a nearby sign.

Volunteers also will fill and level pits along trails, give the park a fall litter pickup, and do some trail trimming.

Then a week later on Saturday, Oct. 13, the Trails Team will focus on Lombardi Park off North Lake Drive from 9 to 11 am.

Volunteers will help the land trust remove invasive plants and bring the brush from the park to the roadside for pickup. You can check out the new bench, entrance steps, ‘native’ plantings and the fall view of the pond at the same time.

For more information on the October projects, contact Tjader at helen@acornnpsolutions.com or 401-480-8329.