Greetings to the generous Volunteers who help us keep our Conservation Properties and Trails System in good shape. 

You’ve probably noticed that this has been a banner year for invasive species on conservation properties across the state. Trees are being engulfed by Poison Ivy vines and Bittersweet, and Multiflora Rose has been spreading more quickly than we’ve seen in recent years (not to mention mosquitos). 

One of Bolton’s most popular properties, Bowers Springs, has been hit particularly hard. In 2019, we’d begun the implementation of a systematic, multi-year invasives management program to get those destructive species under control. The Covid crisis interrupted our efforts significantly last summer and now we’re trying to get things back on the original track to full, systematic control by 2022. 

We’re essentially re-doing year two of our three year management plan, and we kicked off this year’s work on Bowers Springs a few weeks ago.  We now need to expand our volunteer force significantly in order to complete the first of this year’s cutbacks before the Bittersweet begins going to seed. We’d love to have your help on either Saturday or Sunday next week(8/7 or 8/8) at Bowers Springs.

The work sessions will run from 9am to 3pm on Saturday, and from 12noon-4pm on Sunday if needed. This should allow us to complete our initial invasives cutback on the highest priority trails and meadow margins in time to prevent seed development. 

The work on the climbing vines will include hand-cutting the risers at chest level with shears or loppers, pulling the climbers down wherever possible, and uprooting the vines by hand where possible. Areas too dense for uprooting by hand will be mowed flat with the Brush Hog. End Result looks like this

The work on Multiflora Rose will be done by small teams using a weed wrench and other hand tools like a mattock and/or pry bar. 

Most of this work can be done as isolated individuals, and we’ll do our best to spread volunteers out for Covid safety reasons. 

If you are interested and available for work this weekend, please let us know which day and what segment of your time you may be able to add to our efforts. (Reply to email or text to me below.) Thank you in advance for your interest and valuable efforts to help keep our Conservation land “in good hands”. 

We look forward to seeing you again next weekend!

Bolton Trails Steering Group 

Larry Kunz 508-868-6151 (mobile, text)

Info@boltontrails.org

https://www.townofbolton.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif2836/f/events/trailcleanup08022021.pdf