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05/22/2018 02:45 PMThe Town of Westbrook’s open space area trails were not immune to the impact of the winter’s strong storms. Trees fell and branches came down across the trails.
“Winter and early spring storms caused considerable blow down which needed to be cleaned up,” reported Conservation Commission Chairman Tom ODell.
Thanks to the hard work of commission volunteers, however, the trails in most of the open space areas will be cleared sufficiently to be ready for summer hiking.
“Volunteers have completed work to ensure the safety and enjoyment of trail use in the Horse Hill Woods Open Space and Conservation Area. Work on Chapman Mill Pond trails has almost been completed,” said ODell.
ODell said that the commission’s other initiative is to improve the trail map that the commission makes available at the trail head for Horse Hill Woods open space trail head on Route 145. With help from a high school student volunteer, ODell says the trail map holders at three Open Space and Conservation Area trail heads in town will be re-stocked regularly. The volunteer has also offered to pick up litter in the heavily used Chapman Mill Pond parking area.
This trail access parking area is located on the west side of Route 145 just north of I-95 past the Town Garage and the State Department of Transportation salt and sand shed.
Starting this week, a conservation intern (a college student hired by the Conservation Commission) will begin maintenance of Chapman Mill Pond parking area landscape, trail work, and the removal of invasive plants on Salt Island Overlook Conservation area. This open space area is located behind the Westbrook Post Office on the Boston Post Road. The intern also will be tasked with maintaining the native plantings on the Patchogue River behind the Town Hall.
ODell said that the commission has an opening for one more conservation intern to assist with this trail and open space work. The position’s start date is Sunday, July 1. Anyone interested in the position should send an email to Tom ODell at todell@snet.net to request a job description.
Open Space History
In 2016, ODell summarized the commission’s open space acquisition program as of that date.
Since 2001, the Town of Westbrook has acquired, with support from a $2.3 million town bonding authorization passed in 2001 and $2.3 million in state and federal grants, a total of 409.3 acres of protected open space: 9.3 acres of critical watershed in the Menunketesuck Greenway, Horse Hill Woods (24 acres) acquired in 2001, Chapman Mill Pond (83 acres) in 2003, Horse Hill Gorge (Kehlringer land at 36.3 acres) in 2004, Salt Island Overlook (7 acres), Horse Hill Woods II (Russo land at 124 acres), Horse Hill Woods III (Miele land at 43 acres), Horse Hill Woods IV (St. John land at 8 acres), and finally Toby Hill Woods (84 acres) in 2015.
As a result, as of 2016, the Town of Westbrook had 20 percent of land within its boundaries set aside as conservation land.