Pine Park trustees and volunteers celebrated National Trails Day on June 1st by completing multiple improvements to the trails in the woodlands by the river. About 20 people participated in spreading chips, removing unsightly slash, and clearing weeds.
Volunteers complete work on Bridge View trail through to the bench on the Connecticut River
Volunteers celebrating National Trails Day by working in Pine Park on June 1, 2024
Sunset view facing south toward the bridge from the new bench on the Connecticut River. This site has a log bench fashioned from downed timber in the park and is accessed by a new trail from the River Trail.
The crew from Red Start completed planting of the eroded bank of the Connecticut River on May 16. A combination of willows along the shore and native shrubs near the top of the bank will help restore the area, which is in bad shape. The protective fencing will shield them from dogs and swimmers while they get established. By the way, some creature—either animal or human—has been damaging the fence. Please get in touch with pinepark.org if you see anything.
The Hanover Planning and Zoning Board on April 2, 2024 approved the boundary adjustments negotiated by The Pine Park Association and Dartmouth College to replace missing boundary markers and rationalize existing lines. A new survey map will be filed with the Grafton County Register of Deeds.
The Pine Park Association received approval for a grant from the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service under its EQIP program for FY2024 through FY2026. The funds will cover roughly half of the cost of controlling invasive plants along Girl Brook. This is our third grant under the EQIP program, which included funds in 2021 to commission of Forest Management Plan and in FY2022-23 to control invasive plants along the borders with the former golf course. The Association also received a CPS grant from the agency for forest restoration projects in FY2023, which enabled us to thin the overcrowded hemlocks along the cove where Girl Brook enters the Connecticut River and manage slash piles and downed trees to speed their decomposition.
One of the most special aspects of Pine Park is its varied terrain with different vistas. These scenes are from Fall 2023:
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The Pine Park Association 