Kennelly Bridge Complete!

The bridge at Kennelly Forest in Dublin was completed about a week ago!  This bridge has been a complicated project from the beginning, as we realized that in order to span this extremely flashy stream we'd need a bridge that was roughly 30 feet long.  The previous bridge was a drawbridge that was set low to the ground- a good idea to be able to lift the bridge before large storms, but it still blew out in a large rainstorm, so we knew it's replacement would take some consideration.

Some of the core bridge crew, on the finished bridge

Since lumber is not readily available in lengths greater than 20' and there were no suitable trees to cut for bridge stringers in the immediate vicinity, land steward Bart Hunter came up with a plan to create spliced stringers of appropriate length out of pressure treated lumber and laminate pieces that were staggered, glued, and bolted together.  Stringers made this way have been used in timber bridges for a long time, and are generally as strong as solid pieces of wood; however, we'd never tried to make a bridge like this before! It was a learning process for all involved. 

The abutments for the bridge were also a challenge, as we needed to raise the bridge a good 3 to 4 feet above the stream to be safe from rising water events.  To do this, the bridge crew created wood cribs out of large pieces of 12"x12" lumber, and filled/pinned them in with boulders.  Getting these abutment pieces across the stream required a griphoist (trail winch) and a high-line system that was used to ferry pieces one by one across the water.  It was slow going but worked extremely well.  The highline was also used to move the bridge stringers into place.  Finally, the decking was added, and then a railing.

High-lining a stringer over the water

All told, we estimate that the Kennelly bridge involved well over 300 hours of volunteer power!  Many thanks all the volunteer land stewards who worked on this project, espeically Bart Hunter, Walter Weeks, Alan Cort, Hiel Lindquist, Ray Jackson, Mark Kresge, Ruth Ward, and Karl Putnam.  Amazing work everyone!

Gap Mountain Bridge Work

Alan Cort, Walter Weeks and Hiel Lindquist completed some much needed bridge work on the trail to the North Peak of Gap Mountain this week.  The bridge was over a small stream on the side trail from Old Mill Road.  This trail receives quite a bit of foot traffic as it is used as the main hiking trail to the top of Gap Mountain by visitors at East Hill Farm in Troy.  Although there is no water in the brook at the moment, there is a wide span to cross when there is high water.

We had originally planned to replace this bridge next year but closer inspection showed it was beyond repair and need to be replaced sooner rather than later.

A "before" picture showing the rotten, moss covered planks

The material for the new bridge was delivered during Mondanock Trails week (thanks Wendy and crew, for lugging the material to the trail head !).

Walter Weeks cutting up the old stringers.  They were just about rotted through in several places.

Sizing up the new stringers on the new foundation.

Alan working on the decking.

Alan and Walter admiring the completed job.

Walter and Hiel ready to call it a day and head home.  Three hours work and done before 11:00 AM !

Work continues on Kennelly Forest Bridge

Bart Hunter is leading a major bridge construction project in Kennelly Forest in Dublin.  Over the past few weeks volunteers and Forest Society personnel finished the foundation work and major structural elements of the bridge.  The foundation work took a little longer than planned.  As can be seen in the pictures, a few rocks had to be rearranged before the bridge abutments could be installed.

On Saturday, July 7, Bart Hunter, along with Alan Cort, Ray Jackson, Hiel Lindquist and Walter Weeks put in another day of work doing some additional rock work, installing steps, and bridge rails and decking.  After the work today, it looks like we are in the homestretch on this job.

We will provide more pictures once the project is completed. 

Walter, Ray and Alan

  Almost ready for the bridge decking

July 14 Update - Finished !!!

Alan attaching the final hand rail

Work Crew on Jul14

 Hiel, Alan. Bart, Walter

Thanks to all the participated on this project over the past month.

Buxton-Simons Forest Workday

View clearing at the top of Mount Wallingford is fun for all ages! (photo: T. Irwin)

In June, a group of volunteers led by Land Steward Terry Irwin completed their third trail workday on the Buxton-Simons Forest in Weare.  Terry has been a steward for this property since 2009 and he was instrumental in the restoration of a hiking trail on the property to the summit of Mount Wallingford.  Views from the summit had all but grown  in when the trail was restored in 2010, but Terry and a group of local volunteers has set to work maintaining the trail and expanding the view.  Expanding the views from the summit will have other tasty consequences too, as the understory vegetation here is mostly low-bush blueberries!  Come check out this great trail if you get the chance!

Working hard (photo: T.Irwin)

The crew (minus Terry) on the most recent workday. (photo: T. Irwin)

Hanson Top Trail

If you have ever been to the top of Green Mountain in Effingham, you know that there are abundant blueberries and a Forests & Lands firetower at the summit.  Climbing the firetower offers the only view you can see from here, but if you do climb it, you are well rewarded with a 360-degree mountain vista.  Just to the west of Green Mountain's summit is a secondary peak called Hanson Top, which boasts some rocky ledges with spectacular views to the south - but without climbing a tower!  Although many people climb the three different trails to the summit of Green Mountain each year, few make it to Hanson Top these days.  This is primarily because an old trail to Hanson Top had completely grown in and the route had become almost indiscernible.  Until this Tuesday.

Land Steward Kamal Nath has been exploring High Watch Reservation (which includes most of Green Mountain and Hanson Top) for over a year now, and last fall he flagged a new line out to Hanson Top using both what remained of the old trail, and some new sections to avoid wet areas.  After SPNHF staff approved the "new" trail layout, we scheduled a workday to clear the corridor and install directional signage. Thankfully, we got a beautiful day for our workday this week, and the work went smoothly.  Nine volunteers and staff members climbed to the Hanson Top trailhead (near the summit of Green Mountain) and cleared and marked the new half-mile trail.  The view from the ledges at Hanson Top made a perfect lunch spot, and we celebrated with a group photo holding the Hanson Top sign.  If you do make it to the top of Green Mountain, it is well worth the extra (easy) half-mile jaunt out to Hanson Top to enjoy the view from these spectactular ledges.

View from Hanson Top

Crew eating lunch at Hanson Top

How many Signs can a Wooden Sign Maker Make?

Volunteers Cathy Bailey, Wendy Everson and Seth Benowitz work on stenciling signs

Well, the answer to this riddle is... more than 60 in two days.... if s/he has lots of help!  Fifteen volunteers and four Forest Society staff members worked very hard during the first week of June to construct or refurbish an amazing number of wooden routed signs.  These signs will be installed at more than a dozen Forest Society Reservations.  Some are the large property signs on the "Y" post that welcome people to our properties, and some are smaller signs to be installed at trail junctions or trailheads to keep hikers from getting disoriented.  The 14 step sign making process involves planing and sanding rough-cut pine boards, rasping edges, stenciling letters, routing the letters, sanding again, several coats of stain, several coats of varnish, and finally several coats of white letter paint.  Oh...and then installation!  Anyone want to hang some signs?

Land Steward Jason Morris routes a sign while volunteers Steve Hanssen and Mike Kluk  sand rough-cut pine.

Cathy Bailey and Hilary Thomson stain signs that have just been routed and sanded.

Grafton Pond participating in Lake Host Program!

Grafton Pond on a cloudy day

The Forest Society's Grafton Pond Reservation in Grafton NH is over 900 acres of forest that includes most of the shoreline of beautiful Grafton Pond.  There are more than a dozen small islands dotting the pond, and only three man-made structures can be seen around the entire shoreline thanks to the protection efforts of many groups including the Forest Society, the Grafton Pond Land Trust, and the Upper Valley Land Trust.  Grafton Pond is truly a wild and undeveloped place, where moose can be seen munching on aquatic plants in the early mornings, and loons call to one another over the water.  Because it's so unique to find an almost entirely undeveloped pond in Central NH, Grafton Pond is also a popular place with paddlers and nature enthusiasts.  In recent years, many people have "discovered" the pond and on sunny summer weekends it's now so busy with visitors that the parking area overflows many times over and the loon families barely have a secluded nook left to hide in.  What can be done to keep Grafton Pond from being "loved to death"?  This is the question that the Friends of Grafton Pond, a small group of nearby residents, volunteers, and stakeholders have been asking for several years.

One thing that the Friends of Grafton Pond is doing to mediate impacts recreational use is to participate in the NH Lake Host Program.   This program is administered by New Hampshire Lakes Association, and strives to reduce the spread of invasive aquatic plant species in New Hampshire’s water bodies.    

The Friends of Grafton Pond has been able to hire two paid lake host interns to work the majority of busy weekend and holiday hours at the pond, and will also have volunteer lake hosts filling in the gaps and helping out at especially busy times.  Lake hosts will greet boaters as they enter and exit near the pond’s boat ramp, and check canoes, kayaks, and other boats for pieces of “tag along” aquatic vegetation.  They’ll also provide visitor outreach about loon conservation, packing out all trash, and other recreational guidelines as a means of reducing impacts to wildlife and the sensitive shoreline habitat.  

Lake Host Heidi Hutchinson teaches kayakers how to inspect their boats for invasive aquatic plants.

To date, Grafton Pond does not have any known invasive aquatic plants, but many other lakes in New Hampshire do have infestations of plants like variable milfoil and fanwort.  Boaters spread these invasive plants when pieces of vegetation hitchhike on rudders, paddles, boat trailers, and propellers.  When they do get established, these invasive plants can spread quickly and completely choke out all other vegetation, changing the aquatic ecosystem drastically and even making recreational boating difficult.  They are also almost impossible to eradicate once established, so prevention is definitely the key! 

A new "iron ranger" donation box next to the kiosk will help pay for stewardship activities at Grafton Pond, including the Lake Host program.  Land Management interns Will Walker (left) and Eric Foley (right) pose next to the ranger after installing it.

Mike Barskey (lake host) conducts an inspection of a visitor's canoe

Lake host interns Heidi Hutchinson and Mike Barskey have already been hard at work at Grafton Pond this season, assisted by a handful of dedicated volunteers.  Over Memorial Day weekend, they conducted over 300 boat inspections!  That’s over 300 people who received information about not only aquatic invasives, but also appropriate recreational behavior on our beautiful, wild pond.  We are confident that in the long run, this outreach will help keep the pond as pristine possible – keeping invasive weeds out, limiting trash and other dumping, reducing inappropriate activities, and protecting the pond’s loon families and other wildlife.  If you are interested in supporting this program or becoming a volunteer lake host yourself, please contact Carrie Deegan at cdeegan@forestsociety.org or 603-224-9945.

Candis Whitney (land steward, left) and Mike Barskey wait at the boat ramp for visitors to arrive.