On a chilly November day, PLC staff and volunteers gathered for a trail workday at our Burke Family Wildlife Sanctuary in Deering. Acquired by PLC in 2006, the 59-acre forested property is further protected by a conservation easement held by the Town of Deering. The land is divided in half by the Piscataquog River and a large wetland. A .35-mile loop trail wanders through rich forest, crosses a small stream, and features a partial view of the property’s wetland.
The agenda for the workday was to clear several large, fallen trees from the trail, and to install fresh trail markers. One of the downed trees, a hemlock, was so large that it required the team to re-route the trail around it, rather than try to remove it. Brush from the trees was piled out of sight of the trail to create winter habitats for small mammals. Smaller obstacles such as branches, and rocks were also removed from the trail to make it as accessible as possible.
