New Trail on Rose Mtn
Rose Mountain
November 2019 - Earlier this month, fifteen volunteers gathered on a grey, blustery day at PLC’s Rose Mountain Preserve in Lyndeborough. Their goal was to accomplish several long-planned tasks that would improve the recreational experience on the mountain. First, they created a new section of walking path that re-routes hikers around a badly eroded section of one of the two main trails to the summit. Next they did some ditching to drain standing water along the trail in two locations, and placed stepping stones to prevent erosion and give hikers better footing in times of high water.
Later in the day the volunteer crew used hand tools and muscle power to clear shrubs and small trees to expand a spectacular view to Mt. Monadnock from the summit. Since PLC acquired the Rose Mountain property in 2015 we have aimed to selectively restore views from the summit, which has grown in since blueberry cultivation ended on the mountain in the early 1970s. This month’s project was the first step towards making this goal a reality.
Scataquog Brook - Proctor and Rice Preserves
In another volunteer work day in October, six volunteers joined staff from PLC and NH Fish and Game for a habitat improvement project along Scataquog Brook, which flows through PLC’s Proctor and Rice Preserves in Lyndeborough. The brook is cold, clean and supports an exemplary population of native brook trout. The aim of the volunteer project was to enhance this already good trout habitat by adding woody material to the stream through a process known as “chop and drop.” Fish and Game staff first felled small trees, then volunteers carried and strategically placed the trunks and tops in the brook. The basic idea is to mimic the natural (but slow) process by which downed trees fall into a stream, trap sediment and nutrients, create pools, and increase dissolved oxygen in the water.
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PLC Stewardship Coordinator Hailey Nase says “like so much of PLC’s work, these two recent projects in Lyndeborough would not have been possible without the hard work, smarts and good cheer of devoted volunteers.”
Want to volunteer for a future workday?
Email Hailey Nase at hnase@plcnh.org, or call her at 487-3331.
Volunteer Trail Crew on Rose Mountain - November 11, 2019
Photo of Hailey and the "New Trail" sign was taken by David Erikson.
Photo of the Rose Mountain trail crew was taken by Karen Broemme.