Topic: Trashcan

We will start the day at 8am at Jones cafe woth coffee and then head out and start clean ups (Rain nor snow nor dark of night will stop us from our appointed rounds) IF you want to join up buzz me 978-273-1474... you will get Wet and muddy

Known issues:
1) Bridge at Crooked out
2) Widow maker at Crooked

** date Change Sunday Nov 1 we are now at Russell Mill.

We will be doing a total site sweep and clean at Thanksgiving Ground Forest this Sunday at 12 noon. A total site check is when we go off the trails and look for any trash we might have missed. Feel free to come on down and join us.

Seem like a bunch of kids had a party at the rocks at Thanksgiving and made a big mess. Most is under the snow so we will have to wait until spring to clear it up. If anyone knows anything please let me know. The wet lands across from the Quarry have also had snowmobiles in them. The water here is fast running and its only a matter of time before they drop into it. The access is the Rail Trail as it seems to be a race track and access way that runs across the town. So far we know that they have used to access the area next to Lewis and now the wetlands across from the Quarry. Red Wing has been spared and that might be because Town regulations allow for penalties if they are caught on Conservation Land. Hopeful the state will secure this but I am not holding my breath. The Snowmobile issues at the Bog have been dealt with and we should not see any more of them out there.

Russell Mill activity has started up again. Here are the approved plans .

Click here for plans

For the last tow weekend Paintball has been going on the hill across from the parking lot at Crooked Spring. Today they also shot up an abutters house (he is very unhappy). It’s a group of about 10 kids all on foot so they live in the area. If seen please call me 978-273-1474 and I will call CPD and head over myself. Under the new rules its $100 per person for first offense and then $200 and then $300. They built forts with planks and old rugs they dragged on to the property and left plastic bags and 100’s of used and unused paintballs.

Well we have our work set for us at Russel Mill. This site has not been really clean in years and click the link below to see some of the major issues we will tackel this weekend. Once the clean up isdone we will start on trail upgades.

Click here for photos of what we will clean up

At the request of a resident and ConCom Jim and I headed over to Russell Mill Pond yesterday to address two problems. The first was a tree hanging over the road and the second a dumping of construction waste in the lot. We made quick work of the tree but it looks like someone replaced there bathroom and dumped everything in the parking lot. Later today we will start to clear it up and look for anything that can tie it back to the person who dumped it. Once we find anything (receipt, paper ECT) we will take action. The major clean up will have to be DPW because it’s all tile and we have no way to disposing of it.

Now the sites it’s self. This is the one major site we have not taken into the program and it was just like taking a walk back in time. The locks from the gates have been cut off and trucks and cars drive on to the property. The site has a large number of cans and bottles, fire pits. We also found sleeping bags, cloths and other trash. ATV’s use the property a lot and it is just a mess. Two years ago a lot of the properties where just like this and if we can raise extra manpower this should be added.

We have closed the road and will work with DPW to get the gate locks replaced. The parking lot needs to be reconfigured and the issue of bottles from the soccer fields being dumped in the lot also needs to be addressed.

Anyone interested in a clean up day over there? We can 100% use the help!

Crooked Spring is need of a good spring clean up. due to the winter use of sleding a lot of trash is in the woods in that area. If you are going to be walking the Spring please take a trash bag and help us clean up.

eighbors: Don't expand bog parking lot
By HIROKO SATO, Sun Staff
Article Last Updated: 02/05/2007 11:30:22 AM EST

CHELMSFORD -- If you are planning to walk on the trails that wind through the swamps inside the town-owned Cranberry Bog Reservation off Elm Street, you might want to make sure to get there when not too many people are around because there are only three parking spots in the lot at the gate.

The town is hoping to expand the lot so that more people could enjoy the conservation land connected to a 40-acre working cranberry bog in Carlisle. But the project is making some neighbors unhappy.

"Why increase the number of slots if they are already causing troubles?" Stephen Brovender said of the reservation where college and high-school students have often come at night to party.

A group of High Street residents are opposing the town's project to expand the parking lot, saying that would encourage more young people to come. These residents, and some of their friends like Brovender, have signed on a petition to ask for Town Meeting reps to block the plan.

According to Deputy Police Chief Scott Ubele, officers have ndeed been to the bogs many times in the past.

"There has been a history of partying there,"Community Development Director Andy Sheehan said, adding that people have created some "shelters" with tree branches and tarps, as well.

Because of that, Sheehan said, he has recently met with some of the neighbors to modify the expansion project. He and his staff are considering enlarging the entry way so that police could more easily spot people inside. There may also be additional lighting, Sheehan said.

"We are looking at yet more alternatives" to minimize potential impact of the expansion on the neighbors, he said.
---- End Story ------


Note:All shelters and fire pits where removed this spring and showed no use in a long time. Current lot is five spaces and would increase to 6 spaces plus 1 handicapped space. This is by far the most dangerous lot to park in in town as its on a blind corner and you can't see a thing. All other locations in town show little if any abuse and they are larger and some far more secluded. If anyone does know the location of a shelter or fire pit please let us know as I am 99% sure they are all gone.
-Phil

Walked both the Quarry and Crooked Spring this AM and found a total of 1 single beer can. I have not got the reports in from the other sites yet but I think they should be in good shape also. We have come a long way in a year and thanks go out to all those who have helped.

Poor little James. Today I was at Crooked Spring and found a pile of beer cans and trash scattered at the mid point of the red dot trail. I and two residents cleaned up the mess and I found a nice brown apron with a Market Basket Tag on with the name “James”. Well fearing that James might have got lost in the woods after drinking all the beer cans and not leaving a trail of them but tossing them around I decided to save him. I jumped in the truck and drove to Market Basket and talked to the manager. I expressed my concern that little James was drunk and wandering the woods and did not take his cans or the Market Basket bags to leave a trail and might need a rescue team. The Manager did not see it the same way I did but felt that all the cans and bags and Market Basket uniform might highlight the store in a bad image and he also might have found his way home but he did say he would return the apron and name tag to James personally and that made me very happy. These incidents are very rare now in the Open Spaces so when they happen we will continue to go out of our way to help.

Thanksgiving Forest got an emergency clean up Monday and Tuesday as It was a mess. A riding event was help at Great Brook this last weekend and part of the course was through the forest. Signs and markers where left on the trees, trails where moved and mound of horse crap and trail damage. Jim, Cathy and I all rolled up our sleeves and cleaned up the mess. Never to say but the people who ran this will not be on our Christmas card list this year.

Andrew J. Sheehan reports "I went by Crooked Spring today. The DPW cleaned up the brush piles, leaves, etc. A couple of trash barrels are all that remain. "

Logo has been approved.
Maps have been approved.
Post card money approved.

a good day!

The Lime Quarry:

1) Gate to 4965 is now closed and as a result a total of ONE can was found on trash walk Monday am.

2) Some kids are playing “paint ball” but that’s the total of the issues at this site.





Crooked spring:

1) Spent 4 hours Sunday clearing the trail from the lot to bridge below the damn. When they took a tree down they dumped it on the trail years ago and this closed it. Since that time people have walked on the road allowing this area to turn into a mess of vines and bushes. This has been totally cleared and the original trail 4 feet wide has been resorted.

2) Just to the left of the sledding hill is an issue. I removed over 30 beer cans and put out a “camp fire” left burning from Sat night. I spoke to several residents and asked them to keep an eye out at night as camp fire was under dry pine trees and could very easily have spread.

3) Jumps for Motor bikes and ATV where build on the trail and lots of tracks from both types where all over this area. I removed the jumps and restored the path to flat.

4) Seems like this is a gathering point for kids to ride bikes and ATV’s and do a little drinking. I also found road signs broken and tossed in that I will remove them next week.

5) Did a trash walk and trail was totally clear except the above problem area. I do need to replace some of the trail makers in this one area as they have torn them off the trees.



Sign Project:

1) Everything ready but on hold until project approved.





Bottom line: Both area are in good shape and ready for use. I will start looking at the third site (The old nursery) this week.