Topic: Uncle_sam

For four years, the Chelmsford Open Space Stewardship Program has helped to maintain about 900 acres of open space land in town, with volunteers donating more than 20,000 hours of their time maintaining trails, building foot bridges and kiosks, creating our community garden, beautifying the town, rallying local organizations and businesses, and much more. They do this all with an annual budget of $200 plus generous donations.

Friday, March 5th, will be the first fundraiser for COSS - the theme will be a roast of COSS founder and lead steward Phil Stanway in celebration of his 50th birthday, but it's also about all of the volunteers in the program. It's a night of fun entertainment, brief information about the program, as well as music and dinner at the beautiful new Chelmsford Elks. The goal is to raise money to ensure the stewards have the resources they need to continue what they're doing. The event will take place from 6 - 10 p.m and tickets are $25 each ($20 of which will go directly to COSS).

To order tickets, please contact Joanne Stanway at 978-273-1473 or jstanway@comcast.net.

We can use everyone. Want to see what type of work we do? Well

Click here for Photos

Drop me a line as we are out every weekend somewhere (rain or shine) do something. With 12 sites allays a lot to be done. If you are on face book Friend me Phil Stanway and you can get a lot more updates.

Projects that are on our list

1) Clean the woods around the water tower at Varney Park
2) Clean and remove fire pits and 100’s of beer bottles below dam at Freeman lake
3) Clean the woods behind Roberts Field
4) Clean and fix up Skating shack at Roberts Field.
5) Grounds work at Varney Park (filling holes ect)


Interested? Call me 978-273-1474 (Phil)

After three years of no ATV's At Thanksgiving Forest l seems we have one ripping the hell out of the trails. this is a local kid accessing from Gary Road. If you see him tell him to get out! If you can snap a picture of him or know who he is please let us know and we will inform him to stay out of the property. ATVS are banned from all ConCom land and riders WILL be called before ConCom and fined. We are easy going on some things but Dirt Bikes, ATVS, Fires and Paintball no one gets a pass. We spend weeks working on trails to make them usable and have drainage and all it takes is one or two ATV's to destroy this work.

Please call me 978-273-1474 id you see new tracks or know anything. I will not disclose my source.

Well if this #$@#4 snow ever goes away we can get into major cleanup. Ice damage is far more extensive that we could see in the winter and almost every trail needs a major cleanup.

Scout groups.. come on down. Residents who want to get some fresh air .. we got it. Want to be part of the program! just want to donate a few hours we need you !

e-mail if you have any free time as we will be working all weekend and now the time has changed I will be out on sites from 4-7pm

An opportunity to help clean up some of Chelmsford's open spaces, and to meet and work along side some of your fellow cachers. The majority of the work will be moving/spreading mulch and cleaning up. If possible please bring gloves, shovels, rakes, and trash bags.
When: Saturday, April 19, 2008 (8am - 10am) and another opportunity from (10am - noon). RAIN OR SHINE
Where: Russell Mill Forest in Chelmsford.

In honor of Earth Day, we'll be doing some cleanup at Russell Mill Forest (and later at Red Wing Farm). To get to the event, follow Mill Road to where it intersects with Raymond Road (N42 34.728 W71 19.832) then turn at the "Soccer Fields" sign. Follow the dirt road back (past the soccer field parking) to the listed coordinates.

Around 10am we will be moving to Red Wing Farm to work there until noon. Parking for Red Wing Farm is at N42 34.299 W71 22.763. So if you can't make the 8am-10am cleanup, you're welcome to join us at Red Wing. Here are some pictures of Red Wing Farm for those that may not be familiar with it. Red Wing Farm abuts a portion of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. Construction for Phase I of this trail began last fall so you can get a look at how the trail is progressing.

This is also an opportunity to work alongside the Chelmsford Open Space Stewards, aka COSS (see User's Web Page above for more info). COSS has done an incredible job on the open spaces they maintain. Those of you who have cached at Thanksgiving Forest, George B.B. Wright, and/or the Chelmsford Lime Quarry (for example) have had the pleasure of seeing their work first-hand. Many of you have met and chatted with the COSS stewards while caching these open spaces. They're enthusiastic about what they do and they never hesitate to take time to discuss the open spaces they're responsible for.

In order to log this event you will need to help with the cleanup and you will need to sign the log book (which I will have in my possession).

Hope to see you there!
Tony

Want to help? Looking for community service? We have two upcoming events:

Sat Oct 6 at Red wing Farm:
We will be building flower beds for the planting the Chelmsford Garden Club will be doing October 10th. We will start at 8am and work till it is done Maybe 1-2pm. Come any time and stay as long as you want we will have extra tools.

Sat Oct 13th at Russell Mill forest (behind Soccer fields) :

First major Clean up its had in years. Starting at 8am till whenever. Again show up any time (if you don’t see us call my cell at 978-273-1474 and I will send someone out.)

Did you know that The Conservation Commission has 1,200 dollars that we used in this year to help keep the Stewardship running? What did this go to? Chainsaw blades and wood. We also received some money from the George BB Wright fund to fun work on that site and a small amount of money from the CPA fund. All in all I think we spent about 3K last year of town funds. What did the town get for this? Six major sites in town had major improvements and Chelmsford has a program that is one of the most successful in the state. The Stewardship is up for an EPA award and might be featured in the fall edition of Trusties of Reservations. Stewards donated over 6,000 hours of time last year at an estimated value of 90K to the town. Add to this that most of the Stewards also dig into there own pockets and help out it is a wonderful program. How can you help? Well if you want to see the program continue as it has been then please e-mail Paul Cohen (Town Manager) and ask that the program receive the same funding. This is one of the best values the town gets but the funding keeps getting reduced every year.

If you feel the Open Spaces have improved and you feel the money invested in the Stewardship has been worth it please drop him an e-mail at PCohen@TownofChelmsford.US

Remember its about $500 per site per year or $2.00 a day truly an amazing value!

The work on the new trail at BB Wright continues. The trail wills official Open May 5 2007 with our first Open Space Walk. We could however use help to finish the work. If you can use a wheel barrow and a shovel or a rake the WE WANT YOU!. If you are a Scout Troop or need community serve this is a great project. It’s easy, fun and outside!
E-mail Scott or Phil (lnks on the left).

Click here for picture of the work underway

We have a bunch of projects now underway and a bunch more we need to start working on. Want to help? Want to see what we are up to? Click on the list below and then e-mail Phil@thechelmfordian.com (link on left) and you can start at once!

Click here for Projects we can use help on
Click here for the new Quarry Sign
Click here for Bridge project at the Quarry Brain has been woking on
Click here for Qaurry pit clearing project now underway

Bill Tucker (long time Chelmsford resident) is taking up the mantel of the Stewardship over at the Wright preserve. Bill is one of the original crazy’s who helped clear the Quarry so I know he is a hard working no nonsense guy. He will walk the trails and keep them maintained. He will also do the “Trash walks” that we all do a few times a week. This gives us eyes and feet on the ground in three of Chelmsford’s open spaces. As with Beth and Mike he will be added as an Admin to www.thechelmsfordian.com so he can post news and photos to keep up all informed. I am meeting him Weds and I will to shoot a virtual walk of the main trail so everyone can see the open space. Bill is a wonderful addition to the crew and will conduit from residents and people who use the preserve back to all of us.