For those of you who read this site from Wesford it looks like I will be the speaker at one of the Rotary lunchs in the month of October. I am allways willing to go to any meeting and tell the story of the Stewardship and make new friends and connections. If you have a group and would like me to speak I am happy to do so .. just drop me a line.

Episode four of the calbel show will be shot this weds at the Cranberry Bog. To make it more interesting we will be shooting from and land and from the water. When the show comes out you will be able to see the Bog in a whole new light.

Well Paul and I had a chnce to full mark all the Qaurry trails. We then did all of Crooked Springs and had a tille time left to weed whack the trails and entrance.

Bob G with a lttile help (and I mean very little) help completed the first of the new kiosks for Red Wing. With luck you might even see it installed next weekend!

As part of updating all the trail systems we have been using new markers at conservation sites. Russel Mill nad ThanksgivingForest are now complete. With some luck we will comlete a new site tommrow,

Hey everyone we have two new Stewards for Deep Brook. Beth and Matt.

Great news! We have an Eagle Scout who will be moving the steep part of the trail in the "valley" to a switchback to decease the grade and take care of al the damage to the hill. Look for the plans posted here in a few weeks!


Click here for the plans in PDF format
Click here for REV A of the Map

We need help. As the new School year starts we have had kids starting to try and reuse some of the open spaces as hang outs and places to drink. If you see any fire pits or see beer bottles at any place on any site call me at once. We will come and clean them up and alert both CPD and CFD. I can be reached at 978-273-1474 at any time. I will not give out your name so do not worry but we need to nip this in the bud. No cars should be in any lot after dark unless they have the Open Space sticker on the back. Please help us keep our open spaces safe.

A major construction project will be underway at Crooked Spring with a new 44 foot bridge spanning the neck of the pond on the far side. This will allow safer bike and walking access all year round. We have five new kiosks going in at Red Wing, the Cranberry Bog, Deep Brook and Russell Mill. The new marking of trail will also be ready for the fall. Four new Bike racks will be going in on sites and a major trail upgrade at Thanksgiving forest. So we are flat out and I will post new pictures soon.

Is it true they are seaching for Jimmy's body in Bartlet Park? Well maybe but more likley it is to replace the blocked pipe that has been a major issue for water on the site for many years. I iwll get some photos and post them later today but its amazing to see a stream going right under the center of town.

If you are new to the site or have not been in the gallery its more than just photos. The gallery is connected via hundreds of links and allows you to explore sites ,maps, what we do. We have thousands of pictures and documents covering the Stewardship from its start in 2005. So take a while and explore Chelmsford with a single click.

[Click here to enter the Gallery]

I hate to say it but every once and a while “real life” has to take precedence of my Open Space work. The last few weeks have been that way and its been crazy. I do have some interesting news. The Stewardship now has “caretaker” status over the area around where the old horse barns stood on the Lewis property. The property was purchased by the town but it is NOT conservation land but run by the Town. We where concerned that the fields would totally over grow and become an eyesore so we asked if we could cut them until the Town decides a final use for the property. We have started on but it is a huge job with hundreds of old fence posts to remove and a ton of fences to fix. The weeds and junk have grown to well over 5 feet but we are making headway.
[Click here for Photos of the Lewis Property]

We continue to spend a lot of time over at Red wing and it looks amazing. If you have not seen it yet click the link below. As for the tons of black raspberries on the property they are a big attraction along with the butterfly garden.
[Click here for Photos of Red Wing]

We also have been keeping up on site maintenance and cover all nine sites every Sunday Am by 9 am (Takes about 2-3 hours)
[Click here for Photos Sunday Site Tour]

this is a very little talking and lots of walking trip... we fondly call it our "death march"

Water and Farmland
Dates: Sunday July 27
Distance 3 miles
Terrain: Moderate
Meet: 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Forest (Janet Road)
Pre-register: Please pre-register by sending an email
to Phil@thechelmsfordian.com so we know how many
people to expect.
We will meet at the parking lot and walk along the pond
passing the beaver dams and into Great Brook. After
a quick tour of Great Brook (and a stop for ice cream)
we will return to Thanksgiving Forest and see one of
Chelmsford’s most interesting rock formations that is
over 20 feet high. This is a long walk but you will have
a lot to see. No open toe shoes and please bring a hat,
a water bottle and bug spray. Please remember to
bring ice cream money!
If you have a Scout troop, church group or walking
group and would like a tour of the trail system, check
out our upcoming events. If you have a group of fi ve or
more, please e-mail us and we can arrange a walking
tour (no charge). If you have tools like rakes and shovels
or any other items we can use , please let us know and
we would be happy to pick them up. If you are a company
and want to do an employee work day, we have a
variety of projects available. For more information, contact
Phil@thechelmsfordian.com or call Phil Stanway at
978-273-1474.

I have added 138 photos and moved the gallery around to make it easier to use. so clikc the camera and start your trip!

Wow long day! site checks at 7am... 2 walks.. one geo clinic and a geo hunt... butterfly garden... I am just beat with a club!... lots of phtos I will post tommrow once I sort them. Thanks to EVERYONE!