Great Day. All the wood from along the trail is now sorted and in the main lot for pickup. Lots of folks turned out and we completed the haul in about three hours. The dam has also been clean and it looks and now sounds amazing. If you have a chance check it out.

Click here for work at Crooked Springs

Jim and being the crazy people we are then headed over to red wing and started the clearing of the third field. This had to be cut and hayed by hand so it wiped us out in only 4 hours.
Click here for work at Red Wing

Next week end is the big one and we hope to see everyone!

Look for an official announcement later today. This is wonderful news and I am so excited I could not wait to share it with the Stewards and our supporters. How we could afford the gas to cut Red Wing has kept me up at night but it looks like the huge weight is off my shoulders.

Its things like this that re-enforce that Chelmsford is the right place to live and bring up my family

Town Wide Cleanup
Description: Cleanup of and along Bartlett Park in Chelmsford Center from 9:00 - 12:00 PM. Bring pruning tools, trimming saws, rakes, and gloves.
Parking available across from Park in Art Studio lot on Rt. 27.

We will be up the road at the Quarry from 8-10 and then some of the Stewards will be heading down while the rest head to Red Wing.

Bird Walk - 7:00 -8:30 AM
Description: Bird walk along the rail trail from South Chelmsford to the power lines. Meet at the Red Wing Conservation Parking lot on Maple Road.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2008

The town of Chelmsford puts aside money to maintain its almost 1000 acres of land. A few short years ago almost no maintenance was done and the amount was 3000. When the started three years ago it was 1500 and then 1250 and now it has been slashed to $500. This comes to less than 50 cents per acres per year now we do have some money in the CPA fund but that can only be used for capital improvements not the day to day gas, chainsaw blades, tools, paint ect this should all legally come from the maintenance fund. This will be a hard sell to the Stewards who donated work valued at well over 10K Sat alone. I could understand a reduction of maybe $250 but a drop from $1250 to $500 when gas has shot up from $1.50 to well on the way to $4.00 is going to be hard. It might be that we will have scratch cutting Red Wing meadows this year…. We are looking at all our options.

If you know of a company that would like to underwrite keeping the meadows cut at Red Wing please let us know. We do not need money for equipment or labor just gas. Everything else is donated. Somewhere between $200-$300 would cover the entire season. We will place a notice prominently on both Kiosks. With the Bike Trail coming in this will be seen by hundreds of people and let them know your company directly supports this property. We were planning to restore a new field this year and we still might.

Rain Date? whats that? We don't need no stinkin rain dates! To those are coming to help get ready to get wet.

We start at 8:30 Am Sat April 5 no mater what.

Update: 9 Hours and we replaced 1 culvert build 5 stone benches and restored the original gate posts.... GREAT DAY!!!!

Click here for Photos

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

The old Culvert and Dam will be replaced April 5th by the Stewardship and a few local companies. This is a closed work party (NO ONE UNDER 18) but you are welcome to stop by and see the work. We figure the value of the job as somewhere between 5-8K and the only cost to the town was the pipe DPW dropped off. Once the Culvert and bridge is replaced it will allow access to the property by emergency vehicular and farm equipment to maintain the fields.

Look for pictures of the who project here next Sat night.

If you are interested in the program this is a good time to meet the hard core "crazies" who go above and beyond.

Please spread the word …

Sat April 12 8-10am: Crooked Springs Site wide clean up and brush haul. Gloves and long pants a must.

Sat April 19 Earth Day Clean Up
8-10 am Lime Quarry: Garden clean up, entrance clean up, Mulch spreading and weeding. (Rakes, Shovels, gloves)
9-11 am Wright reservation: Garden clean up, entrance clean up, Mulch spreading and weeding. (Rakes, Shovels, gloves)
10-12: Bartlett Pasture and Wood lot: site Clean Up.
10-12 Red Wing: MAJOR clean up of orchard and site, Mulch spreading.

Russell Mill: Site Clean up and Mulch spreading: TBA
The Bog: Site Clean up and Mulch spreading: TBA


If you want to help this is the time. Please e-mail me Phil@thechelmsfordian.com or call me 978-273-1474.

Join your friends, neighbors, classmates and coworkers in an effort to
clean up the litter that has accumulated during the long, snowy winter.
Register as an individual or with your family, scouting group, club,
school or workplace. Clean-up date: April 19, 2008 but you may clean
early.

Registration forms available at www.townofchelmford.us/Recycling-Department.cfm, in
theWinter-Spring Community Newsletter, at the Town Offices, or by calling the Recycling
Office at 978-250-5203.
After the clean-up, bring a picnic (please try for “zero waste”)
to the common from 12:00- 2:00 where we’ll host a
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Fair
Learn what creative local people and groups are doing to reduce, reuse
and recycle to lessen our impact on the environment. If you would like
to be a presenter,
call 978-250-5203.
Rain location for picnic/fair: Town Offices Gymnasium

All Stewards please e-mail me so I know where people will and will not be so all sites will be covered that day.

Ever wonder what Jones Farm Café looks like inside? We check out the pictures below. If a great place to sit and have a coffee and more than not you run into people you know or end up talking to people. Phil Jones is a huge supporter and help to the program so please stop by and thank him .

If you are looking to have a place for a meeting you can get the space for free! They have a small kids area there with a sand box ect.

Click here for Full Story

New topics new pictures. Deep Brook , Quarry, Russel Mill,Wright,Bog, Thanksgiving Forest, Jone Farm Cafe and mcuh more! click "Gallery Short cuts" to see and over 2,000 photos of the open spaces!

In a quick 180 we are back on the Red Wing Culvert. The Butterfly Garden is approved. Russel Mill secuity upgrades approved. BB Wrigth invasive control project approved.

Look for updates this week for work dates.

Well I was at the Bog today and its totally free of any signs of Snow Mobiles or bikes. Just snow as far as you can see. Silent and beautiful. After years of issue it looks like we are over the worst!... keep hoping and take a walk out there if you can..

Click here for photos of the Bog Pond

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

Click here for plans