2017 Projects

I would like to close out 2017 by thanking all of our members, sponsors and volunteers. Without you, we would not have been able to accomplish all that we did in 2017.

* We had 19 rides (739 riders), 1 clinic, a tack sale, 3 campouts, 2 trail work days with $3,188 in volunteer labor (106.75 hours), and lunch.

* 35.5 hours of other trail work worth $1,029.50

* Wallis Pond cart road repair for $6,952.35 total. Two tenths of a mile long. Part of that total includes  $1,964.33 of donated gravel from Pyne Sand & Stone of Douglas MA.

* SNETT Improvements between Lake St. Bellingham to Prospect St. Franklin. DCR used funds from two partnership grants and over $200,000 in DCR capital funds, DCR constructed a 0.6–mile segment connecting Lake Street in Bellingham to  Prospect Street in Franklin. Our contribution for this project came in two forms. One, a STEP grant received from the American Quarter Horse Association in the amount of $850 and BSTRA contributed $4,550.83 to this project.

* Inman Hill Wildlife Conservation Area parking field and access road improvements. $3,000.00

* BSTRA was awarded a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Grant administered by the Department of Conservation by the Department of Conservation & Recreation to improve .7 mile of trail.  Most of the intensive work to be done was at the end of the trail, requiring transport of materials to the work area over some pretty tough terrain.  BSTRA hired CJM Construction, Inc. to perform the trail improvements which required 299.86 tons of rip rap and 81.24 tons of loam.  Of that total, 119.48 tons of gravel and 18.07 tons of rip rap were donated by Kimball Sand Company, Inc.  The RTP grant for $29,565.25, a grant from Constellation for $500, and BSTRA’s match of cash and volunteer labor of $13,816 made this a $43,881.44 project.

* Had a booth at Equine Affaire.

* Made donation a to the Friends of the Upton State Forest of $239.50 for trail use.

* Paid $855.74 for materials to install railings on four bridges at Mt. Jefferson in Hubbardston.

* Received the Shared Stewardship Award from DCR. Everyone has a role to play in preserving and enhancing our properties. This award is given to a Friends group, local, state or national organization, or individual including scouts and other youth volunteers, for their extraordinary service in enhancing the visitor experience, fostering shared stewardship of our resources, promoting the agency’s mission, and supporting our staff at a particular park or throughout the park system.

* Received the Massachusetts Trail Award. The Massachusetts Trails Advisory Board (MARTAB) started presenting a yearly Massachusetts Trails Award in 2013. The 2017 conference organizers called on the trails community to nominate individuals, groups, communities, organizations and agencies for the 2017 Massachusetts Trail Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize someone or some entity that has had a significant impact on the Massachusetts trail scene, either past or present through their dedication, efforts and work on behalf of the trail network in Massachusetts.

* Raised over $25,000 for trail projects.

SNETT Improvements (Bellingham/Franklin)

As part of BSTRA’s continuing commitment to make improvements to the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT), we applied for and were awarded a partnership grant through the Dept. of Conservation & Recreation (DCR). DCR used funds from two partnership grants and over $200,000 in DCR capital funds, DCR constructed a 0.6–mile segment connecting Lake Street in Bellingham to  Prospect Street in Franklin. Our contribution for this project came in two forms. One, a STEP grant received from the American Quarter Horse Association in the amount of $850 and BSTRA contributed $4,5500.83 to this project.

Inman Hill Wildlife Conservation Area Parking Improvements (Mendon, MA)

In April BSTRA had some work done to the entrance road and parking field at Inman Hill Wildlife Conservation Area.  The access road and field were badly rutted and in such bad shape that people were not able to get access to parking.  The project entailed spreading 4 loads of processed gravel to fill in the ruts in the road and straighten out the entrance to the field used for parking.  The total cost to complete this project was $3,000.

Wallis Pond Cart Road Repairs, Douglas State Forest (Douglas, MA)

This trail is a very popular trail used by many different trail users, including equestrians, dog walkers, mountain bikers and cross country skiers, and it needed some TLC.  Work started on August 11th to repair the cart road which is about .2 mile long and provides access to the Douglas State Forest trail system.  The trail had eroded over the years, exposing rocks and roots and an uneven surface that made it difficult for trail users and emergency vehicles.  Dead trees were cut and cleaned up courtesy of DCR.  BSTRA hired WHP Trucking and Excavating to perform the excavation.  They removed lots of big rocks and stumps to prepare for a new trail surface of 10 loads of 3/4 inch crushed gravel.  Half of the gravel needed to complete this project was donated by BSTRA’s Platinum Sponsor, Pyne Sand & Stone of Douglas.  The total cost to complete this project was $6,952.35.

East Trail (Mendon, MA)

BSTRA was awarded a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Grant administered by the Department of Conservation by the Department of Conservation & Recreation to improve .7 mile of trail.  Most of the intensive work to be done was at the end of the trail, requiring transport of materials to the work area over some pretty tough terrain.  BSTRA hired CJM Construction, Inc. to perform the trail improvements which required 299.86 tons of rip rap and 81.24 tons of loam.  Of that total, 119.48 tons of gravel and 18.07 tons of rip rap were donated by BSTRA’s Platinum Sponsor, Kimball Sand Company, Inc.  The RTP grant for $29,565.25, a grant from Constellation for $500, and BSTRA’s match of cash and volunteer labor of $13,834.19 made this a $43,881.44 project.

Mt. Jefferson Conservation Area Trail Bridges Project (Hubbardston, MA)

BSTRA paid for the materials to have railings installed for added safety on four new bridges in the Mt. Jefferson Conservation Area.  BSTRA’s cost for this project was $855.74. Also testing one of the bridges with an anti-slip method. They put down a layer of HDPE non-woven mat spread on the bridge. Secured it with pressure treated strips and screws. Covered the mat with 3/8″ crushed stone.

West Hill Dam (Uxbridge, MA)

BSTRA held a work day in April at West Hill Dam in Uxbridge, MA.  Their 24th annual trail work day, in partnership with Army Corps of Engineers, was to clean up winter debris, cutting and brushing back as needed, and cleaning out all the water bars that have been installed over the years.  The work was accomplished with 50 hours of volunteer labor, having a value of $1,450

SNETT Maintenance on Park Serve Day (Uxbridge, MA)

On Park Serve Day, April 29th, BSTRA’s work day brought out 17 volunteers to tackle SNETT maintenance between Chocolog Road and Aldrich St.  This .7 mile section needed serious brushing and cutting back as it was very overgrown.  Putting in 56.75 hours running two chainsaws, one brush cutter and everyone else stacking the brush on the sides to be chipped later, BSTRA finished the entire .7 mile.  The value of the 56.75 hours of volunteer labor was $1,645.75.  The Department of Conservation & Recreation came back in September to chip all the brush that we had stacked in April.